She stretched out on her board and closed her eyes. Her mouth turned up in an expression of contentment. 揑f I were more cynical, I might think that you wanted to fool around this morning so I wouldn抰 put up a fight about no surfing.?She opened one eye at me and I grinned.
揑 will always want to fool around with you, bookworm.?
We watched each other for a moment, floating there, bobbing up and down in the water, and something passed through our gazes. Something warm, languid, comfortable, and understanding. My heart tugged toward hers and I swallowed with a thick throat.
A splash nearby stole our attention and she lifted her head with a frown. We saw them at the same time.
揙h my god.?She jerked up and her board swayed in the water, threatening to tip.
揝tay still.?My voice was calm and I reached out to take her hand. 揝tay where you are and breathe.?
She gripped my hand and we watched the black fins skim through the water fifty feet away.
揂re they going to attack??
I laughed softly. 揘o, they抮e just curious.?
The pod of orcas swam closer and she squeezed my hand.
揑抦 scared.?Her voice was a shaky whisper.
I kept my tone calm and steady for her. 揟hey抮e not going to hurt us. They抮e coming to say hi.?My thumb stroked back and forth on the back of her hand. 揑抳e got you.?
One of the orcas blew out a breath and Hannah inhaled sharply. My gaze swung between the orcas in the water and her astonished expression. Her eyes were wide and her mouth parted. Neither of us would forget this moment. I抎 seen orcas before in the water梩hey migrated up to the coast every summer and the town ran whale-watching tours梑ut never this close, and never with someone like Hannah squeezing my hand.
After a few moments, the whales grew bored or hungry and swam away. Hannah exhaled a long breath and lay back on her board, staring at the sky.
揌oly.?
My mouth lifted in a grin. 揧ou okay??
揢h huh.?She glanced at me with bright eyes and a smile grew on her pretty mouth. 揟hat was so cool!?
I nodded at her, smiling. My chest was tight and I couldn抰 take my eyes off her as she watched the surface for more.
We floated out there for an hour before heading back in.
揑抦 going to open up the store,?she told me as we stepped inside the house. I started to protest but she held up a hand. 揑f my head hurts, I抣l come home. I promise.?
I nodded, my mouth set in a firm line. She had referred to my place as home, and that might have been the only reason I let it go. 揙kay.?I cleared my throat. 揑 was thinking厰
She raised an eyebrow. 揗hm??
揥e抮e going on a date tonight.?I stepped up to her and put my hands on her upper arms. One hand skimmed up her shoulder and played with the strap of her swimsuit. She shivered under my touch and I grinned.
揂 date??Her eyebrows lifted. 揥here??
揕et me handle that.?I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck.
She made a soft moan. 揥yatt. I can抰 think when you do that.?
I huffed a laugh against her skin and kissed her again. 揃e ready for seven.?I thought about her sitting in The Arbutus by herself, wearing a pretty dress. 揥ear something that makes you feel beautiful.?
That evening, I finished up at the surf shop, locked the door, and walked to my parents?place. That was one of the things I loved about Queen抯 Cove梟othing was more than a half-hour walk away. The evening was warm and while I walked, I thought about Hannah. I thought about this morning in my bed, about last night in my bed, about seeing the pod of orcas, about how the second she left for the bookstore, my home felt empty.
揌ello again,?my dad called as I stepped into his workshop. He lifted his safety goggles and gave me a big grin.
揥hat are you working on??
揧our mom thought the community center could use a new bench.?He gestured at the plywood he was measuring. 揥e抮e going to put it in front of the walkway, near the rose garden.?He took his gloves off and gestured for me to follow him. 揅ome on.?
I followed him out of the workshop, through the backyard where we all sat last night, to the kitchen.
揑t sure was nice to have Hannah here the other night,?he said, standing at the sink and washing his hands.
揝he had fun.?
He continued washing his hands. I liked this about my dad. He said his piece and left it. I appreciated the restraint. I knew where he stood but he didn抰 push. I was grateful, because there were a lot of thoughts at the forefront of my brain, confusing thoughts, and if I started talking, I might say a lot more than I meant to.
揧ou want to borrow the Porsche??
I frowned. 揌ow did you know??
My dad was not a materialistic guy. My mom bought most of his clothes. He wasn抰 showy or flashy. He valued his family, his community, working in his workshop during the day and drinking a cold beer with my mom in evenings on the patio he had built himself.