by Mary Frame
“Well, they came back. And I think they’re staying a little longer this time.”
“Oh good, I’ll be able to meet them.”
“Maybe.” I shrug it off like it’s no big deal even though it is and I won’t be able to avoid it forever. Kill me now.
“Well either way, if they’re here, then they should come to the parade, too. I’m sure they wouldn’t preclude you from all the super-fun activities.”
“I’ll try to convince them. Plus I’ll be your teammate if you explain to me why I’m all dressed up and you look like you’re going to bed.”
The doorbell rings. She grins and turns back to sorting through my shoes.
“Tabby.” I inject my voice with warning.
She doesn’t say anything, instead handing me a pair of flat silver sandals.
“Tabby.”
“Okay, so we wanted to surprise you.”
“What kind of surprise?”
Before she can answer, Paige is at the bedroom door. “Jared is here. There’s a fancy car out front.”
“What did you guys do?”
Tabby raises her hands in surrender. “I didn’t do anything. This was all Jared. Come on. I want to see his face when he sees you.”
I swallow and follow her out the door. I haven’t talked to him since this morning, when he met the parents. I know he’s going to ask about them, about why I didn’t mention them before. It’s not like I’ve never lied to Jared, but this feels bigger, scarier. Like if all my other lies are little sand dunes, this lie is Everest.
But then he’s there, at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me.
We make eye contact and his face lights up.
Tabby sighs behind me. “So romantic.”
“What are we doing?” I ask when I reach the bottom of the steps.
Jared takes my hand, pressing a gentle kiss to my palm. “It’s a surprise.”
His clothes are a bit more casual than mine, dark jeans and a formfitting blue Henley that’s pushed up at the sleeves, drawing my attention to his forearms.
“I’ll be here with Paige.” Tabby pushes us in the direction of the front door. “You kids have fun!” Then she shuts the door on us.
I frown and look down at myself. “Should I be bringing more than this?” All I have are the clothes on my back and the flat, strappy sandals still in my hands.
“You’re perfect just like that.”
The car out front is a black town car.
“What is this?”
“This is our ride.” He opens the back door so I can slide in. The interior is all dark leather seats, and a partition closes us off from the driver.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”
He slides in after me and shuts the door. “Nope. Not yet. But you’ll figure it out soon enough. Drink?” He opens a bag on the seat next to him and pulls out a bottle of champagne as the car pulls away from the curb.
“Oh, wow,” I say. “This is . . .”
His lips purse. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”
“It’s a little overwhelming.” I can’t believe he did all of this for me.
“I wanted to do something special. We haven’t gone on a real date, but we’ve been . . .” The pink spreading up his neck is cute. “You know.”
I laugh. “Oh, I know. But seriously, this isn’t necessary. No need to woo when you’ve already got access to the goods.”
“But that’s just it, I want to woo you. I should have wooed you before.”
“You do?”
“Of course.” He says it like it’s a no-brainer.
But it’s not. Not every guy, or maybe even most guys, would go through all this trouble.
“I like wooing,” I say after a few beats.
“Do you? So I’m doing a good job?”
“Yeah. I could use a little more, though.”
“Like what?”
I grab the front of his shirt and pull him closer. “I’ll show you.”
With his lips on mine, I forget about the town car and the champagne and wherever we’re heading. All that exists for a few blissful moments is the puff of his breath on my lips and the heat of his body against mine.
A knock rattles us apart. The car has come to a stop. Pulling back from Jared, I glance out the window.
We’re at the docks next to the pier. Boats and yachts bob along the water.
“Come on.” Jared opens the door and gets out before turning to take my hand. Then he reaches into the car and grabs a black bag from the floor.
He holds my hand as we walk down the pier, linking his fingers through mine. Near the end of the dock, he stops and motions to one of the yachts.
“Here we are.”
I stare at the shiny white boat. “Is this your boat?”
“No. I rented it. I thought it would be fun to take it out and eat dinner out in the bay under the stars. Was this a bad idea? I know you had a fear of the water before, but maybe being on the water will be a little different than swimming in it, and I thought it might be fun.”
I gape at him. “This is . . . crazy. Amazing. Jared, this must have cost a fortune.”
He shrugs. “Not really.” His grin is infectious.
He assists me from the dock onto the boat. Then we spend some time looking around and he shows me where everything is. The boat is big, but small enough to be manned by one person. There’s a cabin sunk into the middle with a bed, small shower and kitchenette. The deck is sleek and white with cushioned seats lining the interior.
We get distracted by the bed, and by the time we emerge from the cabin, the sun is setting and our clothes are rumpled from being thrown on the floor.
Jared only has to push a few buttons to bring up the anchor and start the engines, and then he’s spinning the white-leather-lined steering wheel like he’s been driving a boat his whole life.
“You know how to drive this thing?”
“I’ve taken some boats out a time or two.” He winks at me. “Don’t be nervous, we aren’t going far.”
He steers us away from the pier and out onto the bay.
