Dark Beach - By Lauren Ash Page 0,53
house it could belong to—nothing came to her.
“I’ve got to go back. Got to get Charlie.” Jenny stuck the key back in her purse.
“Sleep.” Kip slumped back in the diner booth.
It was almost nine. She looked at the tousled head, snuggled against the green leather, and thought, how can I do it? How I can take her back there? Guilt swamped her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Kurt, hi. It’s late. We have to go.” Jenny wrote out a check and left it on top of the bill, stuffing some dollars for a tip in on top of it.
“But I just got here. Didn’t feel like cooking.”
His timing was bad, very bad. “I know.” She stood.
“What is it? What’s wrong? Something’s up. I can tell.” He motioned for her to sit.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re acting funny.”
“No I’m not.” Jenny put a palm up, and then bit her lip. “I’m just tired that’s all. It’s late.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” she insisted, staring at his feet—at the big black boots on his feet.
“Okay then. You can always stay with me.”
“Why would you say that?” Jenny faced him squarely.
“What do you mean?” asked Kurt, putting out a hand to her.
“That’s a strange thing to say, especially…”
“What? You know … stop right there.” His tone grew firm. “All I have done is help you—ever since you arrived in this town. Don’t get mad at me, not after everything.”
The diner wait staff swiveled their heads to stare at them.
“I need to go, okay. I can’t talk to you about this.” She took a step toward the door.
“I knew it. There’s something going on. Tell me.” Kurt plonked down in the booth, patting the leather beside him.
“No. I’m going home now, back to the beach house.”
“You can’t. You have something of mine.”
“What?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You know damn well what.”
“I have nothing of yours.” She took another step, watching Kip yawn.
“Fine. Play it that way. I’ll see you later.”
Kurt jumped up and stalked off to find a waitress.
Jenny watched, feeling like she should go to him, but deliberately ignoring the pang. He’s not your husband. You can’t rely on him. You barely know him. What’s wrong with you?
Sighing, she tucked her purse tighter under her arm.
Kurt did not look at her again until she had already started the car. He stared out at her and they locked eyes. In the quiet of the diner, he whispered, “Damn you, woman!”
With a nod of goodbye, Jenny took off down Rocky Shore Road. There was little traffic and most of the houses were dark—the tourists having fled as winter approached.
I should go. Rachael’s right. I should grab Charlie and just leave?
“Kip, what do you think?” she asked.
But Kip was already asleep.
* * *
“My work is done. I’m not staying.” Ron stared down at the empty dry dock.
“We need you on this job. It’s not over.”
Carl’s southern accent was becoming more obnoxious as the hours wore on, or was it Ron’s exhaustion?
Ron rubbed his face—his hands coming away dirty and wet with sweat. “I left my pregnant wife alone at a beach house on the Washington coast to be here. It was the first vacation I’ve had in well over a year, and I get called to this mess!”
Carl backed up, his hands raised. “Wait a minute here, now. We need you. Take a look around. You’re right an’ Ah won’t argue with you on that. This place is a mess. Ah’m happier than a pig in shit with what you’ve achieved, but we need those doors back on, the hydraulics fixed. The sub will be back soon after that test run. We need to prepare. There’s damage in the dock from the destroyer. Ah can’t let you go.”
“I’m going,” said Ron.
“You’ll be fired.”
Ron stared at him. “Fire me, then.”
“God dammit now, Ron. Reason with me here.”
“You can finish this. You have all the men you need,” Ron yelled and threw his hands up in the air. “She’s sick. I have to go to her. I quit.”
“You quit, just like that? That’s your choice then.”
“It is and we’re done here.”
* * *
Jenny looked at her sleeping daughter. Her fair head nestled into the pillow. Eyes closed, rosebud lips partly open. How can I disturb that for a drive in the dark to an empty house? Maybe I should just call Ron, see what he thinks?
“One more night. We’ll leave first thing,” she whispered, stroking Kip’s cheek. Then she tiptoed out and prepared, making sure every window and every door was locked. She drew the