“I think that… your family wants more than anything for you to be happy and, in order for that to happen, you need to live your own life. Let them handle themselves. If they need you, you’re only a phone call away.” He looked down at their joined hands. “My family is just down the street from me. I see them at least once a week.”
He was right. She knew he was. Knew that she was worrying too much. Still, it was hard for her to let things go.
Even now, while she was standing at a very romantic spot, holding hands with the man of her dreams, she was worried about her family.
What in the hell was wrong with her?
CHAPTERFIVE
Damion was pushing his luck. He knew exactly why she was talking about family. Since he’d promised her grandmother that he wouldn’t let on that he knew about her dad, he was bound to keep his mouth shut on the subject.
But it was driving him crazy. Especially after seeing that lost and sad look in her eyes. He wanted to cheer her up anyway he could.
His first thought was to lean over and see what those sexy lips of hers tasted like. He’d been thinking about kissing her since the first moment he’d seen her over five years ago.
But he didn’t want their first kiss to be just as a distraction. Glancing out over the water, he remembered the story his parents had told him of how they’d met. He turned until he was leaning against the railing and looking at her, and he started retelling the tale.
“Did you ever hear how my parents met?” he asked. When she shook her head from side to side, he started. “My dad and his parents used to live near the reservation just north of here. Since my grandfather wasn’t Apalachee, once he married my grandmother, they moved into a small house on the outskirts of the reservation so my grandmother could be close to her family and roots. In the summer, my father used to work at a gift shop on the reservation, since his grandparents owned the little shop. My mother’s family moved south to escape the Georgia heat.” He chuckled. “Their words, not mine. They moved to Pelican Point back when my mother was just five years old. Anyway, sometime during my mother’s junior year in school, her class took a field trip to the reservation.”
“Did your parents meet there and fall in love?” she asked.
He shook his head no. “One would think, but no. They actually met because of the field trip, but my father wasn’t working at the store that day. Instead, my mother was goofing off, like she tended to do back then, or so my grandparents have said on numerous occasions, and missed the bus back into town. When she found out she’d missed her ride, she came into the shop and, according to my great-grandmother, who was one hundred percent an Apalachee seer, a teller, knew by just looking at my mother that one day she would marry into her bloodline. So, she arranged for my father to drive her all the way back to Pelican Point himself. A two-hour round-trip drive.”
Jules chuckled. “Your great-grandmother sounds like a meddler. Sort of like Tutu is.”
Damion smiled. “I like Tutu.”
Jules tilted her head and looked at him. He could see her wheels turning. Then her eyes grew large for a split second before they narrowed.
“She told you about my dad’s health issues, didn’t she?” she asked him, and before he could speak, she poked him in the chest. “Is that why you invited me on the trip?” she asked, poking him again.
He reached up and rubbed the spot, faking pain and shock.
“What?” Damion asked, knowing he couldn’t keep the truth from her about what Tutu had told him. But her believing that he’d only invited her on the sail because of her family hurt. “No.” He shook his head and became serious. “I asked you to come along because I want you to come and enjoy yourself. I thought we could have some fun together.”
“But not…” she started, and he watched her face turn a slight pink.
He took her shoulders in his hands. “I invited you along on the trip because I thought we could have fun together. Yes, partially because you’ve looked stressed lately, but only partially. To be honest…” He took a deep breath. “I’ve wanted to ask you to go along with me for a long time.”
He watched her eyes widen again but only for a split second. “Okay.” She nodded. “So, Tutu didn’t beg you to play with the poor lonely girl?”
He laughed and then pulled her in for a hug. “Naw, girl. She only mentioned that you were having a hard time. I’m the one who came up with the trip idea. Swear it.”
She seemed to relax in his arms upon hearing that.
Then they heard a cough and turned to see a couple walking down the dock towards them.
“There you two are.” Zoey and Dylan walked towards them. “We were just talking about going out tomorrow on the boat. The weather is supposed to be perfect, and Elle has assured me that you don’t have any bookings.” Zoey turned to him.
He had to think what day it was before nodding in agreement. “I have the day off.” He had plans to sleep in and maybe go for a relaxing sail himself.
“We do too.” Zoey motioned between her and Dylan. “My mom is going to watch Paige for us. We were thinking of heading to Crab Island.”
“I can’t,” Jules said with a sigh. “I work.”
“Elle already asked Beth to cover for you.” Zoey waved her hand. “You’re welcome,” she added with a wink. “So?” She turned back to him. “Are you game for playing captain with a bunch of your friends?”
“How many is a bunch?” he asked.