Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

***ARCHIE***

A rchie stood in the darkness, waiting for Felicity and Brittany at the end of the dock. It would still be an hour before the sun would begin peeking over the horizon, but he was filled with energy. It might have been the pot of coffee he'd already downed, but he knew that some of it was Felicity and decided for that one day he'd ignore all the warning bells in his head. They were just friends, there was no harm in that, and if his body at times demanded more, he was doing a good job of shutting it down. Today would be no different.

He spotted two blonde heads in the moonlight a few minutes later. His heart gave a lurch, his stomach filled with butterflies, and he felt like an idiot for being nervous. "Good morning, ladies," he said when they got close enough. "You're right on time. The tide just started going out, the boat is loaded, and it looks like it's going to be the perfect day for fishing."

Brittany gave him a dirty look, "It's not morning yet; in case you missed it, the sun isn't up," she said, then stomped past him. "I hope there's some coffee on this tub. I might kill someone if there isn't."

Felicity looked over at him, smiled, and then shrugged her shoulders. "She's not a morning person," she said, an apologetic look on her face. "You wouldn't believe what I went through to get her here. She'll thank me later, she always does, but a cup of coffee sounds pretty good to me, too."

The fishing boat was nothing like the speed boat they'd taken to the island. Three times bigger, it had a full kitchen, which she learned was called the galley, three staterooms, and a deck that stretched out beneath her feet. Fishing gear was piled everywhere, and the smell of fish made her wrinkle her nose at first, but it wasn't long before she didn't notice it any longer. Archie led her to a set of stairs and they descended into the heart of the boat, following the smell of coffee down a narrow hallway, then crowded into the tiny galley with the rest of the crew.

"We've got a couple of minutes before we shove off," Archie said. "I'll grab us a couple of coffees, and we can take them back up on the deck. The sun should be coming up soon, and we'll have a front-row seat."

She spotted Brittany across the room, a steaming cup in hand, and hoped it was improving her mood. "Okay?" she mouthed to her; not sure she could get across the room. "I'm going back up. Do you want to come?"

Her sister scrunched down in her seat, shook her head, then waved her off, "Is Brittany coming with us?" Archie asked, slipping up next to her.

"No, I think she's happy right where she is," she said, smiling up at him and taking the cup out of his hands. "She'll be better as soon as the caffeine works its magic, but as early as it is, it might take a couple of cups. It's probably better to leave her alone for a little while. "

When they made it back up on deck, the first rays of light were just beginning to brighten the horizon, and she stood looking up at the stars for a few minutes. "It's beautiful, I've never seen so many stars," she said. "I love this time of day; anything and everything seems possible."

He stood looking down at her, something deep inside him breaking free as he watched her smiling up at the sky, a hopeful look on her face. "I think I know what you mean," he said. "It's like those first few minutes right after you wake up, those few seconds when the stress of life hasn't intruded yet, a tiny stretch of time when you haven't remembered yet how much you've screwed up your life."

Felicity turned to look at him, her face full of compassion, "Someone hurt you too, didn't they?" she asked. "I'm sorry, Archie, whoever she was, she was a fool."

Their eyes met, and deep down, he felt something stirring to life. It frightened him and thrilled him at the same time, left him completely tongue tied, and he could only stare down at her for a few seconds. When the urge to kiss her slowly descended on him, he stepped back, afraid that he might not be able to control the impulse, all too aware of the huge mistake that would be.

"Let's find a place to sit and watch the sun rise," he said, breaking the spell between them. "Our coffee is getting cold."

He didn't miss the look of disappointment on Felicity's face even though she hid it quickly, "Lead the way," she said, smiling at him. "I'm still a little bit lost."

They watched the sun rise, the stars fade, and the coast of the island disappear as they sipped their coffee, a comfortable silence between them. But he couldn't forget the look on Felicity's face when he'd changed the subject earlier and wondered why it bothered him so much. He didn't owe her his life's story, they were just friends, and island friends at that. Opening up to her would be a waste of time and energy for them both.

Just thinking about telling her about Susan left a nasty taste in his mouth. As vain as it was, he didn't want to admit to Felicity that he'd let a pretty face ruin his life. He didn't want to bring his ex-wife into what they had, didn't want the poison that she'd spread get to Felicity. She'd had enough problems of her own, she didn't need to hear about his. Their friendship was much better as it was. Opening up to her would change things, make the connection deeper, which was the last thing he wanted.

But looking over at her, the first rays of sunlight playing across her cheeks, he wondered if that was true, if his resolve was already slipping. He'd wanted to kiss her just a few minutes before, had wanted to feel her in his arms. The urge had been almost overwhelming. Afraid that he really hadn't learned his lesson, he scooted away from Felicity, determined to put that professional distance between them again.