He stops before we get out onto the open ocean, cutting the motor and then dropping the anchor. We’re still within the curve of the cove, but far enough away to see the lights of Castle Cove twinkling against the dark span of land while the stars wink into existence above us.
It’s just the two of us, gently rocking amongst the waves and the stars.
“This is so pretty.”
“I brought you something.”
He disappears inside the cabin and returns with a basket.
“What’s this?”
“Dinner. I hope you’re hungry.”
He pulls out some blankets and pillows from under a cushioned seat and we make a picnic on the deck. Out of the basket come plates, utensils, napkins and then a few containers full of food.
“I wasn’t sure what kind of pasta you liked, so I got a few options.”
“You brought me pasta?”
“And wine.” He grins.
“You remembered.” Hell, I barely remembered until now. He asked what my favorite food was when we were meandering around the swap meet, and I told him Italian.
“You can never go wrong with carbs and wine,” he says, repeating my words back to me from the weekend before.
There’s a seafood pasta with mussels in a white wine sauce, and another pasta smothered in red vodka sauce. There’s a salad, bread sticks, a nice bottle of wine, and tiramisu for dessert.
Once we’ve eaten, I collapse back on the pillows, stuffed. “I think I’m going to have a food baby.”
“There’s more.”
“If I eat anything else, I will puke.”
“It’s not food. I brought something else for you. Another surprise.”
“There’s more?” I sit up.
“Just wait until you see this.” He’s way too excited and it’s way too cute.
Maybe whatever he brought involves me and him naked on this d
eck.
He pushes a button that pulls up one of the sails in front of us.
Then he grabs a black square object from under one of the chairs and sets it up on a ledge behind us.
There’s the click of a few buttons and then an image flickers onto the sail in front of me.
I gasp. “It’s a movie.” And not just any movie. I laugh out loud as the opening credits to Calamity Jane scroll by.
“Do you remember everything?”
“I remember everything you say.” He sits next to me, grinning like a fool, and I can’t control myself. I lean into him, peppering his face with kisses.
“Keep this up and we’ll be doing this every night,” he says when my kisses move down his neck.
I lift my lips from his skin long enough to say, “If I eat like that every night, I’ll get so big you won’t be able to move me from this boat ever again.”
“That problem is easily solved.” His arms are around me, one thumb running slow circles on my waist, sending sparks through my whole body. “I’ll help you burn some of those extra calories.”
“Will you?” I swing one leg over him, straddling his waist.
His hands tighten around me. “It’ll be a real hardship.”
I laugh, the sound a throaty chuckle around my growing need. I cup his face in my hands and stare down at him for a second.
I wish I could keep him.
Shoving the thought aside, I tilt my head and kiss him until everything else disappears.
The movie is halfway over when we finally come up for air.
We snuggle on the deck, watching the rest of the movie. Jared won’t stop touching me. Our fingers play and twine together. His hand brushes my hair, my cheek, my bare thigh. I listen to the steady beat of his heart under my head as it rests on his chest.
“I wish we could stay here forever,” I say on a sigh.
“We might get scurvy.”
I laugh. “This isn’t exactly the high seas.”
We’re quiet for a minute, the silence comfortable. Doris Day is onscreen, singing that her heart is an open door.
I couldn’t have planned a more perfect night.
“Jared.” My voice is thick with emotion I can’t hide. “Thank you.”
His arm tightens around me. “What are you thanking me for?”
“Dinner. This.” I motion to everything around us. “For taking care of me and Paige all the time. I don’t know why you do it.”
“I care about you. And Paige.”
I lift my head and rest my chin on his chest so I can see him. “I know.” I just can’t understand why.
His eyes find mine in the dim light, so steady and reassuring. “I meant what I said before, about putting some money aside for Paige for college. Have you thought about it?”
I swallow and avert my gaze. I don’t want to talk about money right now. “I have.” Another thought strikes me. “Can I ask you about something?”
“Of course.”
“Can you . . . if anything ever happened to me, would you look after Paige?”
“If anything ever happened to you? Why would something happen to you?” He brushes a strand of hair back from my face, his fingers brushing my cheek, his eyes narrowing in concern.
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I reassure him. “Well, nothing that I know of. It’s just one of those things, you know, to think about. Worry about. If something happens to me, I don’t want Paige to be alone. You can’t count on being around forever.”
“I know.” He does. After another moment he nods. “I promise. If anything happens to you, I’ll do whatever I can for Paige.”
I relax into him for a second. “Thank you.”
One of his fingers rubs against my arm, the gentle pressure both soothing and arousing. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to pressure you. I know you’ve been a bit anxious about any kind of commitment, but I like you.” One corner of his lips twitches downward and his arm tenses against me, the only signs of his nerves.
I consider teasing him, then decide to put him out of his misery. “I like you, too.”
“I like you a lot, and I hope you’ll consider being with me. Officially.”
My heart beats faster in my chest. I lift up the thin blanket covering us, exposing our intertwined naked bodies. “I’m not sure if it gets more official than this.”
