Shipwrecked Summer (13 page)

“Okay.”

He walked over to one of the benches and pulled the cushion off. “We keep the keys in here because nobody ever knows who’s going to take the boat on what day.” He hunted in the storage bench for awhile. “Got it!” He pulled out a purple plastic frog bank. “What, you know you wouldn’t think to look for the keys in here.” He uncapped the bottom and shook a key ring into his hand.

He walked back over to where I stood by the controls and I watched him stick the keys into the ignition and press a few buttons. He explained how to catch the engine and guide the boat out.

The engine cranked over and my stomach lurched. I clung to the railing in front of me, my knuckles turning white.

“See?” he said, and I nodded. “It’s not so bad, is it?”

“It’s okay.”

“If we get out there and you want to turn around, just tell me,” he said, gently navigating the boat from its slip. “I’ll come back as soon as you want.”

I smiled weakly at him, grateful for his concern.

The boat eased its way out of the marina and headed for the channel that connected the bay to the ocean.

I hadn’t been out on the water in a boat in years.

But here I went.

“You holding up okay?” Jeff shouted over the wind and roar of the engine as the boat picked up speed coming out of the channel, heading for open water.

I nodded, afraid that if I opened my mouth, I’d throw up.

“We’re not going to cruise forever,” he told me. “I’ll dock us in a little while.”

I think that was meant to reassure me, but it only intensified my panic. My palms were clammier than ever, I could feel the warmth in my cheeks, sweat prickling at my hairline, knots churning away in my stomach. Docked in the ocean? Could there be anything worse?

We rode in silence, partly because I wouldn’t have been able to hear him over the wind and party because I was still too scared to unclench my jaw. Finally, when the mainland was nothing more than an unrecognizable speck along the horizon, Jeff cut the engine and dropped the boat’s anchor. The boat bobbed harmlessly in the calm waves.

“So,” he said, coming over and taking the seat across from me. “How’re you doing?”

“I’m okay,” I replied, surprised to realize it was pretty much true. The knots in my belly had started to loosen and I wouldn’t have been embarrassed to shake anyone’s hand. “Yeah, this isn’t so bad.”

He nodded. “Good. I thought you might be alright once I got you out here. Why didn’t you want to come?”

I sighed. I’d thought I’d avoided the question when he let it go on the street earlier, but I didn’t think I could dodge it again, not without being rude.

“I haven’t been on a boat in almost ten years,” I said, folding my hands in my lap and looking up at him. “I was with my family the last time. We were all out on a boat, kind of like this one. Me, my mom, my dad, and my grandparents. My father decided to drop the anchor in the middle of the water. We were so far out that I couldn’t see the shoreline, but I wasn’t scared of the open water then so it didn’t bother me.”

I took a deep, steadying breath and looked at Jeff. He didn’t take his eyes off me.

“My dad thought it would be fun to go swimming,” I continued. “So we jumped into the water and floated around, splashed each other a little, and it was fun. The water was nice, really warm. I think I fell in love with the ocean the same day I turned against it. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time, but it changed everything. My dad dove beneath the surface, swam up from behind me and grabbed my legs, pulling me under.”

My voice caught in my throat as I watched Jeff’s expression change from one of interest to one of confusion and a little bewilderment.

“Oh, jeez,” he muttered under his breath as if he’d figured out exactly how this story ended.

I nodded. “Yeah. Oh, jeez. It was bad enough that he scared me half to death by pulling me under when I wasn’t expecting it, but I got tangled up underneath him. When he came up for air, I was stuck under the water until he realized what was going on. But by then, I’d already panicked, swallowed a lot of water.” I inhaled. “It might sound stupid to you, but it scared me. I was only eight at the time and I haven’t been in water where I can’t touch the bottom since. Not even a pool.”

I swallowed hard, my story done. It was the first time I’d told anyone since it happened.

My friends and I hadn’t gone swimming much so they never really noticed when I stuck to the shallower waters. And it wasn’t like I didn’t swim underwater, either. I just needed to know that I could push myself up off the bottom for air in mere seconds.

“Lexie.” Jeff’s voice was quiet and it’d lost the teasing note that seemed present whenever he spoke. “Lexie, I don’t know what to say. I mean, that’s got to be awful for a little kid.”

“It was,” I said. “The boat, the deep water, the anchoring out here. It’s all so similar to that day. It just freaked me out.”

“Of course it did,” he said. “I get it, really. We’ve all got a story like that, something that we think other people will find silly, but it’s just real for us, you know? No matter what they say to convince you otherwise, that’s just part of who we are.”

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears I was shocked to find rising up in the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill over. I’d never expected anyone to understand so perfectly before, but Jeff had said exactly the right thing, what I needed to hear so badly.

“Yeah, that’s it,” I said. “But I feel like you brought me out here for a reason and you didn’t even know it.” I took a deep breath, not sure I wanted to do this. “I think I need to jump in.”

He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

I nodded and stood up, pulling my bathing suit cover-up over my head before I could change my mind. “I have to.”

He didn’t say anything else, just peeled off his black tank top like he knew that I needed him to do it with me.

We climbed up onto the flat railing of the boat in silence, our toes curled just slightly over the edge. He offered his hand to me and I took it, feeling the warmth and comfort and spark that jolted through my body at his touch, remembering his strong hands as they’d fixed my leg just a few days ago.

It seemed like that had happened months ago.

I took a deep breath.

“You ready?” he asked.

My heart beat faster in my chest, stomach dancing as I looked up into his smiling eyes.

“No,” I said, surprising myself and him.

