“Are we keeping this one or tossing it back?” Ian asks while removing the hook from the fish’s mouth.
“Toss it. If we come home with an entire cooler full of fish, Janelle might kill me.”
“Got it.” Ian leans over the side of the boat and waits for the fish to swing its tail before he lets it go.
“Do you want to toss out your line again?” Ian asks, and I look at Daniel, since he’s the one in charge, and he looks at his watch.
“I think we should probably start heading back.”
“Yeah, my mom is probably wondering where we are,” Sammy says from where she’s been sunbathing next to Mel since they joined us on the boat.
When Daniel and I were getting ready to take off, Ian, Troy, Sammy, and Mel were pulling back in after taking out the jet skis, and when they heard we were going fishing, they decided to join us. It’s been fun and more relaxing than I thought it would be, but still, I’m starting to get hungry. And honestly, I’m ready to get my feet back on solid ground.
“All right, I’ll start packing stuff up.” Sammy gets up, and I help her put our soda cans and water bottles into a trash bag while the guys put away all the fishing gear. When we’re done, I take a seat next to the captain’s chair and soak in the view as we drive back toward the house. It takes about fifteen minutes for us to arrive, and after Daniel parks in the boathouse, we all help him clean up, and the guys unload all the gear before helping us girls off.
When Troy holds out his hand to me, I take it and start to step over the side of the boat, but I stumble and fall against him when Sammy gasps, “Did you lose your ring?”
“No,” I tell her, just as Troy asks, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I right myself, taking a step out of his space, and start to walk up the dock, only to come to a stop when I spot Jace standing next to the wide-open doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes on me.
Great.
Even with him not saying a word, I can tell he’s annoyed.
But you know what? I’m annoyed with him too, so whatever.
“Hey, Jace.” Mel sashays past him with Sammy, and I barely avoid rolling my eyes at her back.
“Man, you should have joined us. Your girl caught five fish,” Troy says, picking up the cooler and heading out the doorway, with Ian carrying our garbage bag.
“She’s a natural,” his dad adds, and the pride in his voice does something funny to my chest.
“I didn’t even know you were leaving the house,” Jace remarks, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his shorts, not taking his eyes off mine.
“You were working,” I say, picking up the fishing poles so Daniel doesn’t have to bend down to get them.
“It would still be nice to know what my fiancée is up to.”
“Maybe if you’d stop working so much, you’d know that information,” his dad inserts, and I hold my breath, because he doesn’t sound as easygoing as he normally does. In fact, he sounds irritated. “Just because you want to spend your life sitting in an office or in front of a screen doesn’t mean everyone else in the world does.”
“Dad.”
“Yeah, I know, I know. You have to work.” Daniel shakes his head and takes the poles from me, meeting my gaze. “It was fun, kid.”
“It was.” I smile. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”
“You’re welcome to join me any time,” he says, and I know I’ll take him up on that offer.
When he leaves the small building and I’m alone with Jace, I wait where I am, because I can tell he has something on his mind, and I’d rather just get this over with.
“Why did I find this in the kitchen?” He pulls my ring—or his ring—out of his pocket and holds it out between us. “And why were you hanging out with Troy when I’ve told you how I feel about him?”
I stare at him as I try to figure out what to say and how I should react. If this were real, if he were my fiancé—hell, even my boyfriend—his questions would piss me off, especially after he’s ignored me all day. But this is not real, so not acknowledging how pissed I really am would probably be smart.
“I was helping your mom with the chili by cutting up the jalapenos. I didn’t know you’re supposed to wear gloves, so I had a reaction to the oil. My hands were on fire, and under the ring was irritated, so your mom put it on the window ledge for me. I should have put it in our room, but I forgot about it.” I draw in a breath. “As for Troy,” I whisper his name in case he or anyone nearby can hear us, “I didn’t invite him. Your dad invited everyone to join us when we were leaving. Should I have gotten off the boat when he got on?”
“Are your hands okay now?” he asks without answering my question, and I hold them out in front of me.
“All better,” I say, and he begins to close the distance between us.
I brace as he gets in my space and hold my breath as he lifts my hand and slides the ring back on my finger. When he stares at it, moving it back and forth with his thumb, I take my hand from his.
“I’m a dick.”
“You really are,” I agree, holding my hands up between us and pressing them into his chest when he tries to get closer. “Admitting that you’re a dick is not an apology.”
“I’m sorry.” His eyes roam over my face. “I know I need to get over how I feel when Troy looks at you or touches you. And I shouldn’t have assumed you taking off the ring was your way of trying to get back at me for not being able to spend time with you this morning.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” I tell him, and his hand settles on my hip.
“I know. I was just pissed when I saw you leaving with everyone.” He slides his hand around to my lower back, the move pulling me closer. “Thank you for bringing me coffee.” He leans down, brushing his nose across mine, and my eyes slide closed.
“You’re welcome.”
“Sucks,” he says quietly, nibbling my bottom lip.
“What?”
“I planned on doing wicked, wicked things to you this morning, but I got a phone call early and had to take it. And that call led to another one and another one.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?” He leans back to meet my gaze, and somehow, I know the way I answer is important. Maybe more important than it should be, given our situation.
“Yes,” I say after a second, and he dips his head to the side and takes my mouth in a deep kiss that makes me forget all the annoyance and frustration I’ve felt since I woke up to him gone this morning. I melt into him and press my chest into his to soak up his touch like it’s a drug I’ve been denied for far too long.
He presses his lips to mine one last time before he pulls back, and my lashes flutter open. When our eyes lock, I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I do know the look on his face causes warmth to wrap around my insides.
“So you caught five fish?” he asks with a smile, and I laugh, dropping my forehead to his chest.
“Yes.”
“I wish I could have seen that.” He slides his fingers into my hair at the side of my head.
“It was awesome.” I tip my head back his way.