Chapter 6 #2
“That’s because I didn’t talk so much and let them enjoy the views,” she teased.
He offered her a coy smile as he returned to the wheel and changed their course. “Who’s ready to see a puffin?”
“Me!” Sierra called.
They trolled through the waters toward a set of islands where the black and white birds often climbed onto the rocks. As Sierra admired them and snapped selfies, Julia shot Grant a glance. She didn’t like his quiet demeanor. He had barely spoken to any of them since they boarded.
She would have whispered the question to him, certain this had to be uncomfortable, but they sat too far apart.
Sierra shifted around, trying to get a shot, and Julia used the opportunity to shift closer. “Why don’t we switch seats?”
“Yes, thank you, Julia,” she said as she leapt from hers and Julia slid down closer to the corner. She offered Grant as reassuring a smile as she could muster before she reached for his hand. He slid his hand toward her when Duchess leapt up with a growl.
“Duchess, no,” Luke said. “Sorry, she’s not normally this rude.”
“She has a real problem with my dad,” Sierra said.
“Yeah, she’s very protective of Julia,” Luke answered.
“Okay, well, I don’t know what her deal is then because my dad is clearly not going to hurt Julia.” Sierra rolled her eyes.
Julia offered Grant a penitent glance, but it didn’t seem to help his demeanor much.
They continued their trolling around the islands off the coast, spotting dolphins and seals as Luke pointed out various landmarks and sights.
“And we’re coming up to the Seabird Point Lighthouse. Now, Maine has the most haunted lighthouses in the entire country. So, what do you think? Is this one haunted?”
Julia flicked her eyebrows up as she waited for someone to respond.
“No guess?” Luke asked. “Well, I know one person who doesn’t have to guess. Julia…Seabird Point. Haunted or not?”
“Not haunted,” she answered with a smile. “Harbor Cliff Lighthouse is the haunted one.”
“That’s right,” Luke said with a grin. “Glad you see you haven’t forgotten everything about Harbor Cove.”
The comment struck at her gut. She hadn’t forgotten anything about Harbor Cove.
That’s why she hadn’t been back. She flicked her gaze to the horizon, noting Grant’s grip on the railing tightening until his knuckles whitened after the comment.
He stared out at the horizon, his jaw set in a hard line, the muscles twitching as if he struggled to contain emotions she couldn’t place.
“Are you serious?” Sierra asked.
“Yep,” Luke and Julia answered at the same time. “Same as half a dozen other places around here. Where are you folks staying?”
“Umm, I forget the address.”
“The old Winslow place,” Julia answered.
“Nice,” Luke said.
“Sierra booked it without knowing I was from here. I’m just glad she didn’t book the Ravenwoods’ place by accident.”
“Why?” Sierra asked with a wrinkled nose.
“It’s haunted,” Julia and Luke answered simultaneously.
“Are you guys joking?”
“No,” Luke said as he guided the boat in a wide berth around a wooded island.
Sierra flicked her gaze from Luke to Julia with a questioning glance. “We’re not. It’s burned down five times since it was first built. I’d never stay there.”
“I can’t believe you’d give into that superstition, Julia,” Kyle said.
“You try it and see how it works out,” Luke said. “But I’d bet you’d never get Julia in there.”
“Oh, you’d never get me in there? I do remember you wouldn’t even set foot on the property that time Ethan dared you to run through the house.”
“That was a ridiculous dare anyway,” he answered. “I can’t believe the chief’s son actually asked me to trespass.”
Julia let out a belly laugh. “Oh, like you were so sensitive to less-than-legal shenanigans?”
Her amusement was tempered by the subtle sigh as Grant shifted in his seat.
The tension in his jaw suggested he wasn’t happy with the situation.
The pull between her past and present threatened to tear her in two, and she slouched in her seat, her heart warring between a past she hadn’t let go of and a future she hadn’t committed to.
“Now,” Luke said as he shifted their course, “I know you folks paid for the three-and-a-half-hour tour–”
“Did you know that Captain Luke made this a tour three-and-a-half-hours by adding an extra thirty minutes of cruise time just so people couldn’t sing him the Gilligan’s Island song?” Julia asked.
“Thank you, Julia, for that piece of trivia. Anyway, our tour is nearly up, but…since you have special connections to a former captain, I thought we’d make one more special stop.
” His eyes glinted with mischief, making Julia’s stomach flutter, a twisted mix of anxiety and longing. What was he up to?
Julia flicked her gaze over the rolling sea, understanding in an instant where he was headed. Her heart skipped a beat as memories flooded through her. She swallowed hard, hoping it looked more innocent on the outside than it likely was.
Was this visit a coincidence or influenced by something Alicia had said? Doubt lingered in her mind as Luke rounded the island closest to them, slowing the boat as he trolled toward a makeshift dock.
“Umm, is that thing safe?”
“Definitely,” Luke said. “Built it myself.”
“Like with your own hands?” Sierra asked incredulously.
“Yep,” Luke said as he slid the boat alongside it and leapt to the dock with a rope to secure the boat.
Gentle waves lapped at the island, but the serene beauty of the place clashed with the storm of emotions brewing inside Julia.
Duchess hopped onto the little wooden dock, her tail wagging as she issued a loud bark, a call to Julia.
“Well, come on, you’ll love this place,” Luke said with a grin as he ran his hand through his hair. “Sierra, you’ve been snapping pictures, and there’s a great place to do that if you climb to the top of the island.”
Sierra leapt to her feet, sold on the idea of another selfie, and strode to the dock, allowing Luke to help her off the boat.
“Want to wait here?” Julia asked Grant.
“I better not,” he said. “Sierra won’t be happy.”
“It’s a nice view,” she said with a shrug as he rose and wrapped an arm around her.
“At least the dog’s not barking at me.”
“Sorry,” Julia said as they strode across the deck. “She’s never seen me with anyone else.”
As the rest of them stepped onto the dock, Sierra, shielding her eyes from the bright sun, asked, “Wait, are we supposed to walk up to the top? Isn’t there like a golf cart or something?”
“Uh, no, you just walk,” Luke said, seeming a little confused. “Julia, I’m sure you remember the way.”
“Have you been here before?” Sierra asked.
“Yes, she has,” Luke answered. “We spent a lot of time here. This was one of our favorite spots. I built that dock just for her.”
Julia slid her eyes closed as she felt Grant tense next to her. This was already hard enough without Luke throwing every memory in her face. As she stepped onto the island, a rush of memories washed over her.
Sunny summer days laughing as they frolicked through the high grass with hands intertwined, starry nights cuddled together, and the tender moments shared as they overlooked the town’s lights.
The memories burned through her, stirring up emotions she’d desperately tried to bury.
And leaving one question blazing in her mind: could she leave him behind again?