The early morning sun was beating down on the vivid blue ocean as Autumn made her way along Paxton’s Pier toward the large boat moored at the end. Everything she was wearing she’d picked up from Lorne’s Surf Shop yesterday. White tennis shoes and cut-off shorts, along with a tight grey tank beneath a cropped navy hoodie. Nothing she’d ever think of wearing in New York, not even in the blistering heat.
She hadn’t bothered to straighten her long, dark hair, either, figuring it would get blown into a frizzy mess anyway. Instead, she’d pulled it into a messy bun, with tendrils trailing down her slender neck.
Her dad would have a fit if he saw her like this. Lydia, on the other hand, would be jumping for joy.
There was already activity at the boat when she reached the metal gangplank that led from the pier to the boat deck. A young guy was carrying boxes of supplies onboard, and a teenage girl was scrubbing the wooden planks of the deck with a thick brush. Griff was nowhere to be seen. Autumn rolled her shoulders back and pinned a smile on her face before she stepped onto the mesh of the gangplank, trying not to feel completely out of place.
It was just for one day. To learn more about the whale watching business. Maybe she’d even be able to help.
“You okay there?” the guy asked as she stepped onto the deck. He was walking out of what looked like a cabin on the far end, his head tipped to the side as he took her in. “You’re a little early for the excursion. We don’t set off for a while yet.”
“I’m looking for Griff,” she told him. “I’m Autumn Paxton, I’m helping out today.”
The guy nodded his head. “Oh sure. He’s in the wheelhouse.”
The last time she’d stepped foot on a boat was for her friend’s wedding reception in Manhattan. That had been more of a cruiser, complete with waiters in white jackets and glasses of champagne as soon as she was onboard.
She hadn’t been wearing cut-offs and tennis shoes then, either. But she still had no idea where the wheelhouse was.
“Can you point me in the right direction?” she asked him, looking around the boat. It was bigger than it looked from afar.
“Up the ladder on the starboard side,” he told her, pointing at a wooden ladder that ran up the side of the cabin. “Hey, Griff,” he called out. “There’s somebody here to see you.”
Griff climbed down the ladder and Autumn swallowed hard. There was something so easy about him. It was like watching an animal in its natural habitat. There was no guile or false machismo. But you only had to look at him to know who was in charge.
And yeah, that thought sent a shiver down her spine.
His long, thick legs were clad in denim, right to the ankles, unlike her own cut-offs. A black t-shirt stretched across his muscled torso, with Angel Sands Whale Watching printed on the back. And a pair of sunglasses were casually atop his head. But it was the way he was smiling at her that made Autumn’s breath catch.
It felt like she was staring straight into the sun.
“Hey. I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he called out, pulling his shades over his eyes.
She pushed down the stupid attraction that rose up every time she saw him. “I said I would. And look,” she said, lifting a foot, “flat shoes.”
“And very short shorts,” he pointed out with a grin.
“I figured it might get warm.” Was it wrong that she liked the way he was looking at her legs?
“Welcome onboard,” he said when he was only a few feet away from her. “I see you’ve met Brett. And that’s Ellie up there,” he said, pointing to the girl on the deck. “Mike’s my second in command, and should be here any minute. And along with you, that’s the crew.”
“Are they all full time?”
“Nope. Only me and Mike are permanent. The rest of the staff are seasonal. Students from the oceanography course at the local college. They’re full of enthusiasm and knowledge about the whales and dolphins.”
She suspected Griff knew more about the marine life than anybody in an academic course. “Do
you take excursions out year round?” she asked him, after she’d shaken Brett and Ellie’s hands.
“You’re full of questions, aren’t you?” The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice.
“Sorry. I’ve never been on a boat like this before. It’s all new to me.”
“I’ve got a few more things to get ready before the passengers arrive. Let’s work and talk at the same time.” He inclined his head. “It’ll be crazy for an hour or so once we set off, and then things will calm down again. On the way back, Ellie or Brett will give a talk about the marine life we’ve spotted, and knowing them they’ll lecture the passengers about reducing plastic waste and environmental harm, too.”
* * *
By the time they were out in the open waters, Autumn felt like she was aching all over. Griff hadn’t gone easy on her, and she appreciated that. He’d made her feel part of the team, not somebody just along for the ride.