Chapter One #2
She didn’t want to marry a lobsterman. She had nothing against them.
She just assumed that, eventually, she’d get to a point in her life where the physical demands of working on a boat would become too much, and she’d transition to another career.
And while she’d always be grateful for working on the boats, she wasn’t sure she’d want to be around them forever, especially if she could no longer do the work.
If she married a lobsterman, she’d end up tied to them for life.
To Zach’s credit, he didn’t ask if she could handle the crate of lobsters, he simply gave her a small smile and a nod as he leaned over to pick up the second, smaller box Eliot had loaded up for him.
They walked along the dock, toward the parking lot. Marit was at a loss as to what to talk about, now that Eliot and Jonah weren’t there to contribute to the conversation.
She glanced over at the man next to her.
Zach Young was good looking, there was no doubt.
He was tall and slender, with dark hair and hazel eyes.
He had a beard . . . well, it wasn’t exactly a beard, but it wasn’t a five-o’clock shadow either.
It was the perfect amount of facial hair.
Not scruffy at all. His biceps bulged as he shifted the box in his arms, and she couldn’t help but notice his hands.
The one closest to her looked a little rough, had a couple of small scars . . . and it was huge.
Of course her brain decided to go there. She was well aware of the correlation between the size of a man’s hands and his . . . wait, was it his hands or feet?
Glancing down, she saw that Zach’s feet were also large.
Before her mind could go somewhere inappropriate—or, to be honest, fall even deeper into that topic—she noticed he was limping. It was subtle, and if she hadn’t been paying attention, she wouldn’t even have noticed.
“Are you all right?” Her gaze swung up to his face.
He frowned. “Yeah, why?”
Marit second-guessed her question. She had a tendency to speak before thinking, which she was regretting right now. Men didn’t like when any kind of flaw was pointed out. “Just checking,” she said vaguely, quickly trying to come up with something else to say.
“No, why do you ask?”
Shoot. Fine. She’d just ask and get it over with. “You’re limping. Not a lot, but . . .”
To her surprise, he grinned. “Didn’t think it was noticeable.”
“It’s not. Not really,” Marit was quick to say. “I’m just used to observing others.”
He tilted his head at that, as if trying to figure out the deeper meaning behind her words.
He was obviously intelligent and quick. Because there was a deeper meaning behind her need to study others.
As a small woman, she always wanted to be ready to react however a situation merited.
Whether that meant getting out of the way of a fist swung by a drunken lobsterman in a bar, or clearing the area of ropes that a careless coworker had coiled wrong on a boat .
. . or figuring out what kind of mood one of her brothers was in so she could respond accordingly.
Not wanting to go there, she pushed thoughts of her siblings to the back of her mind, where they usually resided.
“Had two knee surgeries when I was in the Navy. Every now and then they ache. Especially when I’ve been standing for a long time. It’s one of the reasons I got out of the military. Spending all that time standing in the galley was hell on my body.”
“And you’ve been standing a lot lately, I’m guessing. Getting ready for Lobster Fest.”
“Bingo,” he said with another grin. “Not as long as you, though, I’m guessing. Working on a lobster boat isn’t easy.”
Marit couldn’t help it, she chuckled. “I think that’s an understatement.”
“But you’re good at what you do.”
Her brows came down at that. “How do you know?”
“Because Eliot’s not an idiot. He wouldn’t hire someone who was incompetent.”
“I’ve only been working for him a week,” Marit protested.
“He’d know after one day if you were going to work out,” Zach said with a small shrug.
“Have you known him long?”
“Years. He’s been here as long as I can remember.
I always saw him when I came home on leave from the Navy, and now that I’m home for good, I won’t buy lobsters from anyone else if I can help it.
I know he’s not breaking any rules when he’s on the water, he’s not trying to sneak in larger-than-allowed lobsters, and he genuinely cares about the industry.
The fact that you’re still on his boat after a week tells me all I need to know about your work ethic. ”
His words felt good. Really good. The tingles she felt when she’d shaken his hand returned . . . tenfold. “When did you get back? To Maine, that is?” They were approaching a blue Ford Explorer that had a few dings but was still fairly new.
“This past spring. My dad died, and my brothers and I all decided to move home to help my mom out on Lobster Cove . . . that’s the name of the property she lives on.
Of course, my almost sister-in-law calls it Alpha Cove, because of the vibes my brothers and I give off .
. . not to mention the other men who work at the various businesses there. ”
Marit’s mind was already spinning. There was a lot of info in what he’d just said.
Her brain was bursting with questions, wanting to know all about Lobster Cove, his mom, and of course, the businesses on the property.
She wasn’t thrilled with the fact that he had brothers, but that was her own prejudice.
They were probably perfectly nice guys . . . maybe.
“This is me,” Zach said unnecessarily as he put the box he was carrying on the ground next to the back of the Explorer and reached to open it.
When he opened the hatch, Marit saw the back of his SUV was full of fresh vegetables and other bags she assumed held food from the local grocery store.
Zach turned and reached for the crate she was holding, making it seem as if the box weighed nothing, and placed it into the only available space in the cargo area.
He placed the box he’d been carrying on top of the crate and shut the hatch. Then he turned to her.
Marit was suddenly tongue tied. She wasn’t sure what to say. For the first time in years, she wanted to prolong her time with a man she’d just met. It was an unsettling feeling, and she had no idea why this man. Why now.
