A week later, Elizabeth lounged in a low chair on the beach, her fractured leg stretched out in front of her. She was nearly finished reading Mansfield Park, her favorite Austen novel. She'd already completed Emma and Sense and Sensibility over the past week. Now she had less than fifty pages to go with Mansfield, and she intended to stay in her chair until she was finished.
An hour later, she closed the book with a happy sigh. The day was warm and sunny, with a light breeze blowing. She relished the sound of ocean waves crashing against the sand. The beach was relatively empty since it was the middle of the day. It was peaceful and quiet. The skirt of her dress blew gently in the breeze, and she closed her eyes behind her sunglasses, leaning against the back of the chair, just listening to the waves. She took a deep breath of the salty sea air, letting it out with a slow exhale.
She had to admit there were perks to being on vacation. This was definitely one of them.
The rhythmic sound of waves lulled her into a doze. She went in and out of wakefulness, just enjoying the relaxation.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?"
Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she sat up straight in her chair. Nathan was standing in front of her, holding a coffee carrier and a beach bag in his hands. "Nathan!" Elizabeth said, adjusting her sunglasses and feeling her heart kick into overdrive. "What are you doing here?" She motioned to the ground next to her. "Of course you can join me."
He grinned, setting down his things. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a beach towel, setting it on the sand before sitting on it. "I had the day off, so I decided to come here. I love this beach."
"So do I," Elizabeth said, her mind still trying to comprehend his sudden appearance.
He grinned sheepishly. "I also might have wanted to see you. I was at the cafe, and Faith told me you were spending the day here."
Elizabeth raised her brows. "Are you stalking me, Detective Grant?"
He held up his hands. "No, ma'am. I simply made an educated guess about your whereabouts and followed that guess here."
Elizabeth laughed.
Nathan held up one of the coffee to-go cups from Coffee and Books. "Faith told me this is your favorite." He handed it to her.
Elizabeth breathed in the scent of the coffee. "A raspberry white mocha! Thank you!" She took a sip. "Oh, this is just perfect." Smiling at him, she said, "I really appreciate this, Nathan."
"You're welcome. You know, I've never heard someone order a raspberry white mocha before. Sounds interesting. Froo-froo, but interesting."
She held out the cup. "Want to try it? You haven't lived until you've tried a raspberry white mocha."
He chuckled. "Is that so? Well, in that case…" He took the cup from her outstretched hand and took a sip, then handed the cup back.
Elizabeth studied his face. "Well?"
He nodded, looking a little surprised. "I'm not usually one for froo-froo coffees, but that is actually quite good."
"Told you," Elizabeth said with a grin. "It's pure heaven in a cup."
Nathan chuckled. "I'm not sure I'd go that far, but yes, you were right. It's good." He grinned. "There's more." He reached into his bag again, pulling out a paper bag. "Faith also said you like scones. She was out of raspberry orange, so I got white chocolate cranberry."
"You know, I've never actually tried the white chocolate cranberry," Elizabeth said, taking one from the bag. "And thank you, again. This is really sweet of you, Nathan." She hoped the umbrella hid the redness in her cheeks. Or maybe, if he did notice, he would just think she'd gotten too much sun.
Taking a bite, Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Oh my goodness! This is delicious!" She stared at the scone for a moment, wondering why in the world she hadn't tried it before. Faith had been selling them for as long as her cafe was in existence.
Nathan took a bite of his scone. "Hmm, you're right. This is very good. You know, I've never had a scone before."
Elizabeth paused with the scone halfway to her mouth. "Say what?" She eyed him. "You've managed to reach the ripe old age of...how old are you?"
"Thirty-five."
"You've managed to reach the ripe old age of thirty-five, and you've never had a scone before?" Elizabeth was flabbergasted. "I thought you went to Coffee and Books regularly!"
"I do," Nathan said, smiling at her reaction. "But I usually just get a coffee. The only sweets I've had there are the chocolate chip cookies."
"Nathan. That's so predictable!"
"The cookies?"
"Yes!" Elizabeth waved her hand for emphasis. "Every single man I come across says his favorite cookie is chocolate chip. Have you even tried other cookies?"
"Well, no, not really. Other than white chocolate macadamia and sugar cookies at Christmas. Those are pretty good too."
