A Kiss Is Just a Kiss

by Melinda Curtis

  Beck leaned down and peered into her eyes, blocking her view of the approaching boats. “That looks like fear-sweat.”

  She pushed him back, raising her voice so he could hear her over the increasing whine of the engines. “I don’t like boats. They can flip and capsize and…” She made herself look at him, trying to will away the panic that was making her hands shake. Best not waste words. “I flipped a boat once. On the ocean.”

  “We thought she was dead.” Dotty rejoined their conversation. “Happened during a family trip to Tybee Island. She hit a rock, the boat flipped and sank. All we could see from shore was her orange life vest floating in the water.”

  “Creighton said he didn’t notice.” The boat noise was louder now, vibrating into Kitty’s ears. Undulating through her words along with the fear and the slow-motion memory of being thrown into the air, followed by the jarring thud of slamming into the water. “We made a bet. We were racing and he…He didn’t look back until his boat reached the buoy.”

  “That explains the frost you sent Creighton’s way yesterday.” Beck’s eyes narrowed. “If I ever see your cousin again, I’m going to have words with him.”

  Beck was protective of her?

  Kitty drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t used to being the protectee. Her body flushed with heat. She wanted to hug Beck, or at the very least give his hand an appreciative squeeze.

  “Maggie reached her first on her Jet ski.” Dotty carried on the story. She framed Kitty’s face in her hands and stared into her eyes with love, acting her age for a change. “We were lucky that day. You bring so much love to our family.”

  Kitty covered one of Dotty’s hands with her own, thankful for the touch that kept her from reaching for Beck. “I’d like to think there was a higher purpose in me walking away from the accident with no more than a mild case of whiplash, but I’m afraid it was more likely due to luck.”

  “Are you superstitious?” Beck asked sharply.

  “No more than you.” Kitty tried to smile. “But I don’t like boats. I don’t even take the Staten Island Ferry.”

  The big airboats had reached them, powered down their engines, and were turning slowly. The drivers tossed lines to workers on the dock, who secured them to metal cleats. The crowd inched forward, bunching up. Dotty moved with them, the eccentric grandmother once more.

  Fear pressed in on Kitty’s temples and sent a trickle of sweat down her spine. “I know fears are irrational, but they’re my fears.”

  “I’m sure these boats don’t go fast,” Beck said just as a flushed-faced teenage boy jumped to the dock and shouted, “That was faster than the rollercoaster at Universal Studios. Can we go again?”

  “I’ll sit this one out.” Kitty dug in her flip-flopping heels. “Watch out for my grandmother.”

  “Best way to beat a fear is to get back on a horse.” Beck put his arm around Kitty, swept her closer, and toward the boat.

  His touch reassured, but not enough to erase her fear. “This is not a teaching moment.” Kitty’s steps were stiff and reluctant. She searched for the exit, but there was none. There was no escape until they snaked out of the line near the boat entrance.

  “Life is a teaching moment,” Beck said as if he was the Dalai Lama spouting ideas for a new social media meme.

  “If that’s true, what did we learn from yesterday’s events? Tell me one positive thing you learned, and I’ll get on that boat.” She felt a wash of relief. If silver linings came in big bugs that splattered on windshields, Beck wouldn’t see one.

  “I learned that I have to be honest with Maggie about my feelings.” He was serious. No smile graced his handsome face. There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm in his tone. “And I was surprised to learn just how far someone will go to protect someone they love.”

  He could have laid waste to Kitty and her actions. He could have made her feel foolish to a line-full of strangers. He hadn’t.

  Numb, Kitty moved forward with the crowd, reliving the painful body-slap against the water, feeling her back cramp with muscle-memory. “You make it hard to hate you.”

  “Likewise,” he said as they rounded the last snaking turn in line. He gave her a friendly smile, one that said despite everything, they’d forged a truce.

  The first boat was nearly full. Dotty and her mohawk friend scrambled to the top seat with the driver of the second boat.

  Kitty seized Beck’s hand. “Don’t let go.”

