He turned toward her. “I am glad I had an extra change of clothes in the car, however.”
Sunlight rendered her hair an even glossier shade of jet and lent her complexion a satiny sheen. He wasn’t supposed to notice these things. He locked his hands behind his back and put extra inches between them.
“What were you doing down there alone?”
“A colleague and I are working on an innovative project. I was down there to collect fish eggs.”
“Is there anyone who’d benefit from its failure?”
“The aim of this project is to minimize our impact on the oceans’ fish population. Successfully raising larval saltwater fish here will preclude the need to harvest them from the wild. I can’t think of anyone who would stand in the way of that.”
“Is there an employee who’d like to have your position? Someone who’d try and frighten you into quitting?”
“You’re thinking like a marine, not a civilian.”
“Military or no, evil exists in the world. You shouldn’t dismiss the possibility the damage was intentional.”
“Not in this case, Brady.” She paused as an announcement came over the speakers. The aquarium was closing in half an hour. A family of four exited the area, leaving them alone. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
He had to force the next words from his mouth. “The anniversary of Derek’s death is in a few weeks. Will you meet the deadline?”
Sadness stole over her, only to be shuttered seconds later. “I’ve already put a deposit on a new place. I’ll be out in time.”
As the widow of an active-duty marine, she’d been given a year to move out of base housing. She’d taken advantage of the grace period, using the months since Derek’s death to take stock of her options. Brady drove past the air station housing area every morning on his way to squadron headquarters and every evening on his way home.
“Where?”
“A warehouse apartment near downtown. It’s more compact, but it has a fantastic view of the river.”
“I’ll help you move.” Derek would want him to help her, to see her settled in her new life.
“I’m considering hiring a moving company.”
“That won’t be cheap.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“Why don’t you let me and some of the guys do it?” The entire squadron mourned Derek’s loss, and any one of them would leap at the chance to help her. “You don’t have family here.”
“My coworkers stand in for them.”
“Olivia—”
“Brady, stop the charade.” Resignation tugged at her lips. “Derek’s not here to applaud your performance.”
“I don’t know what—”
“For whatever reason, you’ve never given me a chance to win your respect or friendship.”
The genuine hurt in her eyes knocked him back a step. Surely, she didn’t care what he thought? That would indicate she wasn’t the shallow groupie he’d painted her to be.
You’re wrong about her, Derek had argued the one time they’d discussed Brady’s reservations. Time will prove you wrong.
More and more, he was beginning to suspect he had made a mistake. Nothing supported his initial assessment of her character. In fact, her behavior suggested the opposite. She’d been a devoted, supportive wife during their brief, seven months’ union. She’d been unfailingly kind to Brady, despite his refusal to trust her. She hadn’t tried to sabotage his and Derek’s friendship, either.
Have you considered that this wasn’t about her? That you’d be suspicious of anyone who’d intruded on your oldest, closest friendship?
Cold flushed through him. If that was true, he’d been grossly unfair.
She lifted her chin in challenge. “Let’s just get through this night, okay? And then we agree to steer clear of each other. No more pity visits. They don’t benefit either of us.”
Pity visits? Didn’t she realize she was his last link to his best friend, and that no matter their history, he’d needed to see her?
Before he could think of a proper response, a young woman emerged from a door beside the lemur exhibit and hailed Olivia with a hardy wave.
“Do you have time to get the snacks and drinks ready for tonight?”
“Maya. I thought Erin was working the program with me.”
“I asked her to switch. I have plans tomorrow night.” Her jaw sawing on bubblegum, she stuffed her hands into her back pockets and regarded him with wide eyes. “Hello.”
“Brady, this is Maya Fentress.”
Grinning, Maya blew a giant pink bubble. Taller and stockier than Olivia, she had chin-length brown hair streaked with pink and an eyebrow piercing. Freckles dusted her pert nose and rounded cheeks. She looked to be in her early twenties.
“Pleased to meet you, Maya.”
“Are you one of the dads?” She glanced at his left hand, presumably looking for a ring.
“No, I don’t have any kids.”
Family life wasn’t for him. He’d known it from a tender age and had accepted his lot. His own parents hadn’t thought him worthy of attention or love. They’d discarded him as if he were secondhand goods, dumping him at his grandmother’s house shortly before his tenth birthday. As his school counselor had said often enough, he had abandonment issues. A tidy label that didn’t scratch the surface of what his childhood experiences had done to him.
The grief ravaging Brady’s face siphoned the breath from her lungs. She lifted her hand to touch him, to impart comfort, only to catch herself. He didn’t want anything from her.
“Not married, huh?” Speculation ripened Maya’s eyes. She hadn’t noticed his unease. Not surprising, considering Maya’s chief concern was herself.
“Brady volunteers with a local program pairing volunteer mentors with at-risk youth,” Olivia quickly interjected.
“Most of the kids in our group have never been to an aquarium before,” he said, his voice rusty.
“It’s our most popular event. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you have a blast.” She giggled. “The kids, too.”
“Maya, why don’t you gather the snacks while I show Brady the auditorium?”
She
