by Hazel Kelly
I swallowed.
“Does that answer your question?”
I nodded. “How far away is it?”
“Two minutes.”
I knew right where we were. There were only two restaurants in the area. One was a seafood place near the pier and the other was the restaurant in the yacht club, but that was only accessible to members. Therefore, when we pulled into the parking lot of the marina, I was fairly sure I’d figured out the surprise.
“You’re a member here?” I asked as he parked the car.
“Where?”
“At the yacht club?”
“No,” he said, opening his door.
I got out quickly so he wouldn’t feel like he had to open mine again. “So we must be going to Sharky’s then?”
He walked to the trunk. “I like a hush puppy as much as the next guy, but if you think Sharky’s counts as a fancy place, then you’re going to be very impressed.”
I stepped up to the trunk as he was lifting a cooler out. “We’re picnicking?”
“You got me,” he said, extending the handle on the cooler before closing the trunk. “Right this way.”
I followed him, eager to discover what he was up to, and as he headed for the gate that separated the private boats from the parking lot, I started to get excited.
He punched in a keycode and pushed the gate open for me.
I stepped past him and held it open so he could wheel the cooler by. Then I closed the gate and took a deep breath.
In all my years growing up there, I’d never been on that side of the gate so close to the fancy boats. Even if all we were going to do was look at the boats up close, it would be enough to make my day. But something told me he wasn’t the kind of guy that was satisfied with fawning over other people’s boats.
I hurried to catch up with him.
“Is this yours?” I asked when he stopped in front of an enormous sailboat. It was white and blue and had Barbara Ann written across the back in fat script.
“No,” he said. “It belongs to a family friend.”
“I always thought having a friend with a boat would be better than actually owning one.”
“You’re absolutely right,” he said, lifting the cooler over the side of the boat and lowering it onto the deck. “They’re a terrible investment and require a huge amount of maintenance.”
“I can only imagine.”
He pulled the edge of the boat as close to the dock as he could and made a come hither gesture.
I took hold of the small ladder and climbed over the side onto the dock.
“That’s why I’m going to put off buying one as long as I can,” he said.
“Are we going to take it out or just picnic on it?” I asked.
He bent down and started unwinding the fat ropes from the metal hooks on the dock. “We’re going to take it out.”
I furrowed my brow. “Who’s going to sail it?”
“I am,” he said, tossing the rope onto the deck.
“You can sail?”
He nodded. “Where I come from everyone and their little sister can sail.”
“Wow.”
“It’s not a big deal,” he said. “Once someone shows you a few simple maneuvers, it’s remarkably straightforward.”
“I doubt it,” I said, convinced there was nothing remarkably straightforward about navigating a boat worth more than most people earn in a lifetime.
Just like there was nothing straightforward about him.
Or what was going to happen tonight.
And for a fleeting moment, I was okay with that, okay with letting go, setting sail, and seeing where the wind- and Adam- might take me.
Chapter 22: Adam
I could already tell that getting the boat had been worth it. Jolie was clearly going out of her way to not make too big a fuss about it, but more than that, she was obviously enjoying herself.
After I poured us each a glass of chilled white wine, I showed her the best place to sit up at the front while I got us out of the marina. And as soon as the wind hit her face, even I could feel her tension melt away.
The other good thing about putting some distance between us for a few minutes was that it gave me a chance to sail while admiring a beautiful woman, and the combination of my two favorite things meant it had already been a great night.
What’s more, it gave me time to remind myself about what Christophe had said.
I hated when he made sense because he was such an idiot, but I thought he made a few good points.
After my conversation with him ended, I tried to imagine what the last few weeks had been like for Jolie. Eventually, I began to understand how my showing up and blatantly lusting after her had become one more thing on her plate as opposed to a welcome surprise.
And if I had to dial it down to make her feel comfortable around me, I was willing to do it. In fact, it frightened me to think about what I might be willing to do to make her happy, to make her see that I wasn’t just some Yankee asshole who came down here to flash the cash and swing my dick around.
Every time she turned to look at me from the bow, she had a big smile on her face, and I was pleased to see she was sipping away merrily on her wine. She was truly delivering on her promise to be pleasant, and it meant a lot to me.
For the first time in a long time, I felt optimistic.
After navigating through some strong wind by the shore, I turned up the coast into a gentle current, secured the sail, and went up to the front of the boat to join her.
“You’re quite the confident sailor,” she said as I sat down across from her.
“Thank you.”
“What other skills are you hiding from me?” she asked.
My mouth curled into a smile. “That’s confidential.”
She rolled her eyes but blushed all the same.
“How are your sea legs?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said. “The boat’s much steadier than my paddle board anyway, and I get out on that at least a few times a week.”
“Of course.”
“You should try it sometime.”
I shook my head. “I prefer to do things I’m good at to create the illusion that I’m good at everything.”
