Chapter 28
The boat drifted to a stop. The shoreline was forever away and there wasn’t another vessel in sight. Shelby shelved her hands
on her hips. “Yep, I’m a genius all right.”
“It could happen to anybody. We’ll just—” Gray’s gaze skated over the boat’s interior. “I don’t suppose there are paddles
tucked away somewhere?”
She lifted the seat well cover even though a paddle would never fit inside. There was some fishing tackle, an old ball cap,
and four life vests. She let it fall shut with a huff. She was better than this. But she’d been so distracted by their mission.
And, if she was honest, by Gray’s presence on a boat they’d once spent so many hours on.
She shook off the thought as she fished her phone from her pocket and checked the screen. No bars. Hardly a surprise in the
middle basin. “Nothing.”
“Me either.” He surveyed the distant shoreline. “Maybe someone’ll see us out here.”
“If they do, they’ll assume we’re fishing.” A heavy feeling of dread anchored in her stomach. The water slapped the sides
of the boat as it rocked gently, drifting slightly with the wind. Her legs were wobbly in a way that had nothing to do with
motion. Shelby lowered herself onto the seat.
“The sun’s setting.”
It would be full dark in half an hour or so. “We’ll keep checking our phones. We’re bound to get cell service eventually.”
Shelby felt much less hopeful forty-five minutes later. To the west, the last light of the day lingered on the horizon. At
least the moon had favored them by making an appearance. Starlight twinkled overhead. Gray was a mere shadow on the other
side of the boat.
Even though they’d only drifted a bit, she checked her phone again. Maybe a night fisherman would come along. Before the thought
was finished, reality drained the optimism. Fishing was good in November, but dusk and early morning were the premium hours—one
had passed and the other was still hours away. Also, the deep waters along the shoreline were the best spots, not the middle
of the lake—all good fishers knew that.
Gray was pretty quiet over there. Was reality settling in for him too?
No one could see them out here now. The wind was pushing them slowly away from Eagle Island and farther into the center of
the basin where they were unlikely to get cell reception. They’d already gone through the bins and found nothing useful for
signaling or moving the boat.
“Hand me your phone,” he said. “Now that it’s dark, maybe the flashlight will draw attention.”
“Good idea, but let’s use yours. I’m low on battery.”
“Mine just went dead.”
Her stomach plummeted. “I’m down to 12 percent. We should probably save it in case we get reception.”
“You’re right. Chances of flagging someone down probably weren’t high anyway.”
“I’m going to shut mine off for now. I’ll check periodically.”
A cool breeze blew across the surface of the water. Shelby crossed her arms over her torso. She wore a long-sleeve T-shirt that had been comfortable earlier, but it was getting colder.
The boat rocked as Gray shifted. “Here, take my sweatshirt.”
“I’m fine.”
He extended it to her. “Take it. I have a shirt underneath and I’m not cold.”
When they’d been together she joked that he had an internal furnace. He never even wore a jacket in the winter. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
She took the hoodie, slipped it over her head, and threaded her arms through the sleeves. She practically swam in it. But
the thick material was gloriously warm from his body heat and smelled divine. “Thank you.”
The region might be in the middle of a warm spell, but temperatures were sure to drop into the fifties tonight. And out here
on the open water it would feel even cooler. Why hadn’t she checked the gas level? Such a rookie mistake. “This is all my
fault. I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t check either. We’ll be fine.”
“Even if we’re out here all night?” Neither of them had said it out loud yet. As if they might speak it into being. But the
sun had taken her hope right over the horizon.
“We can pretend we’re camping.” There was a smile in his tone.
“On a cold November night in the middle of the lake?”
“It’s not that cold.”
Another breeze cut across the lake, contradicting his words. Her empty stomach rumbled, reminding her it was past suppertime.
The pizza they’d had for lunch would have to carry them both for a while. It was going to be a long night. But maybe conversation
would make the time pass more quickly. “Hope you didn’t have any plans tonight.”
“I was supposed to play basketball with Daryl.”
That’s right. Gray was friends with him too. “How did that relationship happen?”
“When we lived in the trailer park, he was just down the street. He asked me to shoot hoops with him one time, and we just kind of got into the habit. Nice guy.”
Daryl wasn’t the only one who was nice. Not every teenage boy would take the time. She wondered how Daryl had felt when Gray
disappeared so abruptly. She’d been shocked. They’d been so close, and then he was gone. And she knew nothing about how his
life had unfolded after that.
