Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
M icah
Micah walked toward the boat that would take them snorkeling and couldn’t help but smile when Cheyenne came into view. She was stunning. Too bad she screamed ‘tourist’. A huge sun hat, a neon-pink swim dress over her swimsuit, and massive flip-flops made her stand out.
As if she could sense him, she looked up and grinned. That smile nearly stopped his heart. No, she’d gone out with Eli yesterday. He needed to stop thinking about this woman.
When he reached her, she handed him a ticket.
He stared at it, then jolted. “Right. I need to Venmo you for this.”
She placed her hand over his. “It’s fine. Really.”
“No.” He pulled out his phone, scrolling to find her contact. “I want to go snorkeling, and you already paid for this. I insist on paying my own way.”
“Look, maybe we can just go back to your place and look at whatever you think we need to look at with … you know what.” She looked around as if someone would pounce and take the amulet.
He wanted to tease her, but he just said, “Let’s snorkel and then go check things out.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, I didn’t sleep well. Saint Catherine-Whatever is haunting my dreams and wants this amulet back.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Seriously.”
Micah searched her face. She seemed truly worried about it. “If it’ll make you feel better, we can return it.” Dread filled him as he thought about sneaking back into the crypt and putting it back. It was way more than creepy. “But let’s make sure it can’t read some things first, okay?”
She pulled her hand back, and he noticed that she was jittery. “Fine.” She sucked in a shallow breath. “But we are putting it back.”
“Yeah, we will.” He moved his attention back to his phone. “Let me get you paid for this.”
She leaned closer, her voice dropping conspiratorially. “You know what? Why don’t you just let me pay for this, and after the snorkel cruise, you can buy us pizza or something while we dig deeper into the you-know-what.”
Her dramatic tone made him laugh. “So we’ll go ‘you know where’ and talk about the ‘you know what’?”
She laughed too. “Exactly.”
He cocked his eyebrow. “And I presume you brought the ‘you know what’ with you, too?”
“It’s back at the house. I didn’t want to risk it.” She glanced around, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “I feel like a grave robber. We really need to return it to that tomb ASAP.”
Micah frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked genuinely concerned. “We’ll return it as soon as we’re done checking it, I promise. We have all week. Let’s take our time.”
She looked at his hand on her shoulder, then into his eyes.
A zing of attraction went through him. This woman was a complete knockout.
“Fine,” she said. “We snorkel, then we see if the amulet can help us, then we put it back.”
“Deal.”
She seemed to calm down a bit.
Would he admit that part of the reason he didn’t want to hurry things today was because he wanted to spend more time with her? Uh, no. He was prepping to become a SEAL; he didn’t need the complication of a woman in his life.
The guide called everyone closer. “Please take a pair of fins, goggles, and a life jacket. As you enter, we’ll sanitize your goggles and make sure everything’s ready.”
Cheyenne looked suddenly nervous. “I’ve never done this before.”
Micah blinked. “What? You’ve never snorkeled in your entire life?”
She bent to pick up a pair of fins. “No. Not everyone’s snooty, rich, and lives on the beach.”
That caught him off guard. “You don’t know much about me, but I can tell you your assessment is wrong.”
“Sorry.” She sighed. “I’m just feeling antsy.”
“Okay, what do you need help with?” He wasn’t about to dive into his backstory, but he’d been snorkeling long before he moved to South Port.
She held up a pair of goggles uncertainly. “Would you mind holding my stuff while I see if these fit?”
He took her things, watching as she pressed the goggles to her face.
“How do I know if they’re the right size?” she asked.
Setting her belongings down, he stepped closer. “Here, let me.” He slipped the goggles over her head and tightened the strap. “These should work.”
She jerked her head from side to side. “How does anyone swim in these?”
He couldn’t help it—he laughed. She reminded him of a dog trying to shake something off its head.
She glared at him, then laughed too. “I guess I’ll have to get used to it.”
The line moved forward, and they gathered their things and boarded the boat. Somewhere in the background, the guide shouted instructions about their route, safety tips, and the snorkeling area, but it was nothing Micah hadn’t heard before.
They settled onto a bench near the back, placing their gear to the side. Micah couldn’t help but notice her scent—a mix of mango, strawberry, and maybe lemon.
Why was he noticing how she smelled?
“Sorry for snapping at you earlier,” she said, breaking his train of thought. “I’m just nervous about the amulet, and now I’m nervous about snorkeling.”
Micah smiled. She looked so effortlessly beautiful, in a girl-next-door way. “That’s okay. I didn’t mean to say the wrong thing.”
She shrugged, leaning back. “It’s so gorgeous here. I can’t believe I’m on this trip.”
He leaned back, their shoulders brushing. It was a light touch, but it felt significant. “The ocean is beautiful.” He chuckled and shook his head.
She nudged him. “What? Are you laughing at me?”
“No. I was just remembering the first time I came to South Port. My mom brought me here after my parents’ divorce. She ended up marrying Trey. Long story short, he taught me how to surf on that trip. I was so nervous and terrible at it back then.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. “I’m nervous to snorkel, surfing is probably way harder. But probably not for someone like you.”
“Hey, it’s hard for me.”
“Right, Mr. Biceps.”
He cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t always have these guns.” He flexed.
She laughed. “Show off.”
He grunted. “Sorry.”
“I don’t believe you.”
He laughed.
“You guys love showing off your huge muscles.”
He pointed at her. “If you’re flattering me, it’s working.”
She laughed. “You tough guys take everything as a compliment.”
He scoffed. “Okay, Miss Rodeo Queen with your long blonde hair and girl-next-door looks, I’m sure you get a lot of flattery from guys?” He paused, clearing his throat, then said, “Speaking of that, why don’t you tell me more about the guy next door you went out with last night …”
Cheyenne’s eyebrows rose. “Subtlety is not your strength.”
“Guess not.”
She eyed him, then smiled, her cheeks turning pink. “I’ll let that ‘rodeo queen’ comment slide because there was some kind of compliment in there.”
Neatly avoiding his question about that Eli guy. Touché.
“Note to self: She’s good at deflecting flirts but not great at taking compliments.”
Her blush deepened, and she looked away. “Anyway, it must’ve been weird for you—moving here, seeing your mom remarry, starting a whole new life. Where were you before?”
The conversation flowed as he told her about Colorado, his family, and how his mom and Trey’s second-chance romance was like something out of a movie.
“I get what you mean,” Cheyenne said. “It’s like fire and ice. Soulmate stuff, but for real.”
He glanced at her, surprised. “You’ve seen that with your brothers?”
“Oh yeah. All except Nash—he’s the only one not married yet, and we tease him mercilessly about it.”
“They don’t tease you?”
She laughed lightly. “Not really. I’m focused on going to law school, and I’ve never given them anyone to tease me about.”
“Not Eli?”
“Nope.”
The answer was too quick to be honest. Micah let it drop. “But you’ve witnessed that soulmate magic?”
She grinned, launching into stories about her brothers and their second-chance romances.
The boat pulled away from shore, and the captain began narrating their trip, describing landmarks and the marine life they’d encounter.
Cheyenne pointed out to sea, her face lighting up. “Is that a dolphin?”
Micah followed her gaze and smiled. “Looks like a whole pod.”
As more dolphins appeared, kids and families crowded around, their excitement contagious. Cheyenne’s childlike wonder was the most infectious of all.
When the dolphins disappeared, she giggled, leaning closer to him. “I know we have stuff to figure out today, but I’m glad we’re doing this.”
He laughed. “Me too. It’s weird, but it’s good. Really good.”