Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Rory’s long lashes lifted. Now that he was so close to her in daylight, he could see that her lashes were dark, but they were dark cherry, just like her hair. Gorgeous. Everything about her was beautiful. He felt the impact of her green eyes.
“Actually, no. You’re the first, so thank you.”
She was telling the truth. He could hear lies. No one had ever given her a compliment on her hair? What was wrong with the men she dated?
“I don’t date much, so I’m awkward, and I don’t want to mess this up,” Gideon said.
She smiled at him, and that smile was genuine. “I don’t have much experience in the world of dating, so I probably won’t notice if you’re awkward. I moved here recently and had never even heard of this restaurant. It does have the best view of the harbor. You were right.” She’d asked some of her friends, and only Janice and Pam knew of it, but they hadn’t eaten there.
“It sits just high enough above the water that you can see the waves rolling in. It doesn’t matter if the fog is hanging out at sea or the sun is out; the view is outstanding. And wait until you have the food. No one does clam chowder the way they do. Everything on their menu is fresh and very good.”
Rory picked up the menu and bent her head, so the sun once more turned her hair into a fiery glow. “You know what I do for a living. What do you do?”
“I’m employed by the government in a security capacity. At the moment, I’m off for a while. I had quite a bit of vacation and sick time coming to me, and the boss was insistent I take it.”
She glanced up at him, amusement in her eyes. “Are you a workaholic?”
He shrugged, flashing another grin her way. “I live alone. Don’t even have a cat. I’m not that good of a cook. I do have a great rooftop though.”
Those green eyes studied his expression, and then she laughed. “You’re definitely a workaholic. Good excuses though. I especially like the one that you’re not a good cook.”
“I can cook,” he clarified. “I’m just not great at it. And who wants to cook for one person? I wouldn’t mind showing off my skills for you, which admittedly aren’t much, if we get that far. Cooking for two is far more fun than one. You any good in that department?”
“I watch the cooking channel, if that counts.”
The amusement in her voice sent heat streaking through his veins. Before he could reply, the waiter was there to take their orders. She was all about the soup and shrimp. She was also ready to try the house bread. He was willing to share that with her and gave his order as well. As the waiter walked away, he was shocked to see two members of his team take a seat at a table behind Rory.
Gideon knew it wasn’t a coincidence that Brian Hutton and Ethan Meyers had come to the restaurant. They weren’t following him. That meant something serious had to be communicated to Gideon.
“It has to count as much as my abilities do,” Gideon conceded. “You said you moved here recently. Where is your family?”
“I lost my parents a long time ago, and I don’t have any other family, so I decided to see as much of the United States as I could. Well, at least the parts that interested me. I don’t like the heat, so I tend to stay away from places that get really hot. I visit during the good weather. I wanted to see New Orleans, so I went during the cooler weeks.”
“That makes sense.” He took a quick scan of the table behind her. Brian signed, keeping his hands close to his chest. It was their private street code. Rory had been followed from her apartment building.
Gideon’s gut tightened into knots. Javier had assured him just a few days before, when they’d been in the bar, that she didn’t have a stalker. Now, in broad daylight, she’d been followed? He took care to keep his features clear of the alarm he felt. The man had been careful to stay a block or so back from her and in the shadows.
“What about you? Does your family live here in San Francisco?” she asked.
“It’s difficult to explain my family. The simple answer is yes. I grew up a street kid. No real home. The kids I hung out with eventually became my family. We ended up sticking together. Just up the street from where you work is a huge warehouse. Jaimie, a woman I grew up with and consider my sister, is a computer genius. The man you saw me with in the bar, Javier, he is too. Nothing gets by them. That warehouse is home to Jaimie and Mack and Rose and Kane, as well as the computers that allow us to do our work. Our family is still together, only now we work together.”