by Susan Fox
“Nope.”
What a waste. She bit her lip. “I don’t mean this as a criticism, honestly. I’m just trying to understand. Don’t you think life would be kind of empty without a partner? A family?”
“More like it’d be too full if I had them.” He rested his forearms on the table and leaned toward her. “Eden, I get it that some people are suited for all that. I can see you’re one of them. The way you talk about your family, it’s obvious you care a lot about them and would do anything for them.”
“Yes. Totally.”
“And when you find the right guy, a good guy who deserves you, you’ll give him that same caring and commitment, and your kids as well. It’s how you were raised; it’s who you are. And that’s great. Good for you. But that’s not who I am.”
It was so hard for her to believe a person would want to live his entire life alone. Especially a guy like Aaron, who was friendly and good with people. But then, it seemed as if his family hadn’t been there for him, not the way Lionel had. A stranger had taken him in, a stranger who believed in helping a teenager turn his life around yet didn’t believe in letting people come too close. How much had Lionel’s example influenced Aaron?
“You’re doing that scrunched-up forehead thing again,” he commented. “Look, people are different. We want different things. That’s normal.”
“I guess it is.” She wanted to pursue the topic, but, clearly, he didn’t. Besides, she realized she’d let this conversation, as well as the appeal of her companion, the lovely setting, and the wonderful meal, distract her from her priority. “We should get back to Lucy. Might Lionel know anything about her?”
“I doubt it. He wasn’t into the whole flower child thing, as he called it. But we’ll put him on the list. Oh, I see Jonah heading our way. Want some dessert?”
“No, thanks.” She resisted opening the menu. She loved sweets but couldn’t afford the calories. Except for a twenty-minute walk to and from the office, she led a sedentary life. “Just coffee for me,” she told Jonah. “Decaf, please.”
“A cappuccino maybe?” the young man asked.
“Twist my arm. With skim milk?”
“You got it. Aaron?”
“The real stuff, black and strong as it comes. No dessert.”
Eden glanced after Jonah as he left, noting that the customers had thinned out and the restaurant was now only about a third full. She really had lost focus this evening, and it was so unlike her.
Rachelle walked over and handed a slip of paper to Aaron. “These are the names I came up with. Can you think of any to add?”
“Thank you, Rachelle,” Eden said. “Do you have a moment to sit with us? I’d love to get some background on these people.” She reached for her laptop. “You’ve lived here longer than Aaron.”
The other woman caught Jonah’s eye, gestured, and then slipped into the chair beside Aaron. A few minutes later, Jonah arrived with cappuccinos for the two women and Aaron’s black coffee. Eden typed notes as Rachelle and Aaron gave her names and snippets of background information. They described one woman, Azalea, as “tie-dye, long white braid, a gentle soul, but her brain got so fried on drugs that she never makes a whole lot of sense.” A man, Forbes, “looks like an old hippie, too, but don’t let that fool you; his mind’s sharp as a tack.” Another man, Bart, was only in his fifties, but “his family lived beside the commune and his parents, now deceased, had some run-ins with them.”
When the two islanders had completed the list, Rachelle rose. “That’ll give you some starting points.”
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” Eden bit her lip. “Normally, I’d look up phone numbers and call to make appointments. But Aaron said that might not work so well here.”
“It’d work with people like Bart, the real estate guy, and Tony, the retired cop. The ones who are part of, um, the mainstream culture, I guess you’d call it. Not so much with the more colorful ones. They have their own way of doing things.”
“My offer holds,” Aaron said. “I’ll help smooth the way for you.”
Rachelle shot him a knowing glance. “Yeah, make yourself useful, flyboy.”
He winked at her, and with a laugh, she left them.
“Give me that,” Aaron said, reaching for the laptop.
He scrolled the screen, clicked keys, and then handed it back. “The ones I’ve starred, you can use your Ottawa lawyer methods to contact. We’ll do the others together.”
She studied the list. He’d only put asterisks beside five of the twenty names. “I’m truly grateful for the offer, but isn’t your flying a full-time job?”
