Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Blaise came back from walking Beau to find a yellow sticky note slapped crookedly against her front door.
Call me.
No signature. No other explanation. Just Brick’s unmistakable blocky handwriting.
Her stomach tightened, as she immediately wondered what was going on. Had Holland had a setback? She could only imagine.
She unlocked the door, nudging it open with her foot, unclipped Beau’s leash, and set her keys down without bothering to take off her shoes. Beau went straight for his water bowl, tail wagging like nothing in the world could possibly be wrong.
Blaise picked up her phone and called.
Brick answered on the second ring. “Hey.”
“You left a note that just says, ‘Call me,’” she said. “You don’t do that unless something’s wrong. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” He took a breath, then she heard a faint smile in his voice. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Well, you did.”
“Sorry about that.” Another pause. “Everything’s fine, I swear. I just wanted to ask you something in person, but I missed you.”
Blaise leaned against the counter. “Okay. Ask.”
“I was wondering if you’d want to go out on my boat with me today,” he said. “Enjoy the day. Do a bit of fishing, maybe. Could see dolphins. Never can tell. Beau can come, too.”
She blinked. “Your boat.”
“Yeah.”
“You have a boat,” she said.
“I do.”
She laughed once, surprised. “Since when?”
“A while,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. Or a big boat. Definitely not impressive.”
“Okay, but it’s still a boat.”
“It’s an old center console. Gets me where I want to go. Plenty reliable.”
Blaise pictured him saying that last sentence about himself and smiled. “I had no idea.”
“Well,” he said. “It hasn’t come up.”
She looked over at Beau, who had finished his water and was watching her intently, ears up at the sound of a voice coming through the phone. Could he tell it was Brick? From the happiness in his eyes, maybe.
“How long were you thinking?” she asked.
“Couple hours,” Brick said. “If the weather holds. Which it should.”
Blaise didn’t hesitate. “All right, sounds like a fun day.” She could stay home and get more writing done, but chances were she’d also spend half that time staring at her laptop screen stressing about tomorrow’s phone call.
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” she said. “It sounds perfect.”
There was a quiet satisfaction in his reply. “Good.”
She straightened. “Can I fix something to bring? Sandwiches or fruit or—”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to,” she said. “If I’ve been invited on a boat trip, I’m not showing up empty-handed.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.”
“Text me what time,” she said. “And where.”
“Come over when you’re ready. I’ll drive us there.”
They hung up, and Blaise stood there for a moment longer, phone still in her hand. A boat. That man was full of surprises.
She shook her head, smiling to herself, then opened the fridge and started gathering ingredients for the food she was going to bring.
“Looks like we’ve got plans,” she told Beau. “With Brick.”
Beau wagged his tail, clearly in favor of this development.
Blaise moved through the house with purpose and a little bit of excitement. It had been ages since she’d been out on a boat. She was looking forward to it. She pulled the cooler from the hall closet and set it on the counter, flipping the lid open.
She made sandwiches first. Just simple ones she knew would travel well.
Turkey and cheese with lettuce and mayo, cut in half diagonally, because that was the best way.
Then she fixed a big baggie of cut-up apples and washed grapes.
She added a bag of veggie chips that Brick probably wouldn’t like, but she stuck them in anyway.
Finally, she tucked in bottles of water and a couple of canned drinks, then layered ice over everything, emptying out her freezer’s bin, and snapped the lid shut.
Next, she packed her tote. Sunscreen and two towels, some handwipes, and an SPF lip balm. For Beau, she grabbed his collapsible water bowl. She added a tennis ball out of habit, even though she wasn’t sure how much fetch one could play on a boat.
Beau watched all of this from the rug, tail wagging steadily, clearly convinced every item was for him.
“Don’t worry, you’re coming, too,” she told him, and that was apparently all he needed to hear.
She went to the bedroom and stood for a moment, considering.
Then she pulled on a navy tankini, the one that stayed put and didn’t need constant adjusting.
She added lightweight, elastic-waist shorts and a soft T-shirt, which she knotted at the waist. Easy, comfortable, practical and still reasonably cute.
She picked out a good hat and a pair of sunglasses she wouldn’t miss if they went overboard before grabbing the tote and leaving her room. She caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled. A distraction was just what she needed today.
She put Beau in his harness, which felt more secure to her than just relying on his collar.
Then she slung the tote over her shoulder and hoisted the cooler by its handle.
It was heavy, but she could manage it. Beau danced in a tight circle as she opened the door, nearly tangling them both in the leash.
“All right,” she said, laughing as she stepped through a loop of the leash. “Let’s go see this mysterious boat.”
They headed to the backyard together, through the gate, and into Brick’s yard.
He came out as she was closing the gate behind them. He immediately took the cooler, testing its weight. He nodded his approval. “That feels sufficient.”
“Sandwiches, fruit, and chips you won’t like.”
He snorted. “Drinks?”
“Bottled water and a few diet sodas.” She shrugged. “That’s all I had.”
“Good enough.”
They walked around the house to his truck. He put the cooler into the bed of the truck, then helped Beau up into the seat like that was their standard routine. Beau seemed beside himself with excitement and got into Blaise’s lap as soon as she was seated.
She rolled the window down for him, his ears flapping happily once they started moving. The breeze felt good. It would be even better on the water.
The drive to the marina was quiet in a good way. They had the windows down and the warm, salt-tinged air moved through the cab. Blaise watched the scenery slip by and felt the stress about tomorrow’s call slip away.
At the marina, Brick parked, collected the cooler and a tackle box, and led them down the dock with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where he was going.
His boat waited a few slips away. It wasn’t new, but it was clean and obviously well-maintained.
It had a small cabin and a nice amount of seating.
The name painted on the side, At Ease, had clearly been there a long time.
“This is her,” he said.
Blaise smiled. “She’s perfect.”
Brick shot her a look. “You don’t have to say that.”
“I’m not humoring you,” she said. “I mean it.”
Brick climbed aboard, deposited the cooler and tackle box, then gave her a hand. She carried Beau across, setting him down as soon as her feet were planted.
He immediately started sniffing around with cautious curiosity before deciding everything passed inspection. He claimed a spot in the sun and seemed happy.
Brick stowed the cooler and tackle box, untied some lines, and eased them out of the slip with practiced movements.
Once they cleared the marina, he opened the throttle just enough to get them moving smoothly. The boat skimmed across the water, the sound of the engine a dull purr.
The sky stretched wide and blue above them. The water matched it, broken only by ripples and the glints of sunlight. Blaise rested a hand on the rail and let herself take in the openness of the vista before her.
Brick looked peaceful. Like being at the helm was where he was meant to be. She loved that.
“This,” Blaise said, raising her voice slightly over the engine, “was an excellent idea.”
Brick glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “Good. I’m glad you think that.”
They headed farther out, the marina shrinking behind them, the horizon opening up ahead.
It was something special to have nothing on the schedule except water, sky, and the simple pleasure of going wherever they decided to go.
She went to stand by Brick and linked her arm through his. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “Figured we could both use this.”
“You figured right.”