“Because you’re a private person, and I have a feeling getting you to swim in the pool where I live would be like pulling teeth. Only islanders know about this cove, but it’s hard to get to. The only people willing to trek through the woods to get there are the Bra Brigaders.”
Shelley’s mother, Lenore, headed up the Bra Brigade, a group of women who gathered in remote places on the island to sunbathe in their bras. Lenore was in her seventies, but she’d started the group as a teenager, and it had grown to include many of the women on the island. Cait had heard that Ava had taken part in it, and Abby had told Cait that she and her friends had joined them on occasion, too. Deirdra wanted nothing to do with sunbathing in her bra, and Cait was definitely on Team Deirdra.
“Besides,” he said with a coy grin, “it’s my favorite spot on the island.”
She was floored, and pleased, that he had thought of how private she was. He was full of surprises, and they were slowly chipping away at her resolve to keep her distance. She also liked knowing that he had a favorite spot and that he’d shared it with her. “Why is it your favorite?”
“Because when I was ten, I went there with my friends and we were all horsing around. I went under and couldn’t find my way back up. I don’t remember much, but I remember swallowing water and being scared shitless, and then a mermaid came out of nowhere and saved me.” His expression brightened. “She brought me right up to the surface.”
Cait felt her jaw go slack. She wasn’t sure if he was kidding, but even if he was, the story and the cove made their connection feel that much deeper. “You don’t really believe in that stuff, do you?”
“Sure do. Don’t you?”
“Um . . . yeah.” A little thrill scampered through her at his belief in mermaids. She didn’t want to admit that she used to believe her mother had turned into a mermaid after she’d died—or the crazy notion that was currently going through her mind. That her mother had been the one that had saved him.
“I knew we had things in common. Let me make you another taco.” He reached for her plate as if he talked about mermaids every day.
“It’s okay. I can do it.” Her mind reeled. “Did your friends see the mermaid?”
“No. I was with Jock, Archer, and Grant, and they were busy messing around. They didn’t even realize I was in trouble until I broke the surface, gagging and coughing, and then they didn’t believe me about the mermaid. No one believes me, but that’s okay. I know what I saw.” Jock and Archer Steele were twins and the oldest of Shelley’s six kids. Grant Silver was Keira’s oldest brother, and he was engaged to Shelley’s youngest daughter, Jules.
As she made another taco, her pulse quickened. She liked how he owned his beliefs, even if everyone else laughed them off, and she wanted to know more about him. “How did you get into boatbuilding? Have you always liked boats?”
“Yes, but it borders on more of an obsession. My mother will tell you that boat was my first word. I’ve been around boats my whole life. You know my family owns the marina and my father runs it. But you probably don’t know that my grandfather was a boatbuilder before he retired. I remember as a little boy wanting to figure out how something so big and heavy could stay afloat. By the time I was six, I spent every free minute I could with my grandfather, following him around as he built and refitted boats.”
He looked out at the water with a thoughtful expression, then turned that soft, sexy gaze on her. “I worked at the marina with my dad as a teenager, but in the evenings I’d hang out with my grandfather to learn from him. The two of them taught me almost everything I know. My grandfather pulled some strings with his friends who taught engineering, and by the time I was in high school, I was learning from them, too. I started designing and building boats in my senior year of high school, and within a few years, I’d made a pretty penny. By the time I was in my midtwenties, I had developed a solid business. When the marine equipment supply company came up for sale, I wanted it in the worst way. I wanted people to think of us for all their marine needs. I had saved up some money by then, but of course not nearly enough, so I asked my father and grandfather to go in on it with me. They put me through the wringer, making me come up with a prospectus with projected earnings and expenses, the whole nine yards. They approved, and we went in on it together. I’ve never looked back.” He laughed softly. “And I’ve just given you way more of an answer than you asked for. Sorry.”
She envied his openness and wished for the millionth time she’d grown up differently. She couldn’t imagine growing up with that kind of love and support. “I like hearing about your life. You’re lucky to have such a great family. Did you ever want to move away?” If she had a family like his, she sure wouldn’t have.
“No. Family is everything to me. I wouldn’t be who I am without them. What about you? Where did you grow up? Do you have other sisters or brothers?”
“I was adopted as a baby, but I was an only child.” She could stop there, but Brant was so open with her, she wanted to give him something back. “We lived in Rhode Island until I was four, when my adoptive mom passed away. Then my father moved us to Connecticut.”
Empathy rose in his eyes. “Oh, Cait, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you lost your other mom, too. That must have been difficult, especially at such a young age.”
“It was. I have very few memories of her, but I have a sense of her. Or maybe of the emptiness she left behind, because I still miss her every day.” She had no idea why she admitted that, but it was easy to be honest with him.
“I bet you do.” He put his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze, then moved it away, as if he knew keeping it there might make her nervous. “Do you have a favorite memory of her?”
Nobody had ever asked her that before, and she wanted to share her favorites with him. Maybe because he had such great memories of his family, she wanted to cling to hers, too, or maybe it was just because she enjoyed talking to him. She had a feeling it was the latter and went with it. “I have two, actually. She wore a mermaid-tail necklace. It was blue and silver, and she never took it off. I have flashes of memories of reaching up and touching it as she leaned over me to kiss me good night. Her name was Karen, and it was engraved on the back.”
“A mermaid tail?” He leaned close and lowered his voice. “I think we were fated to meet, Caity.”
She was starting to wonder about that, too.
“I hope your father saved that necklace for you.”
“He gave away all of her possessions.” The ache in her chest softened her tone.
“Aw, babe. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay. I have another favorite memory,” she said, wanting to get away from the ugly subject of her father. “My mom used to walk a lot. I remember holding her hand and walking fast to keep up. I feel like we went on a lot of walks, but I could have made that up in my head, you know, wanting special memories.”
“Is that why you prefer to walk?”
“Maybe,” she said. “Probably.”
“Are you close to your father?”
“No.” She answered too fast, instantly regretting it as questions rose in Brant’s eyes, and his brows knitted.