I put the sander down as my phone pings. I’m expecting the text, but my face falls as I glance at the screen. I was hoping it was Summer.

I type out a quick thanks before pulling up Summer’s number. She picks up on the second ring. “Hey, sexy pants.”

“Where do you come up with these names?”

“Divine inspiration.”

I smile, something I’ve been doing a lot lately. “What are you up to?”

“Studying.”

“For what?”

“For my teacher’s exam in August.” She sighs. “It’s slow going.”

I’d forgotten about her certification. “Oh. Do you want some help?”

“I’d love some help,” she says, her voice brightening.

“Cool. Then I’ll—”

“But maybe it’s not such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not exactly easy to be around, Koa.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Sorry! That came out wrong. I mean, you’re distracting. To me. Especially to me.”

I snort. “Is it my charm?”

“Among other things.”

“The wit?”

She laughs. “If you say so.”

“I know, the devilishly good looks?”

“Bingo!”

I screw up my face. “Wait, really?”

“Don’t act surprised. I want to jump your bones when we’re together, and that’s not conducive to deep focus or knowledge retention.”

I clutch the frame of my boat as my pulse soars.

“Koa? Hello?”

“Did you really think telling me that was going to keep me away?”

“Not really, but you must.”

“You’re making it difficult…”

“Why?”

“Because I feel the same about you.” A pause. “Summer?”

“I’m here. That was just distractingly sexy.”

“Good. Now you know how I feel.”

“Well, try to restrain your manly urges.”

“What if I can’t?” I say, grinning into the phone.

“You must. For the sake of my future.”

That wipes the smile off my face. Summer’s future. As a teacher. In New York City. None of that had room for me, reminding me yet again that my girl would go back to her real life in one month.

“Koa? Oh God. Did you rupture something from all the restraint?”

“What? No, I was thinking.”

“About anything important?”

Only life-changing.

“Nope. Anyway, I called to see what you’re up to tonight. But I’d understand if you wanted to study.”

“Can’t.”

“Why?”

“I already have plans.”

My hopes plummet as my grand plan for tonight falls to ruins. “You do?”

“Sure do! I’m hanging out with you, of course.”

“Really?”

“Duh.” I picture her rolling her eyes. “So, what are we up to?”

“It’s a secret.”

“No way.” Her voice is instantly curious. “Like a fun surprise? Or a ‘Let’s hike a mountain, Summer, it’ll be fun!’ surprise? Because I’ve had both.”

“Definitely the first one. But that’s all I’m saying. You’ll find out the rest at seven thirty.”

“What’s at seven thirty?”

“Nice try.”

“Darn it!”

“Wear boat shoes and something light.”

“You got it. Oh, and I might have a surprise for you…”

I cock an eyebrow. “Really? What is it?”

“Not telling!”

“Dammit. I fell right into that one.”

“See? Not so fun when you’re on the other side of the fence, buddy.”

“You’re a tease.”

“And you’re a hunk,” she fires back.

I groan. “Sure you don’t want me to come over and, uh, help?”

Summer sighs. I picture another eye roll accompanying it. “Bye, Koa.”

She clicks off, leaving me smiling into the phone. I don’t think I’ve done much else but grin and think about Summer for the last two days. I don’t mind. They’ve been the happiest forty-eight hours of my life.

I grab my keys and head for my truck. I better get moving if I want everything to be ready by dusk. This is our first official date, and I want it to be perfect.

* * *

“The dock?” Summer groans and scrunches up her nose. “It’s Saturday!”

“It’s not what you think.”

“It better not be, because it’s our day off.”

“So the last week wasn’t enough time off for you, Miss Rae?”

“Fine. You shouldn’t be here on your day off. And I was really bored this past week, for your information.”

I pull into a parking spot and cut the engine. “You were? I would’ve thought a week on dry land without the smell of lobsters would be heaven for you.”

Summer shrugs. “I like being out there with you. I like the smell and feel of the open ocean. And you’re a nice bonus,” she adds with a smile.

“Even when I’m bossing you around?”

