Page 10 of A Ferry Merry Christmas
“My shipmate noticed something wasn’t right early on, even before the boat stopped moving.” He continued making conversation. “Personally, I don’t mind the delay, except my sister is waiting for me at the terminal. I hate holding her up.”
“My brother is there, too,” Avery said without thinking. And accidentally letting him know the man in her life was her brother. Her attention had been on the display case in the cafeteria. She noticed the prepared packaged sandwiches and clam chowder had sold out. The hot dogs went next. At this rate, the cafeteria would be completely empty by the time she got to the front of the line. She’d be lucky to find anything more than a bag of popcorn.
“So, this guy you’re meeting is your brother?”
Now the sailor sounded downright gleeful, and she had no one to blame but herself. If she hadn’t been thinking about her stomach, she wouldn’t have offered up the information. Sometimes she didn’t know where her head was.
“I’m Harrison,” he said next, as the line slowly advanced.
Harrison, not Harry.Interesting.
“I didn’t catch yours.”
She turned to face him. “I didn’t offer it,” she told him, “but since you asked, it’s Avery.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
Despite herself, she found him both charming and cute. “You, too. However, you should know I don’t date men in the military.”
“Is it a hard-and-fast rule based on personal experience?”
“Something like that,” she admitted. “You know what they say, burned once, twice shy.”
“In other words, some other guy broke your heart and you’re hesitant. I get it.”
“Not just some guy, someNavyguy.”
“Ah,” he said, as if it all made sense now. “So you’re holding all us Navy guys responsible for whatever this jerk did?” he asked, frowning. “I can’t say I blame you, but don’t you think it’s unfair to color every man in the military as a loser because of one bad experience?”
“Perhaps, but it is what it is,” she offered, which wasn’t much of an excuse.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“No need to apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Then give me a chance.”
Avery mulled over her options. He had a point. “You seem like a perfectly nice person—”
“I am. Ask my shipmates if you want. As for sailors having a girl in every port, that’s not me. It never has been, and it never will be. Unfortunately, it looks like you are unlikely to find outfor yourself, which is a shame, because I think you’re lovely, and I’d like to know you better.”
Compliments weren’t going to persuade her. Rick had been verbose with his praise, claiming she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever met; he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Thank you, but—”
He interrupted her again. “I have an idea. You can reject it if you want.”
“And I likely will, but feel free.” She gestured for him to continue.
“The ferry is dead in the water, right?”
“Right,” she agreed.
“It could start up again at any time. It could be ten minutes, or it could be an hour. I’d like to suggest we have a conversation for however long it takes for the ferry to reach Seattle. No commitment, no pressure—a simple conversation. You can ask me anything you’d like.
“When we reach Seattle, we’ll both go our separate ways, if that’s what you want. If you feel comfortable enough to trust me, then great, even better. The choice will be completely up to you. How does that sound?”
Avery studied him for a moment. Likely the delay would last only a short while. She hated to admit how tempted she was. He was right, it was unfair to blame him for what Rick did. She should have learned her lesson. Should know better, but still . . .
Her pause encouraged him. “Who knows, I could be the man of your dreams.”