  He didn’t. They sat on a bench seat in front of Dotty. The boat swayed gently from passengers entering. The motion rocked at Kitty’s composure. There was no breeze. In the hot sun, the humidity made it feel as if she was sitting beneath a thick blanket, suffocating.

  Kitty moved closer to Beck and kept her head down, which brought her gaze to the sprinkling of dark hair on Beck’s tan legs. They were strong legs leading to strong feet. He was all lean muscle from working with horses. Quite the contrast to Dr. Hunky.

  Beck’s torso shook.

  Kitty leaned back to peer at his face. “Are you laughing at me?”

  He nodded, a fitting accent to a gentle smile and a warm sparkle in his blue eyes. “I find it amusing that the mighty Dr. Kitty Summer has a weakness. It makes you human.”

  “And mortal.” Kitty angled in her seat until their knees almost touched. He was very close. Kissably close. His lips could probably kiss the fear right out of her.

  Get a grip, Kitty. He’s Maggie’s.

  She stopped looking at his lips, but her gaze was caught in his. She should move away, turn away, let him go. But as the boat pulled away from the dock, the memory of being helplessly flung in the air returned.

  Kitty clung to Beck’s hand and whispered again, “Don’t let go.”

  “Wild horses couldn’t…” He grinned. It was a lady-killer grin and Kitty felt the power of it down to her toes. “You get the idea.”

  She did. Beck was a nice guy. He didn’t have to stop to indulge her grandmother. He didn’t have to hold Kitty through her panic attack. But he did and he was.

  “All my years living in Florida and I never rode on an airboat.” Oblivious to Kitty’s distress, Dotty was in seventh heaven.

  The driver wore a microphone. He gave them standard safety instructions, and then steered the boat clear of the dock. “To our left is Big Al.” The driver pointed to a huge gator sunning himself on a mangrove island about sixty feet away. “He likes to check out the boats in case anyone falls in. Don’t be the first.”

  “Does he want a snack?” Dotty’s voice was picked up in the microphone. “We brought jerky, but I ate it.”

  “And gummies,” her young sidekick added. “But I ate those, too.”

  “Big Al prefers something with a bit of meat,” the driver said good-naturedly. “Now, there are gators throughout the swamp, but there was a crowd of them out in a channel about a mile away. Let’s get there before the other boat.”

  The other airboat had the same idea. They both accelerated. It was a race.

  Kitty buried her face in Beck’s chest and screamed, not that anyone but Beck could hear her above the roar of the engine. He switched to holding her right hand with his right hand, and put his left arm around her shoulders. His body heat should have been stifling. Instead, it comforted.

  “You can go faster,” Dotty shouted with trouble-making enthusiasm.

  That tone of voice was never a good sign. The air left Kitty’s lungs. She opened her eyes.

  The boat leapt forward.

  Dotty squealed with laughter. “I’m driving!”

  “Lady.” The driver’s panicked voice broadcast through the speakers. “Let go of the controls!”

  The boat swiveled, rocked, and slammed in the airboat they’d been racing with a sickening crunch that sent the top-heavy boat tilting. Screams filled the air, including Kitty’s. Beck held onto her and glanced over his shoulder toward Dotty.

  And then there was a sound Kitty was all too familiar with–the splash of bodies hitting the water. One of
them, her grandmother.

  Chapter 8

  “What do you mean we can’t go again?” Smelling of eau de swamp, Dotty sounded like a small child. A small child with a large bump on her temple. A small petulant child being strapped into an ambulance gurney. “I didn’t even get the full ride.”

  Standing in a puddle next to the gurney, Beck tried to let his anger drip off with the smelly swamp water. It was a miracle they hadn’t been eaten by Big Al!

  “Grandma, you rode long enough,” Kitty said before Beck could speak. She was soaked, too. “Besides, you captained the boat.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Dotty’s faded brown eyes gleamed in triumph. “I even got it full throttle. It’s just…” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

  Kitty leaned in and reached for Dotty’s hand. “What?”

  “So many people fell into the water.” Dotty sounded remorseful, which she should considering the accident was her fault. She tugged Kitty closer. “Are you sure no one got eaten? Not so much as a toe?”

