Hot Mess Summer by Melissa Foster

Author:Melissa Foster [Foster, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2023-10-16T16:00:00+00:00

At the marina, he leads me down to a beautiful boat with GO TIME painted on the side near the back. “This is yours?” I ask as he unties the ropes that secure it to the dock.

“Yup.” He helps me onto the boat and stows my bag in a compartment.

“I can’t believe we’re taking a boat to dinner.”

“Believe it, Bootsy.” He hands me his sweatshirt. “Put this on. It’ll get chilly once we get going.”

While I put on the sweatshirt, he puts on sunglasses and starts the engine. I can’t figure out what’s gotten into him, but he seems determined. Like he’s on some sort of mission. He backs out of the slip and pilots the boat out of the harbor. Declan always seems very much in control, but there’s something about seeing him behind that wheel, with his hair curling in the wind and that white linen shirt rustling against his bronze skin, that takes him to a whole new level.

I turn away, trying not to get carried away. This isn’t a date, even if it feels extraordinary to be jetting off on his boat to the best restaurant around. The wind hits my cheeks, bringing a long-forgotten memory with it. “I haven’t been on a boat since I was a kid, when my dad took us fishing on one of those big boats with about a dozen other families.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I loved it. My brothers and I had a competition to see who could catch the biggest fish.”

“Did you win?”

“No. Tommy did, but I caught the second biggest.”

“Attagirl. Do you like fishing?”

“Yeah. I’ve only gone a few times, but I loved the anticipation and that feeling when a fish takes its first nibble. Thanks to my brothers, I’m not afraid to take a hook out, and I don’t get grossed out by the sight of fish guts.”

“You are definitely the coolest chick around.”

“And you clearly don’t know enough women,” I tease.

He increases the boat’s speed as we leave the harbor, and even with the windshield, my hair whips across my face. I turn directly into the wind and try to gather my hair in my hands, but I don’t have an elastic band to hold it back, and pieces keep coming loose. “I should’ve thought about this. I’m going to be a mess by the time we get there.”

“Stop worrying. You’ve got great hair, and as far as I’m concerned, the wilder it is, the better. Have you ever piloted a boat?”

“No.”

“It’s about time you learned.” He pulls me in front of him, and I put my hands on the steering wheel.

His body warms my back, and a flush of awareness washes over me.

“This is the GPS.” He points to the electronic console. “See this icon? That’s us, and this path is called a track. Just follow that track and it’ll take us right to the marina on the island.”

“Just like a car.”

“Sure, we’ll go with that. You’ll need these.” He steps beside me, and cooler air sweeps over my back as he puts his sunglasses on me.

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