“I’m sure you’d have no trouble,” she said. “It’s all in your core.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You approve of my core, do you?”
“I think your core is excessive.”
“To be honest, that’s the first compliant I’ve ever gotten about it.”
“It’s not really a complaint,” she said, pushing some hair out of her face so it blew behind her head. “More like an observation.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “Is it time for me to dazzle you with a selection of bite size delicacies?”
“Oh yes, please,” she said, draining her wine. “And a top up, too, if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly,” I said, handing her my glass. “Finish that off for me, and I’ll be right back.”
I made my way to the back of the boat and rolled the cooler along the shiny wooden deck.
She crossed her legs. “I’m so excited to see what you brought.”
“You like chicken nuggets, right?” I asked as I came to a stop. “And generic ketchup? I thought I’d save some money by not getting the Heinz because the budget brands are just as good-”
“Blasphemy.”
“I’m joking,” I said, taking a seat. “First things first.” I pulled out the wine and topped up our glasses. “I’ll take that back from you now,” I said, reaching for mine.
“This is really fun, Adam,” she said. “Thanks for going to all this trouble.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“No really. I feel like I’m being rewarded for my bad behavior.”
“We both are,” I said, lifting my glass.
She clinked hers against mine. “To old friends and new beginnings.”
“Oh we’re toasting now?” I asked. “I want to make one.”
I did as I was told. “Yours was perfect so I’ll have to take some time to think of a good one myself.”
“Of course,” she said. “I wouldn’t dream of hearing some off the cuff toast now. That would spoil the whole evening.”
I smiled. “I’m glad we agree.”
“Now for the grub,” she said, eyeing the cooler.
I pulled the lid of the cooler straight up so the built in table legs would come out smoothly.
Her face lit up. “Go go gadget table!”
“I’m glad you’re impressed,” I said, setting it between us. “It was my first successful Kickstarter project.”
“Your first what?”
“You know, that website you can use to raise money for new inventions.”
She looked between me and the table. “Are you seriously about to tell me you’re an inventor?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. I’ve only had two successes and they’re really niche.”
“What’s the other one?”
“It’s an amplifier that rolls up.”
She craned her neck forward. “An amplifier?”
“Yeah, for people who want to travel light, but also loud.”
“Was that a Kickstarter thing, too?” she asked.
“Yeah. It’s only been a modest success, but the people who use it seem to like it.”
“Do you play guitar?”
“I dabble,” I said. “But I’m not good enough to travel with an amp or anything. I only came up with the idea because, when I was eighteen, my dad said I had to quit caddying and get a real job or work with him for the summer.”
“So naturally you became an inventor. That’s really normal.”
I shrugged. “It wouldn’t have been any more normal for me to follow my dad around. Besides, I always knew I wanted to be my own boss.”
“Wow,” she said. “I guess you’re not quite as new at that as I thought.”
Chapter 23: Jolie
Maybe I’d been unfair.
When Adam showed up with the deeds to my father’s hotel in his pocket, I assumed he was a spoiled little rich boy who was used to taking whatever the hell he wanted from people that couldn’t stop him.
And I still thought he was spoiled.
But obviously his fortune hadn’t been entirely handed to him. He’d earned at least part of it through hard work and innovative thinking.
Furthermore, he hadn’t said he’d always wanted to boss people around. He’d said he wanted to be his own boss, which was something I could identify with, something I could admire.
“I think you’ve built enough suspense over what’s for dinner,” I said.
His eyebrows flashed as he reached in the cooler. “For starters, we have fresh crab on crisp toast.”
I licked my lips and reached for the plate. “And what will you be having?”
“We also have spicy prosciutto and a selection of cheeses to complement the finest table crackers Food Lion has to offer,” he said, laying down the plate of fancy finger food.
“This is the best dinner ever so far.”
He set down another colorful plate. “Fresh vegetables with hummus and ranch.”
“Did you know I’m obsessed with ranch?”
“Lucky guess,” he said, pulling a round Tupperware container from the cooler. “And for dessert, I got a carrot cake.”
I smiled. “A carrot cake, huh?”
“I thought I remembered you liked those.”
“Good memory,” I said.
He fixed his eyes on mine. “All the ones with you in them are.”
I felt my cheeks burn against the cool breeze. “This is lovely, Adam. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
“And you didn’t have to give me a chance to take you out,” he said. “But I appreciate it.”
Little creases sprang around my eyes. He looked so handsome and at home on the boat, and I felt like I could finally let myself appreciate his good looks since I wasn’t afraid of being caught out by anyone I needed to be professional in front of.
“The food isn’t actually supposed to be the highlight,” he said.
“Oh?”
“It was the view I was hoping would wow you.”
I swallowed. “Well, you do clean up nice.”
“I wasn’t digging for compliments there. I was talking about that view,” he said, nodding behind me.
