Griff was intensely aware of Autumn’s proximity as he restarted the engines and sailed further out into the ocean. After she’d spent some time with Brett and Ellie, and they’d spotted some razorbacks, he’d suggested she join him in the cramped wheelhouse, while they went searching for an elusive blue whale.
For the most part, she was silent, staring out of the windshield in front of them as he steered toward the place he’d last seen the baleen.
The wheelhouse was built for use, not comfort. He was used to sharing it with Mike, or being on his own. Having Autumn Paxton with her tiny cut off shorts and long, lean legs next to him felt different. As though the room had shrunk.
“It’s hot in here,” she said, pulling her cropped hoodie over her head. From the corner of his eye he could see her tank rise up, revealing her taut, pale abdomen.
Eyes straight ahead, skipper.
“This room’s a sun trap,” he told her. “It’s all the glass. It’s like a hothouse.”
“But you’re still wearing jeans.”
“I save shorts for warmer months. Otherwise I’ve got nowhere to go.”
She laughed. “The same way I won’t wear a coat in New York until the temperature dips below forty degrees.”
“Do you have family in New York?” he asked her, keeping his hands steady on the wheel.
“My dad lives there. And my sister has an apartment there, but she’s often traveling.”
“What does your dad do?”
“He’s a real estate lawyer. He works in Manhattan,” she told him.
“Sounds lucrative.” He raised an eyebrow.
“It is. He was disappointed I didn’t follow in his footsteps and study law.”
There was a wry smile on her face. Strange how different she looked today. At the pier meeting she was all business, with a designer suit and immaculate heels. But now she was wilder, her curvy body on display in those shorts and top, and he really liked what it did for her.
Yeah, well you can like all you want. Just don’t touch, my friend.
“You don’t seem to be doing too badly as a real estate investor.”
“I’ll let you know after a few months of owning this place.” She tied her hoodie around her waist and fixed the tendrils of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. Griff slowed the boat as they approached the spot he was looking for. From below he could hear Brett telling the passengers to look out for more whales – blue ones this time.
“Do you plan on staying here permanently?” he asked her.
“In Angel Sands?” She tipped her head to the side. “I’m not sure. I have a few decisions to make, and I’m hoping being here can give me some clarity.”
He opened his mouth to ask what kind of decisions, then closed it again. It was none of his damn business. One of the passengers shouted when they spotted a blow hole, and Brett radioed up to the wheelhouse, asking Griff to cut the engines for a moment.
“That’s a blue whale up ahead,” he said softly to Autumn. “You might want to go down and look.”
“Are you coming?”
“No, I’ll stay here and watch.”
“Then I’ll stay here, too.”
It was stupid how much those few words warmed him.
“Oh my god, is that it?” Autumn said, leaning forward until her nose was practically touching the glass in front of them. “Is that the blue whale blowing water up?”
He bit down a grin at her enthusiasm. His hands tingled with the need to touch her. “Yeah. You see how straight and high the water is going?” he said, pointing. “And if you look on its back, you can see a really small dorsal fin. That and the color of the skin makes it different to the fin whale we saw earlier.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, her lips parted. “You know a lot about them, don’t you.”
He shrugged. “It’s my job.”
“It’s huge,” she whispered as the whale dove below the surface, its tail flipping into the air before disappearing. She lifted her hand to her hair, and he automatically glanced at her ring finger. It was empty. He filed that away with other things he wouldn’t be telling Jackson.
“Do you get many returning passengers?” she asked him.
“Some come out a few times while they’re on vacation. Others return year after year. But most of our passengers are a one time shot. People who get tired of sitting on the beach all day, or hiking in the hills.”
“How about off season? What’s your income stream then?”
His lips twitched. They were back to the questions. “We do executive charters, school trips, that kind of thing. And we try to maximize the in-season income to ride out the downtime. Expenses drop in off season, too. The students are seasonal workers, and Mike takes on other jobs. Plus I only use fuel when I take out the boat.”
“But the pier rental has to be paid.”
“Yep.”
“So if it went up things would get tight in the winter?” she asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
“Yeah, but everything’s tight in the winter. We’ve always survived.”
