Cody knocked on the door to Louisa’s office and braced himself for the rush of oxygen that would inevitably leave his body the second he saw her.
She appeared in the doorway. And there it went—all the air in his lungs.
She motioned for him to come in but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t like Louisa to be quiet. He fought the urge to ask her what was wrong, but she quickly launched into the latest plans for the regatta. Food vendors. Spots for the Coast Guard to set up demonstrations. Various races with various prizes. She said nothing about the Race with a Coastie event and nothing about Jackson Wirth.
She ran through details so quickly, he was certain she wasn’t even listening to herself, let alone expecting him to listen to her.
“What’s wrong with you?” he interrupted when she was in the process of telling him about the kayaks she’d secured for the day of the event—another activity she’d added to the itinerary.
Her eyes drifted up toward his, but she didn’t respond.
“Something’s obviously bothering you.”
“What makes you say that?” She dropped her pen onto her desk and pushed her iPad away.
He shrugged. “You don’t seem like yourself.”
She half laughed, but it was clear she wasn’t amused. “How would you know? Maybe this is me being myself.”
All business. Cold. Quick. No, this definitely wasn’t Louisa.
“You haven’t smiled once since I walked in here,” he said.
“Maybe I don’t feel like smiling when I’m around you.”
He felt his eyes widen. “Ouch.”
She covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. That was super mean. It came out wrong.”
“What’s the matter?”
She let out a heavy sigh and moved her hands away from her face, but her eyes were focused on the ceiling above her. “I went to see my parents. I think I’m still recovering.”
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t pry. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share. If he was really going to keep his distance, he’d have to do a good job of keeping her at arm’s length.
Why was it so hard?
She waved him off. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. Or at least I should be. My mom’s never forgiven me for—” She looked away.
He could see the sadness on her face. He knew how it felt to carry the guilt of that night, and he wished he could carry it for her.
She pressed her palms into her eyes. “Plus, I accidentally bid on you and now you’re stuck with a disaster of a partner for the race, and it’s next weekend, and you know I’m not going to be over whatever this is by then.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Stranger things have happened.”
She sighed. “I can’t sleep. I keep waking up certain I’m dead. It’s horrible to almost drown.”
“I know,” he said quietly.
She looked at him. Had she forgotten that his father died because Cody had nearly drowned? Did she not realize that he, too, had overwhelming nightmares and a strong, healthy fear of the water?
If she had forgotten, she remembered it now. He saw it in her eyes.
“It seems so easy for you,” she said. “Being in the water.”
He distinctly remembered the day he got back in the water. He didn’t take it slow or easy. He plunged himself into the ocean, determined not to let it steal anything else from him, and it nearly killed him all over again.
It took some time, but eventually he overcame his fear. He’d dedicated his life to saving the people the sea wanted to steal.
“Cody?”
He’d shared too much that day on the boat—getting any deeper with Louisa was a bad idea.
“You’ve got this regatta stuff figured out, right?” he asked.
She looked confused at his abrupt subject change and started to scan the work on her desk. “Yes.”
“Okay, I trust you.” He stood.
“You’re leaving?”
“No, we’re leaving.”
Her frown line deepened.
He looked at her outfit—a pink striped sundress with a pair of brown sandals. He could see her pink toenails. Was it strange that even her feet charmed him? “But you can’t wear that. Go change.”
“Where are we going?”
“Training.”
“For what?”
“For the race,” he said. “I don’t know if you remember, but I’m a pretty competitive person. You might not have meant to bid on me, but you did—and I have no intention of losing.”
Her face fell. “Cody, I don’t think I can—”
“Louisa. Enough excuses. You can let this thing control you or you can take control of it. This is a mental battle.”
“Well, I’m losing,” she said.
“And I’m here to help. Go change.”
Finally she relented. She left him standing in her office feeling out of place. This room used to be a cozy little family room where he and his parents and sister, along with Louisa and her parents, would spend their evenings playing board games or, if he was really lucky, video games. Their television had been hooked up to a DVD player and a gaming system but only got local channels with an antenna.
Maybe that’s why he still preferred books to TV and quiet to noise. His parents had loved their simple life, so he supposed it made sense that he, too, would grow to love a simple life.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took it out to reveal a text from his mom.
Call me when you have a minute.
He didn’t talk to his mom often, but he knew without asking that she wouldn’t love that he was spending time with Louisa. Why did he feel like he was betraying her simply by being here?
He shoved the phone into his pocket without responding and looked up in time to see Louisa walk back into the room.
She wore a pair of shorts and a tank top over her swimsuit, and she carried a towel. “Is this appropriate attire for whatever you have in mind?”
He forced himself not to smile at her, though he really, really wanted to. He wanted to pull the elastic out of her hair and let those long red waves fall down around her shoulders and then bury his face in them. Instead, he just nodded and pushed open the door, thankful for the fresh air that served as a dose of reality.
She jogged to catch up to him. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“What if I refuse to get into your Jeep until I know where you’re taking me?” She stopped and planted her feet. She really could be maddening when she wanted to be.
He faced her. “Then I guess you’ll miss out.” He was starting to learn when to call her bluff. Obviously a good choice because seconds later she was jogging to catch up to him again. He opened the passenger door and motioned for her to get in.
“I can open my own door, you know.” She hopped up onto the seat.
“Right, but you know that’s not how I was brought up.”
Her eyes softened. “I know.”
He started the engine. “Ready?”
“I’d be more ready if you told me where we were going.”
He pulled out onto the road. “Where’s the fun in that?”