“Hey,” he said as he stepped inside. He went right to Rennie and pulled her into an embrace. He hadn’t seen her in a few days, as she’d had loose ends to tie up in Seattle, but she was back in Cape Harbor and didn’t have to leave.
“I made sandwiches.”
“Perfect,” he said as he kissed her again. “You ready to go?”
Rennie nodded, bagged up their lunch, and grabbed her things. Graham waited for her to exit first before pulling the door shut and making sure it was locked. While they were gone, construction would continue.
“The work crew will be by while we’re gone,” Graham could hear Rennie tell Shari. He smiled as he passed by but kept his head down.
“You know, you’re going to need to talk to her someday.”
“Nope, I don’t think so.”
“Stop being such a baby.”
They walked hand in hand up the ramp and through the parking lot until they came to the gate for the docks. Graham typed in the six-digit code and waited for the lock to disengage. He opened the door, and Rennie went through and led them down to Bowie’s boat, where she stowed her things.
“I’ll untie and pull the buoys,” she said as Graham started up the craft. When it came to boating, she was still a novice but learning. Graham had shown her a few tricks on how to coil the rope and fold the tarp, but he mostly did it for her. He appreciated her help, though, and always thanked her.
They set sail toward Friday Harbor. Graham was making good on a suggestion—not a promise, as he liked to remind Rennie—that she see the lavender fields in bloom. They would dock for the night once they reached the pier, visit in the morning, and then head south toward Puget Sound and then turn north to head home. Four days at sea, with nothing but each other.
Much like their last trip, Rennie worked in the galley, plating their lunch, and sat next to Graham in the extrawide single-person chair. Unlike their previous trip, Rennie was happy and in love . . . with Graham.
“Thanks for lunch, babe.” He turned and kissed her on the cheek.
With the navigation set, Graham relaxed a bit, and the boat cruised along the course. The last time they came out this way, there wasn’t another boat in sight; now they were everywhere.
“Think Grady’s out here?” Rennie asked as she looked out the window.
“Nah, I think he said they were headed toward Alaska.”
Rennie shook her head. “I can’t believe how far he’s come in these past few months. You must be so proud of him.”
“We all are.” Graham placed his arm around Rennie and pulled her closer. He had to give her a lot of credit where his brother was concerned. If it hadn’t been for her, there wasn’t a doubt in Graham’s mind Grady would be in jail. As it was now, Grady had a stable job on a fishing boat. After he had a talk with Brooklyn about starting Chamberwoods back up, she suggested he work for a bit to make sure he still had his sea legs. If in a year he was sober and thriving, she, on behalf of Brystol, would invest in the company and hand over majority ownership to him. Much to Graham’s surprise, Grady agreed. When Graham heard what Brooklyn said, he thought for sure Grady would go off the deep end, but he hadn’t.
Rennie cleared their plates away and cleaned the galley before she stripped out of her clothes and went to lie in the sun. He was jealous of everything: that he had to drive the boat, of her swimsuit because it touched her, of the other boaters who saw her. He wanted to be with her, always.
When they reached the pier in Friday Harbor, it was time for dinner. Rennie cooked while Graham paid their slip fee for the night. They had talked about going back to the bar, but neither had really drunk since Grady got out of rehab, and it really wasn’t their scene. Although they liked the idea of hustling the pool players, they also feared someone would remember them from New Year’s. They ate an easy dinner of chicken and sautéed vegetables and sat on the deck and spoke to people as they came down the pier.
“I feel like we’re old.”
Graham laughed. “We’re not even forty yet.”
“Look at us, Graham. I’m dressed in white shorts and deck shoes, with my striped pullover sweater. I belong in the catalog for what retired women should wear when boating.”
“You’re ridiculous; come with me,” he said as he got up. He walked up the stairs into the galley and then down the small flight to where the bedrooms were. He went into the master bedroom and waited for Rennie to join him.
“What are we doing?”
He closed the door and then went around to make sure the windows were closed as well. “Strip.”
“What?”
“Get naked,” he told her as he dropped his shorts. Rennie gawked at him and slowly undressed. She stood before him, naked. “Now, lie on the bed. I’m going to show you how sexy and not old you are.”
She did as she was told. Graham lay next to her, resting on his elbow. Slowly, he touched every part of her body, saying he loved the spot behind her knee because it was so ticklish and how the curve of her hip fit his hand perfectly. Each time he’d get to a random part of her body, he would comment and massage or kiss the area. By the time Graham came to her neck, she was panting. She wanted him, but each time she reached for him, he batted her hand away.
“Graham,” she drew his name out through ragged breaths.
“Ren,” he replied. When they’d finally figured their lives out, he’d promised never to call her love or darling. Both nicknames triggered fits of anger in her, and he never wanted her to be upset with him.
“Can you?” Her chest heaved up and down as his finger trailed over the goose bumps on her skin. “I need . . .”
“What do you need?”
“You. I need you.”
“Okay.” Graham dropped his hand onto her waist and pulled her toward him, hitching her leg over his thigh. He cupped her face between his hands, and she gripped his wrist, as if to hang on. He flexed his hips and watched her intently. Her eyes fluttered, and as soon as her mouth opened, he kissed her.
When the sun came up the next morning, Graham was thankful they only had one thing on their list to do. The rest of their vacation would be on the boat, just the two of them. He rose early, showered, and made his way to the rental agency, where he was able to get the scooter he wanted. When he pulled into the marina, Rennie was waiting for him in the parking lot.
“Oh my. Is this safe?” she asked as she slipped her helmet on.
“We aren’t going far,” he told her.
Rennie climbed on the back and wrapped her arms around Graham’s waist. He drove them out to the field he had shown her back in January, and when he pulled into an open parking spot, she jumped off the scooter and walked toward the fence.
“Graham, this is beautiful,” she said after she took her helmet off. “These fields are so vibrant.”
Graham secured the scooter and took Rennie’s helmet from her and set both helmets on the seat. He reached for her hand and started them off on the trail that would take them deeper into the lavender.
“I can’t believe it’s taken my whole life to see this place.”
With those words, Graham turned and got down on one knee.
“What are you doing?” she asked him.