by Annie Rains
Grace’s cheeks flushed. Her gaze skittered and met Jack’s.
“Jack is keeping secrets, too. But he’s about as tight-lipped as a damn snapping turtle. Can’t get anything out of him.”
Krista’s eyebrow hooked and she looked at Grace, who averted her gaze to the floor. “Oh my God,” Krista whispered under her breath.
Noah looked over his coffee at them. “What?”
“Nothing.” Krista grabbed Grace’s arm. “See you guys later.” Then she pulled Grace toward the café’s display of delicious breakfast desserts.
Jack guessed Krista knew exactly what Grace was keeping from her. With one look at Noah, he knew that his younger brother was still clueless, probably distracted by his thoughts of fishing and boating. Or his latest female interest.
“Women, man. They’re crazy.” Noah sipped from his coffee and chuckled to himself.
“Best to stay away from ’em,” Jack agreed.
But staying away from Grace wasn’t an option. She was his new ocean, the one thing he couldn’t get enough of. And if he wasn’t careful, she might devour him in the process.
—
Grace shushed Krista as they moved through the line for their coffee and croissants. Then she ushered her to a table as far away from the Sawyer brothers as possible.
“You are so busted. You and Jack are both keeping a secret lover. Gee, what a coincidence,” Krista said.
“You can’t tell Noah,” Grace pleaded.
Krista’s blue eyes lit up. “So it’s true.” She squealed in delight. “I knew it! This has been years in the making.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Jack and I haven’t even spoken in years until recently.”
“But this thing between you was there, keeping you two from seriously dating anyone else.”
“You’re a hopeless romantic, you know that.” Grace shook her head and pulled her coffee to her mouth. Setting it back down, she looked at her friend. “I mean it, you can’t tell Noah.”
“You act like Noah and I tell each other everything.” Krista pinched a piece off her croissant and popped it into her mouth.
“He is your best friend. And speaking of something that has been years in the making…”
Krista frowned. “It’s not like that between Noah and me. And you’re not changing the subject.” She pointed a bossy finger. “I want details. And time is ticking before I need to be on the pediatric floor. Spill! Now!”
Grace stole a glance at Jack across the room and smiled. “All right. We’ve gotten together a couple times.”
“Gotten together?” Krista leaned forward to hear Grace’s hushed speech. “What exactly does that mean?”
“You know.” Grace’s cheeks were burning. Krista was so good at filling in the blanks, but she wasn’t offering any help in their conversation right now.
“Like for dates?” Krista asked.
“Kind of.” Except Grace and Jack hadn’t actually left her apartment. Or her bedroom.
“Have you two kissed yet?” Krista asked, excitement building in her tone of voice.
“Yep.”
“More?”
Heat scorched Grace’s face and neck. “Yep.”
Krista’s eyes rounded. “Oh my God. Did you two close the deal?”
Grace covered her face with both hands. “That’s one way to put it.”
“This is so exciting. You and Jack are sleeping together.” Krista’s whisper had evolved to what felt like shouting in Grace’s mind.
“Shhhh!” Grace shushed her and looked around to make sure no one had overheard. “I’m serious. Noah can’t know.”
“Why?” Krista’s dark brows furrowed.
“Because he’s calling me sis now and treating me like family again.” Grace’s mother was great, but it’d been just the two of them for so long. She liked having an extended family of sorts.
Krista tilted her head. “Noah doesn’t like being lied to, you know.”
“We’re not exactly lying.”
Krista’s mouth settled into a thin line.
“And it’s just until after the tournament. And until Jack and I can figure out if there’s anything worth exploring between us. I mean it might be”—Grace dropped her voice even lower—“just sex.” Crazy-good, fly-her-to-the-moon-and-back sex. “Promise me you won’t tell.”
“It’s not my secret to tell.” Krista pretended to zip her lips. “But my advice stands. Tell Noah sooner rather than later.”
“I will,” Grace promised, already feeling the dread bubble up at the thought of doing so. She didn’t have to do it today, though. Today, she and Jack could continue as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.