***Felicity***

Felicity pulled with all her strength, then let out a grunt of satisfaction when the crab pot landed on the table, making sea water cascade over the side. "You're stronger than you look," Carl, the fishman she was working with, said with a big grin on his face. "You'd better let me do this next part. Those claws can take a finger off if you're not careful."

She took a step back and held up her hands, "Fine with me," she said. "I like all my fingers right where they are."

Carl snapped the trap open, tipped three huge crabs out onto the table, then with a speed she'd never have guessed that the man his size could possess, he snapped rubber bands onto six pairs of claws. When he was finished, he opened a cooler on the table, slipped the creatures inside, and looked over at her, a grin on his face.

"You might want to cover your mouth and nose," he said, gesturing to the handkerchief tied around her neck. "This next part is a little stinky."

She followed his lead and pulled the bandana up over her nose, then nearly gagged when he opened the other cooler under the table and pulled out a handful of what looked like fish guts. He stuffed them into a little compartment inside the trap, then gestured for her to join him, and together they shoved the trap back into the water.

Carl collapsed into the seat on his side of the table, then pulled the bandana down, "It's safe now. One nice thing about the breeze is that it carries the smell away," he said. "So, what do you think? Are you ready to sign onto the crew?"

She laughed, "I think I'd better stick with my day job. This is hard work," she said. "You must really love it to do this every day."

"It's in my blood. I need the sea like I need food and water," Carl said. "Fishing is hard work, but I can't imagine doing anything else, and since I got this job with Max, well, I don't have to worry about paying the bills."

"He's a good boss?" she asked, looking over to the other side of the boat where Brittany and Max were chatting as the boat cut through the water to the next set of traps. "He seems like a nice guy; he's been good to me."

"I'm not surprised," Carl said, shrugging his shoulders. "He's like that with everyone."

"So, what happens to the crab and fish we've caught?" she asked. "Are you going to take it to the market or something?"

"No, we're going to eat them," Carl said, grinning at her. "We'll have a big fish fry tonight. Staff, guests, even our families if they can make it over. Max likes to feed everyone when he can."

"Wow, that's cool," she said. "It must cost a fortune, I mean, that's a lot of people to feed."

Carl looked over at her, "Max is loaded, old family money, plus the killing he made on Wall Street," he said. "He's high society, all his family and friends are, but he walked away from all of it to open the resort."

"I had no idea," she said, then looked over at Carl. "Did you say that all his friends are rich?"

Carl nodded, "I've only met a couple of them, but I'd be happy with a tenth of what they're worth," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about my life. I've got a woman I love and a house full of kids that drive me crazy, I wouldn't change a thing."

After they pulled in the last crab trap, they all got a break, and she headed straight for Archie, "Hey, that was fun, wasn't it?" he asked. "Tommy let me put the bands on the last batch. I thought I was going to lose a finger there for a second."

She stared up at him wondering if it mattered that he was rich, but couldn't make up her mind, "Are you rich?" she finally asked.

"What?" Archie asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Someone just told me that Max and all his friends are loaded," she said. I was just curious. You never talk about yourself, not really. I guess I just want to know more about you, but if I'm putting you on the spot, then forget that I asked."

"You're not putting me on the spot, it's just a long story. I'm not rich, though, that's for sure," he said, shaking her head. "Unlike the rest of my friends, I went to college on scholarships. I had to fight for my education."

"That must have been hard to see your friends taking the easy route when you had to struggle so hard," she said. "You must not have fit in very well."

"We had other things in common," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I had big plans in college. I was going to save the world and do something good for people who didn't even have what little I had."

"What happened?" she asked, then slapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I'm being snoopy. You don't have to answer that."

Archie looked down at her, "It's okay, I guess I shouldn't treat it like a big secret," he said. "I got married and started working for her father as soon as I graduated. It was only supposed to be for a year, which turned into two, then three. When I finally tried to put my food down, I was suddenly too old to go traipsing around the world, and the truth was, she was right, but I realized then that I hated my life. That was the day my marriage ended, the day I woke up and realized what a big mistake I'd made."

"Oh, Archie, I'm so sorry, that must have been so hard," she said. "Even if it was for the best, it's never easy to see a relationship end."

"That's the most frustrating part, it never ended," he said. "The judge ordered me to pay so much alimony. I'm still working for her father and paying all her bills; I'm trapped with no way out."

She reached out and took his hand, couldn't help herself, "I know what that feels like," she said. "I was trapped by my relationship too."