Heart-Shaped Hack (32 page)

Kate:
Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse? You haven’t actually proposed to me. I AM NOT A SURE THING, IAN.

Ian:
You will have a proper proposal, but first your dad and I need to conclude this extremely uncomfortable meeting.

Kate:
Ask him how much my dowry is. I’m just curious.

Ian:
How about I don’t poke the bear right now? The only reason your dad might actually ENTERTAIN the idea of having me for a son-in-law is because I’m kind of a big deal at the FBI. I’ve done too many good things in the name of national security for him to completely discount me.

Kate:
Oh! Tell him about the time you got arrested for hacking the Pentagon.

Ian:
I’m going to save that particular anecdote for another time.

Kate:
Like the holidays.

Ian:
I hear your dad coming. I should probably put my phone away in case he’s not done yelling. If he did draft a contract, he’ll probably make me sign it in blood.

Kate:
I’m certainly going to.

Ian:
I can’t wait to kiss that smart mouth of yours. Drive carefully (but please don’t dawdle). I’ll be tracking you and eagerly awaiting your arrival. Love you.

Kate:
Love you too. Here I come. xoxo

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Kate was two hours from home when she spotted the first message. It was on one of those electronic Department of Transportation signs mounted over the highway.

I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU KATIE

All she could do was shake her head and laugh. Fifteen minutes later, she drove under the next one.

YOU’RE GETTING CLOSER

Kate couldn’t wait to see Ian. She still had moments when she wanted to kill him herself for what he’d done, but then she’d think about the miraculous turn of events that had brought him back to her, and her anger would dissipate. She couldn’t wait to fall asleep in his arms tonight, and every night after that.

It was another forty miles before she spotted the next sign.

HI KATE IT’S YOUR MOM

Kate reached for her cell phone. When Ian answered, she said, “Exactly how long did it take you to bring my mother over to the dark side?”

“Not long at all. I have to tell you, she is fascinated by hacking. I convinced her to open a bottle of wine, and after her second glass she insisted we hack into something.”

“Does she know hacking road signs is a felony?”

“I’m going to go with no. But don’t worry, they’ll never catch us.”

“How’s my dad?”

“Still a little frosty. I tried to give him his own special phone. That did not go well
at all
.”

“Give it to my mom. It sounds like she won’t have a problem with it. And please tell me you haven’t checked out of your hotel yet. I’m really looking forward to our reunion, but I’d like it to take place somewhere other than my parents’ home. I don’t think my dad could handle overhearing us, and I’m telling you right now I plan on being loud.”

“The hotel room is waiting for us, and I will definitely be giving you something to yell about. I thought we could take your parents out for breakfast tomorrow and then hit the road.”

“I think that sounds like an ideal plan.” Kate noticed a sign in the distance but couldn’t yet make out the words. “Still hacking, I see.”

“This next message is my favorite,” he said.

As she got closer, a smile spread across her face.

I’VE GOT A NUMBER SIX WAITING HERE FOR YOU SWEETNESS

“Do you see it?” he asked.

She laughed. “I see it. The six is my favorite.”

“Mine’s the seven.”

“That does not surprise me at all.”

“I can’t wait to see you, Kate.”

“It won’t be long now. Tell my mom not to drink all the wine.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

The two-bedroom cottage on Roanoke Island was aptly named the Endless Summer. The exterior was sunshine yellow with white trim and a picket fence, and four Adirondack chairs sat grouped together on the small brick patio.

“What do you think?” Ian asked after he unlocked the door and they went inside.

Kate looked around. The interior was a perfect blend of kitschy beach house and modern amenities. “What an adorable love nest.”

“It’s cozy, that’s for sure,” he said, laughing. “At least it’s bigger than Phillip and Susan’s guesthouse.”

“It’s perfect for the two of us.” She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“What do you say we christen this place? It won’t really feel like ours until we do.”

Kate had not had her fill of him yet, so she said, “That sounds like much more fun than unpacking.”

