CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ben
What in the hell had I just done? I saw her crying, her auburn hair floating around her, petite shoulders hunched as she fought the emotions. I couldn’t stop myself. I had to swoop in and make her smile like one of the girls in my movies. Fuck. I reached for the row of aprons on the hooks, as she had instructed, and slipped one over my head. This wouldn’t have to last long. I was sure she could find a clerk replacement in a few days. In the meantime, I would fill my time doing something constructive, and if I was being honest, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to spend that time around her.
I pushed the screen door open and walked toward the rental booth. I spun around.
“What do you think? It’s my first time in an apron.”
She scrunched up her nose. “These aprons don’t look good on anyone. You can thank my father for that.”
I looked at my chest and wondered for a second if I had laid off the workouts for too long. Was there actually a woman in the world immune to my charm? “All right, then. What’s next?”
“Why don’t we start with something simple like the rental booth? We’re already out here.” She hung a lifejacket on a hook on the sidewall and clipped the straps together.
Assessing the stand, I didn’t think renting out equipment would be too complicated. It had been a long time since I had bagged groceries at the local food market back home in Shiner, but I remembered the cadence of working in a store. This would be easy.
“Ok. Train away. I’m all ears.” I nodded at a couple as they walked by, cameras dangling around their necks. I realized this might be the best way to blend in to island life—just be one of the locals.
She cleared her throat. “The first thing we always do in the booth is open all the windows, turn on the fans, and when I’m working, I turn on the music.” She reached over toward the radio and hit the power button.
“Nice. I think I like this even more.” I recognized one of the songs I had heard in the Jeep. “What’s this music called?”
“You haven’t heard beach music before?”
“Can’t say I have, but I like the words.” I always judged a song by the lyrics. If it didn’t mean anything, why even bother with the music?
Chelsea’s mood seemed to have improved in the last hour. There wasn’t a trace of a tear on her cheeks. I kept getting distracted by her blue eyes. Every time she smiled at me they sparked. It was enough to sidetrack any man.
She giggled. “My parents and all their friends love it. So it’s kind of like oldies. I can see how you would hear that sound. I’ve grown up listening to it.”
“So you like beach music and what else?” I thought of a few of my favorite country artists and wondered if she had ever heard them. The best were the ones who wrote music too.
She fidgeted with her apron. “Me? Oh I like everything. Anything that has depth in the words.” She scrunched her nose. “You probably don’t want to get me started on words. I can talk for hours about lyrics.”
It didn’t bother me if she wanted to talk about music. I wondered what words spoke to her. Right now, my favorite songs were about getting lost. She probably couldn’t relate. No one could.
“Hey, do we get to take them out?” I eyed the row of boats next to the stand.
“Not during our shifts, we don’t, but I guess it would be ok after work.”
Maybe I could still work in some paddling today. “You know, I think it would help me get a better understanding of the business and the equipment if we took the boats out. You should take me.”
She stopped fiddling with the lifejacket clips. “You want to go kayaking? With me?” She turned to face me.
“Why not? You did say you’d give me on-the-job training.” I watched her think over the invitation. I was glad she wasn’t crying anymore—at least I had accomplished something important today. Her face was too pretty for tears.
“True, but I’m not much of a kayaker. And—”
“Stop trying to come up with excuses and just take me out. Ok?”
I grinned wider than I intended. I might be actually trying to get a reaction from her, and that was something I never did. Women naturally reacted when I was around. Not this one. She was different, and I liked that about her.
I walked behind the booth and glanced over her shoulder at the rental checklist. As my chest brushed her shoulder, I felt her stiffen, so I moved to the side. The flirting came so effortlessly to me that it was like breathing. Usually, I didn’t think about it, but now that I had removed myself from girls, and people in general, everything about this interaction seemed heightened. The way her hair smelled, the look she gave me, the hesitation in her response—all of it was like part of a dance I had been missing. A slow dance.
“Ok, I’ll take you. But, as part of the training.” She turned to face me. “You’re right; you should be familiar with the rental equipment.”
“Ah-ha.” I felt slightly triumphant. Wilderness Ben had not lost his touch. “It will be fun, dar— It will be fun.” I slid the clipboard across the counter, hoping to cover up my fumble. “So, tell me what we have here.”
“This is the checklist we use every time someone rents a piece of equipment. They have to fill out this sheet. Let’s start at the top.”
***
“Do we get breaks around here?” I thought it had to be close to lunchtime. My stomach was growling, and I could go for one of those barbecue sandwiches I saw a customer pack on the back of his kayak.
