Chapter Twenty
Tess carried the pink jacket under her arm.
She wasn’t ready to surrender to an attention-grabbing fashion statement until she was significantly chilled.
She’d thought that when she’d donned the red top this morning, she was stretching herself.
It would have been fine with a gray or black coat, but bright pink over the red was well outside her normal comfort zone.
It still surprised her that she’d selected a red Mercedes instead of a black, or even a white one. However, she’d made the purchase soon after her shooting recovery, a time when she was deeply introspective and seeking change. She’d been happy to be alive and had wanted to advertise it.
Today, she hoped that Bree would distract her from even thinking about her attire. And when it came down to it, she would rather be warm than be a restrained fashion statement.
“Welcome aboard the Carpe Diem, ladies. I’m Captain Bob, and I’ll be in charge of the trip today. There are other crew members on board, so you shouldn’t have trouble having any needs addressed. Go ahead and look around before we get underway. There are drinks, food, and restrooms.”
Bree leaned into Tess and whispered, “And life jackets.”
Captain Bob looked at Tess. “Yes, ma’am.
Plenty of life jackets. But if I have any say, we won’t need them.
” Then he looked at the coat under Tess’s arm.
“It can get a bit cool out there with the breeze and the moisture. You’ll likely need a jacket today, and that one will make you one of my best-dressed passengers. ”
Bree gently poked Tess in the ribs, and Tess gave up worrying about the hot pink hue and smiled at Captain Bob. “Thanks. My fellow whale watcher picked it out for me, so she’s the one who deserves the compliments.”
Tess linked her arm through Bree’s and they proceeded on board.
They walked around and checked out the accommodations until the captain announced that they were ready to cast off.
Tess was excited. She’d never taken time to do something like this before.
The boat had a large cabin area where the passengers could hang out, and also a large deck, where Tess suspected they’d be spending a great deal of time if they were going to see any whales.
The boat pulled away from the dock and headed out toward open water.
“Do you want something to drink?” Bree asked.
“I’m good. Do you want to go inside until we get farther out to sea?”
“If you do.”
Tess thought about it. “Nope. I spend my life indoors. Let’s go stand at the front of the boat. I’ll put on my fashionable jacket, and we can stand there on the bow with the wind in our hair and reenact that famous movie scene before that legendary boat went down.”
Bree offered her a cheeky smile. “I knew you reminded me of Kate Winslet. I guess that leaves me playing Leo’s part, then. Now swear to me that by the time the credits roll, no matter whether we see whales or not, there will be no blue jewel tossed over the railing.”
Tess held up three fingers in pledge fashion. “I promise. Such a travesty, plunking that magnificent stone into the soup where only the fish could appreciate it.” She put on the flashy jacket and did a pirouette to Bree’s amusement. Bree put on her blue jacket, and they headed to the front railing.
They stood side by side, and other whale watchers came up to the railing to join them. The boat bounced as it cut through the surf on its journey out to deeper water. Bree moved behind Tess and held her close as the wind and the mist blew past them, and Tess leaned back into Bree.
“So, Judge Theresa Fairchild, are you having as much fun as I am?” Bree whispered into Tess’s ear. A whisper of warm air that spiked Tess’s awareness of Bree’s proximity.
“This was never something on my bucket list, but now that I’m here with you, it’s a day for the scrapbook.”
Bree continued to breath warm air onto the back of Tess’s neck, creating a sensation that made Tess want to turn and kiss her.
“I need some whales to distract me,” Tess muttered.
Just then, someone yelled, “Whale!” and everyone’s attention turned in the direction that a few people were pointing.
A pod of large humpback whales had surfaced and decided to put on a show.
One whale forcefully slapped its fluke on the surface of the water, and then another whale’s head broke the surface.
Crew members offered explanatory commentary, but Tess was mostly enjoying watching Bree watch the whales’ antics.
Tess laughed at Bree’s enthusiasm when a whale actually breached and they were able to see well over half of the huge magnificent body of the flying creature as it leapt partially out of the water and rolled, silhouetted above the deep navy blue of the ocean and the light cerulean background of sky.
