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She planted a hand on her hip and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out. God, this man often broughtout the worst in her, and that made her emotions even more confusing. She shouldn’t want a man so badly who made her this crazy.
He took out his cell and tapped the screen, turning on the flashlight, nearly blinding her. “I’m going to ask you again. What am I supposed to see in this murky image?”
“That. Right there.” She leaned over and tapped the image. “My tank was low, and it was getting late. But that’s a boat. I think it might be Jared’s.”
“I can’t tell anything from this picture.” Keaton brought the image closer. “It’s a big shadow. It could be almost anything.”
“Maybe that’s what it looks like on paper, but I know what I saw, and Mallary finally got her deep dive certification. We’re going out again tomorrow after lunch.”
“At least you won’t be going out there alone,” Keaton mumbled.
“Can I see that?” Dawson asked.
“Sure.” Trinity snatched it from Keaton and marched across the grass. “I get it’s hard to see, but that’s Jared’s boat. I know it.”
“Even if it is, what’s it going to tell you?” Keaton eased back into his chair and sipped his beer. “What kind of answers do you honestly think you’re going to find?” He held up his hand. “Because if the jewels from theFlying Victoriaare down there and you bring them back up, it’s not going to do anything but make Jared look guilty.”
The blood in her veins boiled. “Why do you always have to do that?”
“Do what?” Keaton glared. “Be realistic? Tell you the truth about your actions? Because sometimes, I swear that, for a smart woman, you simply don’t think.”
“Jeez, Keaton. You’re being a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Audra said. “Mallary and the rest of her family have been through hell. They want to clear Jared’s name, or at the very least, find the truth. I might know a little something about what that feels like.”
“Trust me, I get it.” Keaton set his beer on the ground, rested his forearms on his thighs, and leaned forward, holding Trinity’s gaze with a scrutinizing glare. She saw a hint of something else behind those intense, dark eyes.
She always saw a twinge of kindness. A softness. Deep down, she knew the man had a heart. She saw it in the way he was with his team. He had their backs and not just with his brawn. He would die for those three men because he loved them with every ounce of his heart. He’d welcomed Audra into his fold. He’d do anything for her, and the same went for Baily. But for whatever reason, he often treated her as if she had some sort of death wish.
Or worse, that she wasn’t capable.
“Why don’t you let me and the guys go and poke around down there, and if there’s a wreck, we’ll investigate,” Keaton said. “We can go the next time Dawson has a day off. I’m sure we can all manage to work out our schedules to fit that.”
“While I appreciate that you want to help,” she muttered, managing to let those words roll off her tongue without choking on them. “Mallary doesn’t wantto wait. She’s worked hard to get her deep dive certification, and even if I hadn’t seen anything—or that doesn’t turn out to be Jared’s boat—she wants to look. She needs to search for answers. To do something other than sit on her thumbs and listen to people whisper as she walks through town. Her family needs peace.”
Slowly, methodically, Keaton rose. He inched closer.
The air in her lungs was trapped, caught somewhere between an inhale and an exhale.
He palmed her cheek, his touch so tender. So soft.
She blinked.
“I can understand how truly painful this has been for them.” His thumb rubbed across her cheek, and it was as if time had stopped. As if the crackle of the fire had been put on pause and her friends weren’t sitting around the pit, staring at her and Keaton sharing an odd moment of… she had no idea. “Dawson has spent countless hours looking into this. Every single one of us has taken our free time searching for clues, trying to figure out what could’ve really happened out there and why so many people were so quick to judge and turn on Jared.” He dropped his hand. “It’s frustrating that you can’t see that and constantly have to go it alone. You’re a stubborn woman, and you’re going to wind up getting yourself or Mallary hurt.”
“Do not start that crap with me again.” She poked him in the chest. “Do you have any idea how many years I’ve been scuba diving? How many solo dives I’ve done? I understand the dangers better than most. I’m not reckless, and I resent you constantly telling me that I am.”
Keaton cocked his head. “The fact that this is personal—and you’re trying to prove yourself to God only knows who—makes you reckless.”
“You don’t have a clue regarding anything about me.” She lowered her chin and dug her wedges into the ground. “You’re a misogynistic pig who?—”
“That’s enough, children,” Dawson said.
“You would think that,” Keaton mumbled, tossing his empty beer in the recycling bin. “It’s time to call it a night. I’ll catch everyone later.” He turned, took three steps, and glanced over his shoulder. “Be careful out there.”
“I always am.” She let out a big sigh and plopped herself in one of the chairs.
“Hey, man, don’t go.” Fletcher chased Keaton across the lawn and into the gravel driveway.
“You shouldn’t have called him that,” Dawson said. “It couldn’t be further from the truth.”