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“Ballpark it,” he answered.
“Um, between twenty-five and thirty. Will that work?”
“I’m pushing forty,” he said. “It makes me sad because I really might be too old for you.”
“I’m going to stick my neck out here, Alphé, but you’re not too old for me, okay? No. You’re just right.”
“You’ve never been married, and you got no boyfriend at this time, correct?”
“No one. That’s why I’m here. I mean, I’ve no one waiting for me in Pensacola, so I’m here, with Maggie. But I’m thinking of making it permanent. I need something more, something different. I like it here.”
“This here is a wonderful place, Katrina. I have to confess to you that my ex and I still live under the same roof. I sleep on the couch, and we barely say two words to each other during any given day, but I want to see my kids, and I don’t make enough money fishing to support two households.”
“Thank you so much for telling me,” she replied, relieved that he told her. “I guess I have to decide if that’s going to be a problem for me.”
“I hope it won’t be. It’s just temporary. I’m talking to an attorney about asking her to get a job. She don’t work.”
“Good luck with that. She might not appreciate it.”
“Well, she sort of brought this on herself. I’ll tell you about it someday.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready when you are.”
He paused, looking at her. She could feel the desire coming from him, and it discombobulated her again, so that she felt like crying.
“Would you go to dinner with me tonight?” he asked, his voice full of hope and longing.
“I would,” she said, no preamble necessary. “Yes.”
“I’ll be back here around sevenish if that will work. Can I have your number?”
She gave it to him, her heart beating so wildly, she was afraid he wouldn’t be able to understand her, and he fed it into his phone.
“I don’t have service out here, but I’ll send you a text when I get back to the dock.”
She nodded, feeling like a dork, unable to speak for a moment. Finally, “Okay, thank you for coming.”
“I told you I would,” he said. “I haven’t been able to think of nothin’ else.”
That did it, she wanted to jump up and get into the dinghy and kiss him madly, but she withheld the impulse, knowing she was out of control.
“I lit a candle this mornin’. For this.” He switched his finger between them.
“You lit a candle? Where?” The idea that he might be a believer set her heart on fire.
“I did. In church.”
“Wow.” That did it for her. Sealed the deal. She’d put up with the ex-wife if she had to.
He pulled his hat up and smiled at her. “I’ll see you at seven. I can’t hardly wait.”
“Me either,” she said. “I’ll be waiting.”
He pulled the dinghy around in a circle and waved again, heading back to his boat. They would stay out there for several hours, him and his kids. She was trying to figure out what she was looking at when Maggie arrived with the binoculars.
“You got to know we were having a fit trying to lip-read,” Maggie said, handing them over.
Barking out a laugh, Katrina told her everything that had been said. “His kids are on the boat with him today.”
