Page 54 of Between the Lines

“You have a boat,” she said.

“I do.”

She laughed once, surprised. “Since when?”

“A while,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. Or a big boat. Definitely not impressive.”

“Okay, but it’s still a boat.”

“It’s an old center console. Gets me where I want to go. Plenty reliable.”

Blaise pictured him saying that last sentence about himself and smiled. “I had no idea.”

“Well,” he said. “It hasn’t come up.”

She looked over at Beau, who had finished his water and was watching her intently, ears up at the sound of a voice coming through the phone. Could he tell it was Brick? From the happiness in his eyes, maybe.

“How long were you thinking?” she asked.

“Couple hours,” Brick said. “If the weather holds. Which it should.”

Blaise didn’t hesitate. “All right, sounds like a fun day.” She could stay home and get more writing done, but chances were she’d also spend half that time staring at her laptop screen stressing about tomorrow’s phone call.

“Yeah?”

“Yes,” she said. “It sounds perfect.”

There was a quiet satisfaction in his reply. “Good.”

She straightened. “Can I fix something to bring? Sandwiches or fruit or⁠—”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she said. “If I’ve been invited on a boat trip, I’m not showing up empty-handed.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“Text me what time,” she said. “And where.”

“Come over when you’re ready. I’ll drive us there.”

They hung up, and Blaise stood there for a moment longer, phone still in her hand. A boat. That man was full of surprises.

She shook her head, smiling to herself, then opened the fridge and started gathering ingredients for the food she was going to bring.

“Looks like we’ve got plans,” she told Beau. “With Brick.”

Beau wagged his tail, clearly in favor of this development.

Blaise moved through the house with purpose and a little bit of excitement. It had been ages since she’d been out on a boat. She was looking forward to it. She pulled the cooler from the hall closet and set it on the counter, flipping the lid open.

She made sandwiches first. Just simple ones she knew would travel well. Turkey and cheese with lettuce and mayo, cut in half diagonally, because that was the best way. Then she fixed a big baggie of cut-up apples and washed grapes. She added a bag of veggie chips that Brick probably wouldn’t like, but she stuck them in anyway.

Finally, she tucked in bottles of water and a couple of canned drinks, then layered ice over everything, emptying out her freezer’s bin, and snapped the lid shut.

Next, she packed her tote. Sunscreen and two towels, some handwipes, and an SPF lip balm. For Beau, she grabbed his collapsible water bowl. She added a tennis ball out of habit, even though she wasn’t sure how much fetch one could play on a boat.

Beau watched all of this from the rug, tail wagging steadily, clearly convinced every item was for him.