Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2) by Sherri Wilson Johnson
Authors: Sherri Wilson Johnson
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his lungs.
"You're welcome, but don't ever do that again.” She beat at his chest. “I thought you were a goner."
"I almost was." Phil pushed himself to his feet and offered Kathryn his hand. He helped her to the bench. "Sit here. I'm going to get us out of this storm."
#
Kathryn handed Phil a towel and went into the kitchen to brew some coffee. Sadie sat at Phil's feet. "What about your cell phone? Did you have it on you?"
"No, it was in the boat's glove compartment. I've learned my lesson about having my phone on me when I'm around water."
"Smart move." She slipped the single-serve cup into the slot, shut the lid, and pressed the brew button. "If you falling in and the boat crashing against the pier hadn't been such a scary experience, it'd kind of be comical."
Phil towel-dried his hair and tossed the towel on the coffee table. "I say we go ahead and laugh about it because if we get distraught, it's just going to make things worse.”
“I’m glad you were the one who climbed up there because if I had fallen into that water, I’d probably have had a heart attack before you could’ve rescued me.”
“Not true because I would’ve jumped in as soon as your body hit the water.”
She pinched his beardless cheek. “Aww, thanks.”
“Let's not waste anymore of our time thinking about my near drowning or the case today."
Kathryn propped her hand on her hip. "How do you propose we do that with your cousin lurking around Cedar Key?"
"I'm going to go home and take a shower then take you for breakfast."
"It's almost lunch time." Kathryn laughed, letting the aroma of the Columbian roast ease her stress.
"Okay, we'll go for lunch." Phil punctuated his sentence with the waving of his hands.
If he insisted on persuading her, Kathryn would share a table with him again. She giggled under her breath. Who was she trying to fool? It wouldn't take any persuading at all. "Lunch sounds good. I still don't see how you can just push the case aside completely. We've hit one big dead end after another. I can't believe the gun wasn't at the shack."
"It may have been at some point. Someone may have gotten to it before we did since you were asking questions about it. Or it could've gotten knocked off by a bird or a storm."
"You know that means your uncle is not going to go down for murder if he’s guilty."
"I refuse to believe that. All we need to do is find somebody who knows what happened."
"You make it sound so easy. Since I no longer have access to the information, and you don't want to defend him, I don't see how we can get our hands on any more evidence."
"You're right." He accepted the red-and-white lighthouse adorned mug from Kathryn.
She sat next to him on the sofa with her mug in her hand.
Phil stared into her eyes and drank from his cup. "This is good!"
She smiled at his compliment. Oh, to forget all about the case right now and focus on what was happening between them—but her mind couldn't let it go. Too much hinged on this case. She blew on her coffee and sipped its richness.
"Kathryn, why do you care so much?"
The way he said her name, it sounded smooth like honeysuckle dripping off the vine. She could sit and listen to him say it a million times and never tire of it.
"Kathryn?"
She cleared her throat. "I told you. I'll never get another chance at a case like this."
"So?"
"So…my career will be over."
"And?"
Kathryn huffed, "And I’ll be unemployed, for one reason, but I’ll also let a lot of people down if I fail at this."
"Like who?"
"You're nosey, aren't you?"
"When I have to be. I know there's something you're not telling me."
Kathryn took a long sip of her coffee and placed the mug on the coffee table. She wasn’t used to revealing so much of her heart to people she barely knew, but it felt like she’d known Phil for a lifetime already. "My father wants me to be a Supreme Court Justice. So much so that he almost convinced my mom to name me Justice when I was born."
"Seriously? Then
"You're welcome, but don't ever do that again.” She beat at his chest. “I thought you were a goner."
"I almost was." Phil pushed himself to his feet and offered Kathryn his hand. He helped her to the bench. "Sit here. I'm going to get us out of this storm."
#
Kathryn handed Phil a towel and went into the kitchen to brew some coffee. Sadie sat at Phil's feet. "What about your cell phone? Did you have it on you?"
"No, it was in the boat's glove compartment. I've learned my lesson about having my phone on me when I'm around water."
"Smart move." She slipped the single-serve cup into the slot, shut the lid, and pressed the brew button. "If you falling in and the boat crashing against the pier hadn't been such a scary experience, it'd kind of be comical."
Phil towel-dried his hair and tossed the towel on the coffee table. "I say we go ahead and laugh about it because if we get distraught, it's just going to make things worse.”
“I’m glad you were the one who climbed up there because if I had fallen into that water, I’d probably have had a heart attack before you could’ve rescued me.”
“Not true because I would’ve jumped in as soon as your body hit the water.”
She pinched his beardless cheek. “Aww, thanks.”
“Let's not waste anymore of our time thinking about my near drowning or the case today."
Kathryn propped her hand on her hip. "How do you propose we do that with your cousin lurking around Cedar Key?"
"I'm going to go home and take a shower then take you for breakfast."
"It's almost lunch time." Kathryn laughed, letting the aroma of the Columbian roast ease her stress.
"Okay, we'll go for lunch." Phil punctuated his sentence with the waving of his hands.
If he insisted on persuading her, Kathryn would share a table with him again. She giggled under her breath. Who was she trying to fool? It wouldn't take any persuading at all. "Lunch sounds good. I still don't see how you can just push the case aside completely. We've hit one big dead end after another. I can't believe the gun wasn't at the shack."
"It may have been at some point. Someone may have gotten to it before we did since you were asking questions about it. Or it could've gotten knocked off by a bird or a storm."
"You know that means your uncle is not going to go down for murder if he’s guilty."
"I refuse to believe that. All we need to do is find somebody who knows what happened."
"You make it sound so easy. Since I no longer have access to the information, and you don't want to defend him, I don't see how we can get our hands on any more evidence."
"You're right." He accepted the red-and-white lighthouse adorned mug from Kathryn.
She sat next to him on the sofa with her mug in her hand.
Phil stared into her eyes and drank from his cup. "This is good!"
She smiled at his compliment. Oh, to forget all about the case right now and focus on what was happening between them—but her mind couldn't let it go. Too much hinged on this case. She blew on her coffee and sipped its richness.
"Kathryn, why do you care so much?"
The way he said her name, it sounded smooth like honeysuckle dripping off the vine. She could sit and listen to him say it a million times and never tire of it.
"Kathryn?"
She cleared her throat. "I told you. I'll never get another chance at a case like this."
"So?"
"So…my career will be over."
"And?"
Kathryn huffed, "And I’ll be unemployed, for one reason, but I’ll also let a lot of people down if I fail at this."
"Like who?"
"You're nosey, aren't you?"
"When I have to be. I know there's something you're not telling me."
Kathryn took a long sip of her coffee and placed the mug on the coffee table. She wasn’t used to revealing so much of her heart to people she barely knew, but it felt like she’d known Phil for a lifetime already. "My father wants me to be a Supreme Court Justice. So much so that he almost convinced my mom to name me Justice when I was born."
"Seriously? Then
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