“What happened after you left Grandville? What was basic training like? Where did you go from there?”
A brief pause revealed perhaps he was surprised she’d initiated a forbidden topic. “Basic training was as tough as they say.
But I didn’t really mind. I had a lot of anger to work through. And not a small amount of guilt.”
“About leaving?”
“Yes. Also, I was heartbroken. I know I brought it on myself, but that didn’t stop me from missing you like crazy.”
His words were a balm to her soul. But she didn’t let herself linger there. “Where were you stationed?”
“Afghanistan. For a while we conducted operations against the remnants of Al-Qaeda. Then when the withdrawal of troops began,
I served by training Afghan forces.”
“Was it terrible?”
“Not really. It gave me a purpose. I started building some self-worth, figuring out who I was outside of Grandville.”
Because he’d been rejected by the community. “But you never lost sight of what you ultimately wanted out of life.”
“I was always clear about that.”
“And you did it. Went to college, got a degree, made something of yourself.”
Gray shrugged. “I’m doing all right.”
“You’re doing more than all right. You’re very good at what you do. You should be proud of that—coming from nothing and building a life for yourself.”
“I am.”
He did seem more at peace with himself. More confident in who he was. She looked way down the lake where Gray’s house sat
on a little inlet. “Will Shadow be okay at home alone?”
“He’ll be fine. My wood floors may not be though.”
“I assume you can fix it, working for a construction company and all.”
“Sure. It’s not that big a deal.”
“Do you like your job?” She always thought he’d own a business someday. He’d talked about it a lot, wearing a dogged expression.
He’d always had something to prove. To whom, she wasn’t sure. Maybe just himself.
“Love it. The owners, Gavin and Wes, are good people. Run a solid business. I feel like I contribute something worthwhile.
And they’ve hinted there’s opportunity for ownership there eventually.”
“And this leave of absence isn’t going to wreck that for you?”
“Nah, I’ve worked there long enough, built up some trust. The respect goes both ways.”
She was so glad for that. Gray deserved respect and trust—something he’d had precious little of here in Grandville. And even
though he had little regard for the townspeople, he’d never forgotten her grandmother. She’d thought about that over the years.
Mostly when Gram mentioned hearing from him.
“Thank you for keeping in touch with Gram. It meant a lot to her.”
“I think it was more her keeping in touch with me.”
Shelby happened to know he’d written regular letters. How many men his age cared enough to keep in contact with an elderly
woman? “She missed your grandma so much.”
“They were quite the pair, those two. Miss Viola always pulling Granny into some crazy activity or event. Forcing her out
of her comfort zone.”
“And Miss Dorothy always keeping Gram level. They were a good match. I can’t imagine having a friend for fifty years, through all of life’s ups and downs. What a gift.”
He made some noncommittal noise. Did Gray have a friend back home? He’d always had such high walls. She hoped he wasn’t quite
the lone wolf he’d been in high school. Or maybe he wasn’t a lone wolf at all. Maybe it was just a protective mechanism—reject
others before they could reject him. She ached at the thought.
Since he’d returned to town he’d met up with Patrick Ballard a few times. That realization soothed the ache. Life was hard
enough without good friends to hold you up. To cheer you on. Everyone needed a safe place to land, and Patrick was as loyal
and as stable as they came.
Though Shelby still kept in touch with friends from high school, Liddy was her safe place. Shelby had known from the first
time Caleb brought her home that she was something special. Those trips Shelby had taken to New York were as much to see Liddy
as Caleb—and now sweet little Ollie.
How would Shelby manage those trips now that the store was her responsibility? She had dependable booksellers on staff but
no one suitable for management. Janet would be great, but she didn’t want more responsibility. Zuri had potential, but she
was only part time. And once she graduated she’d be off to bigger and better things.
“What are you thinking about over there?” The darkness seemed to call attention to Gray’s deep voice.
“The store. Gram made it all look so easy.” But she hadn’t exactly been on top of things, had she?
“You have a big role in the business. It was a shared responsibility.”
And now she was in it alone when even Gram hadn’t been able to make it work. How was Shelby going to manage on her own?
“I can hear you worrying from over here. Have some faith. Businesses go through tough spells. You’re doing all the right things
to turn it around.”