“You live around here? In town, I mean?”
Disappointment crept in at the question, as he hadn’t seemed like the kind of man who would proposition a woman after just meeting her. But then again, she didn’t know him. Not at all.
“Sorry, that sounded bad. I just . . . I’m sure you have stuff you need to do on the boat, and I need to get back to The Lobster Buoy and finalize my menu for tomorrow, but I was thinking maybe, if you live near here .
. . I live a few blocks from town . . . maybe we could meet up and have dinner or something?
It would have to be later. Around seven.
And that might be too late, and I’d understand.
You probably have to get up early to go back out onto the water. It was just a thought . . .”
He sounded so unsure. It was cute. This larger-than-life man stumbling over his words when he was asking her out.
Wait, was he asking her out? Would this be a date? She didn’t date. Not really.
But for this man? She’d make an exception.
Marit had a feeling she’d do a lot of things she wouldn’t normally do for Zach Young. He’d had that much of an impact on her with that handshake. Of course, he might eventually disappoint her. Might proposition her after dinner. Might ask to walk her home, then push her to invite him inside.
Disgusted that she was basically sabotaging this . . . whatever this was before it even started, she blurted before he could take back the offer, “Yes! I mean, yes, I live near town. I could meet you somewhere.”
“Awesome. How about the Fog Bar and Café?”
“Where? I’ve never heard of it.”
Zach looked surprised. “You haven’t? It’s right downtown. On Oak Street?”
“The only thing I’ve seen on Oak is Rock City Café . . . they have the best coffees. They aren’t open before I head to the dock, but I often stop in and get one on my way home.”
“Shoot. I hate that some really good restaurants I used to love aren’t around anymore. I’ve been back for a few months and haven’t even realized it wasn’t here anymore.”
“What about Rock Harbor Pub and Brewery? It’s typical bar food, but filling.”
“Perfect. Seven okay?”
“Yeah.” Marit felt shy all of a sudden. A date. She had a date. It was almost surreal that she’d met this man less than ten minutes ago, and now she was making arrangements to meet him for dinner.
Zach smiled at her for a beat. Then asked, “You like lobster?”
Marit couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. “No, I’m allergic.”
He looked shocked.
She laughed. “Kidding! Yes! Of course I like lobster. I’ve made my career out of the creature.”
“Right. Sorry. My plan is to make lobster and asparagus risotto as the special tomorrow at The Lobster Buoy. You want to try it and let me know what you think? I could bring you a sample. I know we’re going out to eat, but . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Sure. I mean, I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from your shack, so I’m sure that’ll be just as delicious. And for the record, I think it’s cool that you’ve gone high-end, but you’ve also kept your prices reasonable. I, for one, appreciate that. Lobster rolls get old.”
“I agree. When I decided to move home, I swore up and down that there was no way I was opening a lobster shack. They’re a dime a dozen around here, and the last thing I wanted was to serve lobster rolls . . . and here I am, with a lobster shack.”
“But not serving lobster rolls?” Marit asked with a smile.
“Well, I am. But I’m doing it my way. Fancy-pants lobster rolls.”
“I haven’t tried one yet, but now I think I need to.”
She realized what she was doing . . . prolonging their conversation. She really did need to get back to the dock to do her fair share of the cleanup and to get ready for tomorrow morning. But this was the first time in ages that she was really enjoying talking to a man.
“Well . . . I’ll bring you some risotto tonight, and you can give me your honest opinion. If it sucks, I expect you to tell me.”
“Oh, I have no problem telling it like it is. I don’t beat around the bush.” Marit felt obligated to warn him about that.
“Good. I don’t like when people say one thing but mean another. It’s exhausting.”
Relief spread throughout her. “Right. And now I need to get going. I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, you will,” Zach said firmly.
Marit began to back away.
“Thanks for the help with the lobsters.”
“You’re welcome. See ya.”
“See ya,” Zach echoed.
Marit forced herself to turn and walk back toward the boats at the docks.
She couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder toward Zach and his car, fully expecting to see him pulling out of the parking spot—but to her surprise, he was standing exactly where she’d left him. At the back of his SUV, staring at her.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she lifted a hand to wave at him . . . like a complete dork.
He smiled back at her and lifted his chin.
She sighed. Jeez, that was such a manly move. When she read about men doing that in the romances she sometimes read, she always thought it was super cheesy. That no one actually did that in real life. Boy, was she wrong. And it was hot.
As she stomped in her rubber boots back toward the dock, she couldn’t keep the grin off her face. Moving to Rockville had been a necessary thing for her health and safety . . . and not only had she found a boat to work on where she felt comfortable and welcomed, she had a date.
Marit wished she had someone to share her giddiness with.
To ask about the Young family, make sure they were good people.
Eliot seemed to like Zach, but she didn’t feel comfortable asking him, especially around Jonah.
She’d gotten the feeling her coworker had a crush on her.
She didn’t encourage it, simply stayed friendly and kept things work oriented.
She hadn’t made any good friends back in Portland either, and she was too new to Rockville to have met anyone outside the small lobstering community. She’d have to work on that.
It was too soon to say how tonight would go. But Marit was cautiously optimistic. She’d enjoyed the small bit of time she’d spent with Zach, and he did have Eliot’s respect. And there was that reaction she’d had when they’d touched. Hopefully they were all good signs. Time would tell.