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“Yep! Oh, this is my sister, Melissa.” She touched Melissa’s arm.
“Nice to meet you.” Melissa stuck out her hand, and Colin shook it. He smiled at Melissa and then at Spencer. Spencer’s heart soared. If Colin was going to pretend last night had never happened, that was just fine with her.
The second student, a fat, balding guy named Merv, ambled up the dock, and then the instructor, Richard, appeared. “Welcome to sailing 101,” Richard told them in an adorable Australian accent. Spencer noticed Melissa checking him out and smiled. Maybe she could have a fling on vacation, too.
Richard went around the circle and learned their names and where everyone was from—Spencer swallowed in surprise when Colin answered, “Connecticut”—that was so close to Rosewood!—then went down a list of boating safety rules. He explained how a Hobie Cat sailboat worked and that they were going to take the boats out in pairs today. “Everyone, find a partner,” he said.
Spencer turned to Melissa, but her sister shot her a glare and then touched Merv’s arm. “Want to sail together?”
Merv’s fleshy lips parted, taking in Melissa’s trim figure, pretty face, and scalloped gingham bikini. “Sure.”
It was the noblest sacrifice Melissa had ever made for Spencer. Spencer turned to Colin. “I guess that leaves us. Do you mind pairing up?”
“Are you kidding?” Colin grinned. “Something tells me you’ve sailed before. You have that yacht club look about you.”
“Am I that obvious?” she said lightly. “How about you?”
Colin shook his head. “I have never sailed, which is pretty lame considering how much time I spend down here.” He hooked a life jacket around Spencer’s neck and tucked his own under his arm. “Safety first.” He grinned.
Spencer and Colin climbed into a boat and undid the rope that attached it to the dock. Spencer moved the rudder so that the boat was pointing into the center of the bay, as Richard instructed, and Colin raised the sail. After about twenty minutes of learning how to turn into and against the wind, they were bobbing peacefully on the water. Spencer leaned back and tilted her head to the sun, cursing the freckles she knew would pop up by the end of the day.
“I could get used to this.” Colin leaned back in the hull and laced his hands behind his head. Spencer opened her eyes, shading them against the sun. “I tried to get Ramona to take a lesson, but she wasn’t into it. She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
“She’s not the active type, huh?” Spencer asked nonchalantly.
“Not exactly,” Colin said with a shrug.
Spencer wanted to push Colin for more information, but something told her to sit and wait for Colin to talk on his own.
Colin uncapped a bottle of AminoSpa and sipped. Spencer stared out at the bay. Melissa was across the water with Merv, deep in conversation. Then, she heard a snicker from the shore. She swung around and squinted at the docks, sure she’d just seen someone dart behind a boat. Or was that her imagination?
Finally, Colin sighed and broke the silence. “To be honest, Ramona hasn’t been in the mood for anything lately. I don’t know what her deal is.”
Bingo. Spencer gave him a mock-sympathetic look. “Have you guys been together long?”
He shook his head. “Ramona and I are . . . complicated.”
Spencer nodded gravely. “I understand complicated,” she said, thinking of her and Wren. Spencer turned the rudder so that they wouldn’t collide with an oncoming Jet Ski. The boom swiveled toward her, and she ducked. “My last boyfriend and I fought all the time.”
Colin leaned over and stared in the water, silent. Spencer couldn’t help but notice how closely the water matched his eyes. He looked so sad and torn. Spencer could practically feel him wanting to break up with Ramona for her.
“I can’t imagine someone wanting to fight with you, Spencer,” he said. “You seem so easy to get along with—and so full of life. I wish Ramona had your sense of adventure.”
The sun suddenly felt very hot on the top of Spencer’s head. Colin adjusted his seat, casually inching closer to her. There was a tiny bit of sand stuck to his cheek; Spencer reached up and flicked it away. At the same time, he leaned forward, maybe about to kiss her. Spencer shut her eyes and waited.
Suddenly, a whistle blew from the dock.
“Let’s bring ’em in!” Richard yelled. “It’s getting too windy!”
The romantic mood immediately shattered. Colin sat back on his haunches. Spencer turned toward the rudder, suppressing a groan.
They secured the boat to the slip and climbed onto the dock. Melissa and Merv were pulling in behind them, and Richard was busy helping them out of the water. Spencer faced Colin, wanting to pick up where they’d left off.
“So,” he started.
“So.” She bit her bottom lip.
A Mercedes convertible pulled into the parking lot and honked. Ramona was at the wheel. Colin glanced at Spencer, a quick look, then sighed. “I should probably get going,” he said reluctantly. “Will I see you later, at the luau?”
Spencer forced a smile onto her face. “Yep. See you there!”
She watched him walk down the dock and climb into the car. She might have been imagining it, but she was pretty sure he looked back at Spencer longingly. And from the thumbs-up Melissa was giving her, it seemed her sister had noticed it, too.
Chapter 7
Shopping, with a Splash of Awkwardness
Nana’s house was cool and smelled like fresh oranges when Spencer walked through the side door later that morning. “Oh,” she said, stopping short in the doorway. Her mother was sitting on a stool at the island, staring at something on TV. Spencer was about to slink out of the room when a headline on the screen caught her eye. Silver Panthers Terrorize Atlantic City. There was a shot of two large jungle cats prowling past the various glittering casinos.