“Hope you’re right.”
She’d finally submitted to his training her on Gram’s end of the business. And while inputting inventory and bookkeeping wasn’t
really her thing, she was capable of doing it. She just couldn’t perform both their jobs, and she’d been putting off hiring
someone since Gray was helping. She should probably resume looking though. He’d only be here for another month and a half.
The thought caught her in the heart.
No, not the heart. She was just worried about managing without him. Even if they were able to get the business back on track,
would she be able to keep it steady month after month, year after year? It felt like a daunting task. And a lonely one without
Gram around, singing off-key. Shelby’s throat swelled at the thought.
I miss you so much, Gram. I thought you’d be here forever.
“Nobody lasts forever, Sweet Girl. You’ll be just fine on your own.”
The backs of her eyes stung and she blinked back tears. Gram had always believed in her. Why was she having such a hard time
believing in herself?
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Gray spoke again. “Why don’t you check your phone again?”
The breeze had picked up and she could tell by the lights on the shore that they’d drifted a bit more. She waited for her
phone to power up and zeroed in on the upper left corner. “I have a bar!” She tapped on Favorites. Dad put his phone in sleep
mode after nine, and it was later than that.
Caleb it is.
She tapped on his name. “It’s ringing.” Once. Then twice. Come on, pick up, Caleb. Three times. Please, God, don’t let me lose the signal. Why wasn’t he answering?
A click sounded. “This is Caleb. I’m unavailable at the moment. Leave a message and I’ll get back with you.” Beeeep.
“Caleb, it’s me. I’m in a boat in the middle of the main basin. Currently just west of Inlet Bay and drifting westward. I ran out of gas and hardly have a cell signal and my phone’s running out of battery. Please come as soon as you can!” There was no sound on the line. She checked the screen.
“He didn’t pick up?”
“No. And the call dropped. I don’t even know if the message went through.”
All the hopes that had buoyed her the past minute sank like a two-ton boulder, leaving her with a severe adrenaline crash.
“Maybe we’ll get a signal again.”
“I’m down to 7 percent.” She shut off her phone. Even if Caleb later saw that she’d called, her voicemail might not have gone
through. He might try to call her back, but that wouldn’t do any good. They were likely stuck out here for the night. She
hugged herself against the cold breeze.
“We should probably think about getting settled for the night.”
She glanced around the small boat. What did “settled” mean exactly? There were two metal benches, too short for even her to
stretch out on, and a flat-bottomed hull that was probably cold as ice.
“You’ll be warmer when you get down low, out of the wind.”
The boat rocked with his movement. A seat well cover squeaked as he lifted it. “We can open up the life vests and lie on them.”
“Do you want your hoodie back?”
“Keep it. I’ll be fine.” He handed her two vests and they made a pallet of sorts in the middle of the boat.
She pulled up the hoodie and tied the drawstring under her chin. Then she lowered herself onto the floor, lying on her back
on the lumpy pallet, one of the life vests cushioning her head.
The boat rocked hard as Gray settled somewhere beside her.
Minutes ticked away as the vessel settled in place. Water licked the hull. Crickets chirped and a bullfrog croaked, making it seem as if the boat were just offshore. Funny how sounds carried over the water.
It really was warmer down here though. No wind. And the vests provided welcome insulation from the cold hull.
She was supremely conscious of Gray’s body and the heat rolling off it. She could hear his breaths. They were all alone out
here. In the dark. Under the stars. Her heart acknowledged that fact with a few heavy thumps.
“I know it’s early,” he said, “but we should probably try to get some sleep.”
She was still trying a while later. Maybe an hour. Maybe two, judging by the drop in temperature. She shivered, then crossed
her arms over her chest, hoping to conserve some warmth. It was hard to fall asleep when she was so cold.
Gray had been still for a long time. At least one of them was getting some rest.
Maybe she should check her phone one last time and see if Caleb had gotten her message. It would be worth it, even if it took
the rest of her battery. Once morning arrived, other boaters would be about. They wouldn’t need the phone then.
She rolled as quietly and gently as she could away from Gray so the light and motion wouldn’t wake him. Then she powered up
her phone. It was bright in the darkness. There was no signal, and as her gaze flicked to the battery icon, it dropped to
3 percent. Hopes dashed, she shut down the phone.
Looked as if they’d be out here all night.