There were only her and Big D. Was she angling for a compliment? He slid her a smile. “They’re not so bad either.”
She ducked her head but not before he caught her shy grin. “So you haven’t been around the water much? Aren’t you from around here?”
“Oh, yeah, I was born and raised in Wilmington. I’ve been swimming since I was little and I fish a lot with my buddies. I just haven’t had access to a boat.”
“What kind of fishing?”
“Mostly from piers. I caught a six-pound mackerel last summer at Kure Pier.”
“Wow, that’s big.”
He spotted her car just ahead. “People even catch sharks sometimes. I mean, I haven’t, but it happens sometimes.”
“I’ve never been fishing before.”
“Seriously?”
“I grew up in Atlanta.” Addison slowed as she came alongside her Honda. “The only fish I saw was on a plate at a restaurant.”
“It’s a lot of fun.” Now or never. His mouth went suddenly dry but he forced out the words. “You should go with me to Kure Pier sometime.”
“I’ve never been there.” She turned at the driver’s door. “I think I’d like that.”
“Really?”
“Sure. How about tonight?”
Will blinked.
“We don’t have a sunset tour and my mom’s been on a cleaning rampage—my grandparents are coming this weekend. I could use the break.”
“Oh, well, yeah, then. That’d be great. Can I pick you up at seven?”
“I’ll text you my address if you give me your number.” She handed him her phone.
His thumbs shook as he entered the digits. When he was finished, he handed the phone back to her.
“What should I bring? I don’t have a fishing pole or anything.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have an extra I’ll bring for you.”
His phone buzzed and he checked the screen. It was from Addison.
Her wide smile knocked him for a loop. “Now you have my number too.”
After assisting Addison into the passenger seat, Will closed the door. He’d spent an hour at the car wash trying to transform his old Dodge from a heap of junk to a decent-looking vehicle. He scoured and vacuumed the interior and bought one of those fragrant pine trees. But any pride he’d felt in the results had evaporated as he pulled alongside Addison’s newer Honda.
The sight of her parents’ nice home only a block from Seabrook Beach did nothing to assuage his self-doubts.
Oh well. Nothing he could do about any of that. She might as well know from the start he was a poor college student. He slid into the driver’s seat and started the car, a glimpse of his beautiful passenger stealing any words that might’ve formed on his tongue.
“You got me out of mopping floors tonight, so thanks for that.”
“Happy to help. I’m pretty lucky. My mom does most of the cleaning. I do the dishes, which she hates, and my own laundry, of course.”
“What does your dad do?”
“Oh, they’re divorced. But before that he mostly just took care of the lawn and outdoor stuff, the cars.”