He shrugged. “It’ll work out.” He pulled out his phone and thumb-typed a text message. “I’ll need to confirm, but I think I can be free by around quarter to four tomorrow. That’ll give us time to see a couple of people.”
Eden would have breakfast, talk to Bernie to see if she had anything to add to the list, and then try to set up appointments with some of the asterisked people. With any luck, she’d be able to interview two or three of them before meeting up with Aaron. Feeling optimistic, she said, “That sounds perfect. Drop me a text when you know for sure.”
He’d put his phone down on the table and it pulsed. He checked the screen. “I know now. I’ll pick you up at the Once at three-forty-five in my Jeep. Top down, so bring a sweater.”
He did like issuing orders, but again, his plans worked for her so she didn’t protest. “Thank you.” She pushed aside her empty coffee cup. “I guess it’s time to go.”
“Sure is. For a stroll along the docks.”
“What?”
“Did you forget about the second part of tonight’s agenda? The having fun part?”
She’d already had fun. Chatting with a handsome, interesting man, eating delicious fresh seafood, and enjoying an incredible view—those combined into an evening that was the most fun she’d had in a very long time. Even with Ray, once they’d been together for a year, the romance had given way to practicality. Both of them were busy and life had fallen into a routine—and then, after her mom’s illness, Eden had had even less time to spend with him. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to read clear male appreciation in a sexy guy’s eyes, to see that sparkle that hinted that the night was only beginning.
* * *
Had the woman across from him ever in her life just let loose? She was thoughtful, serious, very much his opposite. He usually didn’t go for that type, yet Eden fascinated him. He could lose himself in her amber eyes and never want to look away. His fingers were tense with the desire to test the softness of her wavy hair and then explore the curves revealed by her slim-fitting yet not tight clothing.
“You’ve got a game plan for starting the search for your aunt,” he reminded her. “There’s nothing more you can do tonight.”
Her mouth softened, almost forming a smile. “I’m still on Eastern Standard Time. I should probably get a good night’s sleep.”
“You should. But not yet, or you’ll wake up before dawn. The best way to adjust to time zone changes is to pretend they don’t exist.” Or so he’d been told by some of the passengers he’d flown. “Act like it’s the time here, not back home, and your body will adjust more quickly.”
The smile appeared, a little grin with a hint of mischief. “Maybe I’m a person who always goes to bed early.”
“I don’t think so.” Deciding to call her bluff, he said, “Of course if you don’t want to take a romantic moonlight stroll, I sure won’t force you. Just say the word and I’ll have you back at the Once in five minutes.”
Her smile softened and her eyes glowed with warmth. “Compared to a moonlight stroll on the dock, that doesn’t sound so appealing.”
Appealing was the word for her right now, with her golden eyes and that gentle, sensual curve to her lips. Sometimes her mouth could look pretty strict, but right now it was eminently kissable.
Jonah arrived to check whether they wanted anything else, and Aaron told
him they didn’t. When Jonah put down the bill, Eden reached for it, but Aaron beat her to it.
“Give it to me,” she said. “It’s the least I can do, considering the assistance you’ve offered me.”
“It’s your first night on Destiny. You deserve to be treated to dinner.”
Her teeth touched her bottom lip. When she gave in, he was relieved. An argument was the last thing he wanted right now.
Rachelle wasn’t in sight when they left, but they both thanked Jonah for a wonderful meal and great service. As Aaron held the restaurant door for Eden, she paused a moment to pull on her sweater. Outside, he rolled down his sleeves. “It’s usually coolish at night, even in the middle of summer. Especially by the ocean.”
“Ottawa can be sweltering in the summer. Our best seasons are spring and fall.”
“Every season’s a good one here.” Even in winter, when fog, rain, and clouds made it impossible to stick to their flight schedule, he loved the West Coast’s moodiness.
