I caught his intention and plastered on a reasonably authentic smile. "That sounds great. After breakfast and your workout, though. Today, we're doing the isometric work for your leg as well as working your good leg too. If we have the time, of course."
"Of course we do," Tomasso replied. "But let's try to get out there by noon. I want to enjoy the warmth of the sun, if we can, and the beach gets a wicked breeze off the ocean later in the afternoon."
I took Tomasso to the dining room, where the chef had already laid out our breakfast for us. We sat down to lean cuts of steak, with eggs and even some pancakes. “Well, I guess I'm going to have to join you for your workout," I complained good-naturedly. "Is your chef trying to say something about me with the use of steak? I mean, since I did come here with that in mind and all."
Tomasso shook his head and sliced into his filet. "I doubt it. He’s probably trying to pack me full of protein, and for you, well, he most likely read somewhere that your area of Brazil eats a lot of beef. Don't stab him, please?"
I cut my steak and chewed, smiling. It may not have been Brazilian, but the chef knew what he was doing, and it was delicious. "For a chef this talented? I'd be mad to do that. Anyway, what is this Golden Gardens Park?"
"It's a place on the Pacific Ocean side, one of the bigger parks in town. I'd forgotten about it because I usually used a private beach when I was younger, and the water there is cold. You've gotta wear a wetsuit if you want to go in, so it’s mostly kayakers, canoers, stuff like that in the water. But the view's nice on a day like this, and most of the time, the sun is warm. I should have taken you there already.”
"That's all right. Should I take a hat or anything?"
Tomasso nodded and took a forkful of eggs and speared a bite of steak with it. "Sure. But let's work up a sweat first, okay?"
I smiled and gave him a lifted eyebrow. "Careful what you wish for. You may just get it."
After a good workout in which we made sure his legs would not atrophy and that his strength loss in his legs would be minimized, I finished off with a few yoga poses for him just for the tease. We changed out of our sweat-soaked workout clothes, and I drove us out to Golden Gardens Park. The seaside area was picturesque, although far from what I'd expected when Tomasso said beach. I still had in my mind something more akin to Brazilian beaches, which for the most part are the sorts of places where someone can go with a towel, an umbrella, and some sunglasses to lay out and relax for a long time.
The beach that we pulled up to was far too rocky, with the sand being more like fish tank gravel, which crunched and squealed under my feet as we made our way along the path that paralleled the water. "You're sure you're okay?"
"The rocks are pretty steady. I'm doing fine," Tomasso replied, jabbing his crutches into the path and hopping forward. "Besides, there's a bench up ahead. I think that'll be a good place for us to sit down, relax some, and talk about things that are best not discussed at the house."
"I thought that might be your reason for coming out here," I replied. "You have suspicions?"
"Enough that I need to make a plan of action," Tomasso said, reaching the bench. He pivoted around and sat down, much more adept with his crutches and brace than he had been just days before.
I sat down next to him, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my shoulders and face. The view over the water was far different than what I could see in Brazil, even with the summer heat allowing some of the people who were brave enough to walk the beach in swimwear. Still, it had its own form of rugged beauty. The Pacific Ocean outside Seattle had a wild, untamed beauty that was in its own way as breathtaking as the refined warmth of Brazil.
"I can see the appeal of this," I said, resting my leg on his uninjured thigh. He'd worked the leg hard, and I expected that when his ankle was strong enough to spend a little time outside his brace and he could exercise his injured leg again, he'd regain strength there quickly. "It's peaceful."
"It is," he agreed, taking my hand in his. “Maybe we can come back here some time and really enjoy it.”
I smiled and squeezed his fingers. "Remember, that's two dates you have to take me on now, the Cascades, and now here. Keep it up, and I won't be able to go back to Brazil. But seriously, I assume you found something out about Jake Marconi?"
Tomasso nodded and sighed. "I talked with a friend last night after you went to bed, and he told me that there may be a connection between Leonard Frakes and Jake. It seems like a stretch—a girl in Korea."
I looked around at the passers-by, all of whom looked like normal people enjoying a far more mundane existence than what I led, and tried to think of what to say. "Are you sure enough to do something about it? He’s your friend."
"Some things are more important than friendship," Tomasso said in a quiet, intense voice. "Like honor. And lo—”