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Brad Connors came up the podium and welcomed the crowd. “Upcoming seniors!” The kids in the gym, being referred to as seniors for the first time, whooped in response. “Welcome to College and Career Night. We have a great program for you, including lots of information on what colleges and universities across the country are looking for.” He went on to suggest that each of the kids make an appointment with the school guidance counselor and then he handed the mic over to Mimi, who, as mayor, introduced Jenna to the crowd.
“I know this isn’t a town hall meeting,” Jenna said. “But I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know that I’m officially on the job now and ready to work hard for the people of Whispering Bay.” Her auburn hair was pulled back in a low bun and, despite the late summer humidity seeping into the gym, her makeup looked perfect. The parents in the crowd clapped politely and the kids looked bored.
Next, Zeke Grant talked about careers in law enforcement and no one dared look anything but riveted. Nate Miller talked about being a doctor, a subject that prompted a lot of questions about getting into med school. Carter Handy talked about his work as an accountant, which put most of the crowd to sleep. Pilar spoke about being a lawyer and Joey Pappas talked about trade school versus traditional colleges and how the world would be a better place if there were more plumbers like himself.
And then it was Luke’s turn. Most of the crowd had already hit the refreshment table before the program began, so Sarah found an empty chair near the back and sat down to listen.
She’d thought he was going to talk about being an environmental engineer or about owning his own company, but instead he told them about the research he’d done while getting his master’s degree in marine biology and about a summer job he had at a manatee wildlife refuge park. The kids, Sarah noticed, seemed really interested, especially when he talked
about the first time he’d been in the water with the large and scary but perfectly harmless marine mammals. They laughed and asked a lot of questions, and Principal Connors had to go to the podium to interrupt him because he’d gone over the allotted time.
Afterward, several of the kids crowded around him to keep asking questions. Sarah had a hard time finding him alone.
“You’re a good speaker,” she said, automatically handing him a low-fat lemon poppy muffin (his favorite). “You were a big hit with the kids.”
“Thanks.” He took a bite of the muffin. “The kids are fun,” he said thoughtfully.
Jenna walked up to them. “Sarah! Hello, glad to see The Bistro being represented tonight.” Jenna had only been in town a little over a week now but she’d already become a morning regular. Large coffee with a splash of cream and a toasted asiago bagel with low-fat cream cheese.
“How was your first week as city manager?” Sarah asked.
“I’ve been wonderfully busy. Just the way I like it.” She turned to Luke. “We’re still on for this Saturday, then?”
“Yep. I’ll give you a call with the details.”
“Great.” Jenna smiled and it seemed forced, but that had to be Sarah’s imagination. “See you both later!” Then she took off across the gym floor faster than any woman in heels should be able to without falling flat on her face. She reminded Sarah of a gazelle. Tall, graceful, lovely, and absolutely perfect for someone like Luke.
“So,” Sarah said, “the big date’s this Saturday?”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
Sarah stilled. “Oh?”
“Yeah, I was wondering if you could make up a picnic basket for me.”
She blinked. “A picnic basket,” she repeated slowly. “For you and Jenna?”
“No, for me and Toby.”
“Ha-ha. You’re taking Jenna on a picnic? That’s your big date? Somehow I don’t see you as a picnic kind of guy.”
“Then you’d be wrong. And it’s not a picnic exactly. I’m taking her out on my grandfather’s boat, the Martha Sue. Although,” he added with a frown, “technically she’s my boat now.”
“I didn’t know you had a boat,” Sarah said.
“It’s been dry docked and out of commission for a few years, but I’ve been fixing her up. We’re going to cruise around the nearby islands, do some snorkeling, have a nice picnic dinner and watch the sun set.” He suddenly sounded unsure of himself. “Does that sound okay?”
It sounded more than okay.
A vision of a gorgeous, bikini-clad Jenna lying around the boat while Luke steered them toward a romantic sunset popped into her head. Sarah cleared her throat. “What if it rains?”
“I’ve already checked the forecast for this Saturday. Nothing but blue skies and calm waters.”
“That’s great!” she said, aware that she sounded way too enthusiastic for what the conversation required.
“What am I missing here?” Luke asked.
“What do you mean?”
