Under His Protection by Karen Erickson Read Free Book Online Page A

best kept secrets of
Northern California. And the locals liked it that way.
    “Um, well, I was looking for a change.”
Suzanne shifted in her chair, her gaze dropping to the tabletop. “I
was sick of my life, sick of men, sick of everything going wrong so
I came here. I’d come here once before, a long time ago when I was
a little kid. I’ve never forgotten the island.”
    “Most people can’t, once they visit.” Blake
sighed wistfully. “I adore it here. It’s almost…magical.”
    Suzanne’s gaze lifted and Blake swore she
saw a flash of—what? Fear? How strange. “I love it here too. I’m
living in a little shack that’s drafty and freezing cold, and the
job I have doesn’t pay a whole lot, but I’m happy. I don’t want to
be anywhere else.”
    “That’s all that matters then.” Blake had no
idea what it was like to suffer, money-wise. Being cold and having
no money? Something she’d never experienced. But feeling lonely,
unloved and unwanted?
    Oh yes, something she experienced on a
near-daily basis.
    “I had a, uh…boyfriend like that.” Suzanne
nodded in Mason’s direction once again. “Intimidating, always
bossing me around. I let him get the best of me for far too long,
but now I’m here. All by myself and loving it.”
    “You sound incredibly healthy.” Making Blake
feel incredibly screwed up.
    Suzanne shrugged and sipped the last bit
from her coffee cup. “Oh, I still have plenty of issues. No one is
perfect.”
    “Yes, least of all me.” Blake laughed.
    “You look pretty perfect to me.” Suzanne
studied her with a sharp eye. Blake got the distinct feeling this
woman didn’t miss much. “Your clothes are expensive and you’re
wearing diamond studs in your ears that are at least a carat each.
You’re pretty. You seem sweet, and you have a handsome man chasing
after you.”
    Blake leaned across the table as if about to
share a great secret. “I don’t really like that the handsome man’s
chasing me.” Oh, how she lied.
    “Hmm, well maybe you should become anti-man
like me. We can start a club here on the island.” Suzanne smiled
and grabbed her book, stuffing it into the oversized brown purse at
her feet.
    “Sounds like a plan. And trust me.” Blake
paused, suddenly filled with apprehension. She really wanted this
woman to like her. “I’m not perfect. I’m far from it.”
    “You don’t have to defend yourself. I was
just teasing you.” Suzanne stood. “I hate to be rude, but I have to
go. I need to be at work in ten minutes.”
    Blake stood as well, realizing she
practically towered over the petite woman. “Where do you work?”
    “At the Whitney Café on Third Street. I’m a
waitress. Hard on the feet, but the tips are worth it. Though
everything’s slowed down, now that tourist season is over.”
    “Oh, I love the Whitney Café. They have the
best sandwiches.”
    “Well, come on by sometime. I’ll hook you
up, get you a free drink or something.” Suzanne smiled and waved.
“It was nice meeting you.”
    “Nice meeting you, too,” Blake called,
watching Suzanne exit the coffee shop.
    She couldn’t help but notice the way Mason
studied Suzanne as she walked by him, his gaze lingering on her
form. Not in a sexual manner, more in a “Should I cuff you and
stuff you” sort of way.
    Blake rolled her eyes. Typical. The man was
suspicious of everyone. And she wasn’t about to let his overly
protective nature ruin her good mood.
    She wanted to hug herself. Even though the
conversation had only lasted ten minutes tops, she felt like she’d
just made a friend. An actual, real life friend who didn’t care who
she was or that she had more money than she ever knew what to do
with.
    This moment was a first. And she didn’t want
to let it go.

    * * * *

    Blake exited the coffee shop a half hour
later, her stomach full, her caffeine fix handled. Mason sat on a
park bench a few feet down from the shop, the local newspaper
folded and clutched in his hand. He stood