Page 37 of Shallow Remains

The other three passengers replied in the affirmative. Maddy didn’t answer, busy gripping the edge of her seat with both hands while her nervous system recalibrated.

It was better once they got out on the water. The instinctive part of her brain that had frozen her finally caught up with the logical part that knew everything was fine.

She breathed in the fresh air, her senses more acute from the adrenaline crash. Off in the distance, she spotted a few whale blows, but couldn’t tell if it was an orca or humpback.

Under thirty minutes later, the hazy island off the bow on the horizon became clearer. Its shoreline was fringed by a backdrop of dark evergreens with punches of brilliant red, orange, and yellow from the various kinds of maples planted amongst them. The harbor was busy, lots of people getting out on the water to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather.

She was determined to enjoy it and her time with Lachlan to the fullest.

He docked them near the end of a ramp that led up to a wooden building. Maddy took off her flotation suit and waited for the others to disembark.

“What’d you think of that route?” he asked her as he stripped off his own suit, leaving him in black cargo pants and that V-neck sweater that clung to his powerful torso in all the right places.

“It was beautiful.” Coming that close to a public panic attack had rattled her though. If something as simple as a running hose could trigger her like that, it showed what a mess she still was underneath.

“I love coming here. Don’t get the chance to do it very often.” He stretched out a hand toward her. “Shall we?”

She took it and stepped out. Liked the way his hand felt when he set it against the small of her back as he guided her up the dock to the base of the ramp to the building above. At the top, he stepped away to open the door for her.

The mouthwatering scent of rich food wafted out. The hostess took them to a reserved table right next to the fireplace. Small logs burned in the grate, the soothing crackling sound and woodsmoke giving the dark-painted interior filled with nautical paraphernalia an extra cozy vibe.

Lachlan pulled her chair out for her, then sat across the table with a huge window on her left overlooking the edge of the harbor. A small white passenger ferry was sailing across the mouth of it, heading for the terminal they’d passed on the way in.

The warmth of the fire lapped at her back as she took it all in. “You’re right. This is a special place.” All the more so because of the present company.

“Wait till you taste the food.”

She ordered the teriyaki-glazed prawn bowl and a peppermint tea. Lachlan ordered one for himself, along with their signature dish: herb-crusted halibut in a beurre blanc sauce with rice and vegetables.

“So, Maddy, what’s your story?” he asked once the server had left them. He smiled when she hesitated. “Don’t look so scared. I just want to get to know you more.”

Normally she hated this kind of thing, but didn’t mind it with him since they already knew each other a little. “I’m not scared. What do you want to know?”

“Where did you grow up?”

“Chicago.”

“Are your parents still there?”

“Yes.” She would have stopped at that because she’d answered the question, but understood she had to continue to keep the conversation from stalling. Also, it wasn’t hard to talk to him. “We talk on the phone every few weeks, but I don’t see them much. Christmas, maybe one or two other times a year.”

“Why’s that? If that’s not too personal.”

Everything about this was personal, but it was just the two of them, and this was necessary for them to get to know one another. So she went with direct honesty. “The short answer is, they don’t understand me.”

His eyebrows rose slightly. “No?”

“No. It’s always been like that, and it gets tiring trying to be something I’m not.” Don’t be so awkward, Maddy. Don’t be antisocial, Maddy. Stop being weird, Maddy. And her personal favorite: Just try harder to fit in, Maddy.

“What don’t they understand?”

She shrugged. “My personality. The way my brain works. They still have a hard time accepting that I’m…neurospicy.”

“That must be tough.”

“It’s okay. They love me, and I love them. They always looked after me, tried their best to help me navigate the world. We’re just not close like some families are.” She disliked how they made her feel wrong or strange. “What about your parents?” she asked, genuinely curious and wanting to take the focus off herself. He’d mentioned to her once that he’d been born and raised here.

“They’re both on the mainland now, down in Astoria where Grey was last stationed. They wanted a bigger property so my mom could have a garden and room for chickens and ducks.”