Still Waters Read Online Free PDF Page B

think about that for a second. It was business that brought me here,
but it's not the reason I've decided to stay. Moving wasn’t exactly pleasurable
either, although things in that regard could be looking up.
    “Neither,”
I say and then when I see the unamused look on his face I add, “I moved to Twin
Heads to start a new life. I had some trouble with my old employer, and I
thought I'd just try something completely different for a while.”
    He
nods thoughtfully and stays silent.
    “Is
that it?” I laugh, “you're not going to ask me what the trouble was?”
    He
smiles to himself and shakes his head. “I'm saving mine.”
    “Fine,”
I hear myself saying despite the thousand burning questions in my brain. “I'm
saving mine too.”
    We
walk in silence along the boardwalk until we reach the rough old steps that
someone carved into the rock long ago. I go first, placing my hand on the
railing and Crew follows behind. When we get to the top, we walk side by side
to The Point Café, Twin Heads’ only claim to fame. The café is in the bottom of
the oldest lighthouse on the west coast.
    “Hey,
Crew!” shouts a woman from behind the coffee machine as soon as we walk in. She
looks like every blonde cheerleader who ever made my life hell in high school.    She looks me up and down and smirks when she
notices my bare feet.
    “Hi
Sarah,” he waves and then leads me to a table in the far corner by placing a
hand in the small of my back. It’s a small gesture, but when I glance back at
the girl behind the counter, I can see that it’s one she’s paid careful
attention to. She bangs a mug down on the counter top a little harder than
necessary.
    “Ex-girlfriend?”
I ask as I sit down. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I laugh. “Never mind.”
    We
chat easily, carefully avoiding any personal topics, stopping only when Sarah
comes over to take our order. When she leaves again Crew is lining up the
sugar, salt and pepper shakers regarding me carefully.
    “Wow,
Hartley,” he smiles, “I’m so busy at work at the moment.”
    I
look over at him and see a mischievous glint in his eyes.
    “So
busy. I’m working non-stop. Work, work, work.”
    He
looks at me expectantly and narrows his eyes when I say nothing.
    “Work
is so much harder than college, don’t you think? College was a total breeze
compared to work.”
    “Hmmmmm,”
I murmur noncommittally and smile sweetly at him across the table.
    “And
don’t you love birthdays?” he tries again. “I really love them. How many
birthdays would you say you’ve loved Hartley?”
    I
turn my face away and try to hide my grin with my hand.
    “Come
on,” he grins. “I’m working my ass off over here.”
    “Fine,”
I laugh, “since you’re working so hard. I’m 23; I went to MIT, and I’m a
research scientist.” Or was I add silently. “Now your turn.”
    “I’m
26, I went to a bunch of different colleges, and I own my own company.”
    Sarah
stomps over to the table and thumps down the tray sending coffee up and over
the side of my cup.
    “What
kind of company?” I say, taking a small sip of my coffee. It’s awful.
    “Well….”
he says slowly, “I’d say that question is rather personal.”
    “No,
it’s not,” I say shaking my head. “Uh uh. I told you I was a research scientist. You owe me another
piece of information.”
    He
takes a slow sip of his coffee and then places the almost full cup to the side.
    “I
buy pieces of at risk land and turn them into sustainable eco-lodges, and then
use the profits for initiatives focusing on forest regeneration and wildlife
education.”
    He
says it quickly and without fuss, as if it’s nothing. He may even look a little
embarrassed.
    “Want
to go?” he says suddenly, looking down at my untouched cup of coffee. He’s
already standing up by the time I answer.
    We
walk past the outdoor tables and chairs that have been stacked against the wall
out of the weather and out to the observation deck that