Page 4 of Grounds for Love

Chapter 2

Jen

Iswallowsohard my tongue almost sticks to the roof of my mouth when the captain looks up. I’ve only seen him from a distance. Up close he’s what Joy would call hawt with a capital H.

He doesn’t look very happy as he pushes up from his seat, and there is no doubt that the man makes the uniform, not the other way around. He’s dressed in a white shirt and black pants with a black belt boasting a shiny gold buckle. There are black epaulets on both shoulders with four gold bars on each. The top two buttons of his shirt are open and a tanned vee of skin peeks out. On his broad chest, a gold nametag above his left shirt pocket reads Captain R. Murphy. Thick strong arms tug at the short sleeve cuffs and his forearms are just as tanned and muscular. His dark hair is cut close on the sides and longer on top with a perfect smattering of gray at the temples and sprinkled throughout.

My mouth waters. There is no way to describe him other than hot. Puddle-melting, Greek statue hot.

My strong reaction stuns me and I forget my original reason for being there. We’ve never met, but we have connected. At least that’s the way I’d describe the gaze-locking moments we’ve shared. I look up from his chest to what I can now see is a mix of blue and green, creating irises of an almost grayish shade. Stunning.

“Get out,” he barks and the grim line of his lips flattens even more.

The unexpected sharp bite of his voice startles me and I jump. Unsure I heard him correctly, my brows pull together. “Excuse me?”

His handsome face darkens. “Can’t you read? Passengers aren’t allowed up here.”

I don’t understand his rude tone. I widen my smile to let him know I come in peace. “Yes, I can read quite well. I saw the sign, but Jimmy said I could stop by and drop off a complimentary cup of coffee and a fresh baked cookie.”

His eyes shift to the box in my hands. Instead of the smile I expect, he scowls.

“I brought coffee and cookies for your crew,” I try to explain, but his sour expression doesn’t change. His isn’t a normal reaction. People are usually happy to get a freebie.

He glances to the tray in my hands and glowers. I’m reminded of a frightened dog snapping at a hand offering kindness. “I don’t want any and my crew has work to do. I don’t pay them to sit around eating cookies. Now, get out,” he barks again, pushes up from his seat, and walks through the hatch to another room.

What just happened?

My spine straightens. I’m left with my mouth open, my face red, and steam coming from my ears. The nerve of the man. I turn on my heels without a backward glance and make my way down the metal stairs where I dump his coffee in the trash but keep the cookie. I’ll enjoy eating every single bite. I refuse to let his impoliteness hurt my feelings.

Any connection I thought we’d shared is obviously one-sided. That man wouldn’t have a clue how to have a moment. Maybe he’s farsighted and I misinterpreted the whole thing.

I join my curiously excited sister on a bench looking out over the water as the ferry takes us to the mainland.

“So, tell me everything. Is he as handsome up close? Did your fingers touch when you handed him his coffee, and did you feel a spark?”

I chortle and shake my head. “Yeah, none of those things. He’s a bad-mannered ogre with a chip the size of Texas on his shoulder.”

Joy’s eyes widen. “What? But I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

I cross my arms and glower towards the top deck. “What we thought we saw must have simply been astigmatism or something in his eye because I’m telling you that man wouldn’t know polite if it bit him on his fine, tight ass.”

Joy gasps and giggles. “You saw his ass?”

I shift my disappointed gaze to my sister. “That’s all you picked up on? Really, Joyanna.”

She waves her hands wildly. “Wait, back up and tell me everything. Maybe you misunderstood him. It has been a long time since you’ve been interested in a man.”

I snort at that foolish idea. “I told you from the beginning I’m not interested in him. I never should have let you talk me into going up there. I knew you had a plan when you said we should bring the crew coffee.”

Joy tries and fails to look remorseful. “I’m sorry, Jen. I’ll kick him out when he comes in the shop if that makes you feel better.”

“I don’t think we have to worry about him showing up.” He’s never been to the coffee shop and I’m sure he won’t be in now. I sigh and turn my gaze away from the upper deck of the ferry. My heart is still racing from the encounter I just shared with a man I don’t care to know, but can’t stop thinking about. “Now, just drop it. He’s nothing to me. Just like I’ve been saying.”

“Come on, Jen. I’m your sister. Nobody knows you better. You’re intrigued by the hawt sea captain. There’s nothing wrong with admitting it. So he may be a bit older than you, but you know that doesn’t matter.”

I chuckle at her waggling brows as she delivers that line. I stand up and lean on the railing and watch the ocean water as the ferry slices through the waves. My sister at twenty-one thinks that anyone not in their twenties is old. She may be right. At forty-one, I sometimes feel ancient.

The calming waves ease my anxiety. Why can’t my sister understand that I don’t need or want a man in my life? I had the best love a woman could ask for. He’s gone now and so is my happily ever after. I’ve accepted that, so why can’t my sister? “Leave it alone, Joy.”

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