Page 11 of Honor Code

"Where'd you work before?"

His question surprised her. She was expecting a disparaging remark. This was when they usually said something like, Do you enjoy working on oil rigs? Or It's a strange occupation for a girl.

"North Sea. Clair Ridge, Platform 44." The words rolled off her tongue with pride.

His blue eyes widened. "North Sea. Wow. How long were you out there for?"

Okay, so maybe he wasn't thinking that. There was only admiration in his warm gaze. "Just over two years."

He whistled softly. "That's a long time. I knew a guy who worked out there. He said the money was good, but the weather was goddamn awful." He glanced out at the dark blue expanse of ocean. "I'd take a pay cut for this any day."

He had a faraway look in his eye, like he was someplace else. She followed his gaze, enjoying the gentle breeze on her face. "Can't argue with that." As the seconds ticked by, she realized she knew very little about him. "Where were you before?"

He hesitated, then dragged his gaze back to her. "My last op was in Afghanistan."

She nodded. "I worked in Saudi Arabia for a while, before the North Sea assignment. It was my first job after college."

His eyes narrowed, almost wistfully. "I never got used to the sun over there. Big blazing ball of fire in the sky. In summer, the heat was pretty relentless."

"I remember." It had been the same where she had worked at the oil field. "Thank God everywhere had AC."

He snorted. "Not where I was. Dehydration was a real threat."

She could imagine. "Do you miss it?"

He started. "Why’d you ask that?"

She shrugged. "Just an impression I got listening to you talk about it, that's all."

His shoulders slumped. "I don't miss it, although I do miss my buddies."

She knew what that was like. "I'm sure. I miss my friends on the 44, too."

He tilted his head and studied her. Ellie felt a surprise flutter in her stomach. What the hell? She didn’t normally go for this type of guy. Base, brute strength and brawn. When she thought about settling down one day, it was usually with a scientist, a professor of geology or an engineer. Someone with shared interests and a dazzling intellect.

Not someone like… him.

Then she got it. It was so much that she was attracted to Phoenix as he intrigued her—and she'd always loved a good mystery. Whether it was analyzing samples to see what secrets they held or doing a crossword puzzle on a rainy day, she liked to solve things. Even as a kid she'd enjoyed breaking stuff down into its core parts to see what it was made of.

"I guess you know what it's like, then."

“Huh?”

“Missing your friends.” He gave her a quizzical look.

“Oh, yeah.” She nodded, silently chastising herself for losing concentration.

A pause stretched between them.

Eventually, he said, "Well, duty calls. I've got to continue with my rounds. Catch you later.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

He gave a quick nod then disappeared around the corner of the rig into the predawn shadows.

Phoenix sat in the cafeteria, coffee in hand, flipping through a discarded issue of Oil & Gas Magazine. He sensed Ellie walk in before he saw her. Looking up, he noticed she was alone, and by the expression on her face, deep in thought. Eyes fixed on the ground, she nearly bumped straight into another worker.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, without glancing up. He watched as she wove around more people then sat on one of the armchairs near the coffee station to the side of the main dining area.