She tilts her head down and meets my eyes. “Maybe I like being bossed around by a handsome man…”

I lunge for her but she throws opens her door and scurries out. “Hey, not fair!”

“Well, at least I know you like bossy women.” She winks at me and shuts the door. I’m still staring at it when she calls me outside. “Come on, hot shot! Quit dawdling and show me my surprise.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I mumble under my breath as I climb out. I reach around the back and pull out a cooler and a shopping bag. Summer’s watching my every move.

“A picnic?”

“Kinda.” I throw the bags over my shoulder and grab her hand.

“But not up a mountain.”

I lead her to the pier. “Not exactly.”

“Then on a boat?”

“That’s not all.”

“What else?”

I sigh. “Summer?”

“Yes?”

“Stop trying to guess your surprise.”

“But I already did!”

“Not quite.”

“Then what—” She cuts off with a rueful smile. “Okay. I’ll shut up.”

I grunt. “You’re gonna be the death of me…”

“What was that, dear?” Summer asks, cocking an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” I say quickly, coming to a stop. I put down the bags and search for the boat. It’s indistinguishable from all the others in this dying light. Which is good, because Summer’s still doing her darnedest to sniff out my surprise.

“Quit trying to figure it out,” I say, watching her swivel her head back and forth as she scans the harbor. “In fact, close your eyes.”

“I’m not closing my eyes.”

“Yes you are—and no peeking while I drop off these bags.” I stare at her as her eyes close. “Thank you. Now I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, but if you leave me here, all alone, with my eyes closed, then I’m—”

I grab her shoulders and bring my lips to hers, cutting off what I’m sure is about to be a colorful threat. I pull back slowly, keeping my eyes on hers. Her golden orbs are full of surprise and shock, but also pleasure. “You opened your eyes,” I point out.

“You kissed me,” she breathes.

“Only because you wouldn’t let a man surprise you.”

Her eyes go wide. “I think that kiss counts.”

I smirk. “Good. Now I’ll be right back.” I wait for her to close her eyes again before heading to the second to last slip. I drop the bags on the deck near the table and head for the outlet. The Christmas lights I strung up on the Fourth of July spring to life when I plug in the cord, illuminating the deck in a soft white glow. It’s faint now, but when the sun goes down, it’ll be perfect.

I step onto the dock and hustle back to Summer. True to her word, her eyes are still shut. I slide my hand into hers and tow her forward. “Keep your eyes closed.”

“Okay,” she grumbles, “but don’t let me fall into the water, Rendell.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes…”

“Step up here…good.” I bank left and head for the end of the slip. “Then you have nothing to be afraid of.”

Her face relaxes into a smile. “Sorry. I know you’d never let anything happen to me.”

I remember the haunting sound of Summer’s scream as she fell into the heaving ocean that day. My heart tightens like it did when I dove into the icy water after her.

I pull her to me and wrap an arm around her waist. She relaxes into it as we reach the end of the dock. “Okay…” I put my hands over her eyes and lean in, brushing my lips against her ear. “Your surprise awaits.”

I step back and wait for her to open her eyes. She blinks a few times, then gasps. “The boat? The lights?” Her lips break into a huge smile. “You did all this?”

I nod with pride.

“It’s…” She looks back at the boat “…beautiful, Koa. Simply beautiful.”

I grab her hand and pull her forward. “Just like the girl it’s all meant for.”

She scowls at me. “You keep saying things like that and I’ll get used to them.”

I twist around and wrap my arms around her waist, tugging her to my chest. Her breath catches as I gaze down at her. “Then get used to them.” I tilt my head down and kiss her lips, softly, sweetly. “Because they’re not stopping.”

She sighs. “You are full of surprises tonight, Koa.”

“You haven’t seen half of it.” I bend down and swoop Summer up into my arms.

“What are you doing?” she cries, giggling as I cradle her against my chest. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses the tip of my nose. “I feel like a damsel in distress being saved by her Prince Charming!”

I step onto the boat and set her gently on her feet. “You’re no damsel in distress, Summer. Give you a funnel cake and watch out.”

