“So this is your idea of that? Manual labor and possible tetanus?”
Stormy was tied on a long leash in the shade. Her attention still on Patrick, Emily went over to the dog and rubbed his head, his tail beating the wooden boardwalk relentlessly, nearly knocking over his water bowl.
Patrick grinned without looking up. “Some people tan. I prefer hauling soaked planks to broken-down boat slips and praying I don’t fall in while I’m fixing them.”
“Very heroic of you. With the cute dog, it looks more like a shirtless calendar shoot.”
His eyebrows raised suggestively and he chuckled.
“You getting any real work done or just working on your tan?”
Patrick paused and wiped beads of sweat off his forehead. “If all I’m doing is tanning, are you volunteering to take the pictures, or just critiquing my nail placement?” he shot back.
“Oh, definitely critiquing. I give you an A-plus for effort.” She laughed.
“That teacher side of you coming out?” He gripped the side of the boat slip’s roof and swung down to stand in front of her.
Stormy’s entire hind end swung back and forth when Patrick came over. He bent down and played with the puppy, then refilled his water bowl with a cold bottle from his cooler. He offered her one, but she declined. Then he sunk his hand in the ice and got himself one, uncapping it and pouring it down his throat. His bare chest glistened in the sun, perspiration trailing down his bicep over his tattoo. Emily swallowed and tried to still her pattering heart.
He set the bottle down and took her left hand, inspecting it. “No ring today?”
She shook her head. “Definitely not.”
He looked surprised, that now-familiar interest flooding his face.
“You said maybe I justthoughtthings were resolved, but it only took me a night to realize that while things are messy, I’ve moved beyond it. I want better. And to get better, there’s no way I’m going back to my old life.”
His blue eyes searched her face, thoughtful. He nodded toward a nearby surf shop. “Let’s get out of the heat. Follow me.”
Inside, the shop was organized; colorful surfboards, skimboards, and paddleboards in varying sizes lined the walls.
“Remember the guy with me at the bar that night after you and I first met—Mark? This is his shop. He lives upstairs, but he evacuated before the storm and went to South Carolina to staywith his mom. I told him I’d take a look to see if there was any damage. He gets back tomorrow, so I thought I’d be nice and fix a few loose boards on his boat slip for him.” He pulled a stool from behind the register and offered it to her. “Just for you.”
“I’ll bet you give all the vacationing girls a stool,” she teased.
He chuckled quietly. “All one of them.”
“We’re headed back home in a couple of days,” she said.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he lifted another stool over his head, walked around the counter, set it down next to hers, and took a seat.
Her phone pinged with a text.
“Sienna’s wondering where I am. I’ll let her know that I’ll find my own way back.” She fired off a quick response that she’d found Patrick and she’d meet everyone at the house in a little bit. Then she turned off the ringer and slid the phone into her pocket.
“Any big plans when you get home to Nashville?” he asked, his words measured, careful.
“I don’t have any plans at all. In fact, I have no idea what I’ll do when I get back. I don’t return to work until the end of August.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a lot to do.”
“I have to look for an apartment and call everyone to cancel all the wedding plans. Then I’ll need to move my things…” She rubbed the pinch in her shoulder that had returned, wishing she didn’t have to leave so soon. “The owner of the beach house is gone all summer. Maybe Sienna would let me stay a few extra weeks until I’ve figured out my game plan.”
There was a notable spark of interest in his look. “I’d make sure you were fed,” he said. “The owner’s paid up with me through September.”
“I was only kidding. I couldn’t stay,” she said with a laugh. “I rode with Sienna. How would I get home? It’s quite a walk back to Nashville.”
His features fell, and he nodded. “I’d drive you to the airport if someone could pick you up in Nashville.”
