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Eloise held her phone up and showed Kiel the number of missed calls she had. “My dad calls three times a day. Not to see how I'm doing or if I'm settling in, but to harp on me about getting a real job.” Her lips formed into a thin line as she dropped her phone into her bag.
“He doesn't appreciate your work?”
She shook her head slowly. “My grandpa, his dad, struggled and my dad held a lot of resentment toward him for not getting a job to support his family. He'd work odd jobs when he wasn't locked away in his studio painting.”
“That's gotta be tough, defending what you love.”
“It is.” She sighed. “So, I ignore him because I’m afraid of saying something I might regret.” Eloise looked around. “Right, that's depressing. Anyway, you asked what to do around here for fun. Let’s see, Blue Lobster Adventures offers boat tours where you can go whale watching or to see the island from the water. There's a trolley that will take you all over Seaport. It's free and you can get on and off as many times as you want. I believe there's a new company on the island that rents Jeeps. I don't know if you surf, but the beach where we first met has the best waves, and if you don't surf, they offer lessons. There’s another beach, not far from there where a lot of novices surf as there are smaller waves. Someone will be there to offer lessons as well. We have, or at least used to have, some amazing places to eat. I haven't been out much since I came back. As for bars, most visitors go to the Sea Shanty.”
“Do they sing songs about pirate woes?”
Eloise laughed. “Not that I know of, but there is some very famous pirate lore around town.”
“Maybe they've started since you left?”
“Honestly, I wouldn't put it past them. Do you like ghosts?”
“Can’t say I’ve ever met one.” He laughed.
“Same, but my cousin works at the haunted tour. If you’re into that sort of thing, she takes people around town and gives them the history of Seaport. It’s fascinating.”
“Are there ghosts?”
Eloise shrugged. “Personally, I’ve never seen one, but my cousin swears she has and has photographic proof.”
“Huh.” Kiel looked around. “What do you say we go get something to eat?”
“I'd like to, but . . .” She motioned toward her easel and painting. “The places around here frown upon a bunch of extra stuff hanging around.”
“Oh.” His face fell. He tried to mask his disappointment but failed.
“I have my moped here. If you don't mind riding with me, we can take everything back to my place and find a place to eat over there. We could even get takeout and go sit on the beach. There are fireworks tonight. We could watch them.”
“I'd like that.”
After packing everything up, Kiel offered to carry Eloise's equipment and bag to where she had parked. Over a block away, they came to the parking lot.
“Geez. Is one of these yours, or do you just randomly take one?” Kiel laughed.
“This one is mine.” Eloise pushed the kickstand back with her heel and rolled her scooter out of its spot near the other mopeds. “Technically, you’re supposed to wear a helmet, but I don’t have one with me.”
“Living dangerously, I see.” Kiel maneuvered himself to sit behind her.
“Yes, but I’ll rectify that soon. However, the law states all passengers must wear one.”
“Great, it’s our first date and I’m already breaking the law.”
The word “date” caught Eloise off guard, but it didn’t scare her. Not like it would’ve if Fraser asked her out. She would’ve told him no right away, but with Kiel, the word warmed her. Eloise laughed, hoping to ease any awkwardness he might feel by calling this a date. She started her moped. “We don’t have to go far, but you better hang on.”
Kiel did just that. He placed his hands on her waist. His grip was firm, manly. Eloise scooted back a smidge. She told herself it was because she needed more space, when in reality it was because she wanted to feel him pressed against her back.
eight
Kiel enjoyed trying new things. However, riding on the back of a moped wasn’t ever on his list. It was now though, because being this close and touching Eloise made him feel things he hadn’t felt before. His heart hammered in his chest and his palms were sweating. Kiel was thankful Eloise wore a shirt that covered where his hands would be. He didn’t want her to feel his nervousness through his clammy skin.
As they drove, thoughts of crashing or veering off into on-coming traffic plagued his mind. Surely, this wasn’t safe. Yet, as he looked around, he saw they weren’t the only ones zooming up the streets of Seaport, going a whole whopping twenty-five miles an hour. It seemed faster than it was, and he liked being out in the open. No windows. No doors. Just freedom.
His mother would lose her shit if she saw him.
