“I wouldn’t say that, but definitely attraction.”
“It didn’t matter that you were the help’s kid?”
“No, his parents were fair and generous people, as was he. It just mattered that we cared for each other.”
“You must have gotten married not long after that. Whirlwind romance?”
“The war was close. Everyone knew it. I’m sure you felt it, too.” When he nodded, she went on. “I’d have married him anyway, but we moved faster than we would have otherwise, under those circumstances.”
He regretted he’d stuck the knife in his own flesh by asking her about her marriage. Knowing that she loved her husband and obviously still missed him made the imaginary knife twist. He stood and walked to the front of the boat. The smell of the bay and the beauty of the water that he usually found so soothing did nothing for him now.
****
“We should start back. Sun’ll go down before you know it.” He turned his back on her to start the engine, then stopped and faced her. His face was more serious than she’d ever seen it. The cocky grin and confident manner gone. “One last question. If he hadn’t died in the war, would you be happily married, having babies, and settled somewhere?”
“Probably, but it doesn’t do any good to think about it. Never going to happen. I have to do what’s right for me now.”
“Like leave Cape Charles.”
“Yes, but I’ve been thinking...” She rose and went toward him.
He revved the motor as she spoke, drowning out all but her first words. In forced silence, they headed to the wharf near her home. She’d planned to invite him to dinner, but now she wasn’t sure. Downtown Cape Charles passed by while she debated. This little city on the harbor had been her sanctuary when her heart was breaking after Leo’s death. She thought she needed to leave here to seal up that part of her life and move on. But maybe there were other ways to heal.
She stole a glance at Adam out of the corner of her eye. He stared rigidly ahead, focused on the wharf where he could dump her off and run.
What if she didn’t let him?
At the dock, he looped the line over an old cleat and stepped onto the wharf. He reached for her hand but didn’t meet her eyes as he helped her take the big step off the boat. If she didn’t speak now, all opportunity would be lost.
“Come in with me? I’ll make you dinner.” She caught his arm when he moved to board his boat. “I think I still owe you an explanation. That was the deal. A story for a story.”
“I’ll forfeit.” His tone and manner were brusque.
“Can’t. I refuse to accept a forfeiture.”
“You can’t refuse...” He began to complain, then saw her smile. “I’m being a jerk again.”
“Little bit. Eat with me and I’ll forgive you.” She walked away down the wharf toward her house, expecting him to follow. Sometimes leaving people no choice was the best option. “You might want to grab the key, in case one of my neighbors decides to take a joy ride.” She called when she heard the steady fall of his feet on the old wood behind her.
Inside her house, he did a quick scan of the living room. She’d bet he wasn’t admiring her sofa or antique rocking chair. He wanted to see if there was a picture of her husband in the room, but she’d moved her wedding photo to her bedroom during the second year of grieving. Recently she put it in a drawer to remind herself that moving on was the right thing to do.
His sigh of relief at not finding such a personal item made her wonder about the complexity of this man she was coming to care about. Once, she had believed him to be a handsome, shallow guy who would solve problems with a Coca-Cola. Not anymore. The confident, even arrogant persona covered up something else. What, she wasn’t sure yet. And wasn’t sure she would be permitted to get past the facade and find out. And did she want to?
“Something cooking?” He sniffed the air, distracting her from her musing.
“I put a pot roast in the oven earlier. I thought you might come in.”
“I don’t really recall getting a choice.”
She shrugged in answer.
“Your place is nice.”
“Thanks. Girly, I know. My brother-in-law complains because the furniture is too small, but it suits me.” She noted that Adam appeared huge against the petite furnishings, which only added to his masculinity, on full display all afternoon. “I’ll check on dinner. We’re eating in the kitchen, so you might as well come with me.”
She washed her hands at the sink while he circled her table, looking out the window into her little patch of a back yard. When she tried to slink past him to reach the oven, he stepped into her path.
“Can I help?”
“You could get the lemonade out of the icebox if you want.” He made her more than a tad nervous in the confined space of her kitchen. She’d invited him, wanted his company, but he filled the space, leaving her almost overwhelmed. Opening the oven, she pulled the large roasting pan to the edge of the rack and hoisted it onto the counter with a thud.
“I could have done that for you. Must be heavy.”
“I’m used to doing things for myself, although I usually only cook for one.”
“Glasses?”
“To the left of the sink.” She wove past him to put the roast on the table. Warm, fragrant steam filled the kitchen when she removed the lid.
“Smells like heaven.” He poured drinks and waited for her to sit.
“Go ahead and take a seat. You don’t have to be formal.”
“My mother raised me better than that.” His hands rested on the back of her chair.
“You never mention your folks. Are they—”
“They live in eastern Pennsylvania.” He cut her off.
“Not too far. Do you see them often?”
“Only once since the war ended. I’ve been busy.” He pushed her chair in for her before taking his seat.
“You mentioned a brother.” She wasn’t sure she should bring it up, but she knew so little about him. “Do you have other siblings?”
“No, just Jack and me.”
“I would think your parents would want to see you more since your brother’s death.”