  “No one got eaten,” Beck said through gritted teeth. Not that the people who fell or jumped into the water hadn’t been scared to death of that fate. It was only when they were back on the boat that they’d seen Big Al hadn’t moved. “We should never have stopped here.”

  Kitty gave Beck a look that seemed to say: Really? You want to go there?

  She drew a deep breath and schooled her features into the soft, helpless look she’d used on the hotel manager the day before, and smiled at the EMT. “I’m Dr. Kathryn Summer. As you can tell, my grandmother is a bit out of sorts. I’d like to ride with her to the hospital.”

  The EMT had been taking Dotty’s blood pressure. He barely glanced up before responding. “I’m afraid that’s against protocol.”

  “I require a chaperone.” Dotty sounded like an imperial princess addressing a storm trooper. Beck knew her well enough now to know she was just as good at manipulating people around her as Kitty was. “I’ve been told I’m irresistible. If I’m alone with you, you might try something.”

  More likely, Dotty would try something. She’d crash the ambulance if someone didn’t watch out for her.

  The young man studied the pair of them and relented, perhaps because he’d heard Dotty had caused the trouble on the boat. “If you agree you aren’t allowed to treat your grandmother, you can ride along.” He rested his metal clipboard on the end of the gurney and signaled his partner it was time to leave. “Mrs. Summer, we’re going to take you out of the shade. Can you close your eyes or do you need a blindfold?”

  “Blindfold? Now I know I need a chaperone,” Dotty said thickly, placing her palms over her eyes.

  Kitty turned to Beck and laid a hand on his chest. “One of her eyes is dilated. She’s most likely got a concussion. Most likely, given her age, they’ll keep her overnight.” Her gaze dropped to their feet.

  They both wore alligator-themed flip-flops provided by the tour company since theirs had been lost in the swamp when they’d jumped in after Dotty. Thankfully, only Dotty needed medical attention. The park staff was efficient. By the time the boat returned to dock, the ambulance had been here.

  “You should go to Tybee Island without us.” Kitty didn’t look at Beck when she said it.

  Beck’s instinct told him to stay. Kitty might be a doctor, but they were still hours away from any other family. If he left, they’d be without transportation. If he left, Kitty would be without moral support. She panicked at boats. Who knew what else would rattle her.

  “The longer it takes you to get back to Maggie, the less likely she’ll be to forgive you.” Kitty withdrew her hand from his chest. “You know it’s true.” She patted her wet board shorts pockets. “Oh, I almost forgot. I found this on your floorboard this morning.” She handed him his horseshoe good luck charm.

  The small bit of metal was cool in his palm. He’d lost it the day of the wedding.

  “Doctor,” the EMT called to Kitty. Dotty and the gurney were inside the ambulance. “It’s time to go.”

  Kitty walked sideways, keeping Beck in her sights. “Call Maggie. Tell her what happened. Tell her you risked being eaten by an alligator to save Dotty. And tell her…” Suddenly, Kitty looked like she might cry. “Tell her you love her.” She spun away, dripping all the way to the ambulance.

  Had Kitty just given Beck her blessing?

  Beck clenched the horseshoe in his palm, unable to move. He watched the ambulance pull away, imagining Dotty being upset when they didn’t turn on the lights and sirens. Dotty liked anything she experienced to be full-service.

  But thoughts of Dotty couldn’t keep his mind off Kitty. She may have been frightened on the boat, but that hadn’t kept her from jumping in the water when her grandmother was in danger. And she’d stayed in the smelly water with Beck until they’d helped the other passengers back into the safety of the boat. Such a fierce protector. He hadn’t lied when he’d agreed that she was hard to hate.

  “These are for your family.” The boat driver had changed out of his wet things, having jumped in the water as well. He handed Beck a stack of dry clothes, which included gray Gator! Gator! Gator! T-shirts with a picture of Big Al on the front, jaws wide and ready to chomp.

  Beck accepted them, holding them away from his wet body. Kitty would appreciate a dry change of clothes.

  “My…uh…manager wanted me to remind you that you signed a release form before boarding our vessel.” The boat driver looked uncomfortable. “The police will be investigating and we’ll be cooperating. We hope you do the same.”

