20
Blake
There was some fucked up shit going on. So much I decided the only thing to do was ignore it.
I couldn’t deal with the fact that Sierra had left eight years ago because of my dad. Or because she was going to have my baby. My dad was dead. How was I supposed to confront a ghost? And the baby … well, Sierra said it never got very far. I tried not to think about it. It all hurt. I didn’t want to think about the past anymore.
There were three days until she had to go back to Dallas.
And until then I was going to fucking enjoy myself.
Sierra leaned back into the cushiony seat I had affixed to the bow for her. I steered the boat farther away from the marina. She kept peeking over her shoulder to watch me behind the steering wheel. My eyes focused on the shallow waters in front of us.
The constant summer storms and drastic tidal shifts altered the channel and made boating in the Core Sound dangerous if I didn’t focus.
I slowed the boat and Sierra took in the little cove. Behind her, the moon was rising higher in the sky.
“What do you think?” I asked as I loosened the anchor from the side compartment box. I heaved it out into the water.
“It’s really pretty out here. And peaceful.”
The boat drifted closer to the shore until the anchor tugged at the bottom.
“This is my favorite spot on the whole island. I don’t get to come here as much as I’d like.” I reached into the
cooler and pulled out a bottle of wine.
“Wine? I thought you were a beer guy.” Sierra stifled a laugh as I fought with the corkscrew.
“I am a beer guy, but you’re not.” I flashed her a wide grin. “I even brought glasses.” I pointed to the bag on the other side of the cooler.
“How did you have time to put all this together?”
I shrugged. “Nothing but time in the offseason.”
I steadied myself as the wake of an offshore boat passed by. Balancing one glass at a time against my chest, I poured glasses of wine.
“You cold?” I sat next to her on the bow and wrapped one arm around her.
“I’m ok.”
“Something wrong?”
Sierra rubbed her arms up and down. “No, I’m fine. Just chilly from the wind. I guess I should have worn something other than this strapless shirt.”
It was dark on the water, and except for the low light emitting from the boat’s speaker, there were no other lights.
“I like the shirt. Your boobs look hot.” I tugged on it, trying to see down the front.
“Really?” Her voice was suddenly sultry.
“Hell yeah.”
She pinched her lips together. “Too bad I’ll be cold if I take it off.”
“I think I could help with that.”
She laughed. “I’m kidding. I’m playing with you. I wouldn’t—”