And it didn’t when they were together.
—
Jack walked into Castaways later that night and scanned the room. There wasn’t much that scared him these days. Not when he’d reeled in a seven-foot shark and nearly had his ankle bitten off. That had been something he and Chris had laughed about later.
Jack’s father still scared him, though. Not because he was a mean or angry man. It was more that Jack feared disappointing him. He didn’t like to do it. Telling his dad once and for all that he didn’t want to work on the boats anymore would more than disappoint the old man. It promised to break his father’s heart.
Jack took a seat at an empty table in the back. A waitress stopped by immediately and Jack ordered his and his father’s favorite beers. His dad usually ran right on time. Glancing at his watch, Jack saw the short hand tick on the hour. Simultaneously, Castaways’ front door opened and his dad entered the building. His shoulder-length hair had gone white prematurely in his forties. He used to tell Jack and his brothers it was because he’d been struck by lightning. Jack still wasn’t sure if that was true or not. His father had a long, scraggly beard and piercing blue eyes like Jack’s. Taking large steps across the room, he dropped his weight into the seat across from him.
“Just you and me tonight?” his father asked, settling uncomfortably into the too-small chair. He was a large man. Not fat, but he was tall, big-boned, and muscled from years of reeling in beast-sized fish.
“ ’Fraid so.”
“Not a bad thing. You and I have things we need to talk about,” his father said.
Jack met his gaze, wondering if his father already knew. “We do?”
“Yep. But not until I have my drink in front of me.”
“It’s already on its way.”
His father nodded. “Good boy.” A minute later, the waitress laid his favorite specialty beer in front of him. “Thanks, darlin’ ” his father said. He took a drink, sighed deeply, then nodded. “Okay, now we can talk.”
“Do you want to start the conversation?” Jack asked.
His father sat back. “Yeah. I do.” He stared at Jack for a long second. “You’re fired.”
Jack straightened. “What?”
His father chuckled, the sound turning into a dry cough. “I’ve always wanted to fire someone. You boys are so good at hiring on folks, though, that I’ve never needed to…You’re fired,” he said again.
A frown tightened Jack’s lips. “I heard you the first time, Dad. But I’m not sure I understand.”
“You were planning on breaking the news to me tonight that you’re officially done with the company. You don’t want to fish on the boats anymore, right?”
Jack blew out a breath. “How did you know?”
“I’m your father. I know.”
Jack shook his head and pulled his own beer toward him. “You gonna tell me you have eyes in the back of your head, too?”
His dad laughed dryly. “I’ve been hoping you’d come around, change your mind. I know you’ve struggled with what happened to Chris.”
Jack stared down into his amber-colored beer. “Yeah.”
“It’s okay. But we do need a good cocaptain for Noah. Those temporaries won’t do.”
“I agree, and I’m already looking.” Jack picked at the label on his bottle.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I’ll do with my life now?”
“I suspect you’ll do what you’ve always done. Give whatever it is your all, be a success. That’s the Sawyer way. Nothing less.”
“And you’re not mad?” Jack asked, breathing a little easier now.
“Oh, I’m angry all right.” Another deep chuckle rose from his father. “The company could’ve had a record year with the catch if we’d replaced you with a proper fisherman already instead of a couple high schoolers on their summer break.”
Jack pointed a finger. “That’s your fault. I told you I was done months ago. You didn’t believe me.”
“You needed time to figure things out. Now you have.” His father nodded.
Jack leaned forward on the table. “Building this kayak launch and pier with Dewy’s kid has got me thinking. Chris and I dreamed about starting our own building company. Coastal based. Docks, piers, small boats.”
The waitress reappeared at their table. “You guys eating tonight?” she asked.
“Two of the specials, darlin’,” his father said. He waited for the waitress to walk away before responding to Jack’s confession. “My grandfather started the Sawyer Seafood Company. It started with a fishing boat and grew from there. He was the one who added the restaurants. My brother, your Uncle Gene, added the recreational section that Gabe runs. Could be good to add on to that. Maybe this next venture of yours wouldn’t be leaving the family business as much as adding to it.”