“Oh my God,” Bree squealed. “Did you see that?” She hugged Tess. “Such a gorgeous creature. To think that this is going on out here every day, a world so far removed from our courthouse lives. What a marvelous adventure.”
Tess took in Bree’s excitement as she gushed over the beauty of the giant mammals and the day.
Such a gorgeous creature struck Tess as she looked at Bree.
Not just her looks, but her infectious appreciation and enthusiasm for so many things in life.
Tess knew that she felt something more for Bree than she’d ever come close to feeling with any other woman.
A feeling of worry passed through Tess, and she tamped it down.
Today Tess was going to finish enjoying what Bree had committed to offer her on this raffle prize adventure.
She’d at least have some wonderful memories, if she didn’t let them overwhelm her.
She’d spent her life guarding her heart, but how did a person explore their options unless they took a chance, and where was the line that said it was no longer worth the risk?
Well, today was for having a great time with Bree, so she was going to do just that.
“Tess! You have to look over here. To the left. What do you see?” Bree put her arm over Tess’s shoulder and turned her toward the scene she was so excited about.
Tess looked to where Bree was pointing and saw leaping dolphins moving at a distance while keeping pace with the boat.
“There’s your Flipper. Not just whales today. A whole pod of Flippers.” Bree was laughing, a joyous laugh that connected with Tess and reverberated around in her pounding chest. It was the kind of joy Tess wanted to share in.
An older white-haired woman was watching the two of them, and she appeared entertained. She walked over and extended a pair of binoculars toward Tess. “Get a closeup through these if you’d like.”
Tess accepted the offering and put the field glasses to her face.
She watched the leaps and dives of the dozen or so closely spaced dolphins who were engaged in an aquatic ballet as they matched the momentum of the boat.
Tess wondered what it would feel like to move so freely, to undulate through your world using your entire body.
And she also wondered what it would feel like to carry a different emotional load than she carried.
Her cats had demonstrated they cared for each other. Did those dolphins love each other?
As Bree took her turn at closer scrutiny of the synchronized swimmers, the woman touched Tess’s arm. “If you want to hand me your phone, I can take a photo of you two.”
Bree handed back the binoculars, and Tess pulled out her phone from where she’d placed it in her coat pocket after capturing the whale in mid-breach. Bree pulled Tess in by the waist and they stood hip to hip.
“Now say cheese,” the woman directed.
Tess muttered the word in unison with Bree’s fuller volume.
The woman looked at the shot and nodded, then she looked at Bree.
“You want one with a kiss?” She paused. “Sorry, I’ve been watching you two.
” That seemed to be all the justification their photographer needed to make her suggestion. “On the cheek’s okay.”
Bree leaned in from the side and placed her lips over the corner of Tess’s mouth as the woman took the shot. “Oops, I missed her cheek. Must be the waves.” The tease was evident in Bree’s voice.
The woman smiled. “Undoubtedly.” She handed Tess back her phone. “Now you have a snapshot memory.”
After they’d thanked her, the woman headed away to a different area of the boat, but with her back to them and still not quite out of earshot, she called back, “Nice jacket. Very hot…pink. You do it justice.”
Tess knew her own coloring was rising to the shade of the coat.
“Very hot,” Bree echoed. This time her kiss landed squarely on Tess’s mouth.
Ten minutes later, they stood together on the deck, shoulders touching, as the boat finally turned to take them back to shore.
They leaned into each other and held the railing as the boat hit choppy water.
Tess felt the strength of Bree’s arms when a big wave rocked the boat to the side and Tess fell into her.
As they straightened up, Bree did not let go.
They rode the rest of the way back taking the rise and fall of the sea fused against each other.
Their dinner reservation wasn’t until seven o’clock at the Seaside Eatery and Dance Club, which was about a twenty-minute drive up the coastal highway from Corazon Cove, so they had plenty of time to stop off at their respective showers to wash off the day’s salt layer before heading to dinner.
Tess dropped Bree off with a plan to pick her up in about an hour, after she headed home to feed the two cats and change too.
After a warm rinse, Bree put on the black dress she’d selected from her closet last night.
She was going to have to sort out all that was going on very soon, all that loomed undisclosed, because she didn’t like where her agreement with Ned had left her.
But tonight, Bree just wanted to enjoy the end to a perfect day.