“That’s exactly what it looked like!” Kyndal’s excitement drew his gaze. The firelight danced in her eyes, made them emeralds.
The bottle was at his lips, but his breath caught. He set it down without taking a sip. “Where is it? I can’t believe I’ve never seen it.”
Between bites, Kyndal explained she’d been looking for interesting shots when a sandstone column caught her attention.
Chance nodded, picturing which room she was in. He’d seen the column. Bats were in that room sometimes, so he generally avoided it, but right then he wished he were there. With Kyndal.
A bit of cheese from her last bite of potato cake clung to her bottom lip. He controlled the urge to brush it off with his thumb. Or nibble it off.
Luckily the pizza arrived, giving him something to think about other than being alone in the cave with the mesmerizing woman sitting next to him…the liberal environmentalist who’d recently been involved in a scandal sitting next to him.
“Well, the opening is about seven feet up.” Kyndal helped herself to a slice of pizza, which remained untouched as she continued her story. “It’s on the right-hand side when you first enter that room. I wouldn’t even have noticed it if I hadn’t knocked my lamp over. The crystal wall caught the light.”
“Serendipity at work, eh?” Chance chuckled. “Did you see any bats?”
“Bats? Ewww!” Jaci’s squeal made Chance aware there were two other people at the table. He’d been enthralled in Kyndal’s story, or at least in watching her tell it. All breathless and excited. The same way she used to be when they made love.
The memory shot straight to his groin and left him with a raging hard-on. That kind of urgency hadn’t happened lately. It was a bit of a relief to know it could still happen. He shifted in his seat to relieve some of the pressure.
Kyndal was explaining to Jaci and Bart about the beauty of bats and photographing all aspects of nature. God, she was gorgeous with her conviction shining in her eyes. Too bad that conviction wasn’t focused in a more productive direction.
Reaching for another piece of pizza, his gaze tangled with Kyndal’s for a moment, and he watched her eyes harden as if she’d read his thoughts. Or maybe she’d covered it well until that moment but obviously still harbored resentment toward him. He lowered his eyes and took a bite. Guilt didn’t mix well with pepperoni.
Yeah, he probably deserved her anger. Breaking up without ever calling to check on her was a chicken-shit thing to do. Especially after all they’d been to each other. But, damn it, the women he’d encountered at Harvard had been so sophisticated and ambitious. None of them would’ve given up their dream of being a lawyer to pursue photography.
He chewed slowly, an idea forming in his mind. A way to help her out now and make up for the heartache he’d brought her…maybe even rid himself of the guilt he’d carried for nine years.
He waited for a pause in the conversation. “Would you like to go back to the cave tomorrow?”
Kyndal’s look went from startled to something unreadable.
The issue suddenly became important to him, and he pressed for an answer. “Jaci said you’re staying over, right? It wouldn’t take long. You could show me the vug and get some more shots. We could all go.” He waved his hand to include the four of them.
“Don’t count us in.” Jaci shook her head at Bart, whose mouth was pursed to comment. “I’ve got to work tomorrow after church.”
“On Sunday?” Doubt was evident in Kyndal’s voice.
Jaci’s face tightened as she shrugged. “We’re behind because of Julia’s—” she hesitated “—um, surgery.”
The mention again of Julia Reinholt’s condition nipped at Chance’s heart. Had Jaci heard the other rumors—the ones that linked Julia’s husband, Stuart, with a young waitress in town? The son of a bitch. Chance kept his thoughts to himself.
Remembering what had veered the conversation in this direction, though, and trying to lighten the mood, he turned back to Kyndal. “So Jaci and Bart are out, but what do you say, Kyn? Do we have a date?”
CHAPTER FIVE
KYNDAL CHECKED THE MAP Chance had drawn for her the night before. His driveway should be coming up around the next bend. For the gazillionth time that morning, she told herself going back to the cave with Chance was not tempting fate—it was shaping destiny. The shots of that crystal room would get her the job with