He laughs and gives me a squeeze. “You know what I mean.”
“Are you saying you like me, like me? Like you wanna go steady and give me your class ring and letterman jacket?”
He laughs and some of the tension runs out of him. “I would hope it’s obvious. And yes I like you, like you. You can wear my letterman jacket anytime, as long as that’s all you’re wearing.” His smile is brief but blinding, his eyes smoldering.
I can’t say no right now, even though I should. I shouldn’t be doing anything the parents are encouraging, but I can’t help it. I want him too much.
“Of course.” I lean up and press a gentle kiss to his lips.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
His arms tighten around me. “Well thank god for that. Does this mean I get to kiss you in public?”
I laugh. I know he’s thinking about the other day at the beach. “I don’t know.” It’s not that I’m opposed to public displays of affection, I just don’t want the parents to get any sense of the intimacy I feel with Jared. I know they’re already suspicious of his financial status because of the house, and I can’t stop them from digging into his life, but I don’t need to give them any more reasons to use him against me.
“You don’t want people to know we’re together?”
“It’s not, it’s just . . . I don’t know. As long as you don’t try to make out with me in the town square in front of Mrs. Olsen and everyone, it’s fine.”
“I would never do such a thing. In front of Mrs. Olsen, it’s light groping only, absolutely no making out. Wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea.”
I laugh and smack him on the arm.
We’re silent for a moment, listening to the sound of the waves and the wind against the sails.
“Can I kiss you in front of your aunt and uncle?”
I force myself not to tense. I knew he would bring them up, eventually. “Of course.”
“You never mentioned them.” His voice isn’t accusatory. At all. But it should be.
And that thought makes me feel a thousand times guiltier than I already am.
How can I explain them? Their wealth? The fact that Paige and I have struggled, yet we didn’t turn to them for help? How can I do all that while still doing what they asked and convincing him of their con? More lies. More deception.
“We had a bit of a falling out, but they’re trying to make amends.”
“What happened?” His voice is layered with concern and care. For me. I don’t deserve it. Not for these lies.
I swallow back the guilt and force the false words out of my mouth. I have to keep up the pretense if Paige and I are going to get out of this mess.
“They’ve always been really great to Paige and me, especially after our parents died. But I needed to stand on my own. You know?”
“Why didn’t they take custody of Paige?”
“Their work keeps them really busy, and they travel a lot. All over the country. They would have taken Paige. They offered to stop working for their charity organization, but I couldn’t ask them to do that. It means so much to them to help so many people.”
Gag. But it’s convincing, isn’t it? I can’t help but be a little proud of how believable my lies are while simultaneously feeling like a piece of garbage covered in dog turds.
“Hmm.” He acknowledges my words with just a murmur.
“Are you going to the Founders’ Day Parade?” I have to change the subject before he asks any more questions about them.
“Yeah. I have to. We ride in the procession with the mayor and then we have to follow him around most of t
he day. Security.” He shakes his head.
“It’s not fun?”
“It’s okay, but completely unnecessary. There’s no gunman waiting on the grassy knoll in Castle Cove. It’s more of a formality than anything. But someone has to do it. Normally the chief covers it, but this year he’s going to dress as Santa for the Christmas float.”
“Christmas float? It’s June.”
“Yeah. You don’t have to explain to me how crazy this place is. But the people love it and he insisted. I think he’s got a bit of short-timer syndrome going on. He’s retiring in a few years.” He chuckles. “We had some extra budget money for supplies and he bought some crazy spy equipment.”
I laugh. “Spy equipment? Like what?”
“GPS trackers, recording devices that look like everyday items—like pens and a pair of glasses. He even got a neodymium magnet.”
“Is he planning on robbing a bank?”
Jared’s hand, which had been gently moving up and down the outside of my arm, stops suddenly.
“How did you know neodymium is used on safes?”
“Oh.” I laugh it off. “I think I saw it in a movie once.”
Shit. How did I let that slip? Jared makes me feel too comfortable when I should be on guard. At least he seems to buy my excuse because his hand starts moving in gentle circles again.
I’ve actually never had cause to use one, but I looked into it, once. There was a document safe the parents had, a small one, and it was always around when I was growing up. I don’t know what was in it, but it moved with us everywhere and the parents would always store it under their bed. I never had a chance to try and open it, though.
“I didn’t have the heart to tell the chief you can’t use GPS on people without a warrant. And the magnet is dangerous, especially around electronics. It can damage other magnetic devices like credit cards, watches, whatever even from a distance. I had him lock the items up downstairs in the archives. We’ll probably never even use them. I can’t even imagine how much he spent on all that stuff.”
We’re quiet, watching the movie for a minute before I speak again. “I might see you at the parade. Tabby wants me on her team for some kind of game thing.”
“You might regret agreeing to that.”
“I’ve seen her play games, and I already have regrets.”
“I’d save you from her crazy, but we’re way too understaffed for an event like this. I can meet up with you after, though.”