6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Joel
Rayna gets quiet on the ride back.
Quiet in a way that makes my chest tighten, like she’s already having an argument with herself I can’t hear.
Does she regret tonight? Does she regret me?
I gave her the blanket that I keep in my dry bag, and she’s pulled the blanket around her shoulders like a cocoon. Her hair is a tangled mess from the wind and my hands, and she stares out at the water like it might have answers to whatever questions are plaguing her.
I want to reassure her. To tell her whatever she wants to hear. But I have no idea what that might be.
Does she want me to tell her that we can keep things casual? That we can do this all summer until she leaves?
It would be a lie, of course. It’s not casual for me. Not even a little bit. But if I can only have her for the summer, then it’ll be the best summer of my life. And I’ll make sure it’s the best summer of hers too.
Or should I tell her what’s really in my heart? That I don’t want her to leave. Not at the end of the summer. Not ever. That somehow, even though we’ve known each other for just a few hours, I know with my whole soul that she’s the only woman I want to be with. Forever.
But I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing at all as we zip across the lake back to Mercury Slice.
When we reach the dock, I tie off and step out first, then offer her my hand. She takes it, but the second her feet hit the boards, she pulls away.
“I should go,” she says. “I have the early shift tomorrow.”
“Rayna.” My voice is rough, desperate, pathetic.
She freezes. The dock lights catch her eyes. She looks away first, then back. “Yeah?”
“Please don’t act like tonight didn’t happen. That it didn’t matter. I can take a lot… but not that.”
“It mattered,” she says quietly. “That’s what scares me.”
I close the distance between us and take her hand. “I don’t want to scare you. But I have to admit that I’m not good at temporary. I’m an all-in kind of guy.”
Her fingers tighten around mine and she smiles sadly. “And I’m not good at permanent. I don’t plant roots, remember?”
“Then let’s take it one day at a time.” I rub my thumb across her knuckles. “Until tomorrow?”
She exhales. Then she nods. “One day at a time.”
I lift her hand and kiss her knuckles, because if I kiss her mouth I’ll forget every good intention I have to take this slow. She watches me do it, and her face goes soft in a way that tells me my patience will pay off. She’ll be staying at the end of the summer. She’ll be staying for always.
As long as I don’t scare her away.
I walk her to the side door and wait until she’s safely inside. Then I stand on the dock a moment longer, looking at the light behind the glass.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I glance at it. It’s a message from Ace.
So? How was the first date?
Mind your business.
History in the making…
Time will tell.
I shove the phone in my pocket and head for my boat, whistling a happy tune. Because Rayna agreed to one more day… and I intend to stretch that to the end of time.