Taking a sip, Jade was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, having expected a man like Lance to drink his coffee black. Smiling up at him, she approved, “Wow, this is good.”

Letting out a breath he had not realized he had been holding, Lance offered a slight smile in return. “I wasn’t sure how you took it, so I…uh…just guessed you might like cream and sugar.”

Him taking the time to think about what she might like, caused Jade even more confusion, wondering what he was thinking. Nodding, she took another sip, not having any idea how to respond to the sudden and complete change in his demeanor.

“Would you like to walk…or sit…whatever?” he asked, hesitation lacing his words.

“We can walk some more. I’m parked fairly close today, so…” her voice trailed off as she watched him turn toward the south, as though he no longer minded her walking closer to his house. Deciding to not fight what was going on, she moved along with him, noting he shortened his stride to make it easier for her to keep up.

They walked in silence for several minutes, sipping their coffee as the sun rose high enough to paint the pink dawn a brilliant blue.

“I noticed your binoculars,” he began, glancing down at her. “What do you look at? I thought maybe the birds around.”

Smiling, she replied, “I do love the birds, but I was looking at ships.”

Lifting an eyebrow, he repeated, “Ships?”

Laughing, she explained, “I like to identify the ones anchored in the bay. I write down their information, if I can see it, and take pictures. Then I use an app on my phone or, when I get home, my computer to determine which ships are out there. From that, I can see where they came from and where they are going.”

Lance stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out why she would care about the ships, but hated to ask. Looking toward the dunes, he could tell that they were only a few minutes from his house and wondered how she would react, considering how much of an ass he had been the two previous times she was near. His thoughts were interrupted when she stopped suddenly, shoving her coffee at him. Taking it, he followed her line of vision out to the bay, noting the cargo ship anchored closest to them. It had floated so that the side was clearly visible.

She positioned the binoculars over her eyes, her lips turned up into a smile. Dropping them, she shifted her backpack so that she could pull out her pad of paper and a pen. She jotted down the name and numbers from the side of the ship.

Looking up at his curious expression, she smiled as she reached for her coffee again. “I’m sure you must think me odd,” she began, “but I’ve been trying to get a picture of that ship all morning, but was never able to see it clearly.”

“Okay,” he mumbled, his brows drawn down.

“You’ve gotta be wondering why,” she teased, still grinning as she turned her face up to his.

At that moment, with her beaming face shining toward his, he did not care what her reason was for watching boats—he just wanted her to keep smiling. Seeing her look at him expectantly, he grinned in return, the smile feeling odd on his lips. “Yeah, I’m curious.” As her eyes drifted behind him, he looked over his shoulder and realized they were in front of his house. Jerking his head around quickly, he asked, “Would you like to sit for a bit? I’ve got some chairs at the top of the dune.”

Biting her lip, she hesitated before replying, “That’s okay…um…I’d better be going—”

“I’d really like for you to stay,” he hurried. “I’d like to hear more about the ships…” His voice trailed off as he realized how desperate he sounded. Waiting for her refusal, his heart skipped a beat as her smile returned.

“Okay,” she agreed, then laughed as she added, “If you don’t mind being bored, I’ll fill you in on my ship spotting!”

Walking up the dune, he reached out and grasped her elbow to offer steadiness in the shifting sand. Wondering what had come over him, he almost laughed at the long-forgotten social niceties, glad they had not left him entirely.

Arriving at the top, Jade had the opportunity to see the back of his house, noting the large screened porch on the side that led to a plank deck containing a few wooden rocking chairs. The back of his house was mostly windows, through which she could make out living room furniture. She followed him to the deck and settled in one of the chairs, smiling as she immediately began to rock back and forth. “Oh, I love rocking chairs,” she exclaimed. “They remind me of my grandmother’s front porch.”

It was the first personal tidbit she had shared and Lance considered inquiring about her family, but caught himself. Asking her opens the door to her asking me about mine…and I have no desire to go down that road. Settling into the chair next to hers, he moved the conversation back to her beach activities. “So, why do you try to identify the ships in the bay?”

