by Elle Viviani
I busy myself with cutting my thick waffles. They’re Belgium’s finest, so hopefully he doesn’t notice that it’s taking me twice as long as it should. “So, what type of projects are you working on? I think you mentioned you were fixing up a boat when we—er—got drinks.”
I cringe at the memory of our fight, and over a slimeball like Mike. What was I thinking!?
Koa nods and swallows a mouthful of waffles. “I bought an Ovni 39 off a guy five years ago and have been working on it ever since.”
“Cool,” I say, swirling a piece of waffle around in the syrup with my fork. “What are you going to do with it? Sail or fish…”
Koa leans back and stares at me. “I’m going to sail around the world.”
I blink at him. “You’re what?”
“It’s always been a dream of mine,” he says, studying my face. “I’ve wanted to see the world, and I love to sail. So why not do both?”
“That’s…that’s amazing!”
Koa raises his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I put my fork down. “When are you going to go? And where? Are you going solo or—”
“Whoa there,” Koa says, holding up his hand. “Let me answer these first ones and then you can ask more.”
I sit back in my chair. “Sorry, I’m just so enthralled. I’ve never met anyone who’s ever done something like this before.”
“Well, I haven’t done it yet.”
“Yeah, but you bought the boat! That’s a hell of a lot further than most people get.”
“I guess,” he says with a smile that sends my pulse soaring. “But to answer your questions, I’m going alone, I’m setting off after I’ve fixed up the boat and saved enough money, and I’m seeing everything.”
“Everything?”
“Until my money runs out, at least.”
“That could take years.”
He shrugs. “That’s the point.”
I pick up my fork and poke my now soggy waffles. “But…won’t you miss your family?”
Koa looks away. “Don’t really have any other than the Boothes.”
I study him for a moment before placing a hand on his arm. He flinches a little under my touch. “Sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing trip.”
“Yeah, thanks,” he says, glancing down at my hand.
I take it back slowly. “I’m jealous, you know.”
“Why?”
“I’ve always wanted freedom, adventure…”
Koa gives me a puzzled look. “But you’ve got so much. Why would you want to run away?”
I feel naked under his gaze, like he can see all of me—the real me. “Because sometimes running is easier.”
Koa nods slowly. “It is, isn’t it?” He looks down, picks up his fork and spears a waffle. “You’ll find adventure in New York. It’s a big place from what I’ve heard.”
I shake my head, constantly surprised at Koa’s knack for distilling a complicated place or person into a few words. “Yeah, I think you could call New York big. But it can’t compete with a sailboat adventure around the world.”
“I dunno. I’d think being a public school high school teacher in New York would be pretty bracing.”
“You’re right about that, but honestly, I haven’t found ‘my thing’ yet.”
“Nonsense, Rae.” Koa puts his fork down and nudges my arm. I stare at him. Did he just voluntarily touch me? “You could always become a lobster fisherman,” he adds with a smirk. “I hear a position’s opening up soon.”
I laugh. “One summer’s enough, thank you.”
His entire body goes still. Every single one of his tanned, sinewed muscles tenses as he turns to face me. Heat flares deep in my belly under his unrelenting stare, ripping through me in hard, fast waves.
Somewhere along the way, probably between our constant bickering and loathing, I forgot that Koa Rendell is sexy as hell. I remember that important fact as his eyes bore into mine. I’m speechless in their crosshairs.
“Yes,” he says in a low, tense voice, “one summer is enough.”
15
Koa
“Thanks for coming up, Hill,” I say, taking a left into the parking lot of the train station. “It was great seeing you.”
“Thanks for letting me drop in like this.”
“You’re always welcome in my house.”
“Or garage,” Bryce adds with a grin.
“Fair enough.”
He looks over at me. “You did have fun this weekend, right?”
I think about my answer as I ease my truck into a spot. “You know what? I did.”
Bryce slaps his meaty thighs with his massive palms. “Knew it! Can’t beat a bonfire on the beach.”
“True. But that’s not really what I was thinking about.”
“Then what?”
“Nothing.” At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
Bryce nods slowly. “It was fun hanging out with Summer and Maddie, wasn’t it?”
Damn. The man’s a mindreader. “Yeah, it was.”
“She’s pretty amazing.”
“Who?” I ask, like I didn’t know.
Bryce sighs. “Dude, come on. Summer!”
I shrug. “Oh yeah…I guess.”
“I’m glad you two are getting along now.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Lay off. She’s a chill girl who I think could do more for you as a friend than an enemy.”
“We were never enemies.”
“Right, you keep telling yourself that. But you know another word for when two people bicker like you do?” I stare at him, knowing he’s going to tell me whether I want to hear it or not. “Foreplay.”
I roll my eyes and throw my car door open. Bryce follows me around the car as I reach in the truck bed to grab his duffel bag.
Bryce follows a second later. “She’s fun and brilliant and stubborn as a mule—”
“Is that a good thing?”
“With you? Yes.”
I turn around and start weaving through the cars.
“Not to mention hot as hell,” Bryce continues behind me. “I mean, did you see that ass in—”
“Hey!” I spin around and glare at him. “Don’t talk about Summer like that.”
