from the pilings and they were adrift. Not bothering to
use the small outboard motor, Jay maneuvered the boat into the
wind.
"Would you please sit here and hold the
tiller like this?" He offered Sabrina the teak handle.
"Why? Aren't you going to sail the boat?"
"Yes, but I need to raise the sail. Unless
you want to do it?"
"No thanks," she said reaching for the
tiller. "I think I'll hold the thingy."
Jay stood and deftly untied the sail. Within
seconds, he shackled the top of the sail to the halyard and pulled
the bright white sail up the mast. Sabrina watched unabashedly as
the muscles in his back rippled. He cleated the line, then unfurled
the jib sheet. The small sail curved and filled with the slight
breeze.
"Okay, we're ready to go," he said, smiling.
He took the tiller from Sabrina and sat on the opposite side of the
boat. "Just sit back and relax."
"Great idea," she said. But could she relax?
Impetuously, she agreed to go with this man, putting her life in
the hands of a stranger. A rugged and sexy stranger with beautiful,
strong hands she realized as she watched him steer the little boat
into open water. The sensation of letting go and being uninhibited
for once thrilled her.
The wind was light, yet the little dinghy
moved quickly. Sabrina watched the shoreline, admiring houses and
yachts as the boat forged down the Warren River toward the bay.
"We won't go far," Jay said. "It's nice,
though, to have a stretch of water between you and the sunset."
Sabrina closed her eyes. She reveled in the
warmth of the setting sun and the gentle breeze. The water was
nearly flat, so the small waves ripped in the boat's wake.
"This is wonderful," she said, her face
tilted towards the breeze. "I've never experienced anything like
this."
"Don't you like boats?" Jay asked.
"Well, sure. I've just never had the
opportunity to go on one. I mean, in school I joined the crew club,
but that's rowing on the river. It's more about competition than
relaxation. I've been on a couple of dinner cruises on the Patapsco
River."
"You live near the Chesapeake Bay?"
He knows his geography , she thought.
"Yes. I live in Baltimore."
"Busy place. Do you like it there?"
"Well, sure. I've lived there most of my
life, so it's home. I went to boarding school in Maryland."
"You went to a boarding school?"
"Yes. Good old Hillcrest. Class of 1998. Then
I went to Boston for college."
"Boston as in…?"
"As in Harvard Business School. I admit it;
I'm a nerd."
"You don't look like the nerds I went to
school with." Jay observed.
Sabrina dimpled at the compliment.
Jay lost his heart.
"Where did you go to school?" she asked.
"I was born here and went to public school.
Then I moved to Maine, worked at a few boatyards there and got my
degree in naval architecture at the Maine Maritime Academy."
"Naval architecture? You build houses?"
Jay laughed gently at her naiveté. "No, I
design boats."
"Really?" Sabrina squeaked. "That's amazing.
I just bought .... ," she began, then yelped and grabbed at his
knees when a large wake rocked the dinghy.
"Careful," Jay said, steadying her. "There's
a couple more coming. They're from that barge over there," he
pointed.
Sabrina placed her hands on either side,
balancing herself. "Sorry; I wasn't expecting that."
"Would you like to steer?" Jay offered.
"No thanks. If you don't mind, I'd rather
watch the sunset," she said. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Jay nodded as the sun sank closer to the
horizon. Orange, pink and violet banded together for the
spectacular event. As the sun sank into the bay, Jay turned the
boat and headed back towards the river, tacking slowly towards
Warren.
Sabrina watched as he expertly handled the
sheets and tiller, and all too soon the experience ended. Jay
handed her the tiller and told her to keep the boat steady while he
pulled down the mainsail, tied it to the boom. He let the current
move them to the pier and then tossed a line around a piling.
He held her hand as she stood
use the small outboard motor, Jay maneuvered the boat into the
wind.
"Would you please sit here and hold the
tiller like this?" He offered Sabrina the teak handle.
"Why? Aren't you going to sail the boat?"
"Yes, but I need to raise the sail. Unless
you want to do it?"
"No thanks," she said reaching for the
tiller. "I think I'll hold the thingy."
Jay stood and deftly untied the sail. Within
seconds, he shackled the top of the sail to the halyard and pulled
the bright white sail up the mast. Sabrina watched unabashedly as
the muscles in his back rippled. He cleated the line, then unfurled
the jib sheet. The small sail curved and filled with the slight
breeze.
"Okay, we're ready to go," he said, smiling.
He took the tiller from Sabrina and sat on the opposite side of the
boat. "Just sit back and relax."
"Great idea," she said. But could she relax?
Impetuously, she agreed to go with this man, putting her life in
the hands of a stranger. A rugged and sexy stranger with beautiful,
strong hands she realized as she watched him steer the little boat
into open water. The sensation of letting go and being uninhibited
for once thrilled her.
The wind was light, yet the little dinghy
moved quickly. Sabrina watched the shoreline, admiring houses and
yachts as the boat forged down the Warren River toward the bay.
"We won't go far," Jay said. "It's nice,
though, to have a stretch of water between you and the sunset."
Sabrina closed her eyes. She reveled in the
warmth of the setting sun and the gentle breeze. The water was
nearly flat, so the small waves ripped in the boat's wake.
"This is wonderful," she said, her face
tilted towards the breeze. "I've never experienced anything like
this."
"Don't you like boats?" Jay asked.
"Well, sure. I've just never had the
opportunity to go on one. I mean, in school I joined the crew club,
but that's rowing on the river. It's more about competition than
relaxation. I've been on a couple of dinner cruises on the Patapsco
River."
"You live near the Chesapeake Bay?"
He knows his geography , she thought.
"Yes. I live in Baltimore."
"Busy place. Do you like it there?"
"Well, sure. I've lived there most of my
life, so it's home. I went to boarding school in Maryland."
"You went to a boarding school?"
"Yes. Good old Hillcrest. Class of 1998. Then
I went to Boston for college."
"Boston as in…?"
"As in Harvard Business School. I admit it;
I'm a nerd."
"You don't look like the nerds I went to
school with." Jay observed.
Sabrina dimpled at the compliment.
Jay lost his heart.
"Where did you go to school?" she asked.
"I was born here and went to public school.
Then I moved to Maine, worked at a few boatyards there and got my
degree in naval architecture at the Maine Maritime Academy."
"Naval architecture? You build houses?"
Jay laughed gently at her naiveté. "No, I
design boats."
"