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I parked the car in the lot. When I emerged, the cool breeze washed over me and wind chimes rung in the distance. Traffic from the main road north of us played like white noise in the background.
She waited for me to approach the passenger side and open the door. She swiveled her legs out and placed her feet on the concrete. The parking lot was ill lit, making it hard for me to see her features clearly. But I didn’t need light. I had memorized every curve and angle of her face the night we’d met.
Looking up at me, she said, “I’ve seen boats before. Even been on one before. My parents belong to a country club.”
There were so many layers to this woman. She didn’t act like she came from money. Far from it. Maybe we weren’t as different as she thought.
“Why don’t you relax and see what happens.” I held out my hand and she grasped it, using my strength to pull herself up.
“That depends. Are you leading me to my untimely demise or is there really something amazing on that boat?”
A hearty laugh escaped from between my lips. “The boat isn’t the amazing part. It’s a buildup.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “But you’ll know it when you see it.”
I led us to the long, metal walkway that was gated and locked. I used the access card and let us in.
As we walked down the metal plank, she was quiet, taking in her surroundings. We walked from darkness to under a blinding spotlight and I finally had the opportunity to take a good look. She wore no makeup this morning. Her face was completely bare. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyelashes were long even without the aid of mascara. It was refreshing. I was used to makeup, lots and lots of makeup and hairspray. Fake nails. Fake boobs. Everything about this woman was real. Including her personality. She was wearing yoga pants again, and I’m not ashamed to admit I leaned back to catch a glimpse of her smoking hot ass.
“This is all very mysterious…and a little unsettling.”
I wasn’t surprised. From the moment I’d met her, I knew Everly had her entire life mapped out, surprises unwelcome.
“You don’t like men with a little mystery?”
The chimes sounded in the distance, sending a chill up my spine. I wasn’t sure if it was the creepy sound or the waiting. I didn’t want to hear her say she didn’t like men like me.
“I’m more of a second half of Law & Order girl. I don’t care so much about solving the crime, just give me the facts.” The breeze caught her hair and it tickled my neck. She looked up at me now. “But I guess
that’s where you come in. My mysterious stranger, saving me from my own shortcomings.”
This woman didn’t have a shortcoming in sight. Sweet. Smart. Attractive. Focused and determined. She had a plan and worked hard to achieve it. I, on the other hand, had been handed everything with a gold-plated dildo.
“It’s just two boats over.”
We walked up to the boat and on sight, Everly burst out laughing. “TnA?” She looked up at me. “Really?”
I laughed. “That’s Ben.” I had no idea how he still managed to get women on the boat after they saw the name.
I helped her on board then unlocked the sliding glass door. The interior was stuffy from being locked up for the winter, but we wouldn’t be staying inside.
“Why don’t you have a seat while I set everything up?”
She sat on the small couch against the left side. My first stop was the bar. Ben kept his boat stocked for instances such as this. Except it was always him showing up in the middle of the night with a woman. I filled the bucket with ice, placed the bottle of Veuve inside, and then grabbed two glasses.
“Grab those blankets and follow me.” I pointed to the green flannel beside her.
I took us up to the top deck and placed the champagne on the ledge. Next I laid out one blanket and sat down, rubbing my hand along the flannel, enticing her to join me.
“This is nice. Romantic.” She eyed me curiously.
“Didn’t think I had a romantic side?”
“Honestly?” She cocked her head, debating her words, but in true Everly fashion, she whispered, “No.”
Her words hurt. Something deep down that hadn’t been affected before. There had to have been a time when I was romantic…
“I didn’t think your help with the list was going to include romance.”
Just another reason to continue with it. Although when I’d thought of this plan, I didn’t think it had an ounce of romance.