Adam shrugged casually, but his face hardened into the expression she’d seen earlier. Not wanting to ruin the companionship between them, she changed the subject. “I have a brother in Baltimore. One of his Navy buddies got him a job in the harbor.”
“Doing what?”
“Tugboat captain.”
“Does he like it?”
“As much as he likes anything at the moment.” She forked thick slices of meat onto his plate. “He’s mad at me.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m thinking of leaving the area.”
“Thinking?”
“Okay. Planning.” She served herself, then carefully unfolded the napkin in her lap.
“According to our agreement, I get to ask why.” He paused. “So I guess this is my chance.”
She toyed with her food. “It’s simple, really. Everyone here thinks of me as a war widow.”
“No, they don’t.” At his quick denial, her head snapped up. “All right, a lot of people do.”
“Exactly. People are always tiptoeing around me. Unless I leave here, that won’t change.”
“But you like it here?” Why was he so concerned about that?
“Yes, it’s a beautiful place to live, but I can’t stay.” Her words sounded so final and irrefutable to her that she wondered how they must seem to him. A pure white cat nosed her way around the kitchen door, drawn by the smell of the food. “I suppose you want dinner, too.” She reached down to stroke Snowball’s long fur.
“I didn’t know you had a cat.”
“She’s really my sister’s cat, but Snowball couldn’t take the noise of two rambunctious kids.” She took a few scraps of meat and put them in the cat’s bowl. “I’ll have to return her when I go, unless I can find a quiet place for her to live. Do you want a cat?”
&
nbsp; “She’d get dirty at my place. I don’t think she’d like that.” He switched his attention from the cat to her. “I have a suggestion to help Snowball. You could stay.”
“Not that simple.”
He ate for a few minutes without commenting. “Where will you go?”
“I’ve been talking to editors in Atlanta and Chicago. I could get a job in either city, but I don’t have to work if I don’t want to. I might just travel for a while.”
“You have enough money to do that?”
“My husband had a trust fund from his grandparents.” Admitting this would probably not help her position with him. “It’s mine now. I tried to return it to Leo’s family, but they insisted I keep it. I could use that, but I prefer to support myself.”
“Could be lonely. You’ve got family and friends here. As a matter of fact, everyone I know likes you, so that’s not it. They just need to see you differently. What if something happened to make people change their minds about you?”
“Any suggestions?” She only knew of one, and he was sitting across the table from her.
“Not off the top of my head.”
She let a beat of silence pass. “Maybe if I were seen with a man on a date, for instance, people might remember that I’m more than someone’s widow.”
“Wouldn’t they draw comparisons between this man and your husband? Make assumptions, form judgments? You know how people are.”
“I guess it’s possible. I’d have to find someone who was willing to take a chance. A gambler at heart.”
His silverware rattled to his plate and his face was stony when he looked at her. “I’ve got nothing to offer you right now.”
“You asked me out the other day. Did you forget?”
“No, but I can’t go into a relationship with nothing. It’s why I didn’t call you. I’ve no right forming any attachments until I’m sure of my future and I can at least take you out to dinner at a decent place.”
“What if I said I don’t care about that sort of thing?”
“All women care about nice stuff. Look at this place.”
“Your kisses mean nothing, then? You were just leading me on?”
“No. I, I…” Stuttering he went on, “I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to you. Doesn’t happen to me often.”
So that was it. She had more money than he did and he was proud, so proud, but he liked her and wanted her to stay for some reason. If she pushed him a little harder... “Will you try it? For me? Take me to the Lantern Regatta. It’s this weekend.” She read the doubt on his face, but it was ebbing a little. “You can show off your boat, as a bonus.” For a moment, she thought he’d refuse, citing honor or some defunct code of chivalry. She was counting on the fact that he wouldn’t back down from a challenge.
“Okay. The regatta it is.” He glanced out the window to the darkening sky. “I better start for home.” She walked him to the front door in her dimly lighted living room. With his hand on the latch, he half-swiveled toward her. “I have to know something before I go. Am I taking you so people see you with a man or because you want to go with me?”
In answer, she rested her hands on his chest, stretching up to kiss him. She only had control of the kiss for a moment before he fused his body to hers and deepened the kiss. The knowledge that he wanted her as much as she did him gave her the courage to run her hands down his back and pull him even closer. His hands coasted up her sides, brushing against her breasts as his tongue stroked into her mouth. When they broke from the kiss, they were both panting.
“I’ll be running a little late for the regatta. I have to work until six.” His voice was low and husky. “Can you meet me at the boathouse?”
“I’ll be there. Good night, Adam. Be safe going home.”
With his thumb, he brushed her cheekbone while he studied her face. “’Night, Shells.”
Chapter Six
Shelby snapped a picture of her sister packing pies into a huge hamper. The basement of the Methodist Church teemed with women preparing food for tonight’s feast on the beach. Nearly the whole town would gather for roasted oysters and baked clams after the Lantern Regatta sailed the harbor and beachfront.
“You could help instead of taking pictures,” Maggie called from a work table where she was rolling hundreds of meatballs.