When he reached for her hand, it slid into his without hesitation, slim and warm, feeling like it belonged there. They walked the block to the walkway between the harbor office and Blue Moon Air’s, both closed now, and then down the skid-stripped ramp to the docks. The island’s private marina for local boat owners was a few miles away, on the west side of the harbor. Here, at the head of the bay, the docks were working ones where seaplanes could land, charter services and whale watching businesses operated, fishers docked their boats, and visiting boaters could moor for a few hours or overnight. His Cessna and Beaver bobbed securely in their usual spots.
“This is magical,” Eden said. “The sky’s so clear, I’ve never seen so many stars. It’s like an astronomy chart come to life. The scent of the ocean, the lights on the boats; it’s so different from back home.”
“That’s Destiny Island, serving up magic for visitors.” Avoiding the fingers of wharf that held the fish boats and always smelled slightly of fish, he led Eden to the area set aside for visiting boaters, who paid a sizable per foot fee to dock here rather than anchor out. Tonight, there was the usual variety, ranging from a small, beautifully restored twenty-four-foot wooden sailboat to a three-story fiberglass yacht that was well over sixty feet and, to his eyes, ugly as sin. Lights gleamed from inside several of the boats and danced in the rigging. The night sounds were distinctive: the jingle-jangle of metal rigging as boats shifted with the tide, the murmur of voices from people sitting out on their decks with nightcaps, a thread of music too low to identify.
Releasing Eden’s hand and putting his arm around her shoulders, he asked quietly, “If you could have any of these boats, which would you pick?”
After a moment, her arm slipped around his waist. Keeping her voice low too, she said, “Not the big white plasticky ones. Nor the tiny ones, because I can’t imagine them being comfortable.” She pointed. “That one’s nice. It looks so perky.”
Following her finger, he saw a thirty-four-foot trawler. “That’s a Nordic tug.”
“Tug? You mean a tugboat? Don’t they tow things?”
“Yeah, like the ones towing log booms we saw when we flew over Georgia Strait. But Nordic tugs are a pleasure craft. I think the design was inspired by tugboats. They’re a nice boat. Damned expensive, though.”
“I’ve never gone boating.”
He was happy to hear wistfulness rather than disinterest in her voice. “I’ll take you.”
“You have a boat?”
“No, only kayaks, which are fun, too. But I know a couple of people with boats and they’re happy to loan them out.”
“That sounds nice. But I doubt there’ll be much spare time.”
“We’ll see.” He’d already arranged with Jillian Summers, his other pilot, to take his late-afternoon flight tomorrow, and put her on notice that he’d likely be giving her more work over the next few days. Blue Moon Air wasn’t busy enough to need both of them full-time, and he used Jillian on an as-needed basis. At the height of tourist season, he kept her busy; on slow days in winter she might not have any flights. Unless she had kid-related commitments her parents couldn’t handle, the single mom, who loved flying almost as much as he did, was always happy to get more hours of flying time.
He walked Eden to the end of a dock that was sparsely populated with boats. “Moon’s almost full. Another couple of nights.”
She gazed up. “It’s beautiful. By the way, is there such a thing as a blue moon? Other than in songs?”
“Sure. More than one kind. Technically, where a season of the year has four full moons rather than the normal three, the third is called a blue moon.”
“The third, not the fourth?”
“Yeah, for whatever reason. They happen every two or three years. The island always has a blue moon festival and tourism goes into overdrive.”
As Eden studied the sky, Aaron went on. “But that’s actually not how the name came about on Destiny. Ours is the other kind, which is rarer. The moon can look blue when tiny particles of smoke or dust fill the atmosphere. Like after a volcanic eruption like Mount St. Helens in Washington, which happened in 1980, or after a forest fire or dust storm. In our case, it was due to a forest fire on the mainland, back when the first explorers were charting the island.”
“Even if it’s not blue tonight, the moon is so clear. And the stars.”
“No city pollution.”
She drew a deep breath. “It’s clean and bracing, the scent of the ocean.”
He turned so he faced her and finally gave in to the urge to raise a hand and smooth waves of hair back from her face. Then he cupped the sides of her face in both hands and tilted it up toward him. “You’re going to like it here, Eden. You might not have come here looking for a good time, but that’s what Destiny and I are going to give you.”
