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“No, it’s... it’s fine. People look but they don’t talk behind my back. At least, not where I can hear. I think they liked the cinnamon rolls I brought as a peace offering. She did a great job.”
Nodding, he digs a finger into his collar, tugging it loose.
His hair billows back in the wind, so dark and kissed by the sea gods I feel jealous.
I still want to run my fingers through it so badly they hurt.
Yes, this is silly.
It’s like I’m possessed by the spirit of every fifteen-year-old girl with her first crush.
Only, Iknowexactly where this longing came from.
Just like I know I’m hilariously powerless to stop it.
So I lean forward into the wind, taking its crisp slap across the face. Like that can somehow blunt the hold Shepherd has on my heart.
“Are you cold?” he asks. “We can always move inside, or I can grab you a blanket from the cabin.”
“No, no. This is great. It’s actually refreshing.”
He looks at me without a shred of belief, this emotional elephant we’re not acknowledging growing bigger with every word.
What I should do right now is find a good angle to grab a few shots and short clips to share with my followers.
They’d love this whole excursion, regardless of whether or not there’s an awesome whale sighting at the end.
But I can’t while I have this moment.
This experience with Shepherd is still ours.
It’s too precious to let anything pull me out of it.
Plus, I don’t want anyone else looking into this private little world we’ve carved for ourselves with the sun peeking in and out of the swirling pink clouds and the mountains staring down as our only witnesses.
All I can do is watch him as he stands there, too striking to breathe, staring straight ahead with his jaw clenched and a sparkle in his frosted blue eyes.
“Less than an hour now. We’re closing in,” Shepherd says without looking at me.
Time is going fast.Don’t remind me.
My stomach knots and tries to climb up my throat until it happens.
His hand brushes mine, and when I look over, he’s closer.
A second later, my fingers are tangled in his.
I flipping lose it then.
The tears come furiously, spilling out as I turn away.
He just keeps holding on silently, like he knows how much I need him.
“Give your tears to the wind, woman. Not me,” he whispers. “Truth be told, I hate that we have to go our separate ways.”
I’m choking so hard I can barely speak. “Th-then why?”
Molly sinks down near my feet with a sympathetic whine.
