She looked out the window. “I didn’t realize we were having fun.”
He glanced down and noticed her hand on her lap, and he pushed away the desire to reach over and pick it up. She wore rings on three of her four fingers. Only her ring finger was naked.
He’d given her a ring once, a plain silver band. He didn’t have money for anything else, but he told her it was a promise ring. He promised he’d love her forever. And he would have too.
He’d dated other women, but his lifestyle didn’t lend itself to a long-term relationship. He liked to keep things simple and uncomplicated. That way nobody got hurt.
That’s what he should be thinking about right now, not the way the sun highlighted her skin or the way she was beautiful without trying.
Louisa had this quiet confidence he didn’t see in most of the women he met. Maybe that’s why he wanted to help her overcome this new fear of the water—because she seemed unafraid of everything, and he wanted her to stay that way.
He envied her that.
He drove down Polpis Road, drinking in the serene scene in front of them. He couldn’t be sure, but as they passed underneath the trees that led into Quidnet, he might’ve heard her exhale for the first time since he arrived at her house.
Her body had gone from rigid to relaxed, and it occurred to him he was still waiting for that to happen to him. He’d been a ball of nerves from the second he arrived back on the island.
“I know where we’re going,” she said.
“Sesachacha Pond.” He kept his eyes on the road.
Was she thinking about the time they rode their bikes out here and spent the day? They’d gone kayaking and swimming and eaten a picnic lunch and pretty much had the kind of day that made people fall in love with each other.
Gosh, things were simple then. He missed it.
“Thought we’d start off slow.” He parked the Jeep and turned off the engine.
The pond was separated from the ocean, and the swimming was easy. No seaweed and no waves. If she’d been smart, she would’ve spent that morning paddleboarding here.
“I’m fine, you know.” She got out of the Jeep, clinging to her phone as if her life depended on it.
He reached over and pried it from her hands. “You can leave that here.”
She watched him as he opened the door of his vehicle and put the phone in the glove box.
“I thought about it, and we can go to the marina and go back out today,” she said. “I really am fine.”
He stood in front of her, loving that she was only a few inches shorter than he was. He liked that she was independent—and that it annoyed her to have this weakness.
“You know I’m an officer in the US Coast Guard, right?”
She shot him a look dripping with irritation.
“So you know I am trained and certified to save you should you get pulled under by a giant, man-eating fish.”
“You think you’re really funny, don’t you?”
He let himself smile for a fleeting moment, then turned toward the water. “I want you to feel safe, is all.”
She was at his side. Their arms brushed against each other as they walked. He didn’t move away. Neither did she.
“I do feel safe,” she said. “I’m with a three-time state-champion swimmer.” She pushed her shoulder into his.
“Oh, I’ve got way more impressive credentials than that.”
She stopped, eyes wide. “You do?”
He’d forgotten this about her. She was easy to get close to. You wanted to tell Louisa things—wanted her to know everything about you so she would tell you everything about her. And she always did. A true open book.
He noticed she was still standing in the spot where she’d stopped. He turned toward her and squinted into the sun. “You coming or what?”
“Spill it.”
He groaned and started back toward the water.
“I’m not going in till you tell me,” she called out.
“Forget I said anything,” he called over his shoulder.
She crossed her arms over her chest—her way of digging in her heels.
“I was just blowing smoke, Lou. Forget I said anything.”
She didn’t move, and neither did a single muscle in her face. Not even the slightest twitch of an eyebrow. When it came to staring down an opponent, she was better than anyone he knew.
“I got a medal once. It’s not a big deal.”
“Obviously it is,” she said. “Why didn’t you put that on your Coastie auction facts and figures?”
“Would you have paid more for me if I had?” He tossed her a half grin, and for the briefest moment they were back to who they used to be—not an ounce of painful history between them.
“So, what, you saved someone from a burning ship or something like that?”
He shrugged. “Something like that.”
She watched him for a long moment, and an unspeakable something passed between them.
“You’re not going to give me the details, are you?”
“I’m a man of mystery.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. What’s your big plan, skipper?” She walked past him, toward the water.
“Skipper?” He followed her.
“Your new nickname. I think it suits you.” She grinned at him over her shoulder, and he could see that she’d moved past whatever moment they’d almost shared.
Or maybe he’d only imagined there was a moment. Maybe he’d only imagined there was anything between them at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
AGAINST HER BETTER JUDGMENT, Louisa trudged toward Sesachacha Pond. She remembered the first time she saw the name of the pond on the map—she butchered its pronunciation so badly, the other kids on the beach laughed at her for a solid five minutes. They called her the “Sesa-cha-cha girl” that entire summer.
“What’s with them?” Cody had asked, and Louisa only shrugged. She didn’t know what was with them. She didn’t know why the name of this pond was funny or what she’d done to make it more so. She only knew that when they pointed and laughed at her, her cheeks flamed and her skin burned. She wanted to hide.
“What’s your problem?” Cody had shouted in their general direction.
One girl, a summer resident named Autumn who wasn’t a part of the mockers, quietly came over to them, as if she had something to say.
“It’s pronounced ‘Sack-a-juh,’” she said. “But I kind of like your way better.” Autumn smiled then, and she became one of Louisa’s best friends, second only to Cody Boggs.
Louisa had gone home that afternoon with a sunburn, feeling a little less like a social outcast thanks to Autumn and Cody.
Now, standing near the water, she wanted to turn and run, but her desire to leave had less to do with the water and more to do with the fact that Cody had her insides all tangled up. She stole a glimpse of his profile, highlighted by the shadows of the late-afternoon sun.
“What are we doing here?” she asked. “Where’s the boat?”
“No boat,” he said.
She looked at him full-on, doing nothing to hide her confusion. “What do you mean ‘no boat’?”