She was a study in contrasts, he mused as he headed back into the depths of the ship. Mallory’s looks made her seem very approachable, but she had a do-not-disturb manner about her that he was certain she used to keep people at arm’s length.
“Why is that?” he murmured to himself. What had happened to the good doctor to leave her so skittish around people? She had a story, he was sure of it.
And he wanted to hear it.
Breakfast was going surprisingly well, all things considered.
Mallory hadn’t known how her friends would react to Everest’s presence. She hadn’t had more than a minute to announce he would be joining them before he walked over to the table, which meant she hadn’t been able to explain her invitation to Olivia and Avery. The women had taken his presence in stride, though, and Logan and Grant had welcomed Everest with enthusiasm. They sat at one end of the table now, talking about football. Or maybe it was basketball. Some kind of sport or team, she thought, smiling a little as the men laughed in unison.
Whatever the topic, it was clear the guys were getting along well. Which created a small degree of privacy for the conversation at Mallory’s end of the table.
And Olivia and Avery weren’t wasting any time.
“Spill,” Avery ordered, her voice low so as not to break the conversational spell the men were under.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Mallory tried, but Olivia shook her head.
“Nice try, but you know what she’s asking. Is there something going on between you and him?” Olivia nodded ever so slightly at Everest, who was currently telling Logan and Grant some kind of story that had the other two men listening quietly. Mallory wondered what he was saying, but she didn’t want to appear to be paying too much attention to the man. It would undermine what she was about to say to her friends.
“We work together,” she said. “That’s all.”
Avery leaned back in her chair. “Sure.” Her voice was heavy with doubt. “If you say so.”
Olivia offered her a small smile. “This is the first time you’ve ever invited a man to join us,” she said. “You can see why we’re curious.”
Her friend made a good point. Avery and Olivia both knew about the assault she’d suffered as a college senior, and in all the time they’d known each other, the two women had never pushed her when it came to men. They had respected her boundaries and supported her as she’d struggled to overcome the aftereffects of the trauma. She felt like she’d made good progress, but there was still work to be done, as evidenced by her recent nightmare.
Given her past history, Mallory had known inviting Everest to breakfast would send a signal to her friends. But she had hoped to have a little more time to figure out how to explain her interest in him.
The problem was, she couldn’t explain it to herself.
She was definitely attracted to him. But it wasn’t just his looks that appealed to her, though they were nice enough to study. No, it was the glimmers of personality she’d seen that made her want to stay close, to get to know him better. She liked the way he carried himself and the way he responded when tensions were running high. He seemed like a dependable man, someone who would be good both in a crisis and in calm times. Exactly the kind of man she would want by her side, if she could handle being so close to him.
Normally, just the idea of being in close physical proximity to a man was enough to make her break out into a sweat. But the thought of being around Everest didn’t bother her. In fact, she found it rather appealing.
Which made her wonder—was she truly attracted to Everest, or did she just like the way he made her feel almost normal again?
“It’s complicated,” she admitted to her friends. “I’m not quite sure what’s going on.”
Avery leaned forward and laid her hand over Mallory’s. “That’s okay. Just take your time. We’re here if you need to talk things out.”
Mallory smiled, tears pricking her eyes. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”
A sudden silence descended over the other end of the table, and Mallory, Avery and Olivia looked down to find the men watching them, the three of them wearing identical expressions of concern.
“Everything all right?” Grant asked.
Olivia nodded while Mallory dabbed at her eyes. “We’re fine,” she said.
“Girl talk,” Avery said.
Grant and Logan nodded and returned to their conversation, but Everest wasn’t so quick to look away. His gaze lingered on Mallory, concern shining in his bright blue eyes. Only after she gave him a nod of reassurance did he rejoin the men’s conversation.
“Oh, my,” Olivia murmured. “Did you see that?”
“I sure did,” Avery said quietly. “Mal, you might be confused, but I’d say your friend knows exactly how he feels.”
“You might be right,” Mallory admitted. Everest’s obvious concern made her stomach flutter pleasantly, and for a second, she wished she was alone with Everest.
She watched him talking with Grant and Logan, admiring the easy way he interacted with her friends’ partners. He seemed very relaxed, with a quick smile and a ready laugh that only heightened his appeal.
Would it be so bad to indulge in her attraction for Everest? This was the first time since her rape she had been drawn to a man. Why shouldn’t she explore these feelings more and find out where they led? The timing really couldn’t be better—with Avery and Olivia on board, she’d have her friends close if she needed them. But she didn’t think Everest would give her a reason to cry on their shoulders. From everything she’d seen, Everest was a calm and patient man. He didn’t seem like the type to try to pressure her into moving too fast or doing anything that made her feel uncomfortable.
And if the worst should happen? If she put herself out there and Everest rejected her? They would simply part ways once the cruise was over. Even if they were assigned to the same ship in the future, it would be easy to limit their interactions to professional concerns.
Everest glanced over, apparently feeling the weight of her gaze on him. Mallory met his eyes and held them, then smiled. Her flirting skills had atrophied from years of disuse, but Everest’s answering smile told her that her message had been received.
She turned back to her friends in time to see Avery and Olivia exchange a knowing glance. “She doesn’t look so confused anymore,” Avery said, amusement lacing her words.
“No,” Olivia agreed, smiling as she took a sip of her mimosa. “I’d say she’s made up her mind.”
* * *
Mallory was paged just as she popped the last bite of pancakes into her mouth. She glanced at the number, not surprised to see it was the clinic calling. But rather than the emergency number the nurse had used yesterday to notify her of the situation with Jeff and his friend, this time it was the routine code that flashed on the screen.
“Time for me to go,” she said, taking one final swig of juice. She dabbed at her mouth with the napkin and shot her friends an apologetic smile. “Sorry to run like this. Again.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Avery said. “We all know what it’s like to be on call.”
Olivia and Grant nodded, and Logan shot her a sympathetic smile. “Hopefully we can meet up with you again soon.”
“I hope so,” she said. She