black lashes.
“So,” he said, swallowing a yawn and showing the red, wet inside of his mouth and his bright white teeth. “You wanna come for a ride?”
“On the boat?”
“Sure. I’ve got some time before I have to get ready for the sunset cruise. We’ll only go out about a mile.”
“I don’t...I mean...I don’t have a wetsuit or anything like that,” said Blue, conscious that she smelled strongly of sweat and bleach.
“You don’t need one,” said Gabe. “I only wear this because it’s easier than slathering on sunblock every time I get in and out of the water. Go grab your bikini – it’ll be fun.”
Blue went up to her room, trying not to run as she went. It was one thing to look enthusiastic, another to look desperate. She quickly changed into her sensible black bikini (the tiny flowered one was way too tryhard for a boat trip) and cursed the growth of stubble on her legs that she’d had no time to do anything about. For a second she considered giving them a brief swipe with a razor, but in her current dumb, fluttery state of mind it was probably a great way to go about accidentally opening a vein. Gabe would just have to deal with her hairy legs. Besides, if he was the kind of manbaby who freaked out over any kind of female body hair then he wasn’t worth her time.
Not that she was assessing him in that way. Yet. Obviously.
“Don’t. Look. Desperate,” she told her reflection in the mirror, and scrunched back her hair as best she could. The smell of dust and cleaning products lingered, but she hoped the wind and waves would wash it away. No point dumping perfume on top of the bleach and floor cleaner - it would just make her smell even weirder.
He was already on the boat when she came back out. A paranoid little part of her thought he was going to drive away, like those mean boys who asked her to the dance just so they could watch her walking around on air and laugh when she fell. Hard to believe people were still pulling that old Carrie trick in this day and age. Harder to believe that she had fallen for it.
But then that was back in Houston; she had never believed anyone could be quite that cruel until she moved there.
She hurried to the end of the jetty. “Hey.”
“Hi,” he said, and when he looked up there was a brief, dark, male look in his eyes. Just a split second, but enough to let her know that what he saw pleased him, and that she wasn’t making a total fool of herself. He held out a hand and helped her down into the boat, making her heart beat faster for all the wrong reasons. The boat swayed and the gap between it and the jetty seemed like it could swallow her whole. When she set foot on the boat she wanted to step back; such a heaving, unstable surface.
“You okay?” said Gabe, when she was on board.
“Yeah,” she said, although she wasn’t. The thing dipped and lurched beneath her and already she had a terrible feeling that her empty stomach was going to be in knots before they had even loosed the mooring. “I may as well tell you I’m not really used to boats. Probably don’t have the best sea legs.”
“Relax,” he said, handing her a little orange foam life vest. “We’re not even going that far out. I’m assuming you can swim?”
“Of course.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.” He untied the boat from the jetty, then reached down beneath a seat and fished out a large, crumpled tube of sunscreen. This he tossed to her.
“Seriously?” she said. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not hurting for melanin here.”
Gabe shook his head. “Put it on. I’ve seen people darker than you get burned out on the reefs. The water acts as a reflector. Be sure to get the backs of your knees.”
She didn’t answer back. There was no point anyway; he had started the engine and wouldn’t have heard. Her stomach gave a nervous roll as the boat drew away from the end of the little pier, and she could have yelled right then - take me back
“So,” he said, swallowing a yawn and showing the red, wet inside of his mouth and his bright white teeth. “You wanna come for a ride?”
“On the boat?”
“Sure. I’ve got some time before I have to get ready for the sunset cruise. We’ll only go out about a mile.”
“I don’t...I mean...I don’t have a wetsuit or anything like that,” said Blue, conscious that she smelled strongly of sweat and bleach.
“You don’t need one,” said Gabe. “I only wear this because it’s easier than slathering on sunblock every time I get in and out of the water. Go grab your bikini – it’ll be fun.”
Blue went up to her room, trying not to run as she went. It was one thing to look enthusiastic, another to look desperate. She quickly changed into her sensible black bikini (the tiny flowered one was way too tryhard for a boat trip) and cursed the growth of stubble on her legs that she’d had no time to do anything about. For a second she considered giving them a brief swipe with a razor, but in her current dumb, fluttery state of mind it was probably a great way to go about accidentally opening a vein. Gabe would just have to deal with her hairy legs. Besides, if he was the kind of manbaby who freaked out over any kind of female body hair then he wasn’t worth her time.
Not that she was assessing him in that way. Yet. Obviously.
“Don’t. Look. Desperate,” she told her reflection in the mirror, and scrunched back her hair as best she could. The smell of dust and cleaning products lingered, but she hoped the wind and waves would wash it away. No point dumping perfume on top of the bleach and floor cleaner - it would just make her smell even weirder.
He was already on the boat when she came back out. A paranoid little part of her thought he was going to drive away, like those mean boys who asked her to the dance just so they could watch her walking around on air and laugh when she fell. Hard to believe people were still pulling that old Carrie trick in this day and age. Harder to believe that she had fallen for it.
But then that was back in Houston; she had never believed anyone could be quite that cruel until she moved there.
She hurried to the end of the jetty. “Hey.”
“Hi,” he said, and when he looked up there was a brief, dark, male look in his eyes. Just a split second, but enough to let her know that what he saw pleased him, and that she wasn’t making a total fool of herself. He held out a hand and helped her down into the boat, making her heart beat faster for all the wrong reasons. The boat swayed and the gap between it and the jetty seemed like it could swallow her whole. When she set foot on the boat she wanted to step back; such a heaving, unstable surface.
“You okay?” said Gabe, when she was on board.
“Yeah,” she said, although she wasn’t. The thing dipped and lurched beneath her and already she had a terrible feeling that her empty stomach was going to be in knots before they had even loosed the mooring. “I may as well tell you I’m not really used to boats. Probably don’t have the best sea legs.”
“Relax,” he said, handing her a little orange foam life vest. “We’re not even going that far out. I’m assuming you can swim?”
“Of course.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.” He untied the boat from the jetty, then reached down beneath a seat and fished out a large, crumpled tube of sunscreen. This he tossed to her.
“Seriously?” she said. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not hurting for melanin here.”
Gabe shook his head. “Put it on. I’ve seen people darker than you get burned out on the reefs. The water acts as a reflector. Be sure to get the backs of your knees.”
She didn’t answer back. There was no point anyway; he had started the engine and wouldn’t have heard. Her stomach gave a nervous roll as the boat drew away from the end of the little pier, and she could have yelled right then - take me back
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