Her voice breathier than usual, she said, “I’m starting to believe you.”
He leaned down slowly, giving her a chance to back away. But she stood her ground, and he touched his lips to hers. So soft they were, and he treated them gently. Caressing, coaxing until she gave a tiny sigh and kissed him back. She seemed tentative, as if she wasn’t convinced this was a good thing, or maybe she was just learning the shape of a different male mouth.
After a couple of minutes, he slid his tongue against the crease between her lips, and they parted for him. He put his arms around her and she moved closer until the fronts of their bodies brushed. She felt so damned good. He wanted more, so much more, but was afraid that if he pushed too hard, he’d scare her away.
So he settled for slow, sensual kisses, not too deep or passionate, and for running his hands up and down her back, stopping just above the sweet curve of her ass.
Eden’s head was back, her eyes closed, and she seemed totally focused on the kiss. Her hands didn’t roam; her body didn’t wriggle against his.
He heated up the kiss, probing her mouth demandingly and tugging her closer into his arms so she couldn’t help but feel the thrust of his erection beneath the fly of his jeans.
She gave a soft moan, met his tongue with her own, and now her hips did swivel as she pressed herself against him needily, telegraphing her own arousal.
After a few more wonderful minutes, Eden’s eyes popped open and she stepped back. Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “Oh my. That was . . . well, it was wonderful. But I . . . I don’t think we should, uh . . . I mean, I just met you today and I’m not ready to, you know.”
He was disappointed but not surprised. Occasionally, he’d hooked up with a woman on the day they’d met, but Eden was different and, he suspected, worth waiting for. “It’s okay. No pressure, remember?” Except behind his fly, but he could exert self-control. “I’ll walk you back to the B and B.”
When he reached for her hand, she put it in his with a quiet, “Thank you.”
In silence, they walked back along the wharf and up to the main street. As they passed C-Shell, Eden said, “It’s been a lovely evening. And afternoon as well, w
ith that scenic flight. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here, but it wasn’t this.”
“Today’s been unexpected for me, too. In a very good way. I’m already looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“Me too.”
Neither spoke again, but the silence between them felt easy. Aaron liked that she didn’t constantly chatter, as so many women did.
The Once in a Blue Moon had artistically placed outdoor lights, making it picturesque and welcoming. Aaron walked her up the front steps and they stopped on the wraparound porch. He touched her cheek, then brushed his lips against hers. “Good night, Eden. Sleep well.”
“Same to you.” She gave him a smile, then turned to open the door.
Whistling softly, Aaron went down the steps. Yes, he’d sleep well—the sound of waves outside his window was the best kind of lullaby—and he’d bet his dreams would feature Eden.
Tomorrow, maybe he’d have a chance to turn those dreams into reality.
Chapter Five
The sizable dining room at the B and B was more than half-filled with people when Eden went down for breakfast at eight, her laptop stowed in her big purse. To her surprise, instead of worrying about her mom, fretting over whether she’d be able to trace Lucy, or replaying that incredible kiss, she’d had a sound night’s sleep. She hadn’t woken until her alarm went off at seven. Now, showered and dressed, email dealt with, she was hungry and ready to get on with the day.
A day that would include seeing Aaron later, which meant they’d probably kiss again. Maybe this time she’d let him take the kiss a little further. She’d have known him for more than a day by then, and she was only here for a week. The man was so enticing, it would be a pity not to find out everything he had to offer.
She drew her attention back to her surroundings. The wooden dining room table seated ten and was supplemented by three tables for four, all of them set with bright place mats and vases of flowers. Half a dozen guests sat at the large table and two of the smaller tables were occupied as well, one by a hand-holding middle-aged couple and the other by a family of four. A distressed oak sideboard held a buffet-style meal. Bernie was there, today in sky blue, wearing a matching pair of wind-chime earrings. With her was a balding man with a tidy gray beard and a friendly smile whom she introduced to Eden as her husband, Jonathan. The couple said they’d be happy to whip up an omelet for her.
