Lady's Man Read Online Free PDF Page B

would you even say that?”
    “People don’t usually preach to the choir,” he offered. He slid his hand beneath his shirt and pulled it up to swipe at his mouth. “Were you close to her?”
    “My gram? Very. She raised me. My mother and father divorced when I was nine. Mom died when I was ten. I didn’t know my dad much at all, but he was around, I guess. My grandmother moved to Nashville to be with me, but I think she did it hoping my father would turn his attention from trying to become the next Hank Williams long enough to get to know his kid.”
    “And did he ever?
    Annie picked up a tiny shell, inspected it and then tossed it away. “Nope.”
    He nodded and asked point blank. “When did your grandmother pass on?”
    He was a little too intuitive maybe.
    Annie averted her gaze. “About six months ago.” As comfortable as she might be feeling around him, there were some things she didn’t want to share. She changed the subject. “Anyway … so why do they call this the Washout?”
    He turned again to look out to sea. “Unfortunately, that’s not a pretty story. Right here where we’re sitting there used to be a row of houses … Hurricane Hugo swept them all away, along with the road … pretty much as effortlessly as Irene did with those turtle eggs. Afterward, the landscape changed dramatically … but it makes for great surfing when the wind is good.”
    Restless, Lady got up and nosed around in the sand at Jamie’s feet.
    “So how long have you been coming here to surf?”
    “All my life. I grew up here.” For a moment, he seemed to consider her, as though contemplating what more to say. And then he stated very matter of fact, “Mine was one of those houses Hugo washed out to sea.”
    Annie’s brows shot up. “And you bought another here? Seems …” She wanted to say stupid , but she thought better of it. “Reckless.”
    Again he contemplated her, but Annie couldn’t read the thoughts behind those unsettling blue eyes. After a moment, he offered, “I have quite a few properties actually. Life is all about risks, Annie. Sometimes it requires you to jump.”
    Annie’s heart jumped at hearing her grandmother’s words come out of his mouth.
    He was still looking at her. “I guess I’m a lot like those sea turtles,” he proposed. “No matter how far I go, I always need to come home.” He chuckled. “Anyway, if I own a few houses, the odds are better of snagging one before it’s rented out.”
    Annie realized he was ribbing her but her head was swarming with questions. How old was he? Could he possibly have known her grandmother? Where was the house her grandmother had lived in? Could it have sat here, too … on the Washout? Was this where Annie should spread her grandmother’s ashes instead of from the dock? “Does the name Marion Greaves mean anything to you?”
    Jamie thought about it a moment, then shook his head. “Not that I can recall.” He picked up a small bit of debris and tossed it into the surf. Lady scurried after it, sniffing at the water where it landed. She nosed it, trying to pick it up when the tide ebbed and then recoiled as it sloshed back in, smacking her in the nose.
    “My grandmother lived on Folly most of her life,” Annie revealed, her eyes stinging a bit … maybe from the salt breeze. “She always talked about coming back … but never did.”
    “Where exactly did she live? Do you know?”
    Annie shrugged and stood, feeling suddenly extremely bare and self-conscious about her skimpy swimsuit. “Not sure. Hey … it’s getting a little nippy out here. Should we go?”
    He didn’t budge. He just sat there peering up at her, his dirty blond hair ruffling in the breeze.
    Annie fidgeted uncomfortably, brushing sand from her palm onto her thigh.
    “Only if you’ll agree to join me for dinner tonight?”
    She rubbed her arms self-consciously, watching Lady. “Oh, I don’t know …”
    “Come on … you owe me. It’s the least you can do since you