“Look at that.” His warm breath in her ear made her smile. His strong arm pointed off to their right.
“Is that . . .” She squinted her eyes. “A whale?”
“Not yet. But I bet we see some. That looks like a dolphin to me.”
“Really? That was a big spout.”
They clipped along through the water, and then right in front of them, a huge killer whale leaped up out of the water.
Ivy held her breath. Then she leaned out over the side railing, looking for any more signs of the beautiful creature.
“Wow! Would you look at that?” He pointed down at shadows in the water.
“Is that . . . a baby?” Ivy leaned over further.
“I think so.”
A group of whales swam together, one smaller and sticking close to its mother swam closer to the surface, near the boat. Then the little one leaped out of the water.
Ivy stared in wonder. Colton came up behind her again, wrapping his arms around her as they peered over the water. “This is magical.”
“It is.” He nuzzled her neck and then placed his lips on the soft skin at the top of her shoulder. Wild goose bumps lifted the hair on her skin.
Their boat entered the open water, and the sails went up. Ivy loved the white, billowing sail as it rose to the top of the mast. When at last the ropes were tied, and the sails were up, Tiago turned their boat out of the wind and the sails filled, stretching taut against the ropes that held them back, and the boat moved across the water powered only by the wind.
She leaned back up against Colton. “It’s so peaceful.”
“It’s the closest thing to being up close to the clouds.”
“I thought riding horses was the closest thing to flying.”
His low chuckle that she didn’t hear but felt along her back made her smile. “Okay, so there are a few things that are the closest thing to flying.”
She turned back, leaning up against the railing behind her. “Oh? And what is the other?”
His lips found hers again, and she gripped the metal railing with the happy surprise. After a moment, she nodded. “Like flying.” Then she laughed. “Flyboy. Who knew.”
He shrugged. “I knew. Just goes to show you that some of us are smarter than others, even if we don’t prance around with clipboards and spout statistics.”
“Oh, you are terrible.” She shook her head. “Well, I’m happy I know now.”
He leaned back against the railing at her side. “Just to be clear, what do we know?”
“That something special could happen between us.” She shrugged. “That we could be so happy.” She reached for his hand. “I don’t know any better than you what’s going to happen here, but I’m liking what we have so far.”
“And to think. You were all fired-up angry at me just a month ago.”
“I’m embarrassed about my letter of complaint. How presumptuous. Can I ask for it to be deleted?”
“Sure. But no harm done. We talked about it. I took it to heart. And here we are.”
She searched his face, surprised. “You took it to heart?”
“Of course. The woman I most wanted to get to know, the one I was planning on placing on my team in Brazil, was campaigning against me. I had to either fix myself or fix your perception.”
“Hmm.” The woman he most wanted to know? “But you never even looked in my direction. I didn’t think you knew who I was before this trip.”
“Oh, I knew. I remember the first time I met you. It was right before Ace pulled you in for your first assignment. You were sitting on the front row. I think you wrote down everything Amanda said.”
“She’s pretty awesome.”
“And you wrote down some of what Ace said.”
“I’m sure I did. The man is a legend in his circles.”
“And Ridley.” She knew where he was going with this.
“Of course I wrote down what Bear said. The man has been around a lot longer than I have.”
“But . . .” He toyed with her fingers. “You didn’t write down a single thing I said.” He opened up a white box, pulled out two rods, and smiled. “And I knew that was just not going to work.”
“What?”
“The woman I most wanted to know, thought better of my team than of me.”
She didn’t quite know how to respond. “I remember you cracked a lot of jokes . . .”
“But see, there’s a lot people can pick up on in those jokes . . .” He paused. “And really, I’m not that person on the team. I’m not the guy with the great advice. I just do things.”
She considered him. She thought about all that she’d seen him do, and she nodded. “I see that.”
“You do?”
“Sure. But I do not see the fast flying, the crazy stunts, or the brave history.”
“I don’t understand.”
“That might impress a lot of people. But I’m seeing you pick up a woman and children on the side of the road and play soccer with them all afternoon. I’m seeing you carrying laundry on your head and learning to wash clothes by hand. I’m seeing you always catching the door, looking behind you, picking up in front of you. That’s what I’m seeing.” She looked away, suddenly self-conscious for paying such close attention.
“You see all that? That’s just . . . That’s just how my mama taught me to be. You aren’t a Bushman if you don’t lift a hand where you can.”
“Well, see, I don’t think that’s normal behavior for most people, and that’s what I’m seeing. And it taught me to look at you in a different way.”
“How am I doing?”
“At what?”
“At convincing you I’m not some crazy reckless danger to society?” He waited with a certain hesitance that was so completely endearing she wanted to kiss his face. Again.
“Oh, you’re dangerous. I just can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not.”
“Excellent.” He tugged at her. “Let’s get out the gear.”
“Gear?”
“Sure. If we’re going to catch dinner, we have to get started.”
“Fishing! Awesome.”
