Chapter 17
The Stranger
Scott and I were battered and soaked by the time we finally eased the Adeline into her slip.
The squall hit hard but moved on fast. Scott had most of the gear secured before it could become a problem, and I stayed at the helm.
By the time the sky cleared, I’d changed into dry clothes in the cabin, but the chill had settled into my bones.
Crystal and I both headed straight back to her house so we could shower, eat, and get cleaned up before it was time to pick up Natalie. This morning, I asked if I could start dropping her off and picking her up from school. I wasn’t sure how Crystal would feel about it, but she agreed right away.
It feels good to take a hot shower.
I step into the kitchen, moisture still clinging to my skin. A sandwich and a glass of water are waiting for me on the table.
She made me food.
I swallow hard and try not to look all flustered. She’s done this a few times since I moved in, but my body still reacts. After the hospital, no one ever made me food. I want to do something for her.
“How was your morning with Natalie?” she asks as we eat.
“She told me more about her time machine.”
Crystal chuckles. “I thought she had put that behind her since you were back.”
“She considered it. But she’s decided she still needs one. Just in case someone breaks something. Then she can go back and fix it.”
“She gets her imagination from you.”
We both laugh about our creative daughter. But Natalie believes it’s possible, and the best part is she’s doing real research to find answers. It’s something we can work on together one day.
“Did you do much sailing in Miami?” she asks as we eat.
“Yeah. On friends’ boats, mostly. I didn’t own one.” I shrug. “Another one of those things I just know how to do.”
Her gaze lingers on me, softening as if a forgotten memory has drifted back to the surface. “You do own a boat. Her name is Natalie Dawn.”
I’ve always wanted a boat. Curious, I lean in. “Did I name it after Natalie when I found out you were pregnant?”
“Your father named it after your mother.” She gets up and puts our empty plates in the sink. “We’d take it out all the time. An ’88 Cape Dory. Sometimes you took me with you to Belize on your work trips. Once we even took a weeklong sail.”
My mother. Her name was Natalie. The urge to know everything, all at once, hits me again. Hard.
“I’ve gone through most of the boxes in the closet,” I say. “And I’ve been studying the map of Carter’s Drop.”
Other than the dive knife my father gave me, most of what I found in the closet was just generic stuff. Dive equipment, framed certificates, college photos, and other odds and ends. Nothing triggered any memories.
“I haven’t started on my journals yet. I’m going to dig into those tonight.”
She starts washing the dishes, and I take a closer look at her. In a short white cotton dress, she moves through the kitchen like a light breeze. The soft folds of the fabric skim her toned legs as she moves from side to side. She’s barefoot, her hair slightly damp from her own shower.
I step closer, closing my eyes for a moment as her scent reaches me. My muscles tense all at once—wired, restless—like I need to move, to do something. “Here. Let me get these,” I say, my voice tight.
She doesn’t object, stepping aside to let me take over, watching me from the counter. The memory of kissing her rushes to my head, and I try to push it away. I’m so distracted by how my body reacts to her when all I want is for my mind to catch up.
“It’ll take time to go through everything, but you will.” Her eyes light up. “You were so comfortable today. Right back in your element.”
I laugh at that. “Oh, so did I always do stupid shit like I did today?”
“Well… maybe you have always pushed it a bit. But you were a natural out there. Still a sailor through and through.”
And she’s my siren.
“Do you think there’s time to look at some photos together?” I rinse the last dish and dry my hands. “I know you’ve got to finish getting ready for City Hall.”
“I have time. And I’m about as ready as I’m going to be.”
“Did you find out what happened with the Coast Guard and that ship?”
She nods. “They were on the ship by the time Finn got there. He handled them. Apparently, he’s got someone powerful in his back pocket.
He won’t say who.” She rolls her eyes. “We’re expecting tonight’s meeting to be a spectacle.
The meeting should answer the townsfolk’s questions about the reef restrictions, but with that huge ass ship parked just offshore, it’s becoming sensational—fast.”
“What do you think of him?”
“Who? Finn?”