  “Dotty’s not going to sue you for her mistake.” That wasn’t how she rolled. Beck walked toward the restrooms. “She was ready to take another ride.”

  The boat driver paled beneath his tan. “God, help us.”

  A few minutes later, Beck was driving toward the hospital and calling Maggie. She hadn’t changed her voicemail message. It still said she didn’t want to talk to or see him ever again. He should have called her last night. Or this morning. He hadn’t, because he hadn’t known what to say. And that had made him snap at everything and everyone. He liked clear paths and detailed plans. He stared at the horseshoe charm on his key fob. It had been his grandfather’s. Nothing was clear anymore.

  When Maggie’s voicemail beeped at him to start talking, Beck did.

  “Maggie, I...” The L-word stuck in his throat. Did he have a right to use it? “We had an accident. Well, two accidents. One last night and one today.” Being Dotty-induced mishaps, they didn’t qualify as accidents in the strictest sense of the word. But he wanted Maggie to know he wasn’t hiding from what had happened in Boca. “We’re all okay, but your grandmother needs to spend the night in the hospital. She might have a concussion, and I can’t leave them, much as I want to see you. I hope you understand. I…” Again, he choked on making a declaration. “I hope to see you tomorrow.”

  Beck hung up. It was telling that he was driving to be with Kitty, not Maggie. But telling of what? That the so-called omens of bad luck he’d noticed on his wedding day meant he didn’t love Maggie enough to marry her, even if she forgave him? That he agreed with Kitty about the depth of love Maggie deserved and he could give? That he’d save Kitty first in a barn fire.

  Maggie, he corrected himself.

  But he kept driving toward Kitty, swallowing back truths he didn’t want to acknowledge.

  It took nearly thirty minutes to get to the hospital, park, and convince the emergency room staff that he should be allowed to see Dotty. It was the dry clothes that did it. That, and he told the desk clerk Kitty was his wife.

  He rationalized it was nothing short of what Kitty or Dotty would’ve done.

  “How is she?” Beck asked before Kitty could speak. He quickly added, “I brought dry clothes.”

  Maybe it was the dim lighting in the room, but Kitty’s complexion seemed pale. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, and there was a wrinkle in her brow. She looked worn out and worried. Beck was glad he’d come.<
br />
  “They say I’ll live.” Even Dotty lacked her usual spunk. Her eyes were glassy and she looked frail in a hospital gown that seemed to sprout tubes and wires. Her skinny legs were covered by a thin blue blanket.

  Kitty’s gaze caught on the dry cotton in his hands. She was no longer dripping, but she was still wet and the room felt as chilly as a refrigerator. She needed to change.

  “You shouldn’t have come.” Kitty’s eyes were soft and misty as she accepted his gift. “But thank you.” She shook out a T-shirt, and then shook her head with a bemused smile. “It’s a good thing I left my pride on the altar. First drunken flamingos and now…” She held the shirt to her shoulders. “Big Al.”

  “I thought it was fitting, since we escaped the jaws of death.” Beck bent and kissed Dotty’s forehead.

  Dotty gave him a coquettish smile. “What was that for?”

  “So I could do this.” Beck leaned over and kissed Kitty’s cheek. She wasn’t looking at him with the helpless expression that had gotten her Maggie’s destination from the hotel manager in Boca and a ride in the ambulance. But he still wanted to enfold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay.

  Kitty covered her pinkening cheek with one hand. “Did you talk to Maggie? Is everything okay?”

  “My call rolled to voicemail.” In his quest to understand the reason behind her near-tears, Beck couldn’t take his eyes off Kitty. “I told her I couldn’t leave you. What can I do to help?”

  “Stay here.” Kitty backed toward the door, eyes growing mistier. “I’m going to change.”

  “Remind me, prom boy,” Dotty said, her eyes still glazed. “How many dates have you had with my granddaughter?”

  “Two.” He sat in a small plastic chair that wasn’t made for relaxing. The room had beige walls, a framed photo of a tropical island, and a television that wasn’t turned on.

  “Kitty’s your type.” Dotty stared at the blank ceiling. “Traditional. Nurturing. Driven.”