Page 79 of The Thief
She brushed a curl out of her face and asked him, “When did you start going out on a boat?”
He looked around and kept rowing, stopping for a brief moment to watch a small school of fish go by. Safely out of harm’s way, he continued on.
“I started sailing at the age of five with my father. He always loved to go out, so when I was old enough, I accompanied him.”
The happiness on his face made her smile.
“I like boats, but I have never had many reasons to ride in them,” Scarlett said with a sigh.
“Well, maybe we can enjoy more rides in the future,” he said, subtly reminding her of their future together.
“I would like that,” she murmured, looking away as a soft rosy glow came to her face.
She noticed that they had gone out pretty far away from Elfyre Hollow, making her a little bit nervous.
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking around.
“To Fire Island. It is not too much farther.”
“Fire Island?” she asked, turning to face the direction he had indicated.
The boat shifted dangerously and Alastair grabbed her arm, pulling her back into her seat. She looked at him with indignation and he just arched a brow at her.
“This is not a large boat. It is a small one that will overturn should one of the people inside move too much. I do not wish to go for a swim today.”
A blush of embarrassment stained her face.
“I know you are worried and possibly excited, but very few people know of this outing. I will keep you safe.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.
“I believe you,” she said as he released her hand and continued rowing the boat to Fire Island.
Ten minutes later, they arrived on Fire Island, pulled completely to shore by Ronald.
At her curious glance, Alastair said, “I sent him with a group of others to make sure the island was safe.”
Ronald reached out and held his hand out to her, helping her out of the boat and onto the strange pink sand.
“It’s pink sand,” she whispered, looking back at Alastair as he got out of the boat behind her.
“It is. Why are you whispering?” he asked, making her giggle and Ronald smile.
Alastair took her arm and they started walking as she said, “I don’t know.”
He laughed as she joined in, a gasp of surprise elicited from her when she saw the picnic laid out, a large blanket covered in food waiting for them.
Ronald escorted the servants off the island on a different boat, but not before checking the small island for other unwanted guests.
Alastair helped Scarlett to the blanket, the picnic not actually on the sand, but on the long grassy area just off of the sand. There were a few sparse trees, but the island was mostly sand, grass, and bushes. It made for not a lot of hiding places.
She looked around, amazed by the tranquility and the pink sand. She had never seen pink sand before, and she was so excited about it.
“What makes the sand pink?” she asked, looking out at the ocean surrounding them.
“I don’t actually know,” he replied, grabbing a glass and pouring some wine into it.
“It hasn’t always been pink. I think that Brigid once told me that there was something to do with minerals and reactions, but I can’t quite remember.”