“It’s for my kids. I taught first grade last year, but have moved up to second this year and I love it. It’s amazing the change in just that one year of age. In first grade, so much of our time is spent teaching reading, but in second grade, I can be more creative with other subjects, like science and geography.”

She held his attention and he welcomed her enthusiasm, noting that the more she talked, the faster she rocked. Nodding, he encouraged her to continue.

“I check the ships anchored in the bay and see if I can find out where they’ve come from. We have a large map, as well as a globe, and we pin pictures of the ships onto the map. It helps the kids to learn about the oceans and basic continents. Obviously, at this age, we don’t get into memorizing the countries, but it helps to expand their minds while realizing that the world comes to the bay right next to their town.”

Her hands had fluttered about as she talked and now settled onto the arms of her seat as she continued to rock, her smile firmly in place.

“That’s really interesting,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

Blushing, she ducked her head. “I guess it sounds pretty lame to some people, but,” she looked back up, “I really love teaching.”

Desiring to ask her more, he hesitated again, not wanting the conversation to turn toward him, so he just nodded instead.

“Also, I’ve gotten to know some of the local commercial fishermen and can watch them go out into the bay as well. George Caday, the Carsons, and the Taylor family fishermen.”

“I’ve met George and the oldest Carson at the American Legion. Can’t say I know them, but I recognize their names.”

Grinning, she added, “Sometimes, I meet the ships when they come back into the Baytown Harbor and will buy some fresh fish before their catch heads to the restaurants. George Caday is a sweet man who doesn’t mind filleting the fish for me, because I am terrified of fish bones. Oh, but talk about terrifying—I can only chat with the Taylors because they go crab fishing and I hate the squiggly crab claws. The Carsons are a family run business and I have the littlest one in my class.” Laughing, she said, “They are Richard, his son Rick, and the next generation is Ricky.”

Realizing he had lived in Baytown for over a year and had not discovered buying fresh fish from the local fishermen, he watched her obvious enjoyment as he pursed his lips.

Easing into silence, Jade looked at the bay. Confused by his change in demeanor toward her, she wondered if she were overstaying her welcome. Slowing her motion, she pushed up on the arms of the rocker, standing. “Thanks for the coffee, Lance. It was a surprise…uh…a nice surprise.”

He stood quickly, taking the empty mug from her hands, replying, “I really am sorry…I’m out of practice being…well, I’m sorry for the way I acted.”

She turned her face up toward his, her attention held in place for a moment by the look in his eyes, knowing she could so easily stare into their depths for a long time. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his arm, offering a little squeeze, loving the feel of his warm skin underneath her fingertips. “See you later,” she said, just before turning and walking back down the dune to the beach.

Wanting to look over her shoulder to see if he was watching, she finally gave in and sent a quick glance back. He was standing on his deck, his hands on his hips, his eyes on her, and to her disbelieving eyes, he threw his hand up in a small wave. Smiling, she waved back before breaking into a jog as she continued up the beach toward her car.

When she was finally out of sight, Lance faced the bay, seeing the ships on the water in an entirely different light. Shaking his head, he turned and walked inside, still feeling the touch of her hand on his arm and the way her sparkling eyes lit her face.

* * *

Jade laughed along with the others as Callan, Zac, Jason, and Aiden battled in beach volleyball, goofing off as much as slam-dunking the ball over the net. Mitch and Grant manned the grill as Brogan carried out a large ice chest filled with beer and water bottles. Tori placed covered dishes out on the picnic table on the deck, Jillian and Katelyn assisting. The sound of gentle waves washing upon the shore mixed with their laughter and music from the deck.

Tonight, they gathered at Mitch’s bayside cabin that once belonged to his grandfather, who used it as a fishing cabin many years ago. It was stark compared to the nice rental cabins, being furnished simply, but the family had enjoyed many meals on the wooden deck and sing-a-longs around the fire pit. Now, it belonged to Mitch and Tori and they used it to host parties and cookouts with friends.

