The Soldier and The Spy: Tess Danvers- Episode 1

Chapter 6

Hers wasn't the only houseboat in the marina, there were just over half a dozen, but she still knew the moment Jay spotted it and slowed with him as they neared, watching from the corner of her eye as he took it in. It was a story and a half tall, dark blue wood with exposed walnut beams, and decorated with items she'd collected on her travels, things like oars from Taiwan and New Zealand, a beautiful intricate net from Greece, twin bronze castings of dolphins from Brazil and her favourite, an anchor from her hometown Esquimalt.

"I spent a couple weeks in a houseboat in Bali a few years ago." Tess said quietly as she opened the door. "It was beautiful and I had the money so I figured why not build one for myself? It's not exactly the same style, but Chicago's got a different climate."

She stood off to the side as he entered, tracking him as he took a few steps past her and looked around in silence. They were standing at the front of the open space, a turning staircase to their right with a bathroom and bedroom tucked underneath, the kitchen and dining area to their left and the living room at the back, with a small glass sunroom at the very end. The floors and exposed beams that ran up the walls and across the ceiling were the same dark walnut as the exterior and the same blue was used on the trim and kitchen cabinets, even the large sectional in the living room, while the walls were painted a soft gray. She'd designed it to be soothing but had added pops of colour throughout to brighten things up, not to mention she'd really run with the water theme; there were odes to marine creatures natural and otherwise scattered everywhere.

"It's incredible." He took a few more steps then turned in a slow circle, awe and delight written across his face.

He liked it.

She'd hoped he would.

Years of practice meant it wasn't hard to hide her nerves but she still had them, butterflies raging through her stomach and thrumming in her veins, so forceful Tess had to remind herself to breathe. This wasn't just her home, it was hers. The first he had ever seen and only the second she'd made for herself. All the years they'd known each other she'd never had a place of her own because it hadn't seemed necessary, not when they were always together. Even after their relationship changed and she would stay with Mouse or Lydia there were still countless nights she found herself at his apartment, and when she started to realize how much she needed a place of her own and began staying in hotel's he would come and stay with her. Being able to have him in a place that was truly hers satisfied an urge she'd had for a long time, and she couldn't help but wish her aunt had gotten to see it too.

The thought cast a cloud over her heart and she held back a sigh, putting an easy smile on her lips instead. "I'm glad you like it. There's a bar if you want a drink." She pointed out the liquor cabinet, each cream-coloured door painted with dark aqua mermaid tails, then took a breath. "I'm going to go change quickly."

His eyes shot to hers and after a brief second he nodded, too quickly though, like he was trying to hide his own nerves.

From the moment he'd fired that shot something had been between them; bullets, other people, injuries and misunderstandings but now there was nothing. Just time. Enough that Tess was going to take a few minutes of it for herself.

She headed upstairs with another quick smile, stripping off her clothes the minute she was out of sight and tossing them in the basket in the corner before she leant against one of the wall to wall, floor to ceiling glass doors that opened out onto the upper deck. She owned several properties in the city, several more around the globe, and she loved them all, but this one had quickly become one of her favourites; she loved the view of the harbour at night, way the warm lights of the city framed the dark, endless water. The rest of the space was decorated similar to downstairs, with the same walnut floors and beams, the built-in closets along each wall painted the same blue, with a queen-sized bed in the centre and the master bathroom at the back, which boasted a very large black copper tub and a boysenberry fish scale tile shower. After a few minutes of letting the water soothe her, of letting her mind empty and reset she dressed once more, grabbing the grey sweatpants and dark green t-shirt she'd discarded on her bed hours ago before heading back downstairs, absentmindedly putting her hair up as she went.