Sunday arrived before Conner knew it. He spent most of his day Saturday poking around for information about Lois. When he discovered that she had been coming to Barrow for years, he wondered why he had not seen her before. She stood out from the other girls in town with her sweet charm, flowing dark hair, and tan skin. She was radiant, and he was amazed that he could have missed someone so lovely in a small town this many summers in a row. It was the way of things though. He knew that fate couldn’t be rushed, and though he wished he had met her before, he was grateful now, and only hoped Jeffrey wouldn’t be interference.
He went up the broken walkway to the boarding house doors with energy in his step. It was going to be a good day. When Lois answered the door, his breath caught for a moment. She was wearing a long blue dress with a light grey sweater. Her figure was distracting; the top of the dress hugged her breasts and fit tightly at her small waist. As soon as she took a step out, the wind caught the bottom of her dress and hair, sending them flying around her. There was something wild and mysterious about her, as if her spirit was full of brilliant color that danced and soared about, just like the royal blue fabric flowing around her ankles now.
“Conner?” Lois was asking when he zoned back to reality.
“Sorry, what?”
“I asked if you were ready to go.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t see a car.”
“I thought we could walk, it’ll be nice. Give us a chance to talk.” He smiled, handing her a cup of fresh coffee he had brewed and poured into a thermos. He wanted to hear anything and everything about her.
She felt like she had relayed her life story in detail by the time they got through the town and to the docks.
“So where are we going?” she asked as they climbed in to the small boat.
“To one of my islands.” The way he said it was so casual it took a moment for it to register fully.
“One, as in, you have more than one?”
“Of course.” Conner put his sunglasses on and prepared the boat to set out.
She shook her head. He looked like celebrity in his boat shoes and glasses. She found herself staring at him when they were finally ready to set off from the dock.
He caught her eye before she could look away and smiled from ear to ear. “This is my favorite way to spend an afternoon,” he said as he nestled into the chair like it was the most comforting place on earth.
The day was as beautiful as he had said it would be. He was unlike anyone that she had ever met before and the more she got to know him, the more she liked him.
The engine slowed and she looked around to see why. Her own thoughts had kept her staring off in the distance, but she realized that they must be at the island. It was dense except for a small clearing with a rustic looking cabin. It was not at all what she had expected, but when he began pulling out buckets and sticks from underneath one of the seats, she thought he had lost his mind.
“Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t been clamming before? Razorbacks are the best and this is my secret spot. I come up here a couple of times in the summer and just camp overnight, roasting clams.”
“Sounds nice. I can’t say that I have ever gone clamming. So this should be fun. I wish I would have known what we were doing, I wouldn’t have worn such a long skirt.” Lois pulled her dress to the side, knotting the skirt so it would not drag in the muddy bank of the small island.
He helped her off and her body slid down his front as he lowered her to the ground. Her senses were increasingly aware of any contact with him, and the intensity of arousal she felt caused her to lose composure for a few moments, laughing awkwardly and clearing her throat.
“You seemed like the kind of girl that would like this.”
“I’m sure I will.” Lois was sure that she would like just about anything with Conner. He had such an easy going and engaging personality that she had not expected from someone in his position. He was just a normal guy, certainly not the stereotypical son of a multimillionaire business tycoon. Until he got a business call from Tokyo on his satellite phone, Lois had almost forgotten that she was with a Vern.
The morning was gone and the day was warming up to a perfect fifty degrees. The wind blew constantly, but it was delightful with the sun overhead. They both had their buckets filled with clams when she followed him back to the small cabin two hours later. He started a fire in the wood stove, then they returned to the water to rinse the clams of thickly caked mud that covered the shells. Lois had never tried them, but she didn’t tell him why. They were funny looking, but that day, the smell was enough to entice her. He helped her open the first one and after a bite, she understood why he enjoyed the process so much
“So is this what you do with your time? Shouldn’t you be jet setting to the equator?”
“I do sometimes, but I like it here. I like to know my neighbors and here that is actually possible. I don’t think I would ever want to live anywhere else. What about you, could you live here full time?”
“I don’t know. I would need a damn good reason to do a winter here,” she laughed.
“I could give you a reason.” Conner’s eyes were boring into hers, she was unsure how to respond. He leaned over and kissed her gently. It took her by surprise, but she felt herself leaning into him, hoping he wouldn’t pull away any time soon. His tongue pushed her lips open and she moaned softly at the touch. Conner deepened the kiss and she was lost in the moment. When he finally pulled away, she took a deep breath.
“Is that a good enough reason?”
Lois nodded, touching her lips.