r the guests. Especially until Tulla got a good look at them. Well, a good listen anyway. She tried to instill a sense of security in their

lled herself to breathe. Danny knew nothing about his father or the man who terrorized her dreams. She never told him.

and almost lost his grip on the railin

elled his soft hair and the fading

baby to boy. She held him a little too tight and he squir

o hold him close to her heart, like she did when he was just a baby. Not in public though. He would be highl

is on th

, he’s a gue

as he pointed out to sea at the small i

rs. She inhaled the salty air and steadied herself, trying to relax into her usual guarded,

league had said was an overdue break from work. The man who phoned her and made the initial reservation was

bed the poor old man as married to his desk. No family, no children, no one

ven baked two dozen double chocolate chip cookies with walnuts just for her guest. The man probably hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in

g his laundry and preparing his meals, of which he preferred substantial portions of organic meat, fowl, or fish wi

duration of his visit. Normally, Tulla did not like to lie, but she was told it was a matter of significant importance to the m

e could never lie with a straight face, so she disconnected the modem and “acc

ibrary and use their computer to order one for herself. So, technically, the internet was down. She worried h

es found The Sea Mist relaxing and distracting enough to forget about work. He would certainly ow

ning. It was huge, but surprisingly light. She had placed it on the chest at the

e look li

r I should think, my sweet Danny. I was tol

hair, and he likes to play frisbee on the

so, I believe Mr. Graves is more the indoor type. A computer programmer. You know, a s

ma! You are

is bald with a big round potbelly and his sk

shirt?” Daniel tilted his head to the side as if trying to meas

he metal plank in place and connected it to the side of the boat. A moment later

d, a long beard hung down to an impossibly broad chest that narrowed to a slightly tapered waist. He was tall, well over six-foot and the

positively speechless now. They were a color she had never seen on a man. One moment they were dar

n’t blink, didn’t move at all. Just stood and stared at her. It was like being caught in the eye of a predator, one from whom she wasn’t necessarily certain sh

dall Graves, sh