Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

know the boat was mine?”
    Relieved, she answered, “Oh . . . I saw your picture down at the shop in the articles on the wall, along with the pictures of the boat. The young man in your shop said you would be here, and I thought that as long as you were, I’d come down to see for myself.”
    “He said I was here?”
    She was silent as she remembered the exact words. “Actually, he told me you were at the docks. I just assumed that meant you were here.”
    He nodded. “I was at the other boat—the one we use for diving.”
    A small fishing boat blared its horn, and Garrett turned and waved to the man standing on the deck. After it had gone by, he faced her again and was struck by how pretty she was. She looked even better up close than she had when he’d seen her from across the marina. On impulse, he lowered his eyes and reached for the red bandanna he had in his back pocket. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
    “You did a wonderful job restoring it,” Theresa said.
    He smiled faintly as he put the bandanna away. “Thanks, that’s kind of you to say.”
    Theresa glanced toward Happenstance as he spoke, then back to him. “I know it’s not any of my business,” she said casually, “but since you’re here, would you mind if I asked you a little bit about it?”
    She could tell by his expression that it wasn’t the first time he’d been asked to talk about the boat.
    “What would you like to know?”
    She did her best to sound conversational. “Well, was it in as bad a condition when you first got it as the article implied?”
    “Actually, it was in worse condition.” He stepped forward and pointed to the various spots on the boat as he mentioned them. “A lot of the wood had rotted near the bow, there were a series of leaks along the side—it was a wonder she was still afloat at all. We ended up replacing a good portion of the hull and the deck, and what was left of her had to be sanded completely and then sealed and varnished again. And that was just the outside. We had to do the inside, too, and that took a great deal longer.”
    Though she noticed the word “we” in his answer, she decided not to comment on it.
    “It must have been a lot of work.”
    She smiled as she said it, and Garrett felt something tighten inside. Damn, she’s pretty.
    “It was, but it was worth it. She’s more fun to sail than other boats.”
    “Why?”
    “Because she was built by people who used her to make their living. They put a lot of care into designing her, and that makes sailing a lot easier.”
    “I take it you’ve been sailing a long time.”
    “Ever since I was a kid.”
    She nodded. After a short pause, she took a small step toward the boat. “Do you mind?”
    He shook his head. “No, go ahead.”
    Theresa stepped toward it and ran her hands along the side of the hull. Garrett noticed that she wasn’t wearing a ring, though it shouldn’t matter one way or the other. Without turning, Theresa asked: “What kind of wood is this?”
    “Mahogany.”
    “The whole boat?”
    “Most of it. Except for the masts and some of the interior.”
    She nodded again, and Garrett watched as she walked alongside Happenstance. As she stepped farther away, he couldn’t help but notice her figure and how her straight, dark hair grazed her shoulders. But it wasn’t only the way she looked that caught his eye—there was a confidence in the way she moved. It was as if she knew exactly what men were thinking as she stood near them, he realized suddenly. He shook his head.
    “Did they really use this boat to spy on the Germans in World War Two?” she asked, turning to face him.
    He laughed under his breath, doing his best to clear his mind. “That’s what the previous owner told me, though I don’t know if it was true or if he said it to get a higher price.”
    “Well, even if it wasn’t, it’s still a beautiful boat. How long did it take you to restore it?”
    “Almost a year.”
    She peeked in one of the