Bryce puts up his hands. “Stand down, solider. I’ll stop. It was only a test.”
I frown. “What for, exactly?”
“To see how much you like her.”
“Whoa,” I say, shaking my head. “Who said I like her?”
“Me. And your fists.”
I glance down to find I’ve balled my hands into fists. I uncurl them slowly. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It just means you like her.”
“If you say so,” I mutter, heading for the doors of the station.
“Look, I’d do the same thing if someone said that about my girl.”
I ignore the part about Summer being my girl as I see a chance to change the subject. “You gonna be alright back in Nashville?”
“I’ll manage.”
“What about the asshole boyfriend?”
“Nothing I can do,” he says flatly, grabbing the door for me.
“That’s rough.”
Bryce shrugs. “I just have to hope that she comes to her senses sooner or later.”
We stop in front of the massive train schedule and check the track number for his train to DC. He’s meeting up with an Air Force friend there before flying back to Nashville. “Needing to think” be damned—I’ll never understand his obsession with taking a long train ride when he could hop on a plane.
“And if she doesn’t?” I ask, leading the way to platform four.
“Then…I don’t know.”
“You won’t quit?”
“Maybe, but I’m no quitter. And I don’t like the thought of abandoning Autumn right as she’s about to start touring. My feelings aside, her safety is my number one concern.”
“I know you’re friends, but
it’s only a job.”
Bryce stops and stares at me. “And how’s that mentality working out with your girl?”
My face colors. “Summer’s not—”
“Your girl,” Bryce finishes. “Yeah, you’ve only said that a dozen times.”
“Five minute warning for the four thirty to Washington!” the stationmaster calls. “Five minutes!”
“I’d better go,” Bryce says, giving me a stiff embrace. “Don’t be a stranger, Rendell. You’re always welcome in Nashville.”
“Thanks. Maybe I’ll take you up on that soon.”
Bryce laughs. “I’d love to see that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll never leave Maine, dude. You love it all too much.”
I frown. I’d shown Bryce my sailboat yesterday but never mentioned what I had planned for it. I haven’t told anyone except Summer, and I still don’t know why I blurted it out this morning. I guess I found her easy to talk to? Which is ironic since all we’ve done is bicker for the past three-and-ahalf weeks.
Bryce takes the duffel off my shoulder and heaves it over his back. He heads for the train door, hands his ticket to the conductor, and steps inside. His head pops out a second later. “Oh, and Rendell?” he calls, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Don’t ignore your feelings, man…”
Not this again.
“…or you could turn out like me.”
I snort. “What? An annoying bastard?”
“No. Running.” He gives me one last searching look and then disappears inside. A minute later, the stationmaster blows his whistle, the doors slide shut, and the train moves off.
I stand there for a while after the train’s pulled out of the station, thinking over Bryce’s words. My knee-jerk reaction is to ignore them, to brush them aside as the sad ravings of a lovesick bodyguard. But my gut’s telling me differently. My gut’s telling me he’s right.
“Dammit,” I mutter. I turn on my heel and stalk toward the parking lot. I finally see what my friend’s been trying to tell me all weekend, and I’m not happy about it. Not one bit.
I think I like Summer Rae…
A lot.
Captain’s sitting on the front porch as I pull up to the house. He stands up and holds out his hand as I walk up the steps. “Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour! Happy birthday, Koa.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking his hand. I turn as the front door opens. “Hey, Grand—OOF.” I stagger back as Jane wraps her arms around my waist.
“Happy thirtieth, dear!” she cries, giving me a warm hug. She steps back and grins up at me. “You’re only young once, so enjoy it while you can.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She looks around me at my truck. “Just come from dropping off Bryce?”
“Yup, just now.”
“Summer’s at the airport right now dropping Maddison off,” Captain says, leading me inside. “Nice, gal, don’t you think?”
“Definitely. Got to know her at my party and then at brunch.”
“They took you out to brunch?”
“Yeah, though I think it was Bryce’s idea.”
“Glad you got to spend the day with friends,” Jane says behind me.
I try to apply the word “friends” to me and Summer. We’re friends…just friends…
I frown. Nope. It feels awkward and loose, like it doesn’t come close to what we are. Shipmates? Definitely. Enemies? Sometimes. But friends? I’m not sure I can simply be friends with Summer. Not anymore, at least. Not after Bryce-the-matchmaker got ahold of me.
“Let me warm up the roast in the oven,” Jane says, ushering me onto one of the stools by the island. “Then we’ll be ready to eat.”
Captain joins me as Jane busies herself with dinner prep. I glance in the dining room to see quite the spread laid out. The Boothes always go overboard for my birthday, but I never complained. It was usually the only celebration I got.
I’m trying to guess what side dishes are hiding in the ceramic serving bowls when I notice something’s wrong with the table. There are four settings set instead of the customary three.
I turn to Captain as he grabs a few beers from the fridge. “Summer’s not eating with Maddie before her flight?”
“She wanted to, but Maddie insisted Summer join us tonight instead.” He hands me a beer. “That’s okay, right?”