I looked over my shoulder and gripped the side of the boat with one hand. The scene before me took my breath away.
In the distance, streams of pink and orange swirled in the sky over the beach. But it wasn’t just any patch of sand the warm sunset was shedding light on. It was the Harmony Bay Hotel that was basking in the evening glow.
My eyes watered, and I blinked the tears away before glancing back at Adam and offering him a smile.
I couldn’t quite speak yet so I turned back around and looked at the long white building that I’d watched my dad put his sweat and blood and bank loans into so he could make it rise up beside the dunes.
He told me that someday it would all be mine, and even though that dream wouldn’t come to pass now, what he’d achieved still amazed to me. And I knew then that even if Adam hadn’t shown up, it never would’ve been mine anyway- just like it was never my dad’s.
The resort belonged to the people who worked and stayed there, the people who brought it to life, the people whose memories of it played in their minds years after their visit. In reality, it was owned by thousands of individuals, each of whom had a tiny part of it in their hearts and heads.
But due to all the recent excitement, I’d forgotten that. And in that moment I decided I would never allow myself to forget it again.
Because even if the hotel wasn’t in my name, it was still his legacy. And the best way for me to honor him would be to keep working my ass off, regardless of whether or not there might ever be something in it for me.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Adam said quietly.
I nodded. “I’ve never seen it like this.”
“Smile.”
I turned around and saw that he had his phone in his hand.
“I’ll take a picture and send it to you,” he said. “So you can see what I see.”
I pushed my hair back and smiled.
Then he lowered his phone, and I heard mine ping a second later.
“Thanks,” I said, grateful that he’d thought to capture what was such a personal moment for me.
His dark eyes smiled before he looked past me again. “I want the inside of the place to match the way it looks from here,” he said. “That’s my goal, in case you were wondering.”
“I’d like that, too.”
“Do you mind if we take one together?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Not at all,” I said, scooting over.
He squeezed onto the bench beside me and raised his phone in front of us.
I smiled and cocked my head towards his.
“Thanks,” he said, his hand touching my knee as he headed back to his seat.
My whole thigh felt like it had gone up in flames, and I wondered if he still wanted me the way he did before or if he’d tired of my bad attitude and decided I was more trouble than I was worth.
Then again, he did get carrot cake.
We got stuck into the picnic and talked until the sun moved around the edge of the world, going through enough wine that I felt compelled to close my eyes occasionally and focus on the boat’s gentle rocking.
By the time we turned back, half the sky was lit up with stars like a navy blanket decorated with delicate gold thread while the other half still glowed the same faint yellow that one might expect from a sleepy firefly.
I enjoyed the cool evening breeze as I relaxed on a cushioned bench behind Adam, watching as he steered the boat back to the marina, his shoulders as broad as the shiny wooden wheel.
I offered to help when we ente
red the port, but he told me to stay where I was so I watched him move deliberately around the dock like a capable member of Jack Sparrow’s crew- except for the fact that he was way better looking.
“We’ve arrived safely at our destination m’lady,” he said after securing the ropes to the dock and joining me at the back of the boat.
I glanced at my nearly empty glass and stood up. “You never made your toast.”
He grabbed the wine and poured a sip in his empty glass, his chiseled face lit up by the bright evening sky.
“Well?” I asked.
“To our second date,” he said, lifting his drink. “May it be even more enjoyable.”
The part of me that hesitated didn’t react fast enough to stop me from clinking my glass against his before downing my last sip.
“I had a really good time tonight,” he said, stepping up to me.
“Me too,” I said, staying where I was.
Adam lifted his hand and tilted my chin up gently.
I lost myself in his dark eyes, forgetting all the reasons I couldn’t have him. Then I let him kiss me, and I kissed him back, savoring the way his lips felt against mine before his tongue twirled in my mouth, igniting a fire in my core that made me crave every inch of him.
When he sealed my lips with a kiss and pulled back, he rested his head against my forehead. “I’ve got bad news,” he whispered.
I laid a hand on his chest and looked up at him, my eyes searching his. “What is it?”
“That didn’t break the spell,” he said, brushing the back of his fingertips against my cheek.
“Can I be honest with you?”
He nodded.
I pressed my lips together and smiled. “I was hoping it wouldn’t.”
Flashback: Adam
“I can’t believe you get to live here year round,” I said, handing the rum to Jolie.
“It is pretty sweet,” she said, taking a swig.
I watched her exhale sharply as the cheap liquor burned its way down her throat.
“Did you leave your shoes by the campfire, too?” I asked, noticing we were both barefoot in the dark sand.
She dropped her arm so the bottle swung at her side and looked back. The fire was still glowing in the distance, a dozen dark silhouettes moving around it. Their muffled debauchery was barely audible over the crashing waves. “I guess I did.”
