Free StillWaters:Book4oftheSophieGreenMysteries by Still Waters Page B

favour do they owe you?”
    “Okay, so I just asked nicely.”
    “For them to lend you a helicopter? I didn’t even know you could fly one…”
    I tapped his arm, which was still around my shoulders, holding me back against him. “She didn’t,” I said, pointing to the figures visible through the cockpit window. “Maria, what’s going on?”
    Two guys in fatigues spilled out of the helicopter and jogged towards us.
    “Karen wants to see us. Says it’s urgent.”
    “But—” I looked back at Luke, “—right now? All our stuff, Ted, and Norma…”
    “I packed up all your stuff,” Maria said. “At least, I think I did. It’s in there.” She gestured to the helicopter. “Norma too. She doesn’t like flying.”
    What a surprise. “What about Ted?”
    The Culdrose guys had reached us now. “Who’s Ted?”
    “My car…”
    They exchanged a glance. “Where is it?”
    “What make and model?”
    I was too confused to reply, so Luke did it for me. “He— it’s in the car park at the top of the castle path. Green Land Rover Defender. Probably used to belong to you guys anyway.”
    “We’ll take care of it,” we were assured. “Now, if you could get into the helicopter? We have a very small window here.”
    Still not a hundred percent sure what was going on, I stumbled after Luke and Maria under the blades, which were warming up again, and climbed into the cabin of the helicopter. It was pretty big, and there were several rows of seats. I took a seat between Luke and Maria, buckled myself in, and let Luke put his arm around me. I was suddenly tired, and he was warm and sure, and I fell asleep with his shoulder as a pillow.
     
     
    “How’s she been?”
    “Oh, you know.”
    “Actually, no, I never nearly drowned.”
    “Me neither. She’s been okay. I think.”
    “You think?”
    “We’re not exactly on very even terms here.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    I felt the movement under my head. Luke was shrugging.
    “I dunno. Sometimes it’s normal, a lot of the time it’s bloody awkward, sometimes I…”
    “What?” Maria asked, her voice low under the hum of the helicopter blades.
    “I dunno. Nothing.” But his arm tightened around my shoulders.
    Maria made a sound of impatience, and I knew how she felt. I’d been dozing for most of the flight, but something in this conversation pulled me out of unconsciousness. Possibly the feeling they were talking about me. Or Luke’s quiet, earnest tone of voice. Or maybe just my inner nosiness radar.
    “I saw you kissing,” Maria said, sounding amused.
    “So?”
    “That was a Gone With The Wind kiss. That should have been on the end credits of a movie.”
    “I can kiss Sophie if I want.”
    And please, want to.
    “What about the other night?”
    Luke shifted under me. Honestly, did he really think I was still asleep? “What night?”
    “When you were in bed together? That was more than kissing.”
    “Actually, that was less than kissing. No kissing went on.”
    “Just full sex?”
    “No! God, Maria, I do have some self control.”
    Maria muttered something that I didn’t hear above the noise of the helicopter, but I swear I heard my name.
    “Shut up,” Luke said. He moved a bit more, and then he said, “We’re going down.”
    “In private, please.”
    Luke ignored that—at least, he didn’t say anything but I’m almost sure he’d have given her a dirty look—and stroked back the hair from my face.
    “Sophie? Wake up. We’re landing.”
    I opened my eyes and Luke smiled. Boy, I could get used to seeing that first thing.
    No, wait, I did get used to it. I think that’s part of the problem.
    Maria smiled and flirted a little bit more with the pilots while Luke took the luggage out, and I tried to calm Norma Jean down. She is a dog for whom the word “diva” was invented. She can’t bear attention to be focused on anyone but herself, she hates loud noises, she’s picky about her food, and she doesn’t like to be