Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Johanna waved as she walked across the wharf toward Everett's boat. She was on her way to spend time with him for their second date, and she felt as giddy as a teenager.

Maybe it's the sneaking around that's making me so giddy , she thought cheerfully as she saw his burly form wave back. But maybe it's just how much I like him.

She smiled, feeling eager to spend more time with him and get to know him better. She had been thinking about their date ever since they'd decided to have one, and now that the moment had come, she felt as though she was practically vibrating with excitement. Even though going on board a fishing boat meant that she would definitely be out of her element, she felt ready for the adventure as long as Everett would be there beside her.

"Welcome aboard," he said, grinning at her as she climbed the rickety gangplank. He laughed when he saw her make a nervous face as the gangplank swayed. "Don't worry. It likes to move but it will hold."

Sure enough, she made it onto the boat without incident, and he gave her a warm bear hug. "Thanks for being here."

"Of course." She smiled as she pulled away from the hug, noting that he smelled of a rich, musky cologne and not at all like fish. "Happy to be here."

"Give me one second to disconnect us from the dock, and then we can be on our way."

She stood and watched with interest as he worked. The wind picked up—there was a light breeze that day, and although it was chilly it was not piercing cold. Overhead, the sky was a serene blue, and a few fluffy clouds meandered across the sky.

"There," he said, turning to her with a grin. "That's done, then. Want to come below with me?"

She nodded, feeling a growing sense of excitement. She was finding the fishing boat far more fascinating than she had expected to. He led her down a narrow staircase and through a small door that led into the cabin of the boat.

It was a little messy—clearly the boat of a bachelor. A couple of unwashed coffee mugs rested by the wheel. Overall, however, it was clean and comfortable, and she smiled. He picked up a couple of thermoses and glanced at her.

"These will help keep us warm up there," he said. "I put extra cream in your coffee. Sorry, I didn't have any sugar."

"That's quite all right," she said, gratefully taking the thermos he handed her. "It was thoughtful of you to prepare something."

"I have to make sure you stay warm," he said, and the way he said it was so sweet that her heart felt light all of a sudden.

They went back up into the cold sunshine, and Everett began to steer the boat away from the dock.

"This is so exciting," she said, grasping the sides of her thermos and taking an eager sip. The coffee was excellent—and she felt that Everett had added just the right amount of cream.

He turned to her, grinning. "Just wait until you see more of the ocean."

The boat moved quickly away from the harbor, and Johanna gazed in delight at the way the sunlight flashed on the dark blue water. They went out farther into the ocean, until the coast was barely visible in the distance, and she felt a kind of peace.

"We're surrounded by blue," she said, almost dreamily, and then she shivered as the wind picked up and blew against their faces.

"Are you cold?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her.

"Not anymore." She sighed, cuddling up against him for warmth.

She felt him chuckle through the sleeve of his coat, and they stayed huddled up together for the rest of the boat ride. She found it soothing to be close to him, and every time she glanced at his face, she saw that he was smiling.

The view of the ocean was breathtaking, and she felt stirred by the beauty of it.

"This is opening up a whole new appreciation for the ocean for me," she murmured. "I've always loved the look of it from the shore, but it's different to be out here on the waves like this. I've been on a cruise ship before, but it's not the same. This way you can feel the water moving under you."

"I love it," he said, his eyes shining. "The ocean talks if you listen."

"I think it's saying all kinds of mystical and marvelous things." She laughed lightly. "I'm going to appreciate living in an ocean-side town even more after this. The ocean feels like something I've met now. Like a friend."

He squeezed her gently, grinning broadly.

She laughed, but she didn't quite know how else to put her thoughts into words. She felt the spaciousness—the majesty—of the ocean in a way she never had before. The free, open feeling of it all was such a nice contrast to how crowded and tight New York had felt.

For a while they didn't talk much, and both of them simply stared out at the gentle waves. She found their companionable silence comfortable, and she felt pleased by how easy it was to get along with him.

After a while, however, she felt a desire to strike up a conversation with him. After all, her date was with him, not the ocean, and she wanted to make sure she spent their time together getting to know him better.

"So," she said, turning to him with a smile. "What do you like best about fishing?"

He chuckled. "Where to begin? I like providing something that people need in order to live. You know, food. That's satisfying. And I love catching the fish, that's satisfying." Although his words were simple, she got a sense that he was passionate about his job. It was something that he was happy to get up and do every day, and she found that admirable.

"And my father was a fisherman," he said. "He taught me how to fish. How to watch the signs of nature. It was something we did together for many years before he passed away. I think that's what means the most to me about fishing—I feel closer to my father when I'm on the water."

She saw a tender light in his eyes as he talked about his father, and she squeezed his hand gently. He smiled at her and hugged her sideways.

"I'm sure your father was very proud of you, taking on the family business like this," she said warmly.

"Thank you," he said. "I really appreciate you saying that."

For a moment, they shared a smile.

"I mean it sincerely," she said. "You're clearly an excellent fisherman. It's a good thing I don't have to carry on a family legacy of fishing—I would be a terrible fisherwoman."

He laughed—a big booming laugh that she found endearing. It seemed to echo along the surface of the ocean like skipping stones. "No, I'm sure you'd be fine at it. It's a skill—like anything else, the more you work at it, the better at it you become."

