Free Starks' Reality by Sarah Storme

touch him. The heat from his body made her stomach flutter. Once inside the main room, she turned around to face him.
    Starks stuck a small revolver into a leather holster on a shelf just inside the door and then buttoned his shirt.
    “Coop sent over some fried flounder,” she said, holding out the package.
    He took it, his grin growing, and walked to the table. “Thank him for me.”
    She nodded.
    “Will you join me?” he asked, pointing to the kitchen table.
    “We just ate.”
    “How about a cold drink? I could use the company.” He took two cans of iced tea from the refrigerator, handed her one, opened the other, and sat.
    Unable to come up with a reason for refusing his offer, Heather popped the top and sat across from him. She drank as he opened the foil and sampled the fish.
    Starks looked up and grinned again. She wished he wouldn’t do that.
    “Wow, this is fantastic.” He held up a chuck of fish, studied it, and then popped it into his mouth. “Ummm.”
    “ Fried fish is Coop’s specialty.”
    Starks ate several pieces quickly, and then leaned back with his cold drink and smiled at her. “You and your dad are close, aren’t you?”
    “I guess so. We have our problems, but it’s been the two of us for most of my life.”
    “What happened to your mother?”
    Heather dropped her gaze to her can. Again, it was none of his business, yet, she felt compelled to answer. “My mother left when I was three.”
    “Do you hear from her?”
    “No.”
    He looked down at the table as if lost in thought. After a long moment, his eyes jumped to hers. “I was just thinking about my kids.”
    “You have kids?”
    He nodded. “Two girls. I haven’t seen them in a long time.”
    She hadn’t thought of Starks as a father. Somehow, it softened her image of him.
    “Why not?”
    “When my ex remarried, I signed custody over to her husband. He’s a decent guy, a teacher. I figured it would be better for the girls if they considered him their father.” He shrugged a little. “I was pretty screwed up at the time. It wouldn’t have been good for them to be around me.”
    “When was that?”
    “Nine years ago.”
    She thought about her mother, gone from her life all these years. “Do you wonder about them, what they’re like now?”
    “Yeah, I do. I’ve thought about finding them just to see what they look like. Watch from a distance.” He took a long draw from his drink and then sighed. “Maybe someday.”
    The sorrow in his voice made her throat constrict. He’d never do it.
    “What kind of engineer are you?” he asked.
    “I’m not any kind, yet, but I plan to be an environmental engineer.”
    “What does an environmental engineer do?”
    She raised one shoulder. “It depends. I could work for the EPA or the state, or for a consulting firm. I’m interested in water quality in coastal areas.”
    “ So, you might end up testing the water out here in the bay?”
    “Maybe. But I’d rather get into the research side, more variety.”
    He nodded. “Are you going back to school in January?”
    “I hope.” She glanced into his eyes and then looked at her tea again. “Money’s a little tight.”
    “I guess this business with the restaurant isn’t helping.”
    “No, it’s not.”
    “I hope we get it straightened out quickly.”
    When she glanced up again, she caught him studying her, his smile gone. His eyes held hers in the strangest way, as if he were looking into her soul. She couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t until one corner of his mouth rose in a half smile that she was able to break the hold.
    “I better get back,” she said, teetering a bit as she stood. “Coop’s liable to make a mess of the dishes.”
    He walked around her to the door, held it open, and stood in the doorway.
    Heather paused beside him and looked up.
    Starks examined her face, as if memorizing details. His gaze stopped on her mouth and he leaned forward a little. His hand on her arm startled her, and burned her skin