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“Perfect day to be out on the water,” he said, hearing it, too. Then he quietly added, “I took a few boats for test drives earlier. Nothing too fancy. I want one mostly for… fishing. Maybe a sunset cruise or two. That kind of thing.”
The flip-flopping in my chest turned into panicked thudding.
Suddenly I wasn’t at all sure what it was that my heart wanted. I had thought it was looking for a second chance, but now it was acting like it wanted to be locked up tight, safe and protected.
A boat. He wanted a boat.
Of course he did. He loved the water. Always had. The more he was in it, on it, the happier he was. Retirement from the Coast Guard hadn’t meant he left that love behind. Why had I thought otherwise?
“Maggie?”
My hand shook, so I set my glass down. “Hmm?”
He looked out at the water. “You know what? I don’t really need a boat. I’ve served my time on the sea.”
I snapped my head to look at him. “What? No.”
“No what?”
“Of course you need a boat.”
He shook his head, held my gaze. “There are other things more important. That’s a lesson I learned a little too late.”
Me. He was talking about me. And oh my lord, I wanted to cry. To sob.
Because I couldn’t ask him to give up something he loved for me.
Not again.
CHAPTER 10AVA
“Hey, now. Whoa!”
I comically skidded to a stop before I smacked into Sam and Norman in front of the coffee shop. Sam extended his arms straight out in a protective stance, the leash stretching with the motion.
My lungs burned and my breath came out in ragged puffs. “So sorry. Didn’t see you.”
Tunnel vision at its finest, because otherwise the pair was hard to overlook. Especially the beautiful Norman, who excitedly wagged his shaggy arched tail and greeted me with one of his adorablequabarks.
I bent down and petted his head, and his fur was as silky as I’d imagined. “Hi there, handsome.”
His tail wagged even harder and he licked my hand. I contemplated a dognapping as I fell in love right there in front of Magpie’s.
“You all right?” Sam asked.
I stood up, full of regret that I couldn’t sit with Norman awhile longer. “I’m fine, thanks. Just out of shape.”
Strenuous exercise had been on my list of avoidances most of my life, and I quickly checked for warning signs that I’d overdone it. I was queasy, a touch dizzy, and more than a little sweaty. All were slightly troubling symptoms, but I told myself they could be chalked up to the mad dash I’d just made, not anything having to do with an impending seizure.
I took deep, even breaths, trying not to worry, but breathwork wouldn’t prevent a seizure. Nothing, other than medication,could truly prevent one. And sometimes not even that. I’d had plenty of seizures while on medication.
Tonight, the town square was hopping with activity, the evening full of chatter and laughter. The green was dotted with chairs and blankets, and a band was setting up their instruments on a makeshift stage.
Magpie’s was closed, the shop dark except for the dim shafts of late-day sunlight that spilled across the dining room. I found I was already looking forward to my Thursday shift, and I smiled inwardly, unable to believe I’d ever look forward to working in a busy, noisy coffee shop.
“At least you’re not wearing the heavy tweed,” Sam said. “I heard the job interview went well.”
Tonight, he wore a ball cap that shaded his eyes, and the ends of his dark hair curled around the brim. I smiled, once again thinking about gossip in small towns. “I guess you were right about the luck in the air.”
