Page 33 of Making Waves
Opening her eyes, she sank into his green gaze as surely as if she’d dived headfirst. He was all around her. Inside her.
In her heart.
And as the first gorgeous wave of fulfillment broke over her again, Alicia had to acknowledge he’d never really left.
ChapterNine
“What time is your meeting with the property owner?” Jack asked when he spotted Alicia glancing at her watch for the third time the next afternoon.
They’d taken shifts at the helm starting shortly before dawn, making steady headway toward Bar Harbor. He would have rather stayed anchored all night and enjoyed every second of being with Alicia. But just like the previous day, she’s pulled away in the aftermath of what they shared during the long, heated nights. Yesterday, she’d taken up her sketching on the bed & breakfast, losing herself in the silence of drawing. Today, she moved around the boat in a flurry of activity, cleaning the galley, packing her bag, folding and storing the curtain he’d put up to keep the rain off the helm in the storm.
Obviously, she was dead-set on not getting any more involved than their blow-your-mind sex allowed. The realization forced him to see he would need to take more drastic measures if he wanted a second chance with her. Alicia had no intention of returning to Chatham – or him – if she could help it.
Maybe he’d underestimated how much his detour into the Navy four years ago had hurt her. Maybe her leaving his ass today would be well-deserved payback.
He’d be haunted by memories of this time together for the rest of his days. No other woman would ever bring him to the kind of mind-blowing precipice she could.
“One o’clock.” She tapped her watch with a fingernail as he steered closer to the coastline. “My appointment was originally for four this afternoon, but I asked her if I could move it up once I knew we’d arrive early.”
“Can’t wait to get rid of me?” He re-checked his heading to be sure they were still on course, the engine humming steadily as they cut through the gentle waves.
Along the coast, pine trees interspersed with houses and rocky outcroppings. Even at its most developed spots, Maine bore little resemblance to the crowded tumble of mansions and cottages that stood side by side on most of Cape Cod. The cooler weather and rougher waters welcomed a heartier tourist. Sapphire blue water sparkled in the sunlight, crashing in frothy waves on jagged rocks close to the shore. The weather had dawned clear and bright, too damn cheery and sunny for saying goodbye to a woman he’d only just welcomed back into his life.
“No.” She grinned at him over her shoulder. Hair tied in a low ponytail, she wore a burgundy colored sweatshirt that said Boston College on the front. With her long tanned legs in khaki shorts despite the cooler weather, she looked every inch the college co-ed he’d fallen for the first time around. “But I’m really eager to spend as much time as I can looking around the property before it gets dark. I’m glad I’ll have a few more hours to check things out.”
Her words reminded him she was far from a college co-ed. She was a woman who’d saved enough to purchase her dream property far away from him. No matter if she had opportunities back at home, Alicia was striking out on her own to create a special retreat that would be a unique reflection of her. He’d seen as much in the notes she’d made.
His chest ached to realize how little time he had left.
“Alicia…” he searched for the right words, unsure what he wanted to ask. He didn’t really have the right to ask anything.
“There it is!” Her voice lifted an octave or two. She pointed toward the shore with one hand. “It’s beautiful!”
Cutting the power on the engine, Jack slowed the boat and moved toward the rail on the foredeck beside her. He followed her gaze to the rambling three story structure that had probably been some wealthy person’s summer cottage at one time. A turn of the century home built on two levels, it was about the same size as Jack’s parents’ home back in Chatham, which was about 10,000 square feet. The resemblance ended there, however. Because the bed & breakfast property, while a definite diamond in the rough, needed a great deal of work. Overgrown gardens obscured porches that all appeared slightly crooked. The yellow clapboard siding needed power-washing and possible replacing, the edges dark with wear or possible rot.
He was about to say she had her work cut out for her when she clutched his arm with both hands.
“I’m so excited.” She stared up at him with a warm glow in her dark brown eyes. Her cheeks were flushed pink like a kid’s at Christmas. “Thank you for bringing me up here.”
He couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d seen high color in her cheeks. It hadn’t been that many hours ago and she’d been underneath him, lavishing a litany of praise on the talent of his hands. With an effort, he blinked away the memory.
“You’re welcome.” He didn’t know what else to say. Telling her she was crazy to invest in something that couldn’t be profitable without some serious restoration would hardly be appreciated.
“I know you’re seeing all the flaws right now.” Relinquishing his arm, she gripped the rail and studied the looming property perched on a prime piece of real estate that nudged out into the water so that the house would have ocean views on three sides. “But I’ve crunched a lot of numbers on what I can afford and it’sgoingto work.”
Something about the way she emphasized the words made him wonder if she’d based part of those calculations on the fact that she was incredibly stubborn and persistent. Those qualities had made her a champion swimmer and a successful apprentice in his father’s company. But no amount of personal grit would make up for the fact that she needed to pour in a lot of capital to get her dream property off the ground.
How would she manage all this on her own?
“Hey, you don’t have to convince me. You could tackle Everest if you set your mind to it.” He cupped her shoulder and squeezed it, hoping she knew that he believed in her. “I know you’ll make it work.”
“Thank you.” She tipped her chin to smooth her cheek over his fingers where he touched her shoulder, rubbing against him like a cat. “That means a lot to me.”
Surprised at the warmth in her voice, he was grateful he’d chosen that approach instead of listing all the potential pitfalls of the place. Still, he didn’t want to see her get in over her head when he could help her make a better decision.
“You know, I don’t have a strict time frame for dropping off the boat to Keith’s colleague. I’d love to walk around the property with you if you don’t mind the company.”
The original plan had been to drop her off at the inn while he cruised farther north to bring the boat to another guy in Keith’s company. Apparently the company owned the power catamaran and they used it to entertain clients. But in between gigs to impress potential customers or loyal long term patrons of their business, the top dogs within the company passed the toy around amongst themselves. It had worked out well for Alicia that this time Keith needed to bring the boat back to Bar Harbor.