Page 52 of Snow

“I promise.” A teasing smile returned to her lips. “If Captain Creepy even looks at me sideways again, you’ll be the first to know.”

A laugh escaped him. He then glanced toward the galley. “Hungry?”

She shook her head. “Not really. But I am grabbing a cup of ice cream before I head upstairs.”

“You’re really going up there?” he asked, looking surprised, but also smirking as he watched her take a cup and fill it with a generous amount of chocolate and vanilla swirl.

“I figured I could see where everything is so that I can hit the ground running tomorrow morning. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted back on solid ground.”

Snow nodded. “Do you have your phone on you?”

“Yup,” she said, pointing to the back pocket of her jeans.

“Alright. I’m going to head back to the room and check in with the team. If you need anything, just call.”

“Will do,” she said, offering him a small smile and then turning toward the door that Clint had pointed out earlier.

As she climbed the metal stairs toward the administrative offices, she savored another bite of ice cream.

The office space was eerily quiet as she walked around, familiarizing herself with the layout and where everything was located. She saw the stack of files sitting on a desk that Clint mentioned they had pulled for her. To the right of the desk were the gray filing cabinets that he said the personnel files were in.

She noticed there were three other doors. One was labeled storage. Another had a sign for the restroom. But the one on the far side of the room didn’t have any signage. Clint also didn’t mention it when he walked them around.

“Finding everything all right?” The deep voice came from directly behind her.

Nova jerked so hard she nearly dropped her cup of ice cream. Her heart lurched into her throat as she spun around to find another man standing only a few feet away.

The tall, broad-shouldered man in dark jeans and a Gulf Tide T-shirt walked toward her. His hard features softened into what she assumed was a welcoming smile, though the way his eyes lingered on her made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

“You scared me,” she admitted, forcing out a small laugh while her racing heart slowly settled.

His presence instantly put her on edge. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t heard him approach, or the intensity of his stare. Either way, every instinct told her to keep her guard up.

“I’m Brett Marrow,” he said, extending a hand. “The rig supervisor.”

So, this was the man in charge, she thought to herself. “Nice to meet you,” she said, accepting his handshake.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t welcome you properly when you and Mr. Iverson arrived. I hope Clint was able to show you both around.”

“No worries. I’m sure you have more important things to do than greet visitors. And Clint has been very hospitable.”

“Good. Is there anything you need?”

“No. I just came up here to see where everything was.”

His gaze drifted over her once more, slow enough that it made her stomach tighten.

“Well, if there is anything you need. Anything at all, just let me know.”

The emphasis wasn’t lost on her. She had heard enough double meanings over the years to recognize one instantly.

“Thank you,” she replied.

Before Brett could respond, the door leading from the outside slammed shut, and Clint appeared.

“There you are,” Clint said to Brett as he approached. When he noticed Nova standing there, he grinned. “Oh, I see you’ve met Ms. Hart.”

Brett held Nova’s gaze a fraction too long before finally looking at Clint. “Yes, we just bumped into each other. I was also reassuring Ms. Hart that she and Mr. Iverson will be well looked after while they’re aboard.”