Summer by the Tides

by Denise Hunter

  “Sounds like a story I need to hear sometime. Perhaps during a leisurely sail . . .”

  She chuckled. “You’re relentless.”

  “One of my finer qualities.”

  “Hmm, I’m not sure about that. But I guess a day on the sea does sound like a nice escape.” Her heart pounded at the thought of hours alone with Connor. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

  “It’ll be a blast, you’ll see. We’ll make a day of it. I’ll do all the work, and you can sit back and enjoy going wherever the wind takes us. This Saturday work for you?”

  “That should be fine.” Maybe it would rain. Did she want it to rain?

  “All right then. It’s a plan.” He clapped his hands together, and his gaze dropped to the mower. “Now, why don’t we see if we can get this old machine up and running?”

  Chapter 19

  Maddy waffled back and forth all week about whether or not going sailing with Connor was a good idea. She reminded herself it wasn’t a date. She even mentioned the outing to her sisters, striking just the right casual tone.

  It hadn’t fooled anyone. Least of all Maddy herself.

  In the end she decided to leave it in God’s hands. Good weather: good idea. Bad weather: bad idea. And when Saturday dawned bright and sunny, she told herself it must be an answer to her prayers.

  Now, as she settled on the bench at the stern of the boat, she found herself second-guessing even God.

  Connor looked like male perfection as he readied the boat, going about the business as if it were second nature. He wore a pair of black and turquoise trunks and a white T-shirt that the wind molded to his skin. His hair was tied back with a leather strap, and his sunglasses shielded his eyes from the sunlight glaring off the water.

  Maddy tucked a loose wisp behind her ear. “Can I help with anything?”

  “Almost done. Just sit back and relax. There are drinks in the cooler.” He nodded to it. “Help yourself.”

  Maddy fished a bottled water from the ice, and by the time she was seated again he had the boat untied and was back onboard. He took his place behind the big wheel at the stern.

  The motor rumbled beneath her as he put it in gear and maneuvered from the slip. The boat steadied as it sliced through the calm bay. Her white sleeveless blouse billowed in the wind.

  The week had flown by. Connor had come over to paint the exterior of the house on Tuesday and Thursday while the sisters painted inside. Maddy, worried about Nora and the paint fumes, suggested she start in the kitchen and dining room, where there were many windows they could open.

  Thursday had been Maddy’s last day at the Landing. Cheryl returned to work yesterday, and Connor had texted to say she was delighted with how smoothly the restaurant was running.

  Without the restaurant Maddy would have extra time, and the house would come along more quickly. But she found herself reluctant to return to the problems awaiting her back home.

  “Doing all right over there?” Connor asked over the wind.

  “Perfect.” She smiled up at him. She was sitting adjacent to where he stood, clearly in his element behind the captain’s wheel.

  The sun was high overhead so she tilted her face to the sky and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth on her skin. Between the house and the restaurant she hadn’t had much downtime recently. Maybe a few hours of leisure was just what she needed.

  She tuned in to the cries of nearby sea gulls and the sound of the wind cutting across the sea. The rumbling engine, lapping water, and gentle dipping motion had a soothing effect.

  She drew in a breath of salty sea air and let it out, mentally disconnecting with life on land as the boat whisked her away from it. Just for today she’d leave her worries behind and surrender to the wind’s wiles.

  When she opened her eyes, Connor’s gaze was fixed on hers. His lips were turned up, as if he sensed—and approved of—her thoughts. Feeling the moment of connection, she returned his smile and looked out to the horizon. They were passing through the inlet that led to the open sea.

  Once they left the shelter of the bay, the wind kicked up, the waves ruffling the water’s surface. There were other boats out and about. Sailboats and fishing boats, people out enjoying the beautiful summer day.

  A few minutes later Connor moved out from behind the wheel. “Ready for some sailing?”

  “Absolutely. Anything I can do?”