“And besides, you’ve got to learn a thing or two yourself before this assignment is finished.”
“I do?” She stopped. “Of course I do. That’s not what I meant.” She studied him, but he seemed completely engrossed in getting the line ready. “Are you gonna tell me what I have to learn?”
“Do you know how to put bait on your line?” He dragged a bucket over. What seemed like overly large minnows swam around inside.
“I don’t.”
“Then that, pretty lady, is what you have to learn.”
She nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.” She cringed a little bit when he grabbed one and put it on his hook, but she gritted her teeth and reached into the bucket for her own. It took a little longer for her to catch one. Finally, she gave up using her hands and grabbed the small net. But eventually, the poor sacrificial bait was stabbed and hanging off her hook, and she was ready to cast out.
“You ever been fishing before?”
“I have. But I’m sure I could use a refresher.”
So he stood behind her, closer than necessary, but she didn’t mind one bit. He held her rod and the reel and the line, and together, they brought the rod back behind her and then with a jerk, sent the bait out into the water. He reeled to lock the line in place, and then he did the same for himself, a little further down the boat.
“And now we wait.”
“This is the best part of fishing.” She smiled.
“Ah, you’re one of those fisher types.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know. You like to sit back and think. You probably read, thinking it’s supposed to take all day to catch a fish.”
“Isn’t it?”
His line jerked. “Not if you do it right.”
“I can’t believe it.” She looked at her line. It was slack in the water.
His
was tugging, pulling, moving around of its own accord. The tip of his rod bent. “Oh, this is a big-un’.”
She ran to him.
“You gotta watch your own line.” He waved her off.
But she stuck her pole in the holders on the side of the boat and moved to his side. “It will be fine.”
The fish looked like it was huge. It tugged and fought and jerked the line, moving further and further away. Colton’s face was intense with concentration. For every inch the fish moved closer, it wiggled away several feet, but Colton showed no frustration, and Ivy recognized one more thing she hadn’t noticed about him before. In all the time she’d known Colton, she’d not once seen him truly angry or be the one to cause contention. In fact, he was always lightening the mood, easing differences, and helping with inclusion.
Had she become so attracted to him that a few kisses could totally change her whole outlook on a person? It was more than the kisses, and she knew it.
His jaw flexed, and his arms were tight, his muscles bulging up and down his arms and across his back.
“Wow, this is tough.”
He grunted. “This is a big one.”
Then her pole started to bend. And then the line went out in a high-pitched whirr. “Oh, my gosh!!”
“Get it!” Colton grinned, and then his attention was immediately back on his fish.
“Like this?” She started to reel her fish in.
“Yeah, come stand by me.”
She stood at his side. “This is incredible. We both caught fish!”
“Not yet, pretty lady. We have a lot of work to do, but we are going to catch them, don’t you worry.” He stood closer. “Now, you don’t want the line to snap. I don’t think it will, but you want to nudge the fish in, tease it. Trick it. As soon as it gives you a few inches, take them, but don’t force it. That fish could be as big as this boat. We don’t know.”
She swallowed. The tugs on her line felt smaller than Colton’s seemed to be. But they were nothing to discount either. Soon, she was distracted from everything around them except the constant presence of Colton at her side and the occasional touch of their arms. When her shoulders started to ache, Colton pointed to her fishing rod holder. “Put it in there. The fish won’t go anywhere. Take a break.”
“How did you know I was dying over here?”
“My whole upper body is on fire. I figured yours must be, too, unless you’re some special gladiator muscle girl.”
She shook her head. What even was that? Gladiator muscle girl? But she happily put the rod back in its place and rotated her arms. Then she moved to the edge of the railing. “Is your fish close?”
“I think so. Tell me if you see anything bump the side of the boat.”
She peered down to the place where his line entered the ocean, and for a moment, everything was dark blue, but then she saw movement. A shadow. “It’s huge!”
“Can you see it?” He moved to the edge, searching the water. “Oh, boy! Look at that!” He laughed and began reeling it in faster.
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell.” He shrugged. “But we’re gonna find out.”
Something splashed in the water, an almost defiant twist of white against the blue, and then the shadow moved beneath the surface.
“What if it’s a shark?” Something about seeing that dark shape below made her not want to swim anytime soon. Her line jerked, so she ran back over to the pole.
“I don’t know. I guess it could be. Our bait wasn’t that big, though, you know.” His pole jerked especially hard, and he grunted.
She wound hers. The fish must have moved much closer since she last held it. She spun her reel until she couldn’t anymore. The jerks on her line were growing stronger, and then suddenly, the line started whirring out with a high-pitched noise.
“What’s happening?”
“Your fish just got a whole lot more determined.”
“What do I do?” She tried to stop it with the reel, but it spun in her fingers.
Then his arms were around her, reaching for the reel, moving over her hands. He stopped the whirring and slowly started bringing it back in.
She wanted to lean back into him and close her eyes.
His own line was tugging and jerking from the rod holder.
“Thank you.”
