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“Thank you,” Trinity whispered. “I appreciate all your efforts.”
“I’m happy to help.” Chloe nodded. “Ballard and I do a lot of work together since we’re both part of the violent crimes unit.”
“Are you working on that woman who went missing twenty miles from Calusa Cove?” Baily asked.
“I can’t get into that.” Chloe reached for her long ponytail and twisted it.
“I understand. However, we all know you’ve beenasking questions about missing people for a while now,” Baily said. “Should we be concerned?”
“It never hurts to be vigilant about your surroundings,” Chloe said.
“As if I don’t have enough to worry about with someone trying to kill me.” Trinity raised her glass. “I don’t know what I’d do if it weren’t for Keaton and the rest of the gang.”
“You and Keaton have certainly turned the corner.” Baily lifted her wine and clanked it against Trinity’s. “It’s nice to see the two of you get along because, you know, all that sexual tension was starting to grate on the rest of us.”
Trinity rolled her eyes. “Right, because you and Fletcher don’t have any of that.”
“What Fletcher and I had was a long time ago, and the tension between us now isn’t sexual in nature,” Baily said with a defensive tone and a wave of her hand. “At least not on my part.”
“And I’ve got a bridge for sale.” Audra shook her head.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Baily turned and stared at the water.
“How are things going with you and Keaton?” Audra asked, bringing her wineglass to her lips and changing the subject before an argument ensued, because that’s what always happened when anyone brought up Baily’s feelings for Fletcher.
“I’m not even sure how to answer that question amid everything that has happened to me in the last couple of days,” Trinity said.
“I get that.” Audra nodded. “Things with me and Dawson went from zero to sixty in seconds.” She laughed, shaking her head. “He thinks I’m clueless about what he has planned, but he forgets who I am.”
“What are you talking about?” Chloe asked. She smoothed her hands over her slacks. She always wore a dark suit with a white button-down shirt, and her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck. It wasn’t just her FBI persona that made it hard for Trinity to figure her out, but it was the fact that the few times they had spoken, outside of official federal business, Chloe pretty much kept to herself.
Trinity was happy to have the chance to get to know Chloe. Partly because of her involvement in Mallary’s case, and partly because of her interest in Hayes. Trinity enjoyed Hayes’s company. Heck, she liked all the guys. They were fun and energetic. They all made her laugh, making her feel like she was part of this special group, as if she’d finally found a place inside Calusa Cove where she belonged.
It hadn’t happened overnight, and for a long time, she hadn’t believed it would ever happen. It wasn’t until she’d been in the hospital that she realized just how much she mattered to them. It warmed her heart to know they cared as much as she did. And that it was genuine. She felt that to her core.
“My darling boyfriend has been ring shopping, and he thinks I don’t have any idea.” Audra smacked her forehead. “The worst part is the other day he asked me weird questions and then showed me a couple of pictures of engagement rings, wondering which ones Iliked. He got all tongue-tied and tried to act as if he were just flipping through some magazine and making small talk. We don’t do small talk. Not like that.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Trinity said. “When do you think he’s going to propose, and are you going to say yes?”
“Of course, I’ll say yes.” Audra giggled. It was a strange noise coming from her, but it was nice, and Trinity loved that Audra and Dawson had found each other. “But that man should know me well enough by now to know I don’t want flashy. He could just blurt it out without a ring and march me down to the judge so we can get on with it. He’s not the most romantic human in the world, and we know I suck at it. So, if he drops to a knee and opens some box with some big diamond, I’ll probably laugh at him, and then it’ll cause a fight.”
“I doubt that,” Chloe said. “He just wants to do it right.”
“The right way with Audra would be to have a gator or python present it.” Trinity laughed
“I could be down with that.” Audra raised her glass. “I just wish he wouldn’t get his underwear in a twist over it, like he did when it took him a week to figure out how to tell me he loved me. All he had to do was say it. I have half a mind to ask him to marry me to get it over with.”
“Oh no.” Chloe shook her head. “I might not know any of you very well, and I can’t say I’ve had good luck with relationships, but I don’t think any man would like that.”
“I doubt Dawson would care,” Trinity said. “Keaton,on the other hand, would take offense. He might not be that word he hates, but he does like to be aman.” Trinity lifted her fingers and made air quotes. “He’s a walking contradiction about it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Baily asked.
“He’s all about equity and equality.” Trinity laughed. “He truly does believe that a woman should and can do pretty much anything a man can. He doesn’t believe that her sex should hold her back or that a man should be the thing that stops her. But in that same breath, he’s all about opening doors, chivalry, and, in a weird way, gender roles. And I don’t say that in a bad way. Nor am I saying he thinks a woman’s place is in the home once a relationship changes. It’s just that he’s one hell of a protective, chest-pounding man when he gets the chance.” She pointed her index finger over her head. “And all I’ve done since we got together is give him reasons to flex his muscles and grunt out commands.”
“Dawson once told me that he was always the kind of team member who took charge in the field. That, as team leader, he loved and hated that about Keaton. He loved it because he knew that no matter what, Keaton would always be the first to think on his feet and make decisions. He hated it because sometimes he didn’t consider the chain of command.”
“I can say I’ve honestly seen that firsthand,” Chloe said. “The boys helped me and Ballard with a case six months ago, and while Keaton’s take-charge attitude didn’t bother me, it grated on my boss’s nerves, especially since he was a civilian who technically had no business doing what I had asked.”