Once they’d finally emerged from the bedroom and brought everything in from the car, they explored the quaint streets of downtown Manteo, walking hand in hand as they checked out a gift shop, bookstore, and art gallery.

“Hot enough for you, hacker?” Kate asked. The temperature was hovering somewhere in the mid to upper seventies, which was typical for early May. Not as hot as it was going to be, but warmer than Minneapolis.

“Not quite. Maybe by July.”

“It’ll be in the high eighties by then.”

“Good. Maybe the only thing you’ll feel like wearing is a bikini.”

They crossed the street and stopped in front of the Tranquil House Inn, which had a sign that read 1587 Restaurant.

“Are you as hungry as I am?” Ian asked.

“Starving.” They’d left Kate’s parents’ house around noon the day before and had broken up the thirteen-hour drive from Zionsville to Roanoke Island by stopping in West Virginia for the night. They’d gotten back on the road right after breakfast and hadn’t stopped for lunch. Having been sidetracked upon their arrival, they were now more than ready to eat.

A hostess escorted them to a table near the window and took their drink orders. They had a stunning view of Shallowbag Bay and the boats in the slips that lined the dock. Kate shielded her eyes from the sun that reflected off the water and streamed into the dining area, filling it with light.

When their drinks arrived, Ian lifted his glass. “Cheers to an endless summer, Katie.”

She smiled, clinked his glass with hers, and said, “Cheers.”

Roanoke Island was good for Kate. Ian treated her like a cherished treasure, and he handled her with the utmost care.

Every night he slept with his arms around her and his body pressed up against hers.

Every day he told her how much he loved her.

She had cried an ocean of tears in the preceding months, more than she’d ever had a reason to shed in her adult life, and she was determined that there would be no more crying.

They explored every inch of the island as well as all the towns along the Outer Banks, making their way north to Duck and south to Hatteras. Each day brought a new choice, and they’d discovered early on that they both preferred spending their time near the water. Kate loved lying on the beach, watching the ghost crabs scuttle along the sand while she read a book until she got too hot and had to submerge herself in the still slightly chilly ocean. She took long walks before breakfast every morning, but on Roanoke Island the air smelled like the ocean instead of the Mississippi River.

Ian had taken up windsurfing on Pamlico Sound as his preferred form of exercise. His dirty-blond hair was longer and had lightened considerably from the daily exposure to the sun. With his deep tan, he looked more like a surfer than a hacker, especially when he came out of the water, board shorts hanging low on his hips and sand clinging to his feet.

By the middle of June, only the slightest sadness remained from the emotional trauma of thinking she’d lost him forever. But every now and then the events of the previous months backed up on her and escaped without warning.

“This house is too small for a man who is six foot four,” Ian said one day after nearly hitting his head on the doorframe.

“I like this small house and this small island because I always know where you are,” Kate said and then burst into tears.

“Sweetness, come here,” he said, pulling her to him. He held her tight, stroking her hair until she calmed.

“I’m sorry,” she said, holding on to him until her heart stopped racing. “I don’t know where that came from.”

“You don’t ever have to apologize to me. And I promise I will never leave you again.”

To celebrate the Fourth of July, they decided to spend the evening at Nags Head.

“One of the locals told me they’re shooting fireworks off from the pier. We should have a great view from the beach,” Ian said as he put the cooler in the car.

When they arrived at the public access point, they walked along the path and up the wooden stairs until they reached the top of the dune, Ian pulling a beach cart behind him with their supplies. Below, the beach was filling up fast.

“Let’s head over that way,” Ian said, pointing toward an area that wasn’t quite as crowded.

He hadn’t let Kate help him with any of the preparations. He’d filled the cooler, gathered up the rest of the things they’d need, and loaded everything in the car. Now, after they shook out the blanket and set their low beach chairs down side by side, he reached into the cooler.

“Wow, champagne,” Kate said when he held up the bottle. “Fancy.”

He popped the cork and filled two flutes. “Nothing but the best for you.”

