Page 40 of Forbidden Kisses
Grace shook her head. “You don’t need to worry. I am certain that whoever she is, she’ll happily say yes.”
“You don’t even know who I’m talking about.”
“Well, if I know her, then she’s smart. Too smart to pass up a chance with a great guy like you.”
It had to be Krista. Noah said she knew the person and Grace didn’t have very many friends to speak of. She’d been too busy caring for her mother over the last few years and trying to survive.
“Just be yourself and you can’t go wrong,” she told him.
“Myself? Most girls don’t want to talk about fishing.”
“I know some who do,” Grace said. “Some love the sport. I’m pretty fascinated by the topic these days.”
Noah nodded. “Well, you did spend part of your upbringing with us. I’d say it’s probably in your blood.”
Grace grinned. “Maybe so. Whoever she is, she’d be crazy to say no to a date with you. You’re quite a guy.”
Noah stood. “Thanks, sis.”
“Who knows. Maybe this girl you’re interested in is the one.”
Noah held up a hand. “Stop right there. I’m not the type of guy to go for ‘the one,’ ” he reminded her. “My perfect catch is in the ocean. Not on land.”
“That’s what all the fishermen say. And they’re all wrong.” Grace watched Noah pull his weathered ball cap on his head and head out. “Thanks for the advice,” he called behind him. “See you later.”
When he was gone, Grace reached inside her shirt and pulled out Jack’s note.
A date. With Jack. And one that wasn’t confined to her little apartment. She loved the sound of that. She reached for her cellphone and texted him:I’d love to.
—
Jack had cleaned the small pontoon boat and packed a picnic cooler, complete with wine. He hadn’t gone all out for a date like this since…well, since the first night he’d gotten laid. He’d put a little effort into that night expecting a big payoff. He’d already slept with Grace, though. Tonight, he just wanted to romance her, the way a woman should be. He wanted to see her smile and laugh a little bit more. Something about doing that made him feel adrenalized—the way he used to feel on a fishing trip.
Grace pulled into the driveway of his house, circling around back like he’d suggested—just in case Sam or Noah came around. Jack wasn’t exactly comfortable with keeping secrets, but Grace was right. Noah thought of her like a long-lost sister. Seeing his brother groping on his sis tonight might not go over too well.
Grace parked and started walking toward him on his personal boat. She was wearing pale blue shorts that hit midthigh and a white cotton blouse with a neckline cut low enough to rev Jack’s imagination. Not that he needed imagination. He’d seen what was under that blouse. And as much as he’d love to see it bathed in moonlight, he was behaving himself tonight.
“Hi.” Grace squinted against the setting sun. Within a half hour, it’d be gone.
“Hey. Glad you came.” He stepped over to the starboard and helped her into the boat. “I see you got those sea legs going.”
“Need ’em if I’m going to be captain in a couple weeks.”
“This boat is considerably smaller than theSummerly,so for someone like you who’s still getting your bearings, it’s best to stay at the center of the boat tonight.”
Grace nodded. “I don’t want to fall overboard.”
Memories of Chris’s accident pricked at his memory. Jack pushed them away, unwilling to let anything ruin this date. He’d been with Grace physically. They’d spent a lot of time together at the office lately, too. But tonight was different. There was something about being alone with a woman on a date that cast a different energy between them. He could feel it, could see it in the way that Grace had curled her hair under and put a little makeup on her eyelids and across her cheeks. She was making extra effort, the same way he had by cleaning the boat. There was a nervous energy in the way she fidgeted with her hands.
“I know you’re not scared of being on a boat,” he said.
The wind lifted her hair around her face. Smoothing it down with her hands, she looked up at him. “Not at all. More excited, I’d say.”
He unwound the rope anchoring them to the dock and started the motor, guiding his small boat out into the waterway. The pontoon boat was made to move slower than a fishing boat, which theoretically made it a lot safer. In his mind, it was also a romantic boat.
Grace gestured at the cooler. “Are we having dinner out here?” she asked.
He nodded, keeping his eyes on the water as he maneuvered the craft. “Yep. Thought I’d take you on a water tour first. Show you the work that I’ve done with Dewy’s kid.”
