Page 3 of The Sailor

Her brows came down at that. “How do you know?”

“Because Eliot’s not an idiot. He wouldn’t hire someone who was incompetent.”

“I’ve only been working for him a week,” Marit protested.

“He’d know after one day if you were going to work out,” Zach said with a small shrug.

“Have you known him long?”

“Years. He’s been here as long as I can remember. I always saw him when I came home on leave from the Navy, and now that I’m home for good, I won’t buy lobsters from anyone else if I can help it. I know he’s not breaking any rules when he’s on the water, he’s not trying to sneak in larger-than-allowed lobsters, and he genuinely cares about the industry. The fact that you’re still on his boat after a week tells me all I need to know about your work ethic.”

His words felt good. Really good. The tingles she felt when she’d shaken his hand returned . . . tenfold. “When did you get back? To Maine, that is?” They were approaching a blue Ford Explorer that had a few dings but was still fairly new.

“This past spring. My dad died, and my brothers and I all decided to move home to help my mom out on Lobster Cove . . . that’s the name of the property she lives on. Of course, my almost sister-in-law calls it Alpha Cove, because of the vibes my brothers and I give off . . . not to mention the other men who work at the various businesses there.”

Marit’s mind was already spinning. There was a lot of info in what he’d just said. Her brain was bursting with questions, wanting to know all about Lobster Cove, his mom, and of course, the businesses on the property. She wasn’t thrilled with the fact that he had brothers, but that was her own prejudice. They were probably perfectly nice guys . . . maybe.

“This is me,” Zach said unnecessarily as he put the box he was carrying on the ground next to the back of the Explorer and reached to open it.

When he opened the hatch, Marit saw the back of his SUV was full of fresh vegetables and other bags she assumed held food from the local grocery store. Zach turned and reached for the crate she was holding, making it seem as if the box weighed nothing, and placed it into the only available space in the cargo area. He placed the box he’d been carrying on top of the crate and shut the hatch. Then he turned to her.

Marit was suddenly tongue tied. She wasn’t sure what to say. For the first time in years, she wanted to prolong her time with a man she’d just met. It was an unsettling feeling, and she had no idea why this man. Why now.

“You live around here? In town, I mean?”

Disappointment crept in at the question, as he hadn’t seemed like the kind of man who would proposition a woman after just meeting her. But then again, she didn’t know him. Not at all.

“Sorry, that sounded bad. I just . . . I’m sure you have stuff you need to do on the boat, and I need to get back to The Lobster Buoy and finalize my menu for tomorrow, but I was thinking maybe, if you live near here . . . I live a few blocks from town . . . maybe we could meet up and have dinner or something? It would have to be later. Around seven. And that might be too late, and I’d understand. You probably have to get up early to go back out onto the water. It was just a thought . . .”

He sounded so unsure. It was cute. This larger-than-life man stumbling over his words when he was asking her out.

Wait, was he asking her out? Would this be a date? She didn’t date. Not really.

But for this man? She’d make an exception.

Marit had a feeling she’d do a lot of things she wouldn’t normally do for Zach Young. He’d had that much of an impact on her with that handshake. Of course, he might eventually disappoint her. Might proposition her after dinner. Might ask to walk her home, then push her to invite him inside.

Disgusted that she was basically sabotaging this . . . whatever this was before it even started, she blurted before he could take back the offer, “Yes! I mean, yes, I live near town. I could meet you somewhere.”

“Awesome. How about the Fog Bar and Café?”

“Where? I’ve never heard of it.”

Zach looked surprised. “You haven’t? It’s right downtown. On Oak Street?”

“The only thing I’ve seen on Oak is Rock City Café . . . they have the best coffees. They aren’t open before I head to the dock, but I often stop in and get one on my way home.”

“Shoot. I hate that some really good restaurants I used to love aren’t around anymore. I’ve been back for a few months and haven’t even realized it wasn’t here anymore.”

“What about Rock Harbor Pub and Brewery? It’s typical bar food, but filling.”

“Perfect. Seven okay?”

“Yeah.” Marit felt shy all of a sudden. A date. She had a date. It was almost surreal that she’d met this man less than ten minutes ago, and now she was making arrangements to meet him for dinner.

Zach smiled at her for a beat. Then asked, “You like lobster?”

Marit couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. “No, I’m allergic.”