Spencer was glad he wasn’t the only one feeling tongue-tied. It gave him a little more confidence. He took a bite of his supper and chewed slowly before asking, “How did you find things. Underneath the pier, I mean,” he clarified.
“Structurally, it looks pretty weak,” she sighed, clearly happy to get onto a subject that was comfortable to her.
Spencer continued to chow down as she spoke.
“I’ve only surveyed about a third of it, so far, but I can already tell it will need a lot of work.”
“How will you relay that information to the company who hired you?” Spencer asked.
He pretty much knew what happened when you were hired to give something like that a thorough review, but he wanted to keep hearing her slightly husky voice. He didn’t even have to feel bad that he was interrupting her meal. She, as well as most of the guys, had already finished.
“Right now, I’m snapping a lot of pictures and taking measurements of the pylons; their circumferences, reveals, and depths. When that’s finished, I’ll be taking core samples of the surrounding soils, to see what part erosion has played. I have to be detailed. That’s what they’re paying me for.”
“I’m sure they’ll appreciate your findings,” Spencer replied, taking another bite as he searched for more topics of conversation. Why was it so hard to talk to this woman? It was as if his brain had suddenly packed up and taken a vacation. Maybe…
“So, Endora, huh?” he questioned with a grin.
“Yeah. You caught that, huh?” she returned sheepishly. “Some people get it, and some don’t.”
“As soon as I heard your name, I understood the connection,” Spencer told her. “I like it.”
Tabitha, who had previously been studying everything but him, finally tipped her head his way, regarding him with a speculative, yet quizzical look on her face.
“You sound like… Huh. No. It can’t be. What did you say your last name is?” she asked out of the blue.
What?
“Uh, I didn’t,” Spencer answered, puzzled at her non-sequitur. “But it’s Sothard.”
A huge, shit-eating grin spread slowly across her face. “Oh my God. I thought so. But… What a freaking coincidence. It’s a small world.”
“A small world?” Something was going on here, but Spencer wasn’t privy to it.
Tabitha laughed. “I mean,yeah. I sort of knew it from your voice, but your coloring confirmed it. There’s no way you aren’t related.”
“Excuse me?” Spencer replied, now totally confused. What was she talking about? Did she think he was somehow kin to Pietro who had the same coloration? Or was she tying him to one of the other crew members who were now watching the exchange with avid interest?
“Vincent,” Tabitha replied almost giddily. “He’s your brother, right?”
Spencer’s mouth fell open. He was gobsmacked. This vision of loveliness was familiar with one of his older brothers? His “player” older brother? How disconcerting was that?
“Uh, yeah. He is,” Spencer confirmed, still not quite getting it. “But…how is it that you know Vincent?”
She tapped her hands with glee on the table in front of her. “He was stationed at the Naval Submarine Base New London at the same time I was. He’s a really great guy.”
Spencer could tell by the way she made that exclamation, that she had enjoyed Vincent’s company.
Spencer wanted to groan. How much of Vin’s company had sheactuallyenjoyed? Had the two hooked up?
At the moment, without rational thought entering the equation, he wanted to kill his brother. If Vin had so much as touched her…
As if reading Spencer’s mind, Tabitha put his worries to rest.
“We didn’t date. We became very good buddies, despite some people thinking we had chemistry. Wedidhave something, but it was more like…a familial connection. There was something wonderful and brotherly about him that I really enjoyed, especially after some of the misogynistic assholes I encountered during officer training.”
Spencer let out a breath, imperceptibly he hoped. “Yeah. Vin’s a great guy. I’m so glad he had your back. My parents taught us not to be jerks.” Spencer chuckled for real this time. “Did he tell you he’s one of eight?” This time he actually tasted the savory pork roast he was eating when he took a bite.
Tabitha snickered. “He did. But I’m sorry. It was so long ago, I don’t remember any names or ages. Where do you fit into things?”
