All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [84]
"We should do a feature on the island," he said as they walked back out into the sunlight, an hour later. "Maybe do some investigation into those escapees. I wonder if any of their families are still alive." He realized that Natalie was staring at him with a knowing smile. "What?"
"You're supposed to be taking a break, and you're working up a news story in your head."
"Hardly news, and I'm afraid it's just ingrained in me."
"You always had a curious mind. I loved that about you," Natalie said.
"Loved? As in past tense?"
"Okay, I like it about you now," she amended.
"Like is not the same as love."
"I don't think we want to talk about love, Cole. Hey, I think there's a boat about to leave. Shall we head back now?"
He hesitated, then nodded. She was right. Love was not a subject he wanted to get into with Natalie. "Sure. What do you want to do next?" he asked as they walked back to the ferry.
"I want to eat fresh crab on the wharf, or maybe order some clam chowder in one of those French bread bowls. I want to get ice cream in a waffle cone, watch the seals by Pier 39, and take a cable car ride up the steepest hills in San Francisco."
"Are you done?"
There was pure joy in the sound of her laugh. "Sorry, but you asked, and I think you created a monster when you suggested we play tourist."
"I like you like this," he said approvingly.
"I like me like this, too," she replied. "You always brought out this side in me. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to relax and have fun. Thanks."
He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, tasting the salt of the nearby sea on her lips. "Don't thank me yet. We've got a lot to do, and if you think this was fun, you ain't seen nothing yet."
Chapter 14
Natalie dug her bare toes into the cool, moist sand on Ocean Beach and sighed with pure satisfaction. After riding the cable cars and stuffing themselves on an assortment of foods, they'd driven out to the beach and had taken up residence against the base of a cliff that ran along the Great Highway to watch the sun go down. "I love this time of the day," she said to Cole. "It's an in-between time. It reminds me of a story Emily used to tell us." She stopped abruptly, realizing she'd just brought up Emily's name. "Sorry."
"Don't stop."
"We agreed we wouldn't talk about the book."
"We're not. We're talking about Emily. Tell me the story." Cole stretched out on his side. He played with the sand, scooping it up, then letting it sift through his fingers.
"It was about fairies and gremlins that lived in the in-between places like doorways and windows, and they all came out to play at the in-between times—the moments between day and dusk, and the biggest in-between time of all: midnight. Emily said if we looked really close we might see them." Natalie laughed, feeling a bit silly for even relating the story to Cole. "Not that I ever believed it, but it was a good story. Emily used to tell it at night. She'd light a candle, and we'd sit in the dark and tell stories or share secrets. It was easier to see shadows dancing in the door frames in the candlelight. I'm sure that sounds pretty wild to a pragmatic man like yourself."
"I don't know about that. I can believe there are things in this world that are unexplainable."
"Really?" She was surprised at that. "I thought you were the hard-core realist."
"No, that's you." He softened his statement with a smile. "I grew up next door to a magician, and I had a sister who sat in the window seat of her bedroom every night and made up stories about the stars. While she didn't share the in-between story with me, I heard a few others over the years." He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees as they both watched the sun touch the edge of