“Sorry. I’m on the clock.” Shelby’s statement met with eye rolls from her sister and her best friend.
“I suppose you’ll be on the clock tonight instead of having fun with the rest of us,” Natalie said.
“Nope. I’m leaving my reporter hat at home before the regatta.”
“And no leaving early like last year,” Maggie added without really hearing what Shelby said. “It’s not a dance, you know. You don’t need a date.”
“But I have a date.”
“You do?” Maggie and Natalie said in unison so loudly other women turned in their direction. “Who?”
“Adam. Who else could it be?” It wasn’t like she was playing the field. Her encounters with Adam over the past few weeks were her only romantic interactions in years.
“You two have a strange way of dating. You don’t see each other for days and we’re all convinced there’s nothing going on, and then this.” Maggie handed a tray of meatballs off to another worker.
“When did you start seriously dating him?” Her sister wanted to know.
“We’re not seriously dating. It’s just the Lantern Regatta, and this can’t be a surprise. What other man is even remotely in my life?”
The other women exchanged a meaningful glance. “We didn’t think you’d actually do it,” Natalie said. “I mean, you’ve shied away from men for so long.”
“It’s not like they’ve been beating down my door, either.”
“Oh, honey,” Natalie said, “there are half a dozen men in this town who if you’d given them even a nod and a smile, they’d have been in love.”
“That’s not true,” Shelby whispered. Had she pushed men away?
“What’s so special about Adam that he’s the one you chose?” Her sister wondered aloud.
“He was willing to go with me,” she said, although she’d manipulated him into it.
“I’ll bet he was. Ned thinks Adam’s had his eye on you since he got to town. Wipe that shocked look off your face, Shells. You’re twenty-five, above-average pretty, and single. Men have noticed you.” Maggie said it all like Shelby knew.
“Are you going in the regatta, as well?” Her sister wanted to know.
“Yes, he finished his new boat recently.”
“So I heard. Is he picking you up?”
“No, I’m meeting him at his boathouse.”
“Then you’ll have to go back there with him after the feast. Should I be worried?” Her sister eyed her closely.
“Hey, don’t discourage her,” Maggie rebuked the over-protective sister. “Remember we want her to have a reason to stick around. If Adam’s that reason, it works for me. Ned says he was a troublemaker as a kid, but I think he’s a fine man.”
“Troublemaker?” Shelby repeated. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I guess his brother, God rest his soul, was the perfect one. Practically angelic, from the stories Ned tells.”
“What happened to his brother?” Natalie asked the question, but Shelby was curious as well.
“Killed on a PT boat in the South Pacific. Adam’s parents took it hard. They tried to convince Adam to get a discharge from the Coast Guard after Jack was killed. He could have, since he was the only son and had already served two years, but he wouldn’t.”
“Stubborn man. Could be difficult to deal with.” Shelby detected a note of caution in her sister’s voice. “But the other men on the ferry think well of him. That has to mean something.”
“I think what matters is what Shelby thinks of him.” Maggie pointed at her. “And that would be?”
“I don’t know completely.” Shelby admitted. “Definitely something.”
&nb
sp; “For a woman who’s usually good with words, I would think you could do better.”
Shelby made a gesture with her hands to indicate she had nothing else to say about Adam. Their relationship, if it could be called that, was a series of fits and starts so far. But it felt on the verge of going somewhere, and quickly.
“You make sure I get a chance to talk with him tonight.” Her sister grabbed her arm when she was leaving the church on her way to take more pictures of the preparations. “I want to give him my stamp of approval.”
****
When Shelby arrived at the boathouse a little before six and found the door unlocked, she didn’t hesitate to enter. She could wander the downstairs while she waited for Adam to get off work. The Eve, tied off in the water, already had decorative lights strung along the sides and an old-fashioned lantern waiting to be lit on the prow.
Before she had time to notice anything else, a rattle at the door made her turn. A second later Adam strode in, looking confident and more manly than anyone should. Although his blue work clothes were stained with grease and a brown smear went from his jaw to his ear, his usual grin was in place.
“Tough day?”
“Engine trouble on the four-o’clock ferry. Nothing major, but messy.” His eyes traveled up and down her. “I need to get cleaned up. Then, I’m going to kiss you until you’re breathless, as a thank-you for wearing that dress.”
Her peach dress with its open neckline hugged her figure to her waist before flaring softly to just below her knees. “You have fifteen minutes to pay up on that promise.”
“Come upstairs while I get ready.” At her slight hesitation, he added, “I’m not planning to seduce you, at least not now, but you might want to sit.”
“I am curious about the upstairs.” She glanced upward to the closed door.
“It’s nothing fancy. Just a working man’s hovel.” He gestured to her to precede him up the stairs.
“I wouldn’t call it a hovel,” she said as soon as she entered the room where he lived. Kitchen, bedroom, and living room were all combined, but the room was so orderly it looked spacious. Not a crumb marred the spotless kitchen, and the sheets and blankets were neatly tucked in on his double bed. “I’d say it was shipshape.”
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