  “Why don’t you just observe today? A lot can happen, and quickly. The only thing you need to know about is the boom.” He gestured to the horizontal pole under the main sail. “It can come flying across the boat, and you don’t want to be in its way.”

  “Got it.”

  He raised the mainsail, and it started flapping like crazy in the breeze. Next he raised the front sail and went about securing it. He obviously knew what he was doing, and she watched closely in case she got the opportunity to help next time.

  Next time?

  She brushed the thought away—no worrying allowed today.

  Connor continued adjusting both sails, and the boat began moving. He checked the wind direction with the ribbons that were tied to one of the cables.

  She was content to watch him work with the shifting wind. Sailing wasn’t a lazy man’s sport, she could see that. But Connor wasn’t lazy. He seemed to love the work. His muscles flexed and shifted with his movements. He checked on her from time to time, making sure she was content, a smile lingering around his lips.

  Eventually Maddy decided to recline on the bench and enjoy the ride. They were sailing toward an island he knew of. Connor had packed a picnic lunch, and she already found her stomach growling, but the sun warmed the back of her eyelids and the motion of the boat lulled her.

  “Maddy?”

  Her eyes opened, blinking against the harsh sunlight.

  Connor hovered over her, his form silhouetted by the sun. “We’re here, sleepyhead.”

  Maddy eased upright, feeling sheepish. “I fell asleep. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He turned to grab their supplies. “I’m glad you were able to relax.”

  She followed him off the boat, looking around. The boat’s sails were down, and they were already tied off at an old wooden pier. There wasn’t a single soul in sight. The island was small enough that she could see both ends from their position at the end of the dock.

  He helped her off the boat, and she freed him of the picnic blanket.

  “Where are we exactly?”

  “Not too far from Fort Fisher. Just a little scrap of land an old friend showed me a while back. Good fishing here too, but I’m more interested in food right now.”

  “That makes two of us.” She checked her watch, surprised to see she’d been asleep for over an hour.

  The old pier creaked and swayed under their feet. The water beneath them was shallow and clean, little fish flittering around. The pier ended on a narrow strip of sand, not wide enough to be a public beach. It extended toward a slope covered with seagrass, scrub brush, and low-growing coastal plants.

  When they stepped off the pier Connor kicked off his sandals, and she followed suit.

  “This place is deserted,” she said as her feet sank into soft white sand.

  “It’s a private island.”

  Maddy raised her brows. “Who owns it?”

  “Same friend who owns the boat.” He shared a smile.

  “Do they have a house here?” She didn’t see one, but she couldn’t see above the sloped dunes.

  “Nope. He wants to keep it natural.” Connor set the cooler down in the sand. “He’s a great guy, kind of eccentric. He could sell the land for a fortune—he’s had offers—but he’s not interested.”

  “How do you know him?”

  “Through the marina—he’s a customer.”

  Someone had laid a sitting log on the beach close to the base of the dunes. There was a fire pit nearby and evidence of a recent fire.

  Maddy spread the picnic blanket in front of the log while Connor
opened the cooler and began pulling out the food. There were sandwiches, thick with meat and fillings and wrapped in plastic, a quart of creamy-looking coleslaw, a small tray filled with strawberries and cheese cubes, and last, a perfectly round miniature cheesecake.

  “Save room for dessert,” he said.

  “Do you actually think we’re going to be able to eat all this?”

  “I plan on giving it my best effort.” He lowered himself in the sand, using the log for a backrest.

  Maddy did the same, leaving plenty of space between them. After a quick blessing he offered her her choice of sandwich.

  She took the ham and left the turkey club for him. “I know better than to come between a man and his bacon.”

  “I knew you were a smart woman.”

  Maddy took a bite of the sandwich and groaned in approval. It was from Harvey’s Deli and slathered with their famous homemade sauce.

  “They know how to make a sandwich, right?”

  “It’s delicious.” She took a bite of coleslaw and reveled in the tangy/spicy flavor. “I can see my dilemma right now will be trying to leave room for dessert.”