I study her face.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what to think. Do I think he’s who he says he is, and that he wants to find answers? Yes. Do I think he’s telling us everything? No. He’s as much as admitted so.”
“Do you trust him?”
“Trust?” She bites down on her lip. “Ask me that again in a few weeks.”
Leading me to the leather armchair, she opens the picture album and snuggles in beside me.
I slide an arm around her. Her closeness kicks my heart rate up, and I swallow audibly. Her soft curves press against my side, warming my skin and my blood, and that scent of her…
“Is this good?” she whispers, her weight shifting slightly.
I nod. It takes a moment to find my voice. “That’s some album,” I say hoarsely. At least eight inches thick, it’s crammed full of photographs.
“I only keep the ones that mean the most.”
She flips to a page filled with photos of a place I recognize right away. In the middle is a photo of me lying on a towel, eyes closed. I look so young.
“Miami,” I say.
She nods. “The day we met.”
“Tell me about it…”
An hour goes by as we turn the pages. Crystal tells me each story of my life in such vivid detail, it’s like I’m there, experiencing it.
She tells me stories of my college years in Miami, and how Mark and I were friends first, before we met Crystal. Then she rescued Mark and became my mentee. For a moment, I wonder what would have happened if Mark had drowned that day. Fate can be incredibly merciful and cruel.
As we go, she turns back to the pages of the years before we met. Mom. Dad. Maddie—I mean Mads.
And my dreams about Atlantis.
“I’m going to pace out all the big stories—not tell them all at once.” She tells me with a playful smile. Her protectiveness of our memories warms my heart. These photos are treasures to her. Her most valuable possessions.
She’s bringing me hope. Maybe I can relive my life through her memories, even if I can’t reach them myself. Is a distant memory any different from what a great storyteller can create for you?
I’m at war with my mind. She’s already won my heart.
She closes the album. “Whew… maybe that’s enough for now.” Flushed, she looks at me with those eyes of hers. She shifts on my lap, searching for comfort, and instead finds the heat coiled tightly beneath my skin. I’m on fire.
Not thinking about what I’m doing, I pull her toward me and kiss her. Our tongues begin to dance, and she moans my name, which kills me.
“Crystal.” My body reacts instantly. Like muscle memory, I know exactly how to hold her. Pushing my hips into hers, she opens to me with her warmth and her trust. When she sighs in my mouth, I no longer think about all the things I don’t know. I know I want her.
I carry her to my room, gently laying her on the bed. Flat on her back, she pulls the white dress over her head and tosses it. The sight of her kills me. No bra. No panties. God help me.
She’s more gorgeous than I imagined—and I’ve fantasized.
With no shortage of opportunities for sexual encounters in Miami, and no lack of desire, I still felt a primal need to remain faithful.
Just because I couldn’t remember didn’t mean there wasn’t someone waiting for me. And it felt important to wait.
But now I don’t want us to wait anymore. Rushing to her, I pull her legs around me. God, she’s so soft and warm. Desperately, I push forward and stop just at her entrance. I want nothing as badly as I want to be inside her right now.
But I freeze.
I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. A wave of guilt washes over me.
This isn’t fair to her. It’s too soon.
What if I take something I can’t give back?
If I could remember one thing. One detail. Her favorite way to be touched, the sounds she makes when I’m inside her, what she looks like when we’ve finished. Something. I don’t just want sex with her. I want to give her all of me.
“Nathan?” Her forehead creases as her gaze searches mine.
“Crystal...” I gently pull the sheet around her and sit, turning my head away.
“I want this. It’s okay…” she says. Sitting up, she lifts her hand to my face, turning me back to her. “Let me give this to you.” Tears fill her eyes. Her hands trace my neck and slide down until she stops at the dip in my neck.
“I can’t do this. Not yet. I’m so sorry.” Heat rushes to my face.
She lets go and puts her finger to my lips, taking a deep breath. Then smiles. “I had so much fun today.”
“Me too,” I say quickly, thankful to push past the awkwardness. My failure.
She glances at the wall. “Oh shoot, I’m almost late for the town hall meeting. Come with me? You can leave when it’s time to pick up Natalie. I’ll get a ride home.”