“What else do you have in that bag of tricks?”

“Chocolate-dipped strawberries, of course.”

“Of course,” she said, opening her mouth so he could feed her one.

They ignored the beach chairs in favor of stretching out on the blanket. Around them, children built sand castles and chased each other holding sparklers. The sun began to dip lower on the horizon, its fiery reddish-gold color fading as the light slowly disappeared from the sky. A strong breeze was blowing in off the ocean, and Kate shivered. Ian reached for his faded MIT sweatshirt and pulled it down over her head, freeing her hair while she put her arms through the sleeves.

“Ah, much better,” she said.

When it was fully dark, he sat down in one of the beach chairs and tucked Kate in front of him, nestling her between his legs. “While we’re waiting for the fireworks, I thought I’d tell you a story.”

“A story? I’m intrigued.”

“Once upon a time there was a hacker. He saw a woman on TV and he thought she was beautiful and selfless and kind. And even though he’d hacked her, she agreed to go out with him. He tried to play it cool, but he was really happy about that. He didn’t even mind when she whipped out her pepper spray and made him take off all his clothes.”

“You wanted me to see your naked body, which I will concede I now enjoy having unlimited access to. God, you were so cocky that night. I can’t believe I agreed to go out with a man who’d hacked my computer and wouldn’t tell me his last name. What was I thinking?”

“I have no idea. Frankly I thought you’d run.” He reached around with the champagne bottle to top off her flute. “So when this hacker was younger, he never thought much about settling down or having a wife.”

Kate took a sip of her champagne and smiled.

“But one day he started thinking about it. He was deeply in love with the girl he’d seen on TV and wanted a future with her. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and he was scared that he’d lost her forever. But one of the things he’d always admired was her tolerance. Though he’d really pushed it, she found it in her heart to forgive him for what he’d done. And after several tense hours of negotiation, her dad reluctantly agreed to give the marriage his blessing.”

At this point, Ian turned Kate around so that she was facing him.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Katherine Watts, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”

Tears rolled down Kate’s face despite her resolution that there would be no more crying. “Nothing would make me happier than marrying you, Ian. I would be honored to become your wife.”

He embraced her, and she pressed her face to his chest. She had never felt more sure about a decision in her life. Feeling movement between their bodies, she pulled back slightly and wiped her eyes. “Are you trying to put your hand down my shorts?”

“I’m trying to dig your ring out of my pocket.”

“There’s a ring?”

“Of course there’s a ring.” Once he’d managed to remove the box, he told her to close her eyes, and he turned on the flashlight app on his phone so they’d have enough light to see by. “Now give me your hand.”

She worried that he might have spent too much. Any man who could pay seven million for a car could have easily gone overboard in the ring department. But when he slipped it onto her finger and told her to open her eyes, she gasped because it was exactly the type of ring she would have chosen. At approximately two and half carats, it definitely wasn’t small, but it wasn’t ostentatiously large either. A halo of smaller diamonds surrounded the center princess-cut stone, giving the ring a vintage feel that she loved.

“Oh my God.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect. Have you had it the whole time?”

“It was a custom design. FedEx just delivered it yesterday.”

“Let me guess. Right around the time you asked if I’d run back to the coffee shop to grab you a muffin.”

“I was tracking the delivery on my phone.”

Kate laughed. “Of course you were.”

“Remember the day I spent with your parents while you were driving from Minneapolis? I really wanted to get it right, so I asked your mom to help me design the ring. It made her cry.”

“It’s amazing. I love it.”

“You were worried it might be too big, weren’t you?”

“No, not at all.”

He laughed. “Kate.”

“Maybe a little.”

Just then the fireworks began, and as the colors streaked across the sky, the future Mrs. Bradshaw snuggled with the man she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with.

The next night, when they were seated at a table at 1587 Restaurant, which had quickly become one of their favorite places to eat on Roanoke Island, Ian said, “My fiancée would like a glass of chardonnay and I’ll have a bourbon.”