Chelsea was scribbling something on a piece of paper. “Huh?”
“Lunch. Can I break for a few?” I tried to catch her eye, but she was buried in a small notebook.
“Sure. Sure. Whatever. Thirty minutes I guess.” She whispered something as her pen furiously inked out another line.
“Ok.” I untied my apron. “I’ll be back in a few.” I waited for her to respond, but I was certain I could jump off the deck at this point and she wouldn’t notice.
I followed the boardwalk around the cove. There were bait shops and a few restaurants along the marina waterfront. It was like something you would see in an idyllic movie scene, although these people were real. I smiled at the thought as I tugged on the door handle of one of the sandwich shops.
Fifteen minutes later, I emerged from the cafe, satisfied the hunger pains had subsided. I looked toward the end of the docks and spied an ice cream stand. I strolled in that direction and got in line behind a family of five. The couple argued over whether their children could eat the ice cream out of cones versus cups. I smiled, thinking if that was the dilemma of the day, it was a damn good problem to have.
“What can I get you?” The ice cream attendant squinted from the sun.
At first the plan was to sit here and watch the boats sail by while I still had ten minutes left on my break, but when I spotted the bucket of chocolate, I had another idea. All girls like chocolate.
“One strawberry and one chocolate.”
“Cones?” The man already had his scoop in the cooler.
“Yep. I think we can handle cones.” I handed him cash and accepted the two heaping cones, already dripping from the heat. I would have to hurry to get them back to the rental stand before they completely melted.
“Thank you. Enjoy the day.” The man turned to face the next family behind me.
“Thanks.” I tasted the strawberry before launching into a full sprint back to the store.
Chelsea was exactly where I left her. Her nose pointed at the notebook as she scrawled words across the pages.
“Brought you something.” I shoved the cone in her direction, dripping chocolate everywhere.
“Uh—what the—?” She looked up, annoyed that her pages were splattered with the sticky treat.
“Shit.” I scrambled for a paper towel. “I didn’t mean to spill it.” I tried to clean the mess up for her.
“No. No. I’ve got it.” She brushed my hand away. “It’s probably better with chocolate all over it.” Her eyes rose to mine and I caught a glimmer of laughter.
“Tell me you at least like chocolate. Did I screw that up too?”
She bit her bottom lip as the corners of her mouth rose. “Actually, my favorite is strawberry. But, it’s good. I’ll eat it.”
I chuckled. I was striking out left and right. I shifted the cones and placed the strawberry one in front of her. “Take this one.”
“No, it’s yours.” She shook her head.
“I’ve already ruined your page. Just take it.” I held the cone next to her hand.
She wrapped her fingers around the paper sleeve, touching the top of my hand in the process. I lingered for another second. Her eyes made me forget whatever witty comebacks I had planned. I chuckled under my breath.
“Something funny?” She licked the top of the strawberry swirl.
“No. Just learning a lot today.”
I crunched on the side of the cone and stepped out of the booth. A party boat was headed out of the marina. I needed to study it to clear my head for a second and try to remember who in the hell I was.
***
“Five o’clock is quittin’ time, right?” I spied my new boss eyeing the clock.
In the last few hours Chelsea had shown me the employee entrance, the ins and outs of the rental stand, the general layout of the store, and given me my schedule. What kind of screwed up plan was this? I had to be at the store at five thirty in the morning. This would go down as one of the not-so-smart ideas of the summer.
Admittedly, I’d had a good time. She was cute, funny, and it had been awhile since I had met such a smartass. Most girls were so afraid to scare me off that they wouldn’t speak their minds. Going on dates was like watching fan blades spin around; it was an endless exercise of the same old garbage.
She smiled. “Yes. We’re done for the day. Why don’t you take these inside?” She tossed her apron into my chest. “Still want to go out paddling?” Her head tipped to the side, and I noticed the sun caught strands of her hair, turning them a bright honey color.
“Of course. Be right back.” I untied the canvas string and ducked inside the screen door. I had been waiting all day for this. Every time I saw a boat sail past I wanted to hop aboard and drift out to open waters.
The sun was so intense at this time of day. The only thing keeping my eyes from watering was my sunglasses. The rays smacked me in the face as soon as I walked back on the dock. I watched as Chelsea struggled to hold up one kayak while unhooking the suspension cord to keep the boat upright. If she let go, it would knock her in the head.
“Hey, let me help you with that.” I jogged over and braced the boat as she set it free.
