Seventeen #2
How am I still surprised when Heath easily hops onboard and extends a helping hand toward me?
Mine remain firmly stuffed in my back pockets. ‘Y’know, I think I really draw the line at stealing a boat.’
‘We’re not stealing it.’ Matilda snickers again as she straightens up. Easily straddling the gap between the dock and the boat, she holds out a hand too, perfectly balanced, not even a little affected by the gentle rocking. ‘It’s ours. Our dad runs whale-watching tours.’
Eyeing that gap warily, I grumble, ‘He’s not running one today?’
‘No. We are.’
We being not just the three of us, I finally notice.
Huddled on the stern deck, I spot not only Kai, but half a dozen unfamiliar faces too.
Tourists, if I had to guess, all bundled up in lifejackets layered over warm clothing.
I squint through the tinted windows of the cabin, and just about make out Brendan at the helm, Imani by his side.
While the latter waves excitedly, the former starts the engine.
‘Is this free labor or am I getting paid?’
‘Daniela.’ Matilda’s smile sharpens, and her extended hand becomes less of an offer, more of a threat. ‘Get your pretty ass on board, please. We’re running late.’
Hence why there isn’t a gangway to be seen, I guess. Hence why I have to risk a very brisk dip to embark. Which I do, because what the hell else am I going to do? Refuse and watch them chug away, wave them off like a fucking lemon?
No, I take Matilda’s hand and I make the damn leap, and I wheeze an exhale when I overestimate said leap just a little and go careening into Heath hard enough to have him thumping against the cabin at his back.
‘Jesus, baby.’ The hands encircling my waist squeeze gently. ‘We’re in public.’
Unimpressed, I push down on his wrists until he lets me go. ‘You dragged me out of class to go whale-watching?’
I try to back up, but Matilda cups my shoulders and shoves me against Heath again, making room for her to slink past. ‘I don’t think I like your tone,’ she shouts, as she rushes to the bow to do God knows what, but whatever it is must mean we’re clear to leave because she flashes two thumbs-up at her brother.
As the boat edges away from the dock and the rocking gets worse, Heath takes my hand and leads me toward the stern deck where everyone is gathered.
He pauses to holler greetings and a quick introduction that most definitely does not paint me in a great light, considering that we’re moving now and the wind has really picked up and I was already cold before, so now I’m freezing, and I do not make the best of impressions at the best of times, let alone when I’m shivering and irritated and on a fucking boat for no good reason.
I sigh with relief when Heath herds me inside the cabin.
He points out a cushion-covered bench seat and I sit, grinding out a greeting to Imani and Brendan.
My ears already stinging from the cold, I cup them as I scowl and pout and mutter profanities – until I catch sight of my scowling, pouting, muttering reflection in the window opposite me and I mentally bitch-slap myself.
God. No wonder it’s taken me twenty-one years to find some fucking friends. Holy fucking buzzkill.
When Heath hands me a lump of clothing, I try my best to paste on a serene smile.
I try to sound polite rather than snide as I thank him.
My grateful sigh isn’t forced, though – I genuinely could kiss everyone on this damn boat as I shrug on a waterproof jacket, a woolen hat, and a pair of gloves too.
Heath even wraps a scarf around my neck, tucking it into the neckline of my jacket and tugging the soft material high while urging my hat low, covering pretty much every inch of visible skin.
Reaching up to grab one of the lifejackets suspended from the ceiling, he slips me into that too. As he puts on his own, he steps back and sweeps his gaze over me thoroughly before nodding, satisfied. ‘Happy now?’
I pluck at the scarf until my mouth is free. ‘Undecided.’
Heath chuckles. Cupping the back of my head, he pulls me in so he can kiss the bridge of my nose; an affection I barely get the chance to register before he’s guiding me back outside.
I don’t know anything about whales, and I can’t say it’s exactly a burning interest, so as Matilda gathers the group and launches into an informative spiel, with Kai and Heath acting as her assistants, I peel away.
Carefully, I sidle up to the railing. Fingers curling tightly around the top rung of metal, I peer over at the choppy water. My stomach churns. God, people really think this is fun?
‘Won’t let you fall in,’ a warm voice croons as warmer hands cup my biceps. ‘Promise.’
I twist enough for the man looming behind me to feel the full force of my dry, unimpressed expression. ‘I just think it’s funny that I say I hate the ocean and you hear let’s go on a boat trip.’
‘You said you hate swimming in the ocean. We’re not swimming.’ Heath squeezes me gently, winking playfully. ‘Today. I’ll get you in there eventually.’
‘Sounds threatening. Did you forget the almost drowning?’
‘I would never let you drown.’
‘Okay, Aquaman.’
‘You would never let you drown.’
‘So I’m Aquaman?’
‘No. I just think,’ he mimics my earlier tone, ‘that if you started drowning, the weight of your own failure would take you out before the water did. Death by pride.’
Jesus. Is that supposed to be a good thing? Because I’m not so sure.
Curling a hand around one of mine, Heath hooks his other around the buckle of my lifejacket. ‘I’m exposure-therapying you,’ he croons. ‘Figured it’s hard to be scared when you’re having fun.’
‘You thought I would find this fun?’
A hot groan warms the top of my head. ‘I actually did think you might like this. Y’know, once we were actually out here.’
Swallowing down a mild dose of guilt, I cast my gaze out to sea again. ‘I don’t not like this.’
‘You hate it.’
‘I did not use that word. Not even in my head.’
With a laughing groan, he stoops to kiss my cheek, and I don’t know why that makes me huff a little, why I consider shifting, ever-so-slightly, until his lips touch my own instead of anywhere else. ‘You’ll forgive me if we see orcas.’
‘Oh, I will, will I?’
‘Uh-huh. You’ll like ’em. Remind me of you.’
My exhale is something between a scoff and a laugh. ‘I remind you of a whale?’
‘No.’ That damn grin burns the patch of skin right beside my eye. ‘They’re dolphins, technically.’
‘Don’t they, like, eat the organs of other animals?’
‘Exactly. You don’t see the resemblance?’
Expression incredulous, I twist to face him again. ‘Why so many women in this town are in love with you, I will never understand.’
Liar, my traitorous brain protests.
‘Liar,’ Heath’s smirking mouth parrots.
Liar, I summon up just enough courage, just one tiny sliver, to quietly admit of my own accord.
We don’t see orcas.
The allure of breaching gray whales is somehow tempered by screeching tourists, the underlying threat of seasickness, and the fact that I can’t feel my face.
But I don’t need to feel it to know I’m smiling.
‘Admit it,’ Heath murmurs in my ear, his fingers curled tight around mine where they clutch the railing. ‘I was right.’
I admit nothing. Except for, ‘This is nice.’
And he agrees, as he warms the side of my face with the side of his own. ‘Yeah. It is.’