“Sure, no prob.” In fact, I was kinda looking forward to seeing her again—a first. “So what amazing feast have you got for us this year?”
Jane looks up from the stovetop. “Pot roast, green bean casserole, corn on the cob, and buttermilk biscuits.”
“Mhmm, sounds delicious. And I’m hoping another blueberry pie? You didn’t give Bryce all of them…”
“I may have another one tucked up my sleeve,” she says with a smile.
“So, how’s the catch been?” Captain asks, getting down to business. I’m actually surprised it took him this long.
“Not bad. We’re consistently meeting our numbers now.”
“Good to hear!”
“But we still haven’t made up our deficit from the beginning of June.”
Captain shrugs. “Stop being so hard on yourself. Sounds like the fleet’s doing fine—and you and Summer.”
I take a sip of beer and nod. “We are. I even want to say we’re meeting our numbers because of her.”
“Really?” Jane asks, looking up from the boiling pot of corn.
“Yeah. It was a rocky start but…” I give a little shrug. “She’s holding her own now.”
“I’m doing more than holding my own,” a voice pipes up. Summer walks into the kitchen a moment later with a huge smile on her face. She meets my shocked eyes before turning to Captain. “Sorry I’m late, Gramps. Maddie and I grabbed coffees before I dropped her off.”
She puts her bag down on the table and heads for the fridge. She pulls out a beer and waves it over her shoulder. “Anyone else need one? Birthday boy?”
I shake my head. All I can think about is how much she overheard before she walked in. Based on the grin affixed to her face, I’d say a lot.
She walks over to the stove and takes a deep breath. “Wow, Gran.” She sighs and closes her eyes as the sweet and salty smells hit her nostrils. Her eyes flutter open and find me across the room. “You get this every year?”
“Sure do.”
“Nice. My parents take me out to a restaurant, but it’s nothing like Gran’s cooking.”
“Nonsense,” Jane scolds, flushing at the compliment. “I don’t beat out all those hoity-toity New York chefs.
“I dunno, you’re pretty good,” I chime in.
Summer winks at me. “Need any help?” she asks Grandma Jane.
“No, I’m fine. Go enjoy yourself.”
I realize there’s only one seat left as Summer heads over to us. The one next to me. Summer’s arm brushes mine as she squeezes onto her stool, and when her hair grazes my shoulder, the scent of honeysuckle and melon wafts my way.
I take a deep breath, letting it fill every inch of my greedy lungs. She smells like a sweet summer breeze. Fitting.
Summer’s knee grazes mine as she turns toward me. “What did you and Bryce do today after brunch?”
I stare into her beautiful golden eyes for a moment before clearing my throat. “Not much. Relaxed back at my place for a while, then went for an early dinner.”
“Let me guess, another round of lobster rolls?”
“You know Bryce. He can’t eat enough of them when he’s here.” I study her face for a moment before continuing on. “What about you and Maddie?”
“I wish we had a relaxing day like you and Bryce. She dragged me hiking.”
I screw up my face. “Hiking?”
“Yup, it was brutal, but it’s what she wanted to do.”
“Why?”
“Something about wanting to pick wild blueberries and see a bear.”
“A bear?”
She laughs. “I know. Crazy. But I think i
t’s really because she’s stuck behind a desk all day.”
“I don’t know which sounds worse—sitting at a desk all day or going on a hike.”
Summer giggles, a charming, melodic sound that leaves my ears wanting more. “I’m with you, which is why I like teaching. Plus, I do manual labor all week these days, so the last thing I want to do on my weekend off is climb a frickin’ mountain.”
I glance up for Captain, worried that he’d be angry that his granddaughter’s working long, hard days, but his seat’s empty. I find him over by the oven, talking quietly to his wife. He sneaks a glance at Summer and me and smiles.
I catch my breath as I turn back to Summer. I forgot how close we are. “Sorry you have to spend your summer on a boat. With me,” I add. “It can’t be fun.”
“But it is! I mean, as fun as it can be.”
“You’re kidding.”
She frowns. “Am not.”
I stare at her.
“Okay, well, it sucked at first, but it’s gotten better.” She bites her lip. “You’ve gotten better, though.”
I glance down at my beer. I’ve barely touched it. “I was kinda a jerk, wasn’t I?”
“Kinda,” she admits with a smile. “But I know you weren’t thrilled at being stuck with a New Yorker all summer, so…”
“No.” I look up and meet her eyes, ignoring the knot forming in my throat. “I was rude and I’m sorry.”
She blinks at me. “You’re what?”
“I’m sorry.
“Uh, don’t be,” she mutters.
“I’m surprised you stuck around.” I reach for her arm but stop, pulling it back at the last minute. I don’t think it’s a good idea if I touch her. I don’t think I can. “So thanks.”
“For what?”
“Not abandoning ship.”
“And thanks for making an effort.” She gives me a tentative smile. “Are we friends now?”
There’s that damn label again. “Sure.”
“Great! Then what are you doing for the Fourth of July?”
“Whoa, we’re friends for a day, and you’re already planning shit?”
“Yup! Now what are you doing?”
I realize she’s serious. “Oh. Nothing.”
“Wanna do something?”