“Thanks. This one was a little tighter than I expected.” She placed her hands on the sides of the kayak and dragged it to the open boat launch. “Can you get yours on your own?”
I laughed. “I think I can manage.” I flipped the handle on the lever and released the kayak into my arms.
I started toward the launch and noticed she was already ten yards out in the water.
“Hey, I thought we were paddling together!” I shouted.
“We are. See if you can catch up.” With that, she dipped the end of her paddle in the water and made a deep stroke next to her kayak, propelling her farther ahead.
I recognized a challenge when I saw one. My competitive quarterback side kicked in as I ran toward the launch. I tossed the kayak forward and jumped into the open seat. I fumbled with the paddle until I had an even stroke, crossing my chest like a figure eight. She was fast, surprisingly fast, but I knew I could catch her.
Instead of turning into the open sound water, she steered into a creek where she seemed to be able to pick up speed. I sliced the paddle through the water, pressing hard with my shoulders. I caught her smile as she looked over her shoulder to gauge the distance between us. She continued to steer straight as the creek narrowed. The rows of houses and piers were behind us.
Only a few more yards. I was so close. Adrenaline surged through my veins, and I felt my heart pump harder as I worked to overtake her boat. I plunged the tip deeper into the water, sending me within inches of her back. The bow of my boat sailed past hers. I jumped up victoriously.
“Yes! Gotcha. Yes! Yes!”
“Sit down!” she screamed, but it was too late.
“Whoa-whoa-whoa!” I rocked back and forth on my feet trying to steady myself, but I had already disturbed the natural balance of the boat.
“Jake!” She managed to yell my fake name before I landed on her kayak, flipping both of us over and into the saltwater creek.
I popped to the surface, realizing I could touch the murky bottom.
“You ok?” I sputtered the words as I reached for my capsized victim. I thought I felt something brush past my leg, and I knew it wasn’t Chelsea.
“What in the hell?” She brushed her hair out of her face and spit out a mouthful of water.
“Sorry about that. I guess I got a little carried away with my victory.” I shrugged in apology.
“Victory? I didn’t know it was an official race. I was just kidding around.” She grabbed onto the side of her boat and tossed the paddle in the cockpit. She looked mad.
I stared at her. What had gotten into me? I had sped through the marina and creek like a NASCAR driver. An incredibly fast and triumphant driver, yes. But still I may have let things get out of hand. The last thing I wanted was to piss her off.
“And I thought you weren’t much of a kayaker,” I teased. Obviously, she had downplayed her aquatic skills. I should have known better. The girl grew up on an island and ran a kayak stand.
I couldn’t stop staring. This was stronger than the urge to race after her in the boat. Her white T-shirt clung to her skin, the water making it almost transparent. My eyes landed on the lacy outline of her bra. It was hard to miss with the way her chest was heaving. The scalloped edges stuck to the tops of her perfectly round breasts. Damn.
“You could help me with this part.” Her voice jerked my eyes away from her chest.
“What?” At least I was able to keep myself from stammering.
“Help me get back in the kayak,” she urged. I thought she noticed where my eyes had been.
The water was almost chest-deep for her and even though she tried several times to hoist herself into the cockpit, it was proving impossible without a boost.
I reached below the surface of the water and wrapped my hands on either side of her waist.
“Here we go. One. Two. Three.” At the end of the count, I shifted her upward, giving her room to toss her leg over the side.
“Thanks. Think you can manage to get in yours by yourself? I don’t think I can help you from here, but you can always swim back.” She adjusted the paddle in her hand and began spinning around to face me.
My kayak had drifted a few yards from us. “I’ve got this. No problem.” I swam over to the boat and surveyed how I was going to get back onboard without making an idiot of myself for the second time.
I was almost a professional athlete. I rarely called in a stunt double on the movie sets. I could get back in a kayak.
“You ok over there?” She floated closer.
“Yep.” I eyed the boat again and decided just to go for it. Damn any more embarrassment.
I pressed hard with his palms and lifted my frame out of the water. Nailed it. I grabbed the paddle and circled toward her. Now that I was in the boat, I realized how uncomfortable my wet T-shirt was. I laid the paddle across my knees and peeled the shirt over my chest. The warmth of the sun’s rays felt good as they hit my shoulders.
And there it was on her face. The reaction I had tried all day to get. I allowed myself a satisfied smile. Just as I began revel in my true victory, Chelsea took her eyes off my chest. She was distracted by her kayak colliding into mine. I toppled back into the salty creek.