The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)(59)

‘Do people get mad if they don’t catch anything?’ she asked.

‘Sometimes, but I try to make sure it’s a fun day, even if we don’t catch anything.’

Hazel nodded, looking back out over the water. Clouds were rolling in, casting shadows over the waves.

‘Want to drive?’ he asked and Hazel’s surprised gaze found his again.

‘Is that part of the package?’ she asked, eyebrows raised.

He chuckled. ‘Only for you.’

She grinned at that and stood from her spot, brushing crumbs off her lap. ‘What if I hit something?’

‘Haze,’ he laughed. ‘What could you possibly hit?’

‘You’d be surprised.’

He tugged her closer. ‘I think you’ll be okay.’ He sat her on his lap, his arms around her waist. She was warm and soft and smelled like whatever Annie had iced those scones with. Sweet and a little spicy, like Hazel. ‘Hands on the wheel,’ he instructed.

‘This feels like a flimsy excuse to get me in your lap,’ she grumbled but he could hear the smile in her voice.

‘And it worked,’ he whispered in her ear and she shivered.

‘Aye, aye, Captain.’ She put her hands on the wheel and then wriggled further into his lap. Noah groaned and she laughed, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. Hazel’s round ass nestled between his thighs was the best distraction.

‘Haze,’ he groaned and she did it again, a little squirm against him. Why had he stayed away from this woman for a week? If this was the only time he got with her, he needed to stop wasting it.

He pressed a kiss behind her ear, keeping his arms around her waist while she steered the boat in the open water, savoring the feel of her against him.

And if it wasn’t such a perfect day, if Hazel hadn’t been so delicious in his arms, then maybe he would have been paying more attention to the weather.

He’d meant to be back on shore before late afternoon. The nor’easter wasn’t meant to hit them this time around. It was forecast to be just south of Dream Harbor. He’d checked. He’d watched the satellite all morning. But now here they were, farther from home than he’d intended, and the sky was quickly filling with dark clouds. The earlier soft breeze had rapidly turned harsher, colder.

The satellite no longer showed the nor’easter skirting past them. In fact, now it showed the edge of it falling right over their current path home.

‘Shit,’ he muttered.

‘What is it?’

Hazel had retired from piloting the boat and was curled up under the blanket he’d tossed her when the wind picked up. Her big brown eyes watched him, a worried crease appearing between her brows.

Damn it.

He’d told her to trust him and he was royally screwing it up. So much for not coming up short.

‘A bit of weather coming our way.’

‘I assume that doesn’t mean good weather.’

‘Uh ... no, not really.’ He ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing with ideas on what to do. The water was already choppy, the white tops of the waves crashing into the sides of the boat.

Where had this damn storm come from? He’d been so confident it wouldn’t hit them. And then he’d let himself get distracted. He’d dropped the ball. Again.

There’s just so many ways this could go wrong.

‘Noah...’ There was fear in her voice and he hated it.

‘Hazel.’ Her face was turned out toward the water, her hands clenched tight to the metal bar beside the bench she was sitting on. ‘Hazel, look at me.’ His voice was stern, serious, so different from his usual tone that her head whipped back to face him.

‘I got this, okay? I have a plan.’

She nodded, her gaze frozen on his.

‘Promise.’

‘Okay.’ Her response was nearly lost in the wind. But he heard it. Small but sure. Trusting. She was trusting him with a whole hell of a lot more than her fun summer now.

‘Put this on.’ He tossed her a life jacket and her eyes widened. ‘Just as a precaution.’

It was raining now and her glasses were speckled with water but it didn’t hide the fear in her eyes as she pulled on the life jacket and buckled it over her chest.

‘And remember, if you see any sharks just punch them in the gills.’

A little whimper of fear escaped her.

‘I was kidding! God, Hazel, I’m sorry. I was just kidding. We’re going to be fine, okay? I know a place where we can wait out the storm, all right?’

She nodded. Just barely. No witty response.

‘And then maybe you can finally get some reading done, okay?’

He got a small smile from her at that and that was all he had time for at the moment. He had to turn this damn boat around and get them to safety. Now.





Chapter Twenty-Four





Wind, whipping her wet curls against her face.

Rain, soaking her jeans and these stupid, canvas sneakers.

Endless gray waves with white peaks.

Dark clouds racing across the sky, like the storm was in a hurry to arrive, eager to rage.

Noah’s handsome face set in grim determination as he steered the boat.

That’s what Hazel focused on. Noah’s face. Not her cold feet or her wet hair or the violent rocking of the boat or the thoughts of how horribly cold the sea must be right now, how terrifying it would be to plunge into that dark water.