Elizabeth facepalmed in mock frustration. "Okay, we're going to have to remedy this. I happen to be a good baker. I supply Faith with the cakes and brownies at her shop…"
"You do?" Nathan asked, looking surprised once again.
"Yes," Elizabeth said. "It's a little side business of mine since I love baking. Anyways, to get back to the point, I'm going to have to educate you on sweets."
"Educate me?"
"Oh yes." She nodded seriously. "And it'll start this evening at the Coulter's. I'm bringing the dessert for game night. I hadn't quite made up my mind yet on what to make, but now I know, thanks to you."
"And what might you be bringing?"
Elizabeth smiled mysteriously. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
Nathan laughed. "Fine, I'm okay with a little mystery. Since it's a harmless one."
His comment brought something else to Elizabeth's mind, and she frowned. "Nathan, not to completely change the subject, but have you found anything out regarding the robberies?"
His face shadowed slightly and he sighed. "No, not really. We have lots of evidence, but nothing that points to any person in particular. You'd think with this being a small town we'd be able to find the perpetrator more quickly, but he's proving elusive."
"But we know he has blond hair and blue eyes. That's not exactly common on this island."
"You're right," Nathan agreed. "But…" He stopped himself. "Wait a minute! I can't be talking to you about this. It's an ongoing investigation. Sorry, Elizabeth."
"But...maybe I can help. I know a lot of people on this island, and…"
"No!" he said a bit forcefully. Elizabeth blinked. Nathan's face softened, and he leaned forward, placing a hand on her arm. "Rosemary told me you're a bit of a sleuth, thanks to reading so many mystery novels. Please don't get involved in this. I need you to stay safe."
His concern touched her heart. The now familiar butterflies continued their fluttering. The fact that he cared made her feel some hope. About what, she wasn't sure, but the feeling remained. Nathan removed his hand from her arm, and she felt the absence keenly.
He was staring at her, clearly waiting for her to acknowledge his words. "I'll be safe, Nathan. I don't go out of my way to investigate things that are the business of the police."
"Lee begs to differ," Nathan said under his breath. She knew he hadn't meant for her to hear it, but she did.
"Yes, on occasion I've done some amatuer detectiving, but it was never anything dangerous, I promise."
Nathan looked at her, his eyes serious. "Sometimes the crimes that seem 'safer' than others end up being the most dangerous. You've already gotten hurt because of this case, Elizabeth. I don't need anything else happening to you."
She could feel the intense sincerity emanating from him. "I promise I won't get involved."
Relief filled his eyes. "Good. Thank you."
Elizabeth tilted her head, looking at him. "You know more about this case than you're letting on, don't you?"
"I'm not answering that."
"Fine, but that doesn't mean I'll stop trying to figure it out."
"Hey, you just promised you wouldn't get involved!" Nathan protested.
"And I won't," Elizabeth said sweetly. "But that doesn't mean I can't think about it, right?"
"Why don't I completely believe that?" Nathan asked, taking a sip of his coffee and looking out at the ocean. Elizabeth followed his gaze.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
He nodded, looking at her then looking at the water again. "Yes. I never take this for granted."
They sat admiring the beauty before them in silence for several long moments. The breeze played with the strands of Elizabeth's hair that had escaped from her braid, and she brushed them back behind her ear.
Eventually Elizabeth spoke again. "I'm afraid I need to be going," she said reluctantly, not wanting this time with Nathan to end. "I've got to get that dessert ready for this evening."
"Can I help you to your place?" Nathan asked, getting to his feet. He looked at her things. "How in the world did you manage to get all this here on those crutches?"
Elizabeth smiled. "You'd be amazed at how easy it is to pack things in a backpack." She looked at his beach bag. "Thank you for the offer, but it's only a five minute walk to my house, even on these crutches. I'll let you enjoy some sun and water. I doubt you get much time off. And we'll see each other in a few hours."
"If you're sure," Nathan said, sounding hesitant.
Elizabeth laughed. "I'm sure, Nathan." She packed her items into the backpack, then attempted to maneuver enough to get to a standing position. Nathan reached down to help her up, easily pulling her to her feet.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said a little breathlessly as Nathan helped her with her backpack. Making sure it was securely on her back, he smiled.
