His heart lurched again, slamming into his chest wall as if it wanted him to do something about this ridiculousness. A grocery store. Unbelievable. His skin prickled with icy sweat, but Max tried to talk himself down.
You don’t even know this girl. If she’s dumb enough to sign up for a dive with a stranger, it’s none of your business. This is not your responsibility.
But she was so sweet and peaceful. A good soul. And how was she supposed to know how dangerous diving could be?
“You know,” Max heard himself say, “Elliott’s only been diving a couple of times. Would it be weird if we signed up? I don’t want to crowd you or anything, but you’re right. Forecasts call for calm seas tomorrow, but God knows what the weather will be like later.”
She shrugged. “It’s not a private dive. If you two want to come along, feel free. But surely there’s nothing out here that would interest someone with your experience.”
“Diving is addictive,” he lied. “I can’t live without it. It’ll feel good to get the gear on.”
Chloe set her beer down and leaned forward, a sparkle in her eye that could’ve been a reflection of the fire, but looked more like mischief. As if she knew a secret. Max held his breath. She got close enough to whisper.
“Fishing is just too darn boring for you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He sighed on a rush of air. “Yeah, it’s hard to stay awake in that little boat.”
She laughed, stirring the air against his ear. “I’m not a big fan of excitement, but I probably shouldn’t tell you that.”
No. No, she shouldn’t tell him that, because Max felt himself leaning toward her, an unwilling shift of his muscles. She didn’t like adventure. Despite that welcome news, he wasn’t going to kiss her, not in front of his brother and her friend, but his body wanted closer to that oasis of calm.
Her eyes sparkled again. She glanced down, her gaze touching his lips. Firelight danced over the soft skin of her cheek, as if it were mocking him, touching her where Max couldn’t.
Aw, damn. In public or not, he was about to kiss her. And he was already too involved, inserting himself into her life for no good reason at all.
No. He wouldn’t do it. One dive trip, and then he’d cut the unwelcome threads he’d already tied between them.
Max grabbed the bag of marshmallows as if that had been his goal all along. “Honestly,” he said, popping a sugary puff into his mouth. “I’m a pretty boring guy.”
Her eyes flashed suspicion. She didn’t think he was telling the truth, but for once in his life, he was.
JENN WATCHED ELLIOTT SULLIVAN’S EYES as he spoke about his work. He dismissed it as boring, something she wouldn’t want to hear about, but she found it fascinating. He’d done an internship at the CDC labs in Atlanta during college, and he’d gone to work as one of their scientists as soon as he’d graduated from medical school. Just that would have widened Jenn’s eyes with amazement, but he hadn’t stopped there.
After working for five years on studying flu vaccines and antiviral drugs, Elliott had moved up to the D.C. offices to work with the CDC branch of Health and Human Services, preparing for and fighting global outbreaks of the disease. He was like a modern-day superhero, working every day to save lives.
He paused as if he’d finished a point, and Jenn realized she’d been too busy staring to hear what he’d said. A blush rose up her face. He was waiting for an answer and she didn’t know what to say.
Elliott’s face fell. “But enough of that—”
“You’re amazing,” she blurted out. ?
?I mean…what you do? That’s amazing.”
“I…” He shifted, taking his glasses off and putting them back on. “It’s just a lot of paperwork.”
“But it’s…” She wouldn’t tell him it was like being a superhero. That would be ridiculous and geeky and all the things she normally was with a man. And she didn’t want to be ridiculous with Elliott. He was serious and smart. Jenn took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “What you do is so important.”
“Ah, well. So is maintaining the sewer system.”
He said it like it was a joke he’d heard before, but Jenn laughed in shock. “What?”
“Actually the sewer workers are more important. If cholera made a comeback, no one would be worried about the flu.”
“You’re hilarious!”
“Really?” he asked, then shook his head. “I’m thinking you don’t get out much.”
“That’s true,” Jenn agreed, “but you’re still funny.”