Free Kingdom by the Sea (Romantic Suspense) by Jill Winters Page B

dinner like this,” Michael said offhandedly, then took a
huge bite of the slice in his hand.
    “I
can see it's a moral dilemma.  It's destroying you from the inside out.”  He
eyed her with mischief and kept on eating.  “I'm glad you came by,” she added,
“it's so quiet here at night.  I have DVDs and music, but there's no real
'people noise.'”
    “Would
you want it?  I like the deadly silence out on the boat.”
    “Speaking
of your boat...at the police station the other night you mentioned that you
worked in a garage?  That's how you know about engines?”
    “Yeah,
back when I was in high school.  That's how I got my first car actually.  I
fixed up an old Chevy Nova that was there, paid a couple hundred for it.”
    “But
you don't still have it,” she guessed.
    “Of
course I do.”
    “Really?”
    “Are
you kidding?  I'd never part with that car.”
    “How
did you get interested in cars anyway?” she asked.
    “To
be honest, I'm not that interested in cars,” he said.  Which confused her.
    “But
you were a mechanic...” she began.
    “Because
I was good at it.  But how I came to realize I was good at it?  It's been so
long, I’m not sure.  I guess I've always been more hands-on, plus my dad was a
carpenter, so maybe that's where it came from.”
    Nicole
jumped on this track.  A person's history made him more real—and she realized
that she was eager to get to know the real Michael King.  “Your parents are
from New
York ,
right?”  When he responded by squinting at her, she explained, “You mentioned
being from New York the other night.”  God, she hoped Michael wasn't starting
to think that she had memorized every word he'd said at the police station.
    “Oh. 
Right,” he replied with a nod.  “Yeah, my parents both grew up in New York .  This pizza is
good, by the way.  I would ask if you're into cooking, but the frozen pizza box
in the recycle can probably answers my question.”
    “Please,
I'm a terrific cook.  For your information, I can also make frozen lasagna and
frozen chicken wings.”
    He
grinned at her.  “I'm just teasing you.”
    “I
know.”
    Michael
added, “Actually the only thing I can make is chili, and I only know one way to
make it.”
    “Old
family recipe?” she probed.
    “Are
we back on my family?”
    Suddenly
self-conscious, Nicole tried to soften her prying with an almost flirtatious
smile.  She might be coming on too strong—but hopefully had not reached Vickie
Finn levels yet.
    “All
right, what do you want to know?” he said.
    “Um...is
your family still in New York ?”
    “My
parents are dead.”
    The
words fell like a rock to the floor. 
    “Oh...”
Nicole began.  “I'm so sorry...I...”
    “It's
okay,” Michael assured her, “please don't feel bad.  My dad died when I was a
kid.  My mom died about six years ago—but she had lung problems her whole
life.”  Since he didn't mention how his dad had died, Nicole didn't dare ask. 
No wonder Michael was not tripping over himself to talk about his family. 
    She
spoke gently.  “Is it just you and your brother then?”
    Carefully,
Michael paused. 
    Forgetting
for just a moment the lie he had told her the night they met—the one about
having a brother in law school.  When he had discovered that Nicole Sheffield
had a sister in Law School , he'd contrived that detail to give them
something immediately in common.  One thing Michael knew was that when people
thought there was an overlap in the personal details, they immediately felt
closer to you. 
    And
just now, for a second, he had forgotten his own lie.  Holy shit, was he
slipping? 
    “King,”
Nicole said, as if testing the word.  “What kind of name is that anyway?”
    “A
four letter one.  Boy, you're full of questions tonight.  Are you writing an
article?”
    With
a laugh, she shook her head and said, “I'm sorry!  I'm grilling you.”  She had
this girlish kind of giggle.  And the truth was, he found