  “That’s the only kind of dilemma you should have on a day like this.”

  “I enjoyed the sail, even if I slept through most of it. It’s like a different world out there. It felt natural to leave behind my worries. I used to kayak, of course, but it’s not quite the same. Maybe because I never went too far from shore.”

  “That’s exactly how I feel out on the water, more so even on a sailboat when I’m working with the wind and sea. I’m disconnected from life when I’m out there. From the fast, everyday pace of the world.” He gave her a wry grin. “Not to overly romanticize it.”

  “No, I get what you’re saying. Well, except the at-one-with-wind-and-sea thing. All the adjustments you make to the sails—it seems like a full-time job.”

  “It’s not for everyone, but I enjoy the challenge.”

  She took another bite of her sandwich and watched a piper scuttling across the beach. Water lapped the shores rhythmically, washing up only several feet.

  “So,” she said after washing down a bite with a sip of water, “how’d you come to own a marina? Is that what you always wanted to do?”

  “Actually, I wanted to be a wide receiver in the NFL.” He shrugged. “But those dreams were shot when I couldn’t even get a football scholarship. I went to community college for a semester, then I overheard my uncle talking about a friend who needed dockhands at his marina. It sounded like a dream after sitting in the classroom.

  “I could tell my parents weren’t too happy about it, but they wisely let me chart my own course. Ray hired me, and I moved to Seahaven—this dingy little garage apartment. I liked working outside. And though much of the work was the same every day, it was different enough to keep it interesting.

  “Dockhands came and went, and before I knew it, I was Ray’s longest-standing employee. I sort of became his right-hand man. Then as he started getting older he wanted more time off, and he made me manager. He was about my dad’s age, but he was really different. Kind of gruff. Hardly ever let loose a compliment, but when he did, it mattered, you know?”

  Maddy smiled at him.

  “I kind of felt bad for him. His wife had died years before, and they didn’t have kids. I think he thought of me as a son.”

  There was a long pause before he continued. “One morning he didn’t show up to work. He’d had a heart attack, apparently in the middle of the night.”

  “Oh no.” Maddy winced. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It was a shock. I’d never lost someone that close to me, and as far as I’d known he hadn’t had any health problems. He was active and wasn’t overweight.” His brow furrowed as he took a bite of coleslaw. “The next week I found out he’d willed the marina to me.”

  Maddy’s jaw went slack. “Wow. That was very generous.”

  The corner of his lip tucked in. “He never said a word. But that was just like him.”

  “And you’ve been running it ever since. And expanding . . .”

  “I’m not sure buying the restaurant was the wisest thing I’ve ever done, but Lexie can be very persuasive. And as long as Cheryl’s running things, I’ll keep it.” He took a long drink from his water bottle. “Your turn. Why the restaurant business?”

  She felt a smile tugging at her lips. “Because it’s like hosting a perpetual party—and I get to run the show. I guess I’ve always been industrious. When I was little my parents sometimes invited their friends over for dinner, and I’d run around getting drinks for everyone and waiting on them. The adults thought it was cute, so I got a lot of attention. I tried the same thing when my sisters had friends over, but they mostly just wanted me out of their hair.

  “The restaurant industry was a natural fit for me. When I was sixteen I got a job as a server at Waffle House. After I graduated I went to Virginia Tech and got my hospitality degree. I thought I might end up in hotel management, but I got an opportunity to intern at a four-star restaurant in Roanoke and fell in love with the restaurant industry.” She held up the last bite of her sandwich. “And it doesn’t hurt that I love great food.”

  “It feels good to find where you fit.”

  “It does. Of course I’m at loose ends at the moment, but—”

  “You’ll find a place. You’re very good at what you do, Maddy.”

  Her face warmed at his appraisal. “Thank you. I’m sure it’ll all work out. It just feels very uncertain at the moment.”