She shook her head. "My city girl ways make me bad at countryside jobs. I'm still learning how to knit, and Marsha can tell you how absolutely abysmal at it I am. Although she's much too sweet to phrase it like that, I suppose." She laughed.

He chuckled. "I'm sure you're much better at knitting than I would be. I'd be terrible at it. My fingers are too clumsy for that kind of thing."

She shook her head. "No, you must have nimble fingers. You catch things for a living. I need to learn how to catch better when I knit."

He frowned, confused. "Is that some kind of knitting term I've never heard?"

"Nope." She laughed. "I need to catch on better."

He groaned at her terrible joke, and she bowed.

They continued to laugh and talk lightly as he turned the boat around and headed back toward the shore. When they reached the dock, he showed her how to cast anchor and she watched in fascination.

"Thank you again for this," she said as he walked her off the boat. "I had a really lovely time." She smiled shyly at him, feeling reluctant to part ways.

"I did too." He ran a hand through his hair, hesitating for a second before asking, "Do you have anything going on right now? We could take a drive through Blueberry Bay."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she nodded. "I would love that."

"Great." He grinned. "I hope you don't mind sitting in my truck."

She made a face as she remembered his truck, and he laughed heartily. "Don't worry, it's clean inside. Well—clean enough."

She laughed. "I would love to go with you in your truck, Everett."

They walked together toward where his truck was parked, and he opened the passenger door for her.

"Watch your step," he said, offering his hand to help her climb inside the tall vehicle.

"Oof," she said as she took his hand and hoisted herself up, using the metal stirrup. "I never realized how tall trucks were before."

He stared at her. "You've never been in a truck?"

"Don't look at me like that, I've been living in New York City for decades."

He chuckled, and she grinned. He closed her door with the perfect grace of a gentleman, and she looked around the interior of his truck. It was in fact fairly clean—he had some tools jumbled together in a box on the back seat, but for the most part the truck was tidy and smelled fresh. She was a little surprised, and she scolded herself for having jumped to conclusions about his truck.

Just like I jumped to conclusions about him, she thought. My goodness, I'm glad I got a chance to see how wrong I was.

Everett climbed into the truck on the driver's side and started the engine. He turned to her, his slightly lined features open and warm. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said, laughing. Her heart felt light. "I'm still fairly new to Blueberry Bay. I would like your full tour. Tell me everything you know about our town."

"Hmm, that will involve me going on and on about all kinds of people you've never met."

She shrugged. "Sounds wonderful to me. I like history."

He chuckled and began to drive the truck out of the parking lot and onto the road. The afternoon was still sunny, and inside the truck it was warm and comfortable. Johanna sat back and sighed in contentment as Everett began to point out various buildings and tell her what he knew about their history. She chatted with him about the information as they drove, genuinely interested in what he was telling her. They continued to laugh and banter as he wove his truck through the charming streets of Blueberry Bay. They were getting along great, and Johanna was crossing her fingers that they would have another date after that one.

As they paused at a stop sign, she suddenly let out a yelp.

Marsha and Willis were walking along the sidewalk, less than fifteen feet from Everett's truck. They seemed to be lost in their own world as they talked with each other, but Johanna wasn't taking any chances. She ducked down so that they wouldn't see her in Everett's truck.

Beside her, Everett was laughing. "Should I hide too?" he asked.

"No!" she squeaked, laughing and feeling as giddy as a teenager. "You need to keep driving!"

Chuckling, he moved the truck forward and turned a corner. "The coast is clear," he said, winking at Johanna.

She sat up, smoothing her hair down. "Oh my," she breathed, "that was a close one."

"They didn't see you," he assured her. "They didn't even notice me. Willis knows what my truck looks like."

She nodded. "They seemed intent on their conversation." She reached over to squeeze his arm. "That was a close one."

He drove the truck up to a curb and parked it, turning off the engine. "Want to hop out and grab some coffee or something? Maybe some doughnuts?"

"Sure." She smiled. "I'd love that. We—"

She let out a gasp and ducked again. This time, it was Dane who was walking along the sidewalk near Everett's truck.

This time, Everett ducked too. He bent over with his head near Johanna's, both of them trying to repress their laughter. They waited for what felt like a long time, and then finally she lifted her head to check the sidewalk.

"The coast is clear," she told him, and he lifted his head too. They were both laughing and breathless, and their gazes locked. For a moment, neither of them moved, and then he leaned forward and kissed her gently.

Her heart raced. They pulled away from the kiss, both smiling shyly.

"Thanks," he said, grinning.

"No, thank you," she said primly, and he laughed.

They sat quietly together for a few moments, as if they didn't want to break the spell of their tender moment. She realized that she'd let herself think that the romantic, thrilling moments of her life were over, but she'd thought it too soon. Being with Everett felt wonderful—she felt alive and excited and aglow with happiness.

"I'll go get us some doughnuts and coffee," he said finally, nodding toward Tidal Wave Coffee, which was just down the street. "You stay here in the warm truck."

"That's very gallant of you, thank you," she said, pressing a hand to her chest. He grinned back and hopped out of the truck.

"Be back in a flash," he said. "I'll get you sugar in your coffee this time."

She laughed, and he gave her a little salute as he closed the door. She watched him walk along the sidewalk toward Tidal Wave Coffee, feeling her heart thud with eddies of excitement.

I don't know what's going to happen next with us , she thought, but I can't wait to see what it is.