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She pauses and stares at me. “Why would I do that?”
“Because they all live on the island, and I see them often. Don’t worry, they don’t bite.”
I wink and gather our things.
“I don’t have much to get from the rental,” she says as we walk to my SUV. “I never unpacked all the way.”
“Were you planning to run away?” I ask and watch as she flushes from her neck to her cheeks.
Damn, I bet she does that when a man’s inside of her, too.
“I thought about it, but no. No running away.”
The drive to her rental doesn’t take long. It’s an apartment in downtown Seattle that she’s likely paying an arm and a leg for.
“I hope you can get out of your contract without losing a bunch of money,” I say as I follow her down a hallway to her unit.
“I originally only rented it for the week,” she says with a shrug. “I asked the owner if I could stay awhile, and she agreed, but I just cancelled the reservation on the way over. It should be fine.”
She wasn’t lying earlier. Most of her things are still in the unzipped suitcases lying on the floor. She gathers her toiletries from the bathroom, and in less than ten minutes, we’re in my SUV headed for the ferry.
“I’ve never been on a ferry before,” she says as I park on the boat and motion for her to stay put until I circle the hood and open her door. She lets me take her hand as I lead her out of the vehicle, and I don’t drop it when we walk to the observation deck.
“You’ll get some amazing views of the Sound,” I inform her and lean against the railing. She lets go of my hand, and I want to snatch it back immediately, but I just smile at her. “Do you enjoy the ocean?”
“Never been,” she says again and takes a deep breath. “It’s salty.”
“You’ve never been to the ocean?” I ask with surprise. “Ever?”
“I’m not exactly what you’d call a traveler,” she says with a shrug. “I’ve been diagnosed as slightly agoraphobic, but I think I just like to stay home. I’m obviously not paralyzed with fear.”
“My family is from a small village by the sea in Ireland, and my parents moved us to the island because it reminded Da of home. I’ve always been near the water. Maggie says I’m moody like the sea.”
“Moody is a good word for it,” Lexi says with a laugh. “I just chalked it up to being a writer. I’m moody, as well. Temperamental. I mean, I bought two hundred dollars’ worth of blankets and pillows just because it feels nice. So, yeah, temperamental artist is my middle name.”
“I think my whole family has moments of moodiness, truth be told.” I point off into the distance where a spray of water shoots into the air. “A whale.”
“Oh God, a whale? Are we safe?”
“You’re on a large vessel, Lexi. It can’t jump up and snatch you off the deck.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know that, would I?”
Another spray goes up.
“It’s getting closer,” she says.
“I believe there’s more than one.”
Her startled eyes whip up to mine. “How many are there?”
I laugh and tuck a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “I have no idea. Could be a mama and her baby.”
“Oh, right. Because whales have babies.” She visibly swallows and grips the railing so hard, I’m surprised it doesn’t snap under her grasp. “Can we make a noise or something to make them go away?”
“Most people like to see them.”
“Oh. Why?”
“They’re not exactly great white sharks, Lexi. They’re only dangerous to seals and stuff. I don’t think they’ve eaten any humans lately.”
She nods and swallows hard when another plume of water shoots into the air about a hundred yards from the ferry.
“Is this the only way on or off the island?”
“It’s the shortest route, but it’s not the only way.”
Her eyes whip to mine again. “You mean we could have driven?”
“It would have taken several hours,” I say, trying to reason with her. “This ride is only an hour, tops.”
She nods but doesn’t seem reassured.
“Are you afraid of the water?”
“Of course, not.” She firms her lips and raises her chin almost defiantly. “Like you said, I’m on a big boat. No need to be scared.”
She’s quiet for the rest of the journey, and much to my relief, we don’t see any more whales. When we’re given the signal, we return to my SUV, and I drive us off the boat and back onto dry land.
Lexi visibly sighs in relief next to me.
“What did you think?”
“It wasn’t bad.”
“You hated it.”
She smiles but shrugs a shoulder. “It wasn’t bad,” she repeats.
I drive to the other side of the small island and turn into my driveway. “I bought this place last year when my sister, Maeve, told me it was for sale. She’s a realtor here on the island. The previous owner passed away, and with no family, it went back to the bank. I got it for a spectacular deal. I had parts of it updated, but it’s the view that stole my heart.”
