Redeeming Her SEAL (ASSIGNMENT Caribbean Nights #9) - Kat Cantrell Page 0,77

you up on that,” Audra admitted. “I have a plan that I think you’ll like which will circumvent all of the issues Jared has caused. If I’m on the island, I can manage it better.”

All seven people zeroed in on her as she stood there at the edge of the living area, not quite a part of the group, but gaining ground. At least she had their attention.

“We need to build our own coral reef,” she said and began spinning her vision for her rapt audience. “One that Aqueous Adventures can own outright. Of course it will be located in waters governed by the Bahamas, but we put a legal stake in the ground if we file for the permits to build it. Then no one can threaten it.”

Everyone started talking at once, and Dex shushed them, clearly the de facto leader with Charlie temporarily out of the picture. “I’m in. One hundred percent. It’s so brilliant, I’m embarrassed we haven’t thought of it before. How does it work?”

Audra smiled at her lone supporter—for the moment. “You’ve already got one of the most important skills. Coral transplantation. Having worked for ReefCo for so long is about to pay off for you. The only thing we need now is an underwater structure for the coral to cling to. Most artificial reefs start out as shipwrecks.”

“Yeah, but there are no shipwrecks around here,” Jace interjected, clearly still stubbornly clinging to his mad despite Audra’s Exhibit A about how she was here to resolve the issues. She understood that she’d hurt someone he loved and it was her due penance. But he needed to understand that she’d hurt someone she loved too. This would go a long way toward absolving her sins.

“You have to create one,” Audra explained. “With explosives.”

That got Miles’s attention. Fast. “I like the sound of this already. I could definitely get on board with a plan that involved blowing something up.”

“You have experience with explosives,” she guessed as she took in the undisguised glee in his eyes and didn’t even need his nod to know that she’d gained another recruit. Perfect. “There’s a company that specializes in this type of thing. It’s run by a college friend of mine, and I would be more than happy to put you on point to work out the details.”

“I’m your man.” Miles nodded once, his mind clearly busy thinking through what she was saying. “Give me your buddy’s contact info, and I’ll set up a meeting with him to get this going. What else do we need to know?”

She tucked her tongue in her cheek and opted not to correct his egregious assumption that her “buddy” was male. Sure, Lale Sakir wore combat boots better than any man, but she was also a former Miss Turkey and did not suffer fools easily. Hopefully all the explosions would be limited to the things that were supposed to blow up.

But knowing Lale, odds were not good. Her friend had a hot temper and ate men like Miles Lynch for lunch. Might be fun to get a front row seat for that.

The smiles outweighed the frowns by the time she’d finished laying out her plan, and Audra took her first deep breath since Charlie had stormed out of her apartment and her life three days ago.

“Why are all of you listening to her?” Jace interrupted the various conversations going on around him as he stood and pointed at Audra. “This is the chick who messed up Charlie. He left because of her. How can all of you forget that?”

“She didn’t mess me up, actually.” Charlie’s quiet voice bled through her soul from behind.

She whirled to see him standing in the doorway, so solid and amazing and beautiful. Would it kill him to make some noise when he moved? But his ice-blue eyes were warm as he drank her in, and she forgave his cat-like grace.

Warm. Not frozen, like they had been the last time she’d seen him.

“Meeting is over,” Dex said decisively and started herding everyone, including Jace, whom she thought lived here, toward the door. “Anyone who wants to talk further, I’ve got beer in the fridge at my house and soda for Emma and Evan. Come on.”

The entire house emptied in record time, save the one man she’d thought she might never see smile at her again. It wasn’t much of a smile, but the small tipping up of his lips definitely beat the anguish he’d worn the last time they were both