“Have you thought about diversifying?” she asked him. “You could run evening cruises. Offer dinner and dancing or something?”
“Have you seen the galley?” he asked her. “It fits one person in at a squeeze. You couldn’t cater for people on there.”
“You could get Delmonico’s to cater.”
“And have them accuse me of stealing their customers?” Carla would be on him like a screaming banshee. He shuddered at the thought. “I’m thinking that might not work.”
“When was the last time you raised your prices?” she asked, changing tack.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you worried about me being able to pay the rent? Because it gets paid on time every month.”
She blinked. “I’m sorry. I just…” She took a deep breath. “I know I’m an outsider and I’m a woman, which is a double cross in the box. But I understand business and I want this to work for us all.” She shook her head. “I came on too strong.”
He immediately felt like an ass. “No, you didn’t. I reacted badly. I’m sorry.”
She nodded, but he could already sense the change in her. Like she’d pulled the shutters down. Her previous ease was replaced by tension that held her back ramrod straight.
“Maybe I’ll go and listen to Brett after all,” she said softly, giving him a brief smile. “It’s not every day you get to learn about blue whales while one’s darting around in front of you.”
“Sure.” He nodded. “Brett’s a mine of information. Go and listen while you can.”
Twilight had painted the sky and clouds in orange and peach hues, contrasting with the dark blue of the ocean. Autumn climbed off the gangway that led to the pier, and thanked the crew for their welcoming support.
“Anytime,” Brett told her, as Ellie leaned in to give her a hug.
“And we’ll see you around, right?” Ellie asked. “Since you work here and all.”
“Almost certainly.” Autumn smiled.
Mike nodded at her and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Have a good evening.”
“You too.”
Behind her, Griff was closing up the boat and locking the gangplank. “You heading home?” he asked her as the other three left.
“Yeah. There’s a shower and a glass of wine with my name on them.”
“I’ll walk you up there. My truck’s parked at the coffee shop.”
“How do you know where I live?” she asked, two tiny lines appearing between her brows.
“Because your landlord’s my best friend. Lucas Russell. He told me you moved in yesterday.”
“Oh.” She gave a half-laugh. “I guess this really is a small town.”
“Yeah. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it drives you crazy.”
“Lucas seems nice. Ember does, too,” Autumn said, as they passed Delmonico’s. It was already full, with diners spilling out onto the terrace. “And they have a little boy, right?”
“Arthur.” Griff nodded. “He’s my godson.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “And you? Do you have children?”
Griff laughed. “No. No kids, no wife. Just me.”
There was a little flutter in her chest. “So you were singing to Arthur the first night I saw you?”
“Yep. Sorry if I burst your eardrums. How about you?” he asked. “Did you leave a brood back in New York?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t leave anything in New York except a closet full of shoes.”
“Interesting.”
The flutter increased. He was so damn attractive. And she was lonely, and it had been way too long since she’d even laughed with a guy let alone done anything else. And then there was the way her body reacted every time he was close. It was like he was sparking off a chemical reaction.
One she liked too much.
They reached the boardwalk, and turned left toward the row of cottages that lined the sand. Autumn pushed her hands into her pockets, and willed herself to be an adult.
She wasn’t in Angel Sands on vacation, she was here for work. A clean slate. Maybe even a chance to show her father and Josh and the whole damn world that she could make good decisions.
And good decisions didn’t involve sleeping with one of your tenants just because your body felt electric every time he was close.
They reached the pretty little cottage that had been her home for almost thirty-six hours. She pulled her keys from her pocket and turned to him with a smile.
“So this is me.”
“Yeah, I know. I helped renovate the place.” He leaned on the wall beside the door as she slid her key into the lock. A little step to the left and her body would press against his.
Not a good idea. Not at all.
“Thank you for letting me come out on the boat today,” she said, pushing the door open. “I had a really good time.”
“It was a pleasure.” He was still leaning on the wall.
“Well, good night.”
“Sleep tight.” He winked.
“With all that fresh ocean air, I’m bound to.”
It felt like a lie. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to sleep that night at all.