  “What do your sisters do? Emma runs a bakery, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes, in Denver. Food again—maybe my family has issues,” she said dryly.

  He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “Don’t we all.”

  “Nora’s from Boston, a stay-at-home mom—or she was when her daughter was younger. Chloe’s in college now, and Nora fills her time with charities and such. Her husband, Jonathan, is a mortgage broker, self-employed, and they do quite well.”

  “I gathered as much from the Mercedes.”

  She thought of that baby on the way and wondered if Jonathan knew yet and how he was taking the news. How would Chloe feel about having a sibling who was so much younger?

  “We both have big age gaps with our siblings,” Connor said. “Were your sisters like second mothers to you growing up?”

  “Sometimes. More so Emma than Nora. But neither of them wanted me hanging around their friends.”

  “I’m afraid I was guilty of that too. They were little pests. I didn’t really appreciate them until I was out of the house and came back to visit.”

  “You seem pretty close now.”

  “We are. But when they were young I was often stuck babysitting, and I resented it. I used to swear up and down I’d never have children.” A grin tugged at his lips.

  “Do you still feel that way?”

  He looked away. A shadow fell over his eyes, and his smile gave way to gravity. Maddy wondered if she’d brought up a bad subject. He and his wife had been married ten years, after all. Plenty of time to start a family.

  He blinked and the look was gone. “Nah, I’d like to have kids someday. Until then I’ll just enjoy my niece and nephew.”

  Maddy took a bite of strawberry and savored the sweet flavor. “So how did things end up with your date? Did you have to let her down easy?”

  “Johanna? No, thank God. She texted me after the date, but things just kind of fell off after that. Lexie told me she’d had a good time and would be agreeable to another date. But I think my sister could tell I just wasn’t into her.”

  “I’m surprised she didn’t try to talk you into giving her another chance.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, she did. But I can put my foot down when I need to.”

  “Yeah, you don’t strike me as a pushover.”

  “Well, I admit, when both of my sisters are on me about something, it’s sometimes easier to just roll over and give in.”

  “I can imagine.�
��

  He finished off his coleslaw and set his plate aside. “Ready for the cheesecake?”

  She put a hand on her stomach. “I’m already full. That sandwich was huge.”

  “Oh, come on, just a little piece . . .”

  He unboxed the presliced cheesecake and grabbed a plastic knife, poising it above a slice. “This okay?”

  She put her hand on his, moving the knife until there was just a sliver of cheesecake left. His hand was big and warm under hers. She pushed down, and they sliced it together.

  Their gazes connected for a long moment. She was starting to become rather fond of his eyes. Had she thought them colorless? They were all kinds of interesting with varying shades of gray and those flecks of silver. They were expressive too. Stormy or soft or just steady and quiet.

  Her gaze fell to the golden scruff on his jawline, and she wondered if it would feel soft or bristly. And also what did it mean that he’d shaved for his date the other night and not for this?

  It means this isn’t a date, that’s what it means.

  She withdrew her hand and cleared her throat as an awkward moment settled between them.

  Connor plated her sliver of cheesecake and handed it to her. “That’s hardly even a bite.”

  “I’m not used to eating this much for lunch. It was delicious, though. Thank you.”

  She took a small bite. It was slightly sweet and pleasantly creamy. The buttery graham cracker crust had a hint of ginger, making it rather extraordinary.

  He took his own hefty slice, and they ate in silence awhile, watching the pipers scuttle around on the beach.

  “So,” Connor said a few minutes later. “Tell me about your mom. Are the two of you close?”

  “She lives in Georgia, and she’s remarried. I wouldn’t say we’re close. We talk on the phone now and then. Visit occasionally.”

  “Part of that rift your grandma has made reference to?”

  “Something like that.”

  Maddy didn’t want to talk about her family. She’d only ever given Nick the CliffsNotes version, and he’d been satisfied with that. Of course, he hadn’t really cared about her.