Chapter 3 #2
"Stay," he'd said. "The dock's big enough for both of us."
So she stayed, and he worked, and they existed in the same space without it feeling crowded. It was strange how quickly she'd gotten used to his presence. The sound of his tools, the occasional grunt of effort, the way he talked to himself under his breath when something wasn't cooperating.
"You ever been on a boat?" he asked, straightening up from the board he'd just secured.
She looked over her shoulder at him. "A few times. Nothing serious. Why?"
He nodded toward the canoe tied at the end of the dock. "I could take you out sometime. Show you the cove. It's prettier from the water."
The offer surprised her. "I thought the canoe was off-limits."
"Off-limits alone. The current's tricky if you don't know what you're doing." He wiped his hands on his jeans and came to stand beside her, looking out at the water. "But I know what I'm doing."
She tilted her head to look up at him. The sun was behind him, turning his hair to gold at the edges and throwing his face into shadow. "Are you being nice to me, Brian Knight?"
"Don't get used to it." But there was warmth in his voice that hadn't been there yesterday. "I'm going into town later. Got to pick up some supplies at the hardware store. You want to come?"
She considered it. Part of her wanted to stay here, wrapped in the quiet she'd been craving. But another part, the part that had spent too many months isolated in her own head, wanted to see more of this place that had made him want to stay.
"Sure," she said. "I'd like that."
The craft fair was winding down by the time they reached Main Street, vendors packing up their wares and families heading home with armfuls of purchases. The afternoon light had turned everything golden, and the harbor sparkled like someone had scattered diamonds across the water.
Brian parked near the hardware store, a squat brick building with a hand-painted sign that read Copper Moon Hardware just started the engine and pulled away from the curb. But as they drove back through the tunnel of trees toward White Gull Lane, she caught him glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
Like he was trying to figure out what she saw when she looked at him.
Like maybe it mattered.