Mitch and the rest of the Baytown Boys had hauled large logs from a neighbor’s farm and cut them to place in a circle around the fire pit. The area was big enough to hold most of their group, with a few others in beach chairs to the side. The configuration allowed visitors to either sit on the logs or recline in the sand and have something to lean back against, which is what she was doing now.

“Hey,” a soft voice greeted and as she looked up, she saw Belle sitting on the log next to her.

Smiling at her friend, she glanced at her clothes, surprised to see her still in her nursing scrubs since she usually showed in her cute sundresses.

“I know, I feel stupid,” Belle admitted, blushing, as she nervously tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. “I totally forgot about the cookout and then Tori called just as I was leaving work to ask if I could pick up some more potato salad at the grocery. I didn’t want to make everyone late, so I hurried over, still in my uniform.”

“Sweetie,” she rushed to assure, “you look beautiful.”

Blushing more, Belle smiled in return. “By the way, have you been able to avoid Lance since your run-in with him?”

She had not told her friends about leaving sea glass on his stoop, or getting caught when doing it a second time, or about the apology, served with coffee, the other day. “Well, I’ve seen him and we just talked…a little bit.”

Belle’s wide eyes and dropped jaw showed her surprise. “Really…you talked to him?”

Snorting, she said, “Yeah, he apologized and we chatted a few minutes. Nothing major, but I thought it was nice for him to make an effort.”

“Wow…other than the American Legion and a few of the guy-only cookouts, I didn’t know he made an effort to get to know anyone at all.”

Ginny plopped down on her other side and said, “Sorry, I was eavesdropping. Lance actually helped Brogan a few months ago when I got shot. I was kind of surprised, but he’s really a good person. He’s just private.”

Nodding, she agreed, but kept her opinions to herself, afraid her true interest in the iconic man might show. Watching Ginny hop up as Brogan came over, she heard Belle say under her breath, “I hope there’s someone out there for me someday.” Before she could assure her, Belle stood and moved over to the tables.

Leaning her head back she closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze coming off the bay, the scent of sizzling meat, and the sound of her friends’ laughter. For the millionth time, she thanked God she had landed on Tori’s doorstep when she first came to town and that the close community of friends easily added her to their tight group.

A body plopped down next to her, bumping into her side, and her eyes jerked open. “Callan, what on Earth?” she laughed. “Can’t you find another seat that doesn’t include landing on me?”

“Just thought you looked lonely, sitting here by yourself,” he joked, shoulder bumping her.

Sitting up quickly, she turned toward him and said, “Oh, but you are just the person I wanted to talk to.”

Winking, he said, “See, I knew I had a purpose for coming over here.”

Playfully pushing against his leg, she said, “No, seriously.”

“Okay, Jade. Shoot.”

“I really would like to bring my second-grade class to tour the Coast Guard facility here. I am working with Skip as well. Do you think that would be possible and, if so, who do I need to talk to?”

“I don’t see why you couldn’t. You want me to get the commander in touch with you?”

“Yes, please. The kids would love it since we study the ships coming into the bay.”

Eyebrows raised, he listened with interest as she described her process of identifying the ships, looking up their origins, and then having the children find them on the maps. By the time she finished, she looked around and saw that she had the attention of several of his fellow Coast Guard buddies as well.

What more could a girl ask for, she thought. Surrounded by handsome, single men…but not the one she dreamed of. Sighing, she smiled as Callan winked at her just as someone called out, “Lance! Good to see you!”

Her head instantly whipped around, eyes landing on the man filling her mind. He was standing on the deck near the grill, his eyes boring straight into hers. Blushing, she wondered how long he had been there and if he had seen how close Callan had been sitting.

It shouldn’t matter, she chastised herself. Other than coffee, he’s never attempted to stake any claim, so he has no interest.

And yet, as she tried to convince herself he had just been trying to make amends the other day, she wished it had been more.