"I'll see you soon, Elizabeth."
"Okay." He grinned and headed for the water. She watched as he dove under the waves and started swimming, his bright red sun shirt making him easy to see. He looked back, and seeing her watching, gave a wave.
Blushing at being caught staring, Elizabeth waved back and then slowly made her way back home.
Seven o'clock couldn't get there soon enough.
Nathan knocked on Lee's door at exactly seven, then let himself in. He was greeted by an enthusiastic Jesse and Clara, who were already in their pajamas and ready for bed. "Hi, Uncle Nathan!" they chirped, happy to see him. "Mommy said we could stay up until you got here so we could say hello," Clara said, smiling up at him
He swung an arm around each twin and hoisted them onto his hips. "Is that so? Well I'm very glad your mommy let you stay up. I couldn't come over without seeing my two favorite five-year-olds!"
They giggled. Nathan set them on the ground, and they rushed over to Rosemary, who was arranging glasses on a tray with a pitcher of lemonade. "Alright, you two, you got to say hi to Uncle Nathan. Now it's time to go to bed."
"But we need to say goodnight to everyone!" Jesse protested.
Rosemary hid a smile. "You may go say goodnight to the adults. They're in the dining room. Then your daddy will put you to bed."
"That I will," Lee said, coming into the kitchen in search of dessert plates. Finding them, he said to the twins and Nathan, "Follow me."
Nathan went with him to the dining room, where everyone was already gathered. "Goodnight, everyone!" Jesse hollered, making Nathan grin. The child had two volumes: loud and louder.
Nathan's eyes fell on Elizabeth, and his heart skipped a beat. He watched as she hugged the twins before they made their way around the table. "Hi, Nathan," she said when she saw him.
"Good evening, Elizabeth," he said, feeling something curl inside of him when he saw her cheeks flush a pretty pink color. Was she blushing?
"Nice to see you again, Nathan." Dr. Carson Shepherd clapped him on the shoulder. "It's been a long time."
"Carson! I wasn't expecting to see you here. It's good to see you as well."
"Rosemary invited me," Carson said. "It was out of the blue, but sounded like a lot of fun."
Nathan sat next to Elizabeth. As Carson turned his attention to the twins, Elizabeth leaned over to Nathan and whispered, "Rosemary is at her matchmaking games again."
"Matchmaking?" Nathan asked, not comprehending at first. Then it hit him. "You mean Carson?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Faith doesn't know Carson is coming. She's only met him a couple of times, but Rosemary's gotten it into her head that they would make a good couple. I can guarantee you that's what her goal is in having him come over."
"Hmm," Nathan said. "I don't know a whole lot about either of them. You know them both well, right? You work for Carson?"
She nodded. "I actually like the idea, which is funny since half of Rosemary's matches are horrible." She chuckled. "This should be interesting. Faith is going to be discombobulated."
There was a knock on the door, and a few seconds later Faith came into the room. "Hello, everyone!" she said brightly. Her eyes landed on Carson, and Nathan could see the surprise flash in them. "Doctor Shepherd! I didn't expect to see you here."
"Hello, Faith," he said, smiling. "Please, call me Carson."
"Okay...Carson." Faith's cheeks were darkening. She shot a look at Elizabeth, who promptly said, "I think Rosemary might need some help in the kitchen. Would you mind checking on her, Faith?"
Faith nodded gratefully, making a quick escape.
"Nicely done," Nathan said under his breath. Elizabeth simply smiled. Faith returned a few moments later holding the dessert tray, looking much more composed. Rosemary was on her heels, bearing the tray with refreshments.
Nathan looked at the slices of cake on Faith's tray. "Wow!" he said, turning to Elizabeth. "Is this what you were talking about earlier?"
She nodded, looking pleased. "I thought it would be the perfect cake to start you off with."
He poked at the cake Rosemary set in front of him. "It's pink," he said, looking at the frosting.
Elizabeth laughed. "Of course it's pink! It's a raspberry frosting, and pureed raspberries make white frosting pink."
"What kind of cake is this?" Faith asked, before taking a big bite. "Oooh, lemon raspberry! So good!"
