Joe tugged once, securing the knot, then looked up at her. “All right, captain. Give her a little push from that side. Let’s see if she remembers how to dance.”
Cece braced her hand on the nearest piling and gave the boat a gentle shove. TheSecond Verseshifted away from the dock with a low creak, catching the soft swell of the tide. Joe stepped aboard easily, uncoiling the last rope, his movements unhurried and sure.
“Not bad,” he said, taking the wheel. “I bet you could get used to this.”
The Gulf breeze lifted strands of her hair and tossed them across her face. She swiped them aside, laughing under her breath as she watched the dock drift backward, the gap widening between land and sea. “Don’t tempt me,” she said, brushing her palms together. “You might end up with a permanent deckhand.”
He grinned. “Wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened on this boat.” He gestured with his chin toward a smoked-glass door. “Go check out the rest while I get us on course.”
“Okay.” She went through and down a few steps into the kitchen. No, she corrected herself. On a boat it was called a galley.
And on the dining table in one corner was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne in it, condensation dripping down. Next to the bucket was a sticky note that simply said,Open Fridge.
She did and found two beautifully arranged plates of salad with shrimp and veggies. On the shelf beneath those were twomore plates, these with luscious slices of cheesecake liberally ribboned with chocolate sauce.
He’d not only planned this, he’d planned it well.
She went back up to the bridge with a smile on her face. “That’s quite the picnic you’ve organized.”
“Not much of a sunset cruise without champagne, but then I figured dinner might be nice, too.”
She’d never been treated this way. Like she was someone special. But maybe this was just what Joe did. Maybe this was his playbook. She hadn’t known him long enough to be able to judge that. “You do this for all the women you date?”
He gave her an odd look. “I haven’t dated anyone in a long time. In fact, last two women on this boat were my daughter-in-law, Ruthie, and my granddaughter, Wren. I brought them and my son, Dallas, out to see the dolphins.”
“You’re a grandfather?” Something about that made him even more attractive.
He nodded. “Proud Pop-pop of four-year-old Wren.” He grinned. “Four is a pretty great age.”
She remembered when Tyler had been that age. “It is. They’re so full of wonder at that age.”
“Wren loved the dolphins. She kept talking about how shiny they were.” He laughed. “Maybe next time they’re in town, you could come with us on the boat.”
“Maybe.” She inched closer. “You were married?” He hadn’t mentioned it. Seemed like an important detail to leave out.
His smile disappeared. “I was. She got tired of me being married to my job.” He shrugged. “I don’t blame her. I screwed up. Worked way too much. Thought I was doing the right thing advancing my career to give her and my son a better life, but I was doing it at their expense. By the time I understood that, it was too late. She’d moved on.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I. But I was able to salvage my relationship with my son, so not all was lost.”
“You didn’t stop being a lawyer, though.”
“No. After Kelly left, my career was all I had. I worked even more, only making time to see Dallas.” He slowed the boat down even further. “I made a lot of mistakes in the first half of my life. I’m trying to do better on the last half. Trying to make better choices. And surround myself with better people.”
He reached out to slip his arm around her waist and draw her in closer. “People like you.”
“You really think I’m a better person? After what I told you about how I lost my job?”
“After what you told me, I know you’re a survivor. Someone who knows how hard life can be, but keeps on fighting. Someone who isn’t going to accept less than they deserve anymore. You’re exactly who I want around me.”
“Thanks,” she said softly, his use of the word “survivor” sparking something deep inside her. Maybe because she’d defeated cancer, which he didn’t even know about. Maybe because she’d come through the scandal of losing her job over a bad source; maybe because she’d lived through her husband’s infidelity. Whatever the reason, she liked the word.
She liked Joe even more. “But you’re a survivor, too. You’ve been through your own battle.”
“That’s why we work so well together. We understand each other.”
The sun sank lower toward the horizon, the golden light making everything a little more magical.