“That guy was asking for it.”

“That he was,” I say in a low voice. I turn toward the cockpit and bring the boat to life. Mike McKarney deserved much worse than a pastry to the face. “Make yourself comfortable while I get us underway.”

“You don’t need help?”

“Nah, these speedboats run themselves. Besides, this is a date, not work.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am.” I fire up the engine and head to the side to throw off the line. “There’s wine and cheese in the cooler, and crackers and fruit in the bag.”

“Ooh, so fancy!”

“I’m trying.”

She watches me as I let out the throttle and ease the boat out of its slip. “Do you even like wine?”

“It’s, uh, not bad.”

“And cheese and crackers?”

I punch up the speed as we leave the harbor. “Who doesn’t like cheese and crackers?”

Summer walks over to the bag, paws around inside, and pulls out a box of crackers. Her forehead crinkles as she reads the label. “Di Bruno Brothers Garlic and Parmesan Crostini?” She looks at me. “Sounds complicated.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I have no idea what it is.”

“Then why’d you buy it?”

“Sounded cool.”

She walks over to me and wraps her arms around my waist. “You don’t have to impress me, Koa.”

“I know,” I say, half believing it.

“I would’ve been fine with beer and Fritos.”

I shrug. “But you’re from New York. I wanted this to be special.”

She slides around and nuzzles into the crook of my right arm. “Anything with you is special. This boat, the wine, the fancy crackers and cheese—that stuff’s just the cherry on top.” She rocks up on her toes and meets my lips with hers, bringing me in for a long, passionate kiss.

I pull her in for more when I remember I’m steering a large, powerful, moving vehicle. “Hey now,” I mutter, “you want me to crash this thing?”

Summer glances around. There’s not a boat in sight. “I’ll take my chances, Captain.” She plants another steamy kiss on my hungry lips and glides away. “But first, I want to show you my surprise.”

She grabs her purse off the chair and draws out two travel-sized liquor bottles. She holds them up in the air with a wicked smile. “Meet Jimmy and his brother Beam…” Her hand dives back into her purse and pulls out a soda. “And their best friend, Coke.”

I groan. “Damn, you’re a lifesaver.”

Her eyes light up. “I knew it! You don’t like wine.”

“Hate the stuff.”

“And cheese and fancy crackers?”

“If I must, but I’d much rather have…” I trail off as Summer reaches down for a third time and pulls out a bag of Mesquite BBQ Lay's Ruffles. I stare at her in pure adoration. “What else you got in that bag, Mary Poppins?”

“All out, I’m afraid,” she says with a pleased smile.

“Well, you did good. And thank God because I don’t know the first thing about nice wine and cheese.”

“Then I’ll start bartending and let you drive.” She plops down in a chair. “Am I allowed to know where I’m going yet?”

I glance out along the water, being sure to plot a heading that sticks close to the shoreline. I don’t want to miss the stadium in this dying light. “We’re seeing fireworks.”

The clink of glasses pauses behind me. “We are? How?”

“Baseball stadium. They do fireworks after Saturday night games in the summer.”

“I love it! What a great idea.”

“I owe you a Fourth of July.”

“But that was weeks ago.”

“Still. It’s overdue.”

Summer skips over to me and wraps me in a big hug. “Well, thank you. I’m quite excited.”

“I think you’ll like it. It’s not going to be as grand as the Fourth, but still, fireworks from the water are not something to be missed.”

She nuzzles in deep. “I think you mean fireworks with you are not to be missed.”

I grin down at her. “Both are pretty damn good.”

Ten minutes later, I ease in the throttle and cut the engine. I drop anchor, dim the console, and join Summer at the table. “Wow,” I say, staring at the artfully plated fruit and cheese tray. “This ain’t your first rodeo.”

“It certainly isn’t. My family loves this stuff.” She scoops a big helping of gooey cheese onto what I guess is a crostini and holds it in front of my mouth. “Try this.”

I frown. “What is it?”

