paddle across his knees
and peeled the shirt over his chest. The warmth of the sun’s rays felt good as they
hit his shoulders.
And there it was. The reaction he had tried all day to get. A satisfied smile spread
across his face. However, before he could revel in his true victory, Haven took her
eyes off Evan’s chest, just as she collided into his kayak, sending him back into
the salty creek.
“S ORRY . O H my God, I’m so sorry.” She floated closer to the overboard new-hire. He was smiling
and searching the water for his shirt. “I wasn’t paying attention.” She wasn’t going
to tell him it was because the water running down his sculpted abs had made her lose
any sense of reality.
“I think we can say we’re even.” He plucked his shirt from the water and wrung it
out before tossing it into the boat.
Haven noticed he didn’t seem mad. Although, she was more than annoyed he had sent
her tumbling into the creek. The only reason she had agreed to take him out was so
that she could ask him more about his writing. Somehow, that had turned into a race
and now they were both soaking wet. She hadn’t even gotten in the first question about
his book.
“Maybe we should get back to the docks before either of us goes overboard again,”
she suggested.
Her eyes followed every muscle along his shoulders and back as he hoisted himself
into the seat. She had no idea all of that was under his T-shirt when she hired him.
She bit hard on her lip and closed her eyes, willing herself not to think all kinds
of dirty thoughts. Like how those muscles might feel under fingertips and pressed
against her. No, bad idea—very irresponsible and dangerous idea.
“Sure. Maybe we can try this again another time.” He smiled at her, and then breezed
past her in his kayak.
Haven paddled, matching his slow pace. Jay sat relaxed in his kayak, cruising slowly
enough to see an egret in the marsh and a turtle slip off a log. There was so much
more to see when you weren’t racing through the creek. The orange hues of the sun
cast the entire creek into a fiery dream. She could tell he was taking it all in.
“So, what do you think of Perry Island?” She was almost completely parallel to him.
They glided at a steady rhythm, unlike their earlier sprint.
“It’s got something I’ve been searching for for a long time.” He sounded pensive.
A mullet hopped in front of them.
“Really? What could that possibly be? We don’t even have a movie theater.”
Haven knew that vacationers loved the island. The beaches were beautiful and the seafood
was always fresh, but they didn’t know what it was really like. If anyone of them
had spent a winter here, they would think differently. Everything shut down. The tourists
were gone, the landscape turned brown, and the chill from the humid winds cut right
to the bone.
“No movie theater? Well, that explains some things.” He eased into the boat launch.
Haven waited until her bow touched the incline of the ramp before hopping to the side.
“Yeah, no movie theater, no mall, no hospital. It’s like we’re cut off from civilization
out here.”
“Sounds perfect, if you ask me.” He rested the paddle in the cockpit as he stepped
out of the boat.
“Perfect? Where are you from? It’s boring and there’s nothing to do. I miss Chapel Hill and people who are
interesting.”
She hadn’t stopped mourning her college life. Graduation was over a month ago, and
sometimes she still felt like she was still on summer break, as if classes were waiting
for her in the fall. However, she knew if she didn’t have a job lined up by September,
she would be right here doing the same thing, day after day.
“I guess I don’t need much entertainment.” He winked as he turned to grab her boat
and lift it into the rack.
It was a simple gesture, a flirty gesture, which she had received hundreds of times,
but this was the first time
and peeled the shirt over his chest. The warmth of the sun’s rays felt good as they
hit his shoulders.
And there it was. The reaction he had tried all day to get. A satisfied smile spread
across his face. However, before he could revel in his true victory, Haven took her
eyes off Evan’s chest, just as she collided into his kayak, sending him back into
the salty creek.
“S ORRY . O H my God, I’m so sorry.” She floated closer to the overboard new-hire. He was smiling
and searching the water for his shirt. “I wasn’t paying attention.” She wasn’t going
to tell him it was because the water running down his sculpted abs had made her lose
any sense of reality.
“I think we can say we’re even.” He plucked his shirt from the water and wrung it
out before tossing it into the boat.
Haven noticed he didn’t seem mad. Although, she was more than annoyed he had sent
her tumbling into the creek. The only reason she had agreed to take him out was so
that she could ask him more about his writing. Somehow, that had turned into a race
and now they were both soaking wet. She hadn’t even gotten in the first question about
his book.
“Maybe we should get back to the docks before either of us goes overboard again,”
she suggested.
Her eyes followed every muscle along his shoulders and back as he hoisted himself
into the seat. She had no idea all of that was under his T-shirt when she hired him.
She bit hard on her lip and closed her eyes, willing herself not to think all kinds
of dirty thoughts. Like how those muscles might feel under fingertips and pressed
against her. No, bad idea—very irresponsible and dangerous idea.
“Sure. Maybe we can try this again another time.” He smiled at her, and then breezed
past her in his kayak.
Haven paddled, matching his slow pace. Jay sat relaxed in his kayak, cruising slowly
enough to see an egret in the marsh and a turtle slip off a log. There was so much
more to see when you weren’t racing through the creek. The orange hues of the sun
cast the entire creek into a fiery dream. She could tell he was taking it all in.
“So, what do you think of Perry Island?” She was almost completely parallel to him.
They glided at a steady rhythm, unlike their earlier sprint.
“It’s got something I’ve been searching for for a long time.” He sounded pensive.
A mullet hopped in front of them.
“Really? What could that possibly be? We don’t even have a movie theater.”
Haven knew that vacationers loved the island. The beaches were beautiful and the seafood
was always fresh, but they didn’t know what it was really like. If anyone of them
had spent a winter here, they would think differently. Everything shut down. The tourists
were gone, the landscape turned brown, and the chill from the humid winds cut right
to the bone.
“No movie theater? Well, that explains some things.” He eased into the boat launch.
Haven waited until her bow touched the incline of the ramp before hopping to the side.
“Yeah, no movie theater, no mall, no hospital. It’s like we’re cut off from civilization
out here.”
“Sounds perfect, if you ask me.” He rested the paddle in the cockpit as he stepped
out of the boat.
“Perfect? Where are you from? It’s boring and there’s nothing to do. I miss Chapel Hill and people who are
interesting.”
She hadn’t stopped mourning her college life. Graduation was over a month ago, and
sometimes she still felt like she was still on summer break, as if classes were waiting
for her in the fall. However, she knew if she didn’t have a job lined up by September,
she would be right here doing the same thing, day after day.
“I guess I don’t need much entertainment.” He winked as he turned to grab her boat
and lift it into the rack.
It was a simple gesture, a flirty gesture, which she had received hundreds of times,
but this was the first time
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