Elizabeth nodded. "The cake itself is vanilla with some lemon zest, then between each cake layer is some raspberry frosting topped with lemon curd, and then the whole thing is frosted with the raspberry buttercream."
Nathan took a bite and closed his eyes. "So that's all a fancy way of saying delicious?" He opened his eyes again, unable to believe how good the cake was. The combination of the sweet raspberries with the tangy lemon was nothing short of perfection. "Elizabeth, this is fantastic!"
Her cheeks turned pink as the frosting again, but she smiled with delight. "You like it?"
"Like it would be an understatement," he said. "This is the best cake I've ever tasted!"
Elizabeth laughed. "I'll try to ignore the fact that you haven't had many desserts before. I told you I would educate you. This is just the beginning."
Nathan grinned. "If this is just the beginning, I can't wait to see what's next!"
"Alright, everyone," Rosemary announced as Lee came back into the room. She handed him a slice of cake, then looked at their guests. "It's time for our game! How does Settlers of Catan sound?"
There was a chorus of approval.
Rosemary grinned. "Just to make things more interesting, we'll be playing teams tonight."
"We will?" Lee asked, glancing at his wife.
"Yes," Rosemary said, giving him a look in return. "So Lee, you and I will be on a team, Faith and Carson will be a team, and Elizabeth and Nathan will be a team. Does that work for everyone?"
"Sure," Carson said, smiling at Faith. She blushed but returned his smile, nodding.
"We got this, right partner?" Elizabeth said, nudging Nathan.
"Oh yeah," he returned. "We got this."
They worked together well. Nathan was impressed with how well they meshed while playing the strategic game. In the end, they won by a landslide.
Nathan grinned. "Victory is sweet." He held up his hand and high-fived Elizabeth.
"Pure luck," Lee said. "We will have a rematch soon." Putting the game away, he looked around. "Actually, I believe the next game night will be at Elizabeth's. You should be out of that cast by then, right?"
"Should be," Elizabeth said, glancing at Carson. "Right, boss?"
Carson laughed. "You seem to be healing quite well, probably because you've been staying off your leg completely. Why don't you come by the hospital tomorrow and we'll x-ray your leg. If it looks good, I'll put you in a boot." He pointed a finger at her. "But you're still not allowed to come back to work until next week."
Elizabeth put on a mock pout. Nathan thought she looked adorable.
"Fine, Carson, but only because you're the one in charge of my paychecks."
"You tell me you're not enjoying your vacation," Carson said, a challenge in his voice.
Elizabeth opened her mouth, then closed it again. She gave a sheepish smile. "Alright, so it's been nice. Especially today." She looked at Nathan, her eyes alight. "Today was a very good day."
Rosemary looked between the two of them. Nathan saw something like victory in her eyes and wondered what that was about. Then again, he had an idea. If what Elizabeth said was true and Rosemary was into matchmaking, then it made sense that she was setting up Carson and Faith. It also would make sense that she was trying to do the same with him and Elizabeth.
He wasn't blind. His detective skills were not necessary to see what his best friend's wife was up to. Truth was, he didn't mind. He was intrigued by Elizabeth and enjoyed their conversations. She was funny, kind, and compassionate, not to mention beautiful. His heart had a tendency to race when she was around. This afternoon he had purposefully sought her out. Even though he had thought for the longest time that he didn't want to pursue a relationship with anyone at this point in his life, he had to admit that his reasons for it were vanishing quickly the more he got to know Elizabeth.
Not that they had known each other that long. No one would call four interactions a lot. But there was something between them, a connection he had never felt before. He didn't know what to make of it. All he knew was that he wanted to get to know her better.
"Nathan, would you mind walking Elizabeth home?" Rosemary asked, looking between them.
Oh yeah. She was definitely matchmaking.
And he was okay with that. "Sure, Rosemary. As long as that's alright with Elizabeth."
Elizabeth smiled, sending jolts of electricity through him. "I don't mind."
A man watched from the bushes as the detective walked the nurse to her door. They stood on her porch talking for a few minutes, then the detective waited until she was safe inside her house before walking back to his car.
He clenched his teeth. She had seen him that day. She was a witness. And now she seemed chummy with the head detective on the police force. This was not good. He had to figure something out.
Slipping away into the shadows, he vanished into the night.