“You weren’t kidding about not knowing what you bought…”

“Nope. Not a clue.”

“Well, this is brie, and I think you’ll like it.”

I throw her a skeptical look but open my mouth. Summer guides the cracker in, her finger grazing my bottom lip as she pulls away. I don’t care much for the slimy texture, but I’ll eat anything to have her soft finger on my lips again. “Not bad.”

“Really?” she says, watching me carefully.

“Yeah.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “What don’t you like about it?”

“Nothing, I swear.”

“Come on, out with it.”

“It’s fine…but I think I’ll go with a potato chip next.”

She laughs. “You got it.”

We look around as a cheer goes up from the shore. The stadium, once bathed in light, is now in total darkness.

“Looks like it’s fireworks time!” Summer cries, jumping to her feet. She grabs our whiskey glasses off the table and saunters over to the pile of cushions I laid out on the deck. “You coming?”

“Yup! Let me just cut the lights.” I jump to my feet and scramble over to the console. Look, when a beautiful woman asks you to join her on a bed of cushions, you move your ass.

I join Summer as she gets cozy in the pillows. I slide in behind her and pull her to me, shifting her between my legs so she can rest her back against my chest. We relax into each other, my chin coming to rest lightly on the top of her head, as we watch the fireworks explode in bright pops of shimmering color.

I look up at the sky and realize that I was wrong before. This is the happiest I’ve ever been, here, with Summer nestled in my arms, as we watch the show with an empty ocean and soft waves as our only companions.

I brush aside Summer’s blonde hair, the strands so fine and soft in my fingers, and lean down close to her ear. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Summer twists her head around. “Something with you.”

I chuckle, my chest sending Summer rocking up and down. “You said that earlier.”

“And I’ll say it every time you ask me.”

“You will?”

“This may come as a surprise, big guy, but I actually like you now.”

I press my lips into her soft temple. “Oh really?”

She quivers under my touch. “Mhmm.”

“How much?” I kiss her ear this time.

“A lot…”

“This much?” I brush my lips across her cheek.

She swallows as her eyes flutter close. The fireworks are all but forgotten. “Maybe.”

“Or this much?” I pull her around and kiss her neck softly, then her collarbone.

She nods. “That much sounds about right.”

“Really?” I leave a trail of kisses up her neck to her chin, across her cheek, and finally to her nose.

“Yes,” she pants. “Definitely yes.”

“Good. I was worried I’d have to bring out the big guns.”

“The big guns?”

I raise my left arm and start flexing my bicep. I make sure to give Summer my most charming smirk.

She erupts in giggles. “You look ridiculous!”

I raise an eyebrow, channeling my inner Hasselhoff.

“Like…a rugged Fabio! That pout?”

I frown. “Fabio? I was totally going for Hasselhoff.”

She gasps with laughter. “That face. Oh my God. Stop.”

“Alright.” I grab her and press her to my chest. “Looks like I need to teach you a lesson, after all.”

“Koa!”

I plant my lips on hers, taking her in a hard, hot kiss. She melts instantly in my arms. I pull away and smirk down at her—this one’s for real.

“Lesson learned?” she asks.

“I don’t think so.”

Her eyes go wide. “You don’t?”

“Not yet…”

Summer wiggles out of my grasp, sliding away to the edge of the pillows. “Down, boy.”

I groan. “You’re killing me.”

“Well, you needed to be taught a lesson,” she says wickedly.

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and open them. “Summer?”

“Koa?”

“Come here.”

She arches an eyebrow.

“Please,” I add through grit teeth.

“Well, since you asked nicely…” She starts inching toward me at a glacial pace.

“I’m a patient man—” I lunge for her, throwing my arms wide and pulling her in to my chest. I find her soft stomach and start tickling the hell out of it. “But not a saint.”

“Ah! Stop it!”

“I can’t stop. This is payback.”

“You didn’t learn anything!”

“And I never will. Now…” I stop tickling her, wrap my hands around her waist, and gaze down at her. “Give me your lips, woman.”

Summer winks at me. “Aye aye, Captain.”