Page 43 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

“Um, yes,” Terrence said. He felt that he was bungling this entire thing, and he could feel the tips of his ears turning pink.

“I—oh dear.” She took her skirt in her fingertips and lifted it slightly, a gesture that made him think immediately of some kind of storybook princess. “I’m really not dressed for that sort of thing.”

He desperately wanted their date to be a success, and now that she’d seen the kayak, it was too late to turn back.

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her with a reassuring smile. “Your dress looks comfy enough for the boat, don’t you think?”

“Um, I suppose so.” Vivian leaned over and looked down inside the kayak as if wondering if it was dirty inside. She seemed satisfied that it wasn’t. “I would like to try the kayak out. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on the ocean in a boat that small.”

“Before we go,” Terrence said, gesturing to a nearby picnic table, “I’ve prepared us some champagne. I thought we could toast to our venture before setting out on the water.”

“Oh my.” Vivian laughed delightedly when she saw the bottle of champagne and the two champagne flutes sitting beside it. “That looks very nice.”

“It’s still chilled, so it should be nice and refreshing on this warm evening,” Terrence said, thrilled that she seemed pleased by the champagne.

They walked over to the picnic table and he uncorked the champagne bottle with a loud, satisfying pop. After he’d carefully poured them each a glass, he raised his in a toast.

“To our date,” he said, and although he felt a little cheesy doing it, Vivian smiled and raised her glass as well.

“To our date,” she echoed with a light laugh.

“It’s a beautiful night,” he said, looking out across the glittering waves and feeling the wind kiss his face. “No clouds—if it stays that way, we should be able to see a lot of stars tonight.”

She blinked at him, looking worried.

“I don’t intend for us to be out on the kayak that long,” he assured her hastily. “I was simply thinking about it. I often think about where the weather is headed.”

“You would.” She laughed and took another sip of her champagne.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, laughing as well. He thought to himself that he had more fun with her than anyone else.

“You just—you’re a very prepared man, Terrence Rawlins. I’ve never known someone so prepared.”

He chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s good to know about the weather, especially if you’re about to get into a kayak with very precious cargo.”

She smiled and he thought he saw her cheeks flush a little. They sipped their champagne in companionable silence. Vivian seemed happy and relaxed, although he was beginning to feel a little nervous about their impending voyage. He hadnever operated a sea kayak before, and he felt that it was his responsibility to make sure that everything went smoothly. After all, it had been his wild idea.

“Are you ready?” she asked with a grin when she’d finished her champagne. He’d finished his as well, and he nodded, feeling butterflies in his stomach for more reasons than one.

“I am.” He did his best to sound confident and in-charge.

He led her over to the kayak and helped her into it. She sat down a bit gingerly, clearly worried about her dress getting dirty, and he thought to himself with a sigh that he should have warned her that they were doing something athletic.

Still, she let out a little whoop of excitement as he pushed the kayak into the water and then clambered in. It rocked precariously for a moment, and then Terrence could feel himself settle into the balance of the boat.

“Ocean, here we come,” Vivian said as they began to paddle out onto the open water.

“But not too far,” he said with a laugh.

“Aww, really? I was hoping we could paddle down to Florida. I have an aunt who lives there.”

They both chuckled over Vivian’s joke. It took a few moments, but soon their paddling was in sync, and they were doing a decent job of moving the kayak through the waves. The ocean was blessedly calm in the little harbor of Rosewood Beach, and Terrence thought to himself that it was all going much better than he had feared.

Underneath them, the water was like moving colored glass, reflecting the gold of the waning sunlight in winks and flashes. Seagulls swooped and dived overhead, letting out hoarse cries that added to the wild, untamed feeling of the expedition. Terrence felt the wind ruffle his hair and realized that he hadn’t done anything so adventurous in many, many years.

“What inspired this romantic gesture?” Vivian asked finally, shouting a little so that he could hear her over the sound of the wind.

“I—well, I actually had a conversation with Dean!” Terrence shouted back. She couldn’t see his face, which he was thankful for because he was sure his cheeks were bright red. “I wanted some advice about—well, I wasn’t sure how exactly I should be treating you. I didn’t know what to say, things like that. You reacted to something that I said the other day in a way that made me worried that I was moving too quickly.” Vivian was quiet, and now he wished that they could see each other’s faces. “Dean gave me the advice to simply be honest and genuine with you.”

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