Jack hadn’t considered that. When he and Chris had made their plans, they’d intended for it to be equal ownership. “It won’t be just Sawyer. I want to call it Watson and Sawyer Coastal Builders.”
His father didn’t blink. “As it should be. Chris was family.”
Jack swallowed. He’d expected an argument, not full acceptance. His father had never given him anything else, though.
“So, you taking on clients yet?” his father asked.
“Well, I—”
“Your answer is always yes. A new business demands yes to every opportunity, even the small ones. You don’t turn down work until you have more business than you can handle. And not even then, if you’re smart.”
Jack nodded. “All right. I guess my answer is yes.”
“Good.”
The waitress laid their plates of barbecued chicken in front of them. “Enjoy!”
Always a flirt, his father winked at the young woman. “Thanks, sweetheart. We will.”
They both dug in. After a few minutes of devouring the wings on their plates, Jack stopped and looked up at his father. “Thanks for understanding, Dad.”
“No need to get mushy on me.” His father frowned.
“Right.” Jack laughed under his breath and continued eating. A weight had been lifted off his chest in the last hour. Chris would’ve been lining up drinks at the bar to celebrate. Doing this without his best friend wasn’t ideal. Chris should be here. They should be going out on this next adventure together. But wherever Chris was, Jack was sure his friend was smiling right now.
“So about that next client. I know a guy who might need his pier expanded. I’ll have him call you,” his father said.
“Great.” Jack smiled to himself and took another bite from a wing, excited and eager to tell Grace all about his news. She was becoming his new confidant. And a lot more than that if he was honest with himself.
Chapter 10
Grace plopped down behind her desk the next morning, after what was becoming her regular coffee and muffin visit with Krista at the Blushing Bay Café, and stared at the folded white paper in front of her. Someone had left a note on her desk. Her name was scrawled across the front in Jack’s handwriting. A little jolt of excitement rode up inside her. Mixed with the caffeine she’d just inhaled at the café, she was fully alert. She unfolded the paper and read.
Meet me on the dock behind my house tonight. I’d like to take you on a date.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and bit down softly. They couldn’t be seen in public together right now, so Jack was improvising. They’d only been together inside her apartment. What if someone saw them? A date was a step up from meeting for sex. What if things went wrong between them? She wasn’t ready for things to come crashing down around her just yet.
Stop trying to talk yourself out of being happy, Grace. Just let it happen.
A shadow fell over her.
“Whatcha reading?” Noah asked, standing behind her.
Grace jumped, nearly spilling out of her desk chair. She clutched the note to her chest. “Nothing.”
Noah lifted a brow, obviously not buying it. “Miss Donner,” he said in his best schoolteacher voice. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to confiscate that.” He reached to swipe the note out of her hand and Grace rolled her chair backward, making him stumble forward.
“Okay, now I really gotta see what’s written on that piece of paper. You’re being way too defensive,” he said.
Grace shook her head, then stuffed the note down the front of her T-shirt as he came for her again.
Noah froze and put his hands up in defeat. “That’s a cheap trick and you know it,” he said, teasing her.
Grace laughed. “Are you ever going to grow up?”
“Not if I can help it.” He winked at her and pulled a chair from the other side of the room toward her desk. Sitting, he folded his body forward and propped his elbows on his knees.
“Uh-oh. You look serious. What’s wrong?” Grace asked.
Noah shrugged. “You just told me to grow up, so now I’m being serious. Make up your mind.”
She swatted him playfully. “Okay. Serious. What’s going on?”
“I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
Noah shrugged. “There’s this girl I want to ask out. She’s kind of out of my league, though.”
Grace shifted uncomfortably as Jack’s note scraped along her skin. “Wait a minute. Noah Sawyer, the Blushing Bay ladies’ man, is saying that someone is out of his league? I find that incredibly hard to believe. And why are you talking to me about her?” A slow smile began to crawl across her lips. “Unless I know her.” Krista came to mind. Noah and Krista had been close since they were walking age. Grace had always known that Krista wanted to be more than friends, even if she would never admit it. “Do I know her?” Grace asked.
