She took a deep breath and tilted her head to stare up at the cloudless sky. “How much we give up of ourselves trying to impress or please someone whose opinion, it turns out, doesn’t really matter.”
David didn’t think he’d ever heard a sadder statement in his life. “Go back to when you started college. If you’d had a choice, any choice. What would you have done?”
“I’d probably still do the business angle, but with a side of something more creative like event planning or maybe interior design. Not that high-end, don’t-touch-it-or-even-breathe-on-it decor, but real-life design that works with people’s lives. Our home, mine and Grams, was always that. A home. I never worried about spilling something or getting the floors dirty. Sounds pretty silly, huh?”
“No.” He shook his head, mildly impressed. “It doesn’t sound silly at all.”
Flora reappeared with their bill and took away their plates. A few minutes later they were off to find Bonnie some new clothes at the only discount store in the area. She surprised him again by being selective about what she needed and how much she spent.
Into the cart went another couple of pairs of shorts, a good selection of T-shirts in brilliant pinks and yellows, underwear, socks, a serviceable pair of sneakers and, of course, a bathing suit-a rather modest-looking turquoise one-piece that had him breathing in relief. He did not need images of Bonnie in a bikini wreaking havoc on his concentration and ability to steer his boat. He added a few towels while she visited the toiletries section. Once they reached the boat, the sun had been overtaken by storm clouds that seemed determined to dump rain all over them.
“I’m thinking we might be better-off staying here for the night after all.” He climbed on board, then stepped back so she could head into the cabin first. “I’d rather save the engine for a good distance tomorrow rather than get caught in a storm out there tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. I’m going to go put all this stuff away.”
After checking the weather report and his own barometer up in the wheelhouse, David was satisfied with the decision he’d made. If he’d been on his own it would have been one thing, but until he was more secure in understanding Blue Blood’s idiosyncrasies, he wasn’t about to try to traverse unpredictable weather with Bonnie on board.
He went through the bag of supplies and equipment he’d bought at the hardware store-spark plugs, extra fuses, wire caps and electrical tape. He’d also purchased a basic tool kit he’d simply leave on the boat for emergencies and added a couple of different-sized wrenches for good measure.
David found his attention pulled toward the front of the boat, to the closed door of Bonnie’s cabin. He imagined her lying in there, and realized he already missed their talk. He had this weird urge to go in and be with her, but stopped himself immediately. He had to admit the idea of settling down and starting a family had been in the back of his mind for a while, but so far nothing had sparked with anyone. He climbed up on deck just as the rain began to fall. He took a deep breath, then released it. No, he preferred his life as predictable as possible, moving like these smooth, calm waters. Which meant his mooning over Bonnie Rimmer was completely ridiculous.
Because he already knew the truth. Women like Bonnie didn’t settle down with men like him.
————–
“You got an early start.” Bonnie said as she pulled herself up the ladder to the wheelhouse as the sun was peeking over the horizon.
“Couldn’t sleep.” David didn’t even glance over his shoulder, but kept his eyes shifting between his phone and the boats moving in and around the marina.
She braced her hip against the console and looked at him. He seemed pale, sitting in the padded chair, one knee bouncing up and down.
“Are you alright?” Bonnie asked. “You look…. I don’t know… like something is bothering you”
David finally looked at her. He wasn’t going to tell her that she was the reason for his sleepless nights. He couldn’t let himself continue to feel this way, so he gave her a small smile and stood.
“I’m good, Bonnie. How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Pretty well” she replied.
“Then let’s have something to eat and get going”
They had bacon, along with half a pot of coffee and continued their journey. Bonnie didn’t ask anymore questions, and David was glad. His mood improved too. He didn’t have anything to worry about, at least he told himself that over and over again until he believed it. The engine was running smooth, last night’s storm had passed, leaving only tine sky in its wake, and there was a beautiful woman flitting around his boat taking pictures of every creature, in the air or the sea, that made an appearance.
He could literally feel the worry lifting off his shoulders. Blue Blood continued to pull them into the late afternoon with nary a hiccup. From his seat in the wheelhouse, he kept his attention divided between the open water and Bonnie as she moved around the boat looking for new things to take pictures of.
Occasionally she’d wave up to him and point at the water, and he’d ease back on the throttle, smiling as she gave him a thumbs-up that all but erased the worry from his face. He felt like he’d known her a long time, he thought, rubbing a hand against his chest.
Funny. He was having a difficult time remembering what it was like being out on the water by himself. She was entertaining. And distracting. In all the right ways. He’d always thought of himself as an easygoing guy, but around Bonnie, the real world really did seem to melt away.
Not a good mindset, he reminded himself, for the long term. The more time he spent around her, the harder it was to keep his distance. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to kiss a woman as badly as he wanted to kiss Bonnie, and he was finding it harder to keep his thoughts and memories of kissing her away. He wanted to do it again.
The idea wasn’t only keeping him awake at night, but he was also having to fight off the desire during the day. Like now, for instance, as she darted to the other side of the boat, the sound of her laughter ringing in his ears as she played hide-and-seek with what he could only assume was one of their dolphin escorts.