His eyebrows shot up. “No?”

I shook my head vigorously. “I can’t.”

“Yeah,” he said, still holding my hand. “You can. Nothing bad will happen to you this time. I promise.”

I wanted so much to believe him, to screw it all and jump off the edge of the boat into the warm, calm, happy waters below and let it all go, forget the past, and dive into the future.

But with each passing second that kept my feet rooted to their spot on deck, I knew it was a lost cause.

“I’m sorry,” I said, letting go of his hand and stepping back into the boat, turning my back to him so I didn’t have to see how much I disappointed him. “It’s so nice that you want to do this for me, but I just can’t.”

He sighed quietly, but his voice was upbeat. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not ready. It’s cool. I didn’t even know what I was planning was such a big deal, so I’m sorry for even making you bring it up.” He walked around to one of the benches and lifted the lid, pulling out a red cooler. “Hungry?”

I smiled, relieved he’d let it go, but still shaking slightly from my near-encounter with the deep waters beneath us. “Starving.”

We ate turkey sandwiches and pickles and sipped cranberry juice mixed with Sprite as we sat on the cushioned seats lining the side of the boat, floating up and down in the ocean.

“That was really good,” I told him once I’d finished my lunch. “Thanks.”

He shrugged. “What can I say? I make a mean sandwich, but don’t ask me for anything more than that.”

“Is our afternoon still a mystery?”

“Well, hopefully these plans don’t send you into a full-blown panic.”

I grinned. “I think there’s only been the one traumatic event like that in my life, so you’re probably safe.”

“Besides,” he said with a smile. “I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for you to hate Scrabble.” He reached down and pulled the board game out from underneath the bench and my eyes lit up.

“You remembered?” I thought back to my Scrabble joke at his baseball game.

He shrugged as if he’d grown shy all of a sudden. “Yeah, you said you love it, so I figured we could stretch out and play a few games. If you want to, I mean. We could go back if you’re uncomfortable out here.”

“No,” I said. “I want to play.”

He grinned. Jeff planned an amazing day for us. It wasn’t his fault that I was a complete and utter chicken about the deep. If I’d been able to get past that whole thing, today probably would have been perfect.

***

We sat there for hours.

I don’t know how long, exactly, we relaxed on the ocean, playing game after game, me winning one, him winning the next, our list of friendly wagers growing by the minute, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to leave, not ever. He made me laugh, he made me smile, he made me roll my eyes, and it was the best day of my life.

He looked up at the sky as we finished our last game and debated starting another one. I wanted to, of course, because anything else meant we’d leave and I couldn’t stand to see the day end.

“We should probably think about getting back,” he said, and I bit my lip. “I don’t want to go, but it’s going to be dark soon and we shouldn’t be out here.”

I sighed. “I’m sure you’re right. But we’re tied at ten games each. We’ve got to settle the score.”

He grinned. “Don’t you worry about that. We’ve got all summer to play.” He held up the pad that we’d been using to keep our bets straight. “And to work on these.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my smile as we packed the Scrabble board into its box and climbed back into the boat.

Jeff made his way over to the controls to raise the anchor and I took a seat on one of the cushioned benches lining the boat as the engine caught and he began piloting us back to shore. Happy as I was to get back to dry land, I hated to leave this magical spot with Jeff. And for some reason, I hated that it was a place we’d never be able to find again, no matter how hard we tried.

I glanced over at him, blonde hair blowing slightly in the wind, eyes focused on the horizon. I swallowed, feeling the fluttering of my heart as I studied him. He looked perfect, gorgeous, more handsome than any guy I could ever remember seeing, as he sat there staring out over the ocean.

Jeff turned his head and locked eyes with me, catching me in my stare. I blushed and looked away, but not before I heard him chuckle softly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him press a few buttons on the control pad before he stood and walked over to me.

The sky had begun to weave a beautiful pattern of pinks, oranges, yellows, and purples as the sun sank towards the sea. The wind wasn’t nearly as brutal as it had been earlier, the humidity of the day long gone.

It was, without a moment’s doubt, the prettiest I had ever seen the ocean.

And the happiest I’d ever felt.

Jeff stretched out his hand to me and I took it as he pulled me to my feet. I stood there, looking up at him, and he met my gaze, our eyes seemingly searching for something in each other’s expression.

He broke the silence first.

“Thanks for coming with me today,” he said quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and sending shivers down my spine. “I know it was hard for you at first, but I’m really glad you did.”

I smiled at him. “Me, too. I just--I felt like you’d get it and you did.”

He nodded, falling silent.

My heart beat furiously in my chest as he leaned in closer to me. My eyelids fluttered shut in anticipation. And then, just like that, his lips--soft and sweet--found mine.

My arms reached around and encircled his neck as his snaked around my waist and he deepened the kiss. I felt as though I could simply melt into him, right here and now, and never have to go back to shore. Nothing waiting for me on land was as important, as wonderful, as amazing, as what was happening here on The Lady & the Tramp.

He gently broke the kiss and looked down at me with a small forming on his lips before he kissed my forehead.

I’d been wrong before.

I hadn’t been happy before. I hadn’t even known the meaning of the word.

And I never wanted this to go away.

“Am I supposed to be surprised about this?” Gianna snapped her gum as I finished telling her about my day at sea with Jeff.

“Well...yeah,” I said, disappointed at her lack of enthusiasm. I’d been dying all day, waiting to tell someone about my date, and I’d been hoping for a little more excitement.

She shrugged. “What did I tell you before you went with him? He had the hots for you and you’d have a great time. And he does and you did. No surprises there!”