My heart warmed as he put his hand on my knee and squeezed just hard enough to tickle slightly. A “cow bite” he called it.
“Eeeee!” I moaned as the truck hit a bump and we took a hard left turn. “What are we doing? Off-roading?”
“Don’t worry, duchess,” Jay replied. “We’re there.”
“I asked you if you could only call me that in bed, mister,” I said. Jay didn’t respond, but parked the truck and shut the engine off. “Are we there?”
“We are.” I could hear the smile on his voice.
“Can I take the blindfold off? Or am I still your hostage?”
“Willing hostage,” he chuckled as he got out of the truck. “One second.”
I heard the door beside me open and Jay took my hand in his and helped me out. I heard the sounds of the sea and the smell of salt water and seaweed and my heart leapt instantly as Jay led me across the rocky ground and stopped.
“Okay,” he said. “Let me show you.”
I reached for the blindfold but Jay got there first. He pulled it off and I found myself staring at the evening sky above Green Harbor where we’d first met. In fact, Jay had parked his truck in the exact same spot that I’d parked my Mercedes.
The nostalgia and memories hit me hard and I leaned back against Jay’s strong body as my eyes swept across the vista. I saw the rocky beach, the lazy waves lapping against the shore, the lobster traps and countless boats moored in the harbor.
I saw the driftwood, the crab shells, the old shanty that looked like it had been built in the 1800s and an upturned rowboat, that if it wasn’t the same one from before, looked just like it.
For that moment, I felt like I was that girl that I’d been five years ago when I first laid eyes on Jay. It was like I’d been transported back in time and nothing had changed. But then I looked over at the wharf and saw that I was wrong. A shiny new red sign hung on the freshly painted building.
JAY’S WHARF
“Jay!” I exclaimed. “You—”
“I bought it,” Jay replied with a grin.
“With your fishing money?” I asked. I regretted it the second I said it. It was a pompous rich girl thing to say, implying Jay wasn’t wealthy enough to make such a purchase, but he just kept smiling and shook his head.
“So the cops were so appreciative of my help bringing down the smugglers that they let me keep the money I’d made while working for them…and then some.”
“Is that…legal?” I asked.
“Technically? Probably not. But it was part of the deal.”
“How much did you get to keep?” I asked. Another tactless question.
“Enough,” he grinned. “I won’t be competing with your family’s bank account any time soon, but I also won’t be worrying about the bills.”
I couldn’t find the words to reply. It was like something out of a movie as I watched a boat push off the dock and head out to sea. Another skiff circled a larger boat and a few kids ran down the shore chasing each other.
Perfect.
“Are you still going to fish?” I asked.
“A bit,” he nodded. “It’s what I know. But I’d imagine I’ll be tied up at the new house mostly. It still needs a lot of work.”
“New house?” I asked.
Jay wrapped his strong arm around me and kissed me on the forehead, making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you.”
Jay led me up the driveway to the wharf. I remembered the last time we were here when this was private property and we had to run beneath the cover of the trees to get to Jay’s secret spot. But now I was walking with the owner and there was nothing to worry about.