Her mind was suddenly processing at a hundred miles a minute. If Noah started dating someone unexpected, he’d be more likely to understand how Grace and Jack could fall for each other. He and Krista were as good as family to each other, too. Noah would understand and the need for hiding would be over.
“You know her,” Noah confirmed.
Grace shook her head. “You don’t need to worry. I am certain that whoever she is, she’ll happily say yes.”
“You don’t even know who I’m talking about.”
“Well, if I know her, then she’s smart. Too smart to pass up a chance with a great guy like you.”
It had to be Krista. Noah said she knew the person and Grace didn’t have very many friends to speak of. She’d been too busy caring for her mother over the last few years and trying to survive.
“Just be yourself and you can’t go wrong,” she told him.
“Myself? Most girls don’t want to talk about fishing.”
“I know some who do,” Grace said. “Some love the sport. I’m pretty fascinated by the topic these days.”
Noah nodded. “Well, you did spend part of your upbringing with us. I’d say it’s probably in your blood.”
Grace grinned. “Maybe so. Whoever she is, she’d be crazy to say no to a date with you. You’re quite a guy.”
Noah stood. “Thanks, sis.”
“Who knows. Maybe this girl you’re interested in is the one.”
Noah held up a hand. “Stop right there. I’m not the type of guy to go for ‘the one,’ ” he reminded her. “My perfect catch is in the ocean. Not on land.”
“Th
at’s what all the fishermen say. And they’re all wrong.” Grace watched Noah pull his weathered ball cap on his head and head out. “Thanks for the advice,” he called behind him. “See you later.”
When he was gone, Grace reached inside her shirt and pulled out Jack’s note.
A date. With Jack. And one that wasn’t confined to her little apartment. She loved the sound of that. She reached for her cellphone and texted him: I’d love to.
—
Jack had cleaned the small pontoon boat and packed a picnic cooler, complete with wine. He hadn’t gone all out for a date like this since…well, since the first night he’d gotten laid. He’d put a little effort into that night expecting a big payoff. He’d already slept with Grace, though. Tonight, he just wanted to romance her, the way a woman should be. He wanted to see her smile and laugh a little bit more. Something about doing that made him feel adrenalized—the way he used to feel on a fishing trip.
Grace pulled into the driveway of his house, circling around back like he’d suggested—just in case Sam or Noah came around. Jack wasn’t exactly comfortable with keeping secrets, but Grace was right. Noah thought of her like a long-lost sister. Seeing his brother groping on his sis tonight might not go over too well.
Grace parked and started walking toward him on his personal boat. She was wearing pale blue shorts that hit midthigh and a white cotton blouse with a neckline cut low enough to rev Jack’s imagination. Not that he needed imagination. He’d seen what was under that blouse. And as much as he’d love to see it bathed in moonlight, he was behaving himself tonight.
“Hi.” Grace squinted against the setting sun. Within a half hour, it’d be gone.
“Hey. Glad you came.” He stepped over to the starboard and helped her into the boat. “I see you got those sea legs going.”
“Need ’em if I’m going to be captain in a couple weeks.”
“This boat is considerably smaller than the Summerly, so for someone like you who’s still getting your bearings, it’s best to stay at the center of the boat tonight.”
Grace nodded. “I don’t want to fall overboard.”
Memories of Chris’s accident pricked at his memory. Jack pushed them away, unwilling to let anything ruin this date. He’d been with Grace physically. They’d spent a lot of time together at the office lately, too. But tonight was different. There was something about being alone with a woman on a date that cast a different energy between them. He could feel it, could see it in the way that Grace had curled her hair under and put a little makeup on her eyelids and across her cheeks. She was making extra effort, the same way he had by cleaning the boat. There was a nervous energy in the way she fidgeted with her hands.
