Secrets Among the Cedars (Intertwined Book 2) by Sherri Wilson Johnson Page B

high school relationships do. I fell in love again in college, and that was a disaster because he wanted me to put him through med school and promised to put me through law school after he graduated but had no plans of marriage in his future. I knew that would end one-sided, leaving me without a ring on my finger and no law school while he had trysts with nurses in the hospital.”
    “Yeah, it wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.”
    “See, you see my side of things. Thank you for that. When I got to law school, I met Zeke. I didn't know how to have a successful relationship because I'd never seen it modeled before. I saw too many of my friends fall in love with the wrong person—or be the wrong person, like Maria. With the way my parents' hypocritical relationship was, and the way things turned out with Zeke, I figure I'm not going to be any good at it for a long time."
    "I'm not a gambling man, but I'll bet that's not true."

Chapter Ten
     
    Phil pulled away from the dock at Kathryn's rental condo, as she waved at him from the porch. Lunch had possessed a different flavor than their lunch on either Saturday or Sunday. How in just two days had they formed a bond that felt like they'd known each other their entire lives? They couldn't be more different. She, the Southern belle of the courtroom. He, the runaway attorney whose voice reverberated like a cymbal.
    Something in Kathryn's eyes told him she was open to exploring the possibility of getting to know him more. The distrust he'd seen in them earlier had melted away. Could he show her the flipside of what men could be like? Could he prove to her that not all men were cheaters?
    Was knowing him dangerous for her? His life could be in danger if he didn't defend Uncle Louie and his goons, so hers could be by association, as well. There had to be a way to keep her safe yet allow him to spend time with her.
    "Lord, you know what I need. You know how lonely I am. I'd love an opportunity to make Kathryn a part of my life. But despite the danger, there's also her trust issues. She doesn't trust men, and I'm not sure if she trusts you. Please work in her life."
    In the stillness of the afternoon heat, a gust of wind blasted across Phil. God had always spoken to him through the wind. He'd take comfort in the breeze that now blew and trust God to resolve the barriers that threatened to keep them apart.
    Phil eased up to the dock, his shoulders slumping. Drew's black Mercedes sat underneath the fifty-year-old Live oak and the scraggly palms. "What is he doing here again?" He tied the skiff to the dock post and sprung out of it onto the dock. He tossed his sunglasses onto the front seat of his SUV through the open window when he walked past it on the way to the stairs.
    If it were possible for his blood to boil, it would be boiling right now. It was bad enough that Drew had to come to Cedar Key uninvited, but to show up uninvited at his house again was ridiculous. Phil climbed the steps to the porch, taking two at a time. He opened the screened door and slid his key into the lock.
    Drew cleared his throat from where he sat in the swing at the end of the porch, facing the water. Without turning around, he called out in a gruff voice, "I've been waiting for you to get back. Are you done with business? I'd like to get on the road."
    Phil wrenched his key out of the lock and let the screen door slam behind him as he stepped to the side porch. "No, Drew, I'm not. You can't just come down here and expect me to drop everything to help our uncle."
    Drew stood from the swing, sending it into a frenzy, hiked his shorts up higher on his waist, and closed the distance between them. He towered several inches over Phil and outweighed him by thirty or forty pounds. He stared into Phil’s eyes with clear blue eyes hooded by thick-lashed eyelids, the scar over his right eye contributing to his menacing guise. "Why not? It's what families do."
    Phil stepped back and scowled.