Battle Tested. Janie Crouch

in that case, she was willing to take her chances with him.

      She looked up at him as he led her to the door. He had joked about being a grandpa but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. His brown hair might be graying just the slightest bit at the temples, but that was the only sign whatsoever that he wasn’t a man fifteen years younger. His green eyes seemed kind, at least to her, but the rest of his face was hard and unforgiving. Stark cheekbones, strong chin. Definitely not a pretty face but very much a handsome one.

      His body was well honed—the black T-shirt Steve wore left no doubt he was in excellent physical shape. His khaki shorts were quite appropriate for a bar in Florida on a May evening, but she doubted it was what he normally wore. She was positive the flip-flops weren’t.

      “If you’re not a psychopath, what do you do, Steve?” she asked as they walked out the door. Humid air from the coast blasted them. The storm had moved out to sea, but dampness still hovered everywhere, a sure sign another storm would be coming.

      “Present occupation is beach bum. I’m here on vacation from Colorado.”

      They walked down the steps. “Mountains. Nice. I’ve never been there. Are you a bum there, too?”

      He hesitated slightly before he smiled. “Worse. Management.”

      He didn’t want to tell her what he did for a living. Okay, fair enough. She hadn’t told him her last name.

      Of course, she was doing it for his own safety.

      “Are you from around here?” Steve asked. “Do you have a bar you’d suggest?”

      She didn’t want to go to a bar. Not somewhere the Watcher could hear them, see them.

      “How about a six-pack and walk on the beach?”

      He smiled down at her. “That might break some open-beverage-container laws, but I’m willing to risk it.”

      Rosalyn didn’t know exactly what she’d been expecting when she’d left the bar with Steve, but the next few hours were not it.

      They bought their beers and sat alone, where no one—not even the Watcher—could possibly hear them.

      And they talked. About everything and nothing.

      He told her about his wife—his high school sweetheart—who had died in a car accident twelve years ago. About places he’d traveled. Even a little bit about his job, that he was a manager in some sort of division office and how he sometimes felt more like he was babysitting than anything else.

      Rosalyn was vague without being dishonest. She told him she had a mother and sister but wasn’t close to either—an understatement. She told him a little about her college years and her job as an accountant. When he made a joke about the size of her bag, she told him she never went anywhere without it. Told him she was taking some time off, traveling around a little bit, trying to “find herself.”

      She somehow managed not to laugh hysterically as she said it.

      Steve was a good listener, a friendly talker. He never made a move on her or made her feel uncomfortable. He seemed to be both completely at ease but at the same time completely surprised at their continued, comfortable conversation.

      He obviously didn’t spend a lot of time picking up strangers at a bar.

      At some point deep in the night—it had to have been nearly four o’clock but Rosalyn wasn’t sure—it began to rain again, gently, but enough that they couldn’t stay here on the beach any longer.

      It looked like her reprieve was over. She needed to make her way back to her car. Maybe she’d catch a couple hours of sleep in it—the thought of being out in the open like that made her skin crawl, but what choice did she have? She was out of money. A hotel, even a cheap one, was no longer an option.

      She stood and Steve got up beside her, helping her. She smiled at him. “Thanks for hanging with me. It was nice to have a peaceful night.”

      “Been a long time since you had one?”

      She was tempted to tell him about the Watcher. To share while they had complete privacy. But knew she couldn’t. Some middle-management guy from some business in Colorado couldn’t remedy this situation.

      “Seems like it,” she said instead.

      “Anything I can help with?”

      She looked up at him. He was a nice guy. A nice, hot, utterly delectable guy. For the hundredth time that evening she wished she had met Steve under different circumstances.

      “I’m fine. But thank you for asking.” She smiled, trying to make it as authentic as possible. Trying not to think about the darkness that hovered all around them that she would have to face alone in just a few minutes.

      As if the weather could hear her thoughts, it started raining a little harder.

      He touched her gently near her elbow. “I need to tell you something I probably should’ve mentioned earlier but couldn’t figure out how to do it without coming across like a jerk.”

      She braced herself for bad news. “Okay.”

      “My beach bungalow is about two hundred yards that way.” He pointed up the beach. “It’s a ridiculous room. Some sort of romance package. My colleagues at work chipped in and got it for me.”

      She didn’t know what she’d expected him to say, but that wasn’t it. “Oh.”

      “You’re welcome to come in. Get out of the rain. No expectations or anything like that.” He shrugged, the awkwardness on his tense face adorable. He obviously didn’t want her to feel pressured. “The peaceful night doesn’t have to end right now.”

      Rosalyn looked out at the darkness again. She knew what waited for her there. Fear. Isolation. Panic.

      Steve reached up and tucked a damp strand of her hair behind her ear. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t try to talk her into it or put pressure on her in any way. Just stood silently, letting her know he was there if she wanted to go with him but he was fine if she didn’t.

      The lack of pressure, more than anything, helped her make the decision.

      “Okay, just for tonight.”

      She couldn’t take a chance and let the Watcher find her again. Find Steve.

      He smiled and took her hand. They began to run through the sand toward his room. Like he’d said, it wasn’t far.

      The oceanside bungalow was nice inside: sort of what one would expect for the romance package on the beach. A king-size bed with a teal bedspread and canopy roof. A couch and chair over in the reading-nook section.

      And a huge heart-shaped Jacuzzi tub in the far corner.

      Rosalyn looked over at Steve, who grinned sheepishly.

      “You failed to mention the giant heart-shaped Jacuzzi in the middle of your room.”

      Steve laughed. “I wasn’t sure if it would work in my favor or against me.”

      “Are you sure you weren’t supposed to be on your honeymoon here or something?”

      Steve laughed again, crossing to the bathroom to grab them both a towel to dry off from the rain. Rosalyn set her tote bag down on the chair in the sitting area.

      “Honestly, I just booked a normal room in the hotel section. When I got here, I found out I had gotten an upgrade—thanks to my colleagues chipping in. I’m sure they scoped out pictures and knew exactly what they were getting for me. Including the huge roll of condoms.” He rolled his eyes, gesturing to the sparkling box on the nightstand. Rosalyn couldn’t help but laugh.

      “It’s nice that they like you so much.”

      Steve shrugged. “They like to get rid of me for a week, that’s for sure. And a not-so-subtle hint to come back more relaxed.”