“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing my own family hasn’t already said.” She let out a brittle laugh. “My dad keeps threatening to go and confront Heath.” She shuddered. “I’ll die of embarrassment if he ever follows through with it.”
He grimaced. Jimmy Vincente was an old school Pelican Bay fisherman. He also owned a bait and tackle supply store by the pier called Fish Tales. He was a tough guy who had raised five daughters all by himself after his wife’s premature death from cancer. Caleb knew he didn’t play around when it came to the health and well-being of his daughters. He would hate to see any type of confrontation between his brother and Jimmy.
“I hope you’re taking care of yourself.” Caleb squeezed her arm for emphasis. “You look pretty thin.”
Bella’s eyes widened. “I-I just need to eat more,” she said. “Don’t say anything to Heath about it. The last thing I want is for him to feel sorry for me.”
Caleb frowned. Why did it seem as if Bella was hiding something? “To tell you the truth, Heath has shut down a bit. We’re all worried about him.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t mean to sound cruel, but I can’t worry about Heath anymore. He made it pretty apparent he wants nothing to do with me anymore.”
“Bella, I’m not making excuses for him, but he’s going through a lot.” Caleb didn’t want to betray his brother’s confidence. Although he wanted to elaborate, his hands were tied.
“I imagine so, but life has taught me that none of us ever have it easy. I’ve got my hands full right now with my own family situation.” She jutted her chin in the direction of the dock. “My Dad is having some financial setbacks. He may lose the tackle shop. I’ve got to focus on other things.”
Caleb shook his head. He couldn’t imagine this area without Jimmy’s shop. Fish Tales had been around longer than both he and Bella had been alive. “I’m sorry to hear that, Bella. I hope it all works out. And again, I’m so sorry about you and Heath.”
“Thanks, Caleb. Let’s just say I’ve been talking to the big guy upstairs a lot lately.” Bella’s half smile didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. With a wave of her hand she turned away from him and walked in the other direction. Caleb’s gaze trailed after her. He didn’t know whether or not to mention her appearance to Heath. Although she’d asked him not to, he had to wonder if it would cause Heath to snap out of his mental fog. Surely he didn’t want to sever all ties with the love of his life?
Just then Addie appeared, striding down the pier wearing a pair of white shorts and a navy blue nautical shirt. She was wearing sunglasses and a pair of blue boat shoes. She looked sporty and ready to go out on the open seas. Addie passed Bella on the way. Caleb could see the frown etched on her face as she approached him.
“Is she a friend of yours? She seemed quite upset. There were tears streaming down her face.” Caleb could see the worry emanating from her eyes.
Caleb quirked his mouth. “That’s Bella. Heath’s ex. She’s not doing so well.”
Addie made a fretful sound. “Poor thing. I wanted to give her a big hug. She looked terribly unhappy.”
This was pure Addie. Loving. Compassionate. There wasn’t a single thing he didn’t like about her. Was it possible she didn’t have a single flaw?
“I hope she’ll be all right. Having your heart broken isn’t easy,” Caleb said. Addie narrowed her gaze as she looked at him. He had the feeling she wanted to ask him something, but she held back. “Why don’t we get started on our journey?” Caleb suggested, reaching out and placing Addie’s hand in his own. He led her down the pier to slip 22 where the Donahue sailboat was docked.
Caleb helped Addie on to the sailboat and pointed out the picnic lunch he had packed for them. “If we sail about a half hour west we can stop and eat over by Pelican Point.”
“It sounds wonderful to me,” Addie said, sitting back and lifting her face toward the sun. “
It’s the perfect day to be out here on the water.”
Before setting sail, Caleb paused for a moment to admire Addie’s beauty. She was never flashy or bold like some other women he’d dated in the past. Her style was low-key and humble. She was a classic beauty.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. The Bible verse from Peter could have been written with Addie in mind. Although she was physically appealing to him and clearly took the time to look nice, the most beautiful thing about her was her soul. She radiated from within.
As they sailed around Pelican Sound, Caleb pointed out landmarks in the distance to Addie. Her joy was almost childlike. She was interested in everything he pointed out to her and she was closely observing his movements as if she herself wanted to learn to sail. After an hour or so, Caleb steered them toward land so they could enjoy a nice lunch while overlooking the water.
Once they anchored the sail boat, they concentrated on finding a perfect little spot. When they located it, Addie and Caleb spread out a blanket and began to unpack the picnic basket. As a chef, Caleb enjoyed adding unusual elements to his picnic lunches.
“Mmm. The sandwiches look delicious. What exactly is it?”
“It’s a Croque Monsieur. Have you ever had one?” he asked as he placed them down on two plates.
“No, I don’t think so. But I can’t wait to dig into it.”
“It’s delicious. Ham and Gruyere cheese. Dijon mustard. Herbs and spices.” He wiggled his eyebrows, then dug into the basket for more treats. He took out a three bean salad, pickles, a fruit salad with mandarin oranges, blackberries and pears, homemade baked potato chips and a carafe of sparkling lemonade.
“You sure know how to pack a picnic lunch,” Addie raved. She reached down and placed some chips on her plate, then took a big bite of her sandwich. Addie closed her eyes and said, “Oh this is fantastic.”
“Thanks. I learned to make those when I did a college internship in Paris. It’s a very popular specialty in France.”
“I can see why,” Addie said, taking another bite of her sandwich.