“Hey, how’d you get in here?”
The cat blinked once, ears flicking forward from the defensive. It issued a small chirp as it began to unfold from a tight ball.
“You haven’t been in here since I arrived, have you?” Paige tried to figure out when the cat might have slipped inside. Surely, she would have heard if the animal had shared the room with her since her arrival late the night before. Where had it come from? “Are you wild, buddy, or someone’s pet?”
A brief knock sounded on the open door. “Paige, is everything all right?”
Paige leaned back to view Liam filling the doorway, the night sky black behind him. His wet hair was skimmed back along his head, the white T-shirt he wore splotched with damp. Not rain. He must have showered.
“If you were planning to be my white knight, you’re a little late.” God, Paige, stop flirting.
“Why? Did you require rescuing?”
Hell, was he flirting back? She studied his face as he stepped inside. No, probably not. “I have a visitor.”
“What?” He appeared truly shocked, eyes flying wide before his brows lowered into a frown.
“A kitty,” she said.
“If you have a cat in there with you, it’s probably mine.”
Paige frowned. “What does your cat look like?”
“Black.”
“Oh.” Paige stood. “Come have a look then.”
She stepped back to allow him into the bathroom. He smelled like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and a hint of sawdust. She supposed that came from his jeans. Attempting to ignore the flipping of her stomach, she watched to see how the cat reacted to him.
Liam dropped to one knee on the white tile floor. “Shadow, what are you doing?” After a languorous stretch, the cat ambled over to him and climbed into his arms. Liam rose again, his head inches from the low bathroom ceiling, his shining black hair backlit by the bulbs in the glassless fixture.
“Shadow? You named a black cat Shadow?”
He shrugged. “Not very original, I know. I found him and took him in, and the name fit. He hasn’t complained.”
Paige reached out and scratched the animal behind the ears. The cat responded with a throaty purr. “How long has he been gone?”
“Yesterday. He wanders but always comes back at night. I was out looking for him when I…when I saw you on the beach last night. Well, I guess it was technically this morning.” His gruff tone had softened. Paige wondered if that was the cat’s doing. She pictured this broad-shouldered individual searching the night for his foundling pet and felt a sharp, visceral pull low in her abdomen.
“I’m glad you two have been reunited.” She restored the flashlight to her purse. “Did you come over here only looking for him?” Paige fastened her purse, fingers hovering over the zipper tab, wondering if there’d be any chance he’d say no.
“Yes, and I saw your door was open.”
She sighed. His rumbling voice reverberated through the room. Paige faced him, crossing her arms over her breasts. The cat cuddled in his sturdy arms in no way detracted from his rugged good looks. Light from the kitchen lamp glinted off his scar. Paige tapped her jaw line. “What happened?”
His expression changed. “You really don’t have any boundaries, do you?”
Paige jerked a shoulder in dismissal. “I didn’t mean anything. Sorry.”
Liam shook his head. “It’s fine. I have to get going.”
“Want something to drink? I have…well, bottled water is all I have right now. I need to get to the grocery store.” She laughed, trying her best to make it not sound as though she’d invited him for something more.
“It’s late,” he said. But he didn’t move.
She met his gaze dead on, trying to figure him out. She’d never met a man she couldn’t sum up in about two seconds. No, that wasn’t true. She’d never bothered with a man she couldn’t sum up in two seconds. There was a vast difference. That practice said a lot about herself she didn’t like. The fact she was still contemplating Liam said even more about him.
Her breath rushed out. “You’re right. It is. I won’t keep you.”
He nodded, the cat in his arms purring loudly. “How long do you plan on sticking around?”
“I cashed out my savings and took a leave of absence. I need answers to many things in my life.”
He nodded. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’ll see me tomorrow.”
Her skin warmed. She followed him in silence to close the door behind him. Standing a moment on the threshold, she allowed the breeze off the water to dry the tiny perspiration drops from her brow as he walked away. Down by the water’s edge, a soft glow caught her eye. She turned. A light bobbed at the height of a man’s hand at his side, as if someone carried a lantern.
Paige stepped out for a better look, pulling the door shut to block the light from inside. Yes, someone was there, moving at the surf’s edge. The lantern cast a golden glow over a man’s left side as he strode in a straight line toward the far side of the beach. Nearer, she could hear Liam as he made his way homeward, his thunderous voice subdued in one-sided conversation with Shadow. Didn’t he see the man? But he continued speaking to the cat, unperturbed. A neighbor, she supposed. Not an outsider, like her.
* * * *
Paige headed back to town in the morning armed with her list of residents. Maybe, with the earlier hour, she would find some of them at home. And if these didn’t pan out, she’d go to where people hung out and ask general questions there. Somewhere she’d find a lead. If not, she would speak to Liam.
First, though, she needed a blasted cup of coffee.
Yesterday she’d spotted a place called the Caffeine Café and headed there. Standing in line at the coffee shop, Paige eavesdropped on the conversations around her in blatant curiosity. For thirteen years, this town had been her home. She might very well have been acquainted with certain patrons, but doubted she would recognize them now. People changed in time’s passage, teenage boys even more than girls. Still, something in the dialogue around her could strike a chord of memory.
At the register, she ordered a large coffee and paid, taking a welcome swig as soon as the kid behind the counter handed the cup to her. She held the spiral tablet in her other hand and flipped it open while turning around. Someone jostled her elbow. The notebook fluttered to the floor.
“Here, let me get that.”
Paige caught a glimpse of a police uniform and close-cropped sandy hair as the man who had spoken stooped to pick up the notebook. It had fallen open to the list, and she could see him browsing over the names as he stood. She held out her hand, palm up to hasten the notebook’s return. “Thank you.”
The man—badge pinned to a shirt strained by the bulletproof vest beneath—hesitated before dropping the pad across her fingers. Despite her annoyance at the officer’s inquisitiveness, she realized an opportunity had fallen into her lap.
“Are you on duty?” she asked. “I need some information and I—Dan? Dan…Stauffer?”
He frowned. “Yes. Do I know you?”
Probably not, she thought, but plunged on. “I’m Paige Waters. You were a couple of years ahead of me in school. I was a freshman when you were a senior.”