Flynn's stomach sank. Had the Loch Ness monster died and floated up from the depths, a dark and rotting corpse?
He stopped the motor once again and joined them on deck. Gail met him first, her face drawn and pale. "I'm sorry." Her fingertips brushed his arm. She stopped at the rail as he pushed through the crowd.
A dark, mold-covered log with a branch pointing skyward bobbed a meter from the point off the bow. Flynn's neck tingled with shame. How could he still be so naive after all these years? Did he really think he'd find it?
Ian tugged on his sleeve. "Does this mean the monster doesn't exist?" His chin twitched as though he'd erupt into a full sob any minute.
In front of his passengers, he couldn't afford to show his disappointment.
"No, son." Flynn patted the boy on the back. "It just means we have to keep looking."
Chapter Eight
Due
Gail's heart broke as Flynn comforted Ian. She could picture him years ago as a young boy standing on the bow, looking for monsters and finding logs instead. Flynn's vulnerability shone through as he put an arm around the boy and told him to keep looking.
For a moment, as the enthusiasm surrounded her, Gail had believed something was out there. The scientific part of her brain kicked in moments later, reasoning with her heart. She hated science for taking away the wonder. She hated being right.
They reached the dock, and Flynn tied the boat down as the passengers filed off. They chatted and took pictures with smiles and bouts of laughter, despite the fake-out. The way Flynn had recovered after the incident, cheering up his audience with tales of past sightings, had impressed Gail. This Scottish charmer was the kind of man that put others' feelings before his own.
She waited until everyone left before she approached Flynn. He was wiping down the sticky fingerprints on the silver rail.
"Great tour. You know how to keep an audience on the edge of their seats."
He didn't look up, only rubbed harder at a particular smudge. "I only wish it had turned out as less of a bummer."
"Bummer or not, you're quite the funny man."
That got him to smile. A little. "Glad I could entertain you."
"So, you still up for those drinks?" Her heart beat a thousand times too fast waiting for his response.
"Not if what you found only disproves my theories. I've had enough disappointment for one day."
"Quite the contrary." Gail stopped his hand in mid swipe. "It strengthens them."
Flynn gave her a questioning look as though testing for any hint of teasing or condescension. She gave him her best dead-serious stare. "I mean it."
"All right. But I can't let you pay."
She released his hand, although she wanted to keep holding it, rag and all. "We'll see about that. Come on." Gail tugged his arm. "You can do that later. You shouldn't keep a woman waiting."
"If you say it that way." He threw the rag to the deck and linked his arm in hers. It was the first sign of the normal, upbeat Flynn coming back. "Let's go. I'll drive."
They walked up the hill to a small field off of Route A82 that served as a parking lot for his guests. A single red Abarth 500 sat like an exotic beetle. Gail gawked. "That's your car?"
"Touring rakes in the big bucks." Flynn flashed a smile. "It's an older model with over a hundred thousand miles." As Gail noticed patches where he'd repainted in not quite the same color, he opened the passenger's door. "After you."
Gail loved a man who opened doors for her. Especially in such a sporty car, never mind the miles. They just added character. "Thank you."
"No problem." He settled into the driver's seat.
A bright green rabbit's foot hung from the rearview mirror. Gail ran her fingers over the soft fur, wondering how she'd gotten involved with such an irrational thinker. "For luck?"
"So I don't drive off the road."
Gail's hand tightened on the door. "You're not serious, are you?"
He gave her a sidelong look and turned onto A82. "Well, it's worked so far. Haven't had any crashesâ¦
He stopped the motor once again and joined them on deck. Gail met him first, her face drawn and pale. "I'm sorry." Her fingertips brushed his arm. She stopped at the rail as he pushed through the crowd.
A dark, mold-covered log with a branch pointing skyward bobbed a meter from the point off the bow. Flynn's neck tingled with shame. How could he still be so naive after all these years? Did he really think he'd find it?
Ian tugged on his sleeve. "Does this mean the monster doesn't exist?" His chin twitched as though he'd erupt into a full sob any minute.
In front of his passengers, he couldn't afford to show his disappointment.
"No, son." Flynn patted the boy on the back. "It just means we have to keep looking."
Chapter Eight
Due
Gail's heart broke as Flynn comforted Ian. She could picture him years ago as a young boy standing on the bow, looking for monsters and finding logs instead. Flynn's vulnerability shone through as he put an arm around the boy and told him to keep looking.
For a moment, as the enthusiasm surrounded her, Gail had believed something was out there. The scientific part of her brain kicked in moments later, reasoning with her heart. She hated science for taking away the wonder. She hated being right.
They reached the dock, and Flynn tied the boat down as the passengers filed off. They chatted and took pictures with smiles and bouts of laughter, despite the fake-out. The way Flynn had recovered after the incident, cheering up his audience with tales of past sightings, had impressed Gail. This Scottish charmer was the kind of man that put others' feelings before his own.
She waited until everyone left before she approached Flynn. He was wiping down the sticky fingerprints on the silver rail.
"Great tour. You know how to keep an audience on the edge of their seats."
He didn't look up, only rubbed harder at a particular smudge. "I only wish it had turned out as less of a bummer."
"Bummer or not, you're quite the funny man."
That got him to smile. A little. "Glad I could entertain you."
"So, you still up for those drinks?" Her heart beat a thousand times too fast waiting for his response.
"Not if what you found only disproves my theories. I've had enough disappointment for one day."
"Quite the contrary." Gail stopped his hand in mid swipe. "It strengthens them."
Flynn gave her a questioning look as though testing for any hint of teasing or condescension. She gave him her best dead-serious stare. "I mean it."
"All right. But I can't let you pay."
She released his hand, although she wanted to keep holding it, rag and all. "We'll see about that. Come on." Gail tugged his arm. "You can do that later. You shouldn't keep a woman waiting."
"If you say it that way." He threw the rag to the deck and linked his arm in hers. It was the first sign of the normal, upbeat Flynn coming back. "Let's go. I'll drive."
They walked up the hill to a small field off of Route A82 that served as a parking lot for his guests. A single red Abarth 500 sat like an exotic beetle. Gail gawked. "That's your car?"
"Touring rakes in the big bucks." Flynn flashed a smile. "It's an older model with over a hundred thousand miles." As Gail noticed patches where he'd repainted in not quite the same color, he opened the passenger's door. "After you."
Gail loved a man who opened doors for her. Especially in such a sporty car, never mind the miles. They just added character. "Thank you."
"No problem." He settled into the driver's seat.
A bright green rabbit's foot hung from the rearview mirror. Gail ran her fingers over the soft fur, wondering how she'd gotten involved with such an irrational thinker. "For luck?"
"So I don't drive off the road."
Gail's hand tightened on the door. "You're not serious, are you?"
He gave her a sidelong look and turned onto A82. "Well, it's worked so far. Haven't had any crashesâ¦
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