“We are not losing your fish.”
She pressed her lips to his bicep that was so close to her face. “Thank you.”
Chapter 15
With Ivy in his arms, the ocean all around them, the sun overhead, and two huge fish on the line, Colton laughed into the blue sky. “Whoooo!” Then he nuzzled Ivy’s neck. “Ivy-Woman! This is one great day!”
She tugged on the rod. “This fish isn’t going anywhere but in this boat.”
“That’s a girl. Okay, let’s do this.” He helped her, tugged some more, got some more of that line back in. Then his started to jerk more.
“Oh, mine’s going a little crazy.” He rushed back to his rod, moving it over to stand closer to Ivy. Then right in front of them, something banged against the boat.
“Did we do it?” Her excited squeal made him happier than he’d been in a long time.
“I think so.” They peered over the edge.
A huge fish, grey topped, wiggled there. Colton spun his reel and tugged. “I’m gonna need some help here, Tiago.”
“Yes, sir!” He ran as though he’d been watching the whole time, waiting for the moment. Good man.
“Help me with this?”
“We don’t have a crane.”
“Just use your strength. Let’s get this up on deck.”
Ivy stepped back and steadied herself on the railing.
“You okay?”
She didn’t answer for a moment and then croaked, “He’s huge. I didn’t even know there were fish that big down there. I mean, sharks, sure. And whales and dolphins. But fish like that, just swimming around everywhere?” Her face went a little green, and she stared down at her rod.
“You okay, really?” He gripped the rod, but his attention was not fully on Ivy.
“Yeah. Probably.” She started reeling in her fish again, but Colton made a note to bring this up again. Was she afraid?
Tiago stood at his side. When the fish left the water, the rod bent to near breaking, and with Tiago helping, they backed up and pulled the most enormous tuna he’d ever seen in his life up on deck. It flopped around, the fins sharp and pointy.
“Opa! Watch out.” Tiago backed away.
“What are you going to do with this?” Ivy’s mouth was wide open.
It jumped, totally getting air above the deck, flipping around all over the place.
She screamed and jumped back.
“I say . . . we take a picture and either let it go or donate it to Tiago here?” Colton pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Say cheese, you big old grandpa tuna!”
“Here, you get in.” Tiago reached for the phone. Colton smiled. The fish was almost as long as his six-foot-four height.
Tiago grinned. “We want this fish. But I’ll throw it back and drag it behind us until we get back to shore.”
“You sure?” Colton gripped the man’s shoulder.
“Yes. Thank you. We will eat fish for many days.”
“I’m happy you’ll have a use for it.”
“And you and your girlfriend, you come for dinner. We cook your fresh fish.”
“That would be amazing.” Colton’s mouth watered thinking about it. There was nothing as good as fresh-caught fish, not when it was cooked right.
Ivy was half-heartedly tugging on her own line while watching the fish. She shook her head. “I cannot believe it.” She peered over the edge. “Do you think mine is that big?”
Colton reached for her rod and tugged on it. “No. Yours is smaller . . . or less of a fighter.”
The line went slack, and she reeled it in like crazy. At last, the sound of a fish bumping the side of the boat seemed to give her a new burst of
energy. “Yeah! Okay, let’s get this guy up here.” She pulled and stepped back. “I think I’m gonna need some extra muscle.”
He jumped to her back again and then pulled the fish up and out of the water. As soon as its long, wide head came into view, he almost stepped back in surprise. “A hammerhead.” He reached for it. It was a smaller size, still hefty, but nothing like his big monster tuna. “Would you look at that.”
They flopped it up on deck, and to his surprise, Ivy reached a hand out to touch its back. “This is a beautiful fish. Hammerheads are supposed to be the good sharks, right?”
“Good, as in . . .”
“Good as in, they don’t eat people.” She shook her head. “Let’s toss this one back.”
“I agree. But not without a picture. Say cheese!” He held up his phone and clicked a few of Ivy with her fish, which was legitimately at least half her height and possibly her weight. Then he removed the hook, and they both slid it over to the edge. “Goodbye, Hammy!” Ivy waved as it swam away.
He laughed. “Hammy?”
She wiped her hands down the front of her and then rubbed her face with her forearm.
“Feeling a little fishy?”
“Uh.” She looked over the edge. “Ordinarily I might say, let’s go for a swim but . . .”
“You worried about Hammy? He’s long gone, and my fish, he’s stuck at the back of the boat.”
She shook her head. Then her face brightened. “Unless we snorkel?”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. They’ve got fins and gear in a box on deck.” He dug through the equipment, puzzling over what was bugging Ivy. “You feel more comfortable if you can see?”
She nodded. “Oh yeah. I don’t think I can float there on top, knowing that somewhere below me are thousands of feet of living creatures that I can’t see.”
“And if you can see and there’s nothing, you know that too.”
“Exactly.” She nodded. She stepped back inside the cabin, presumably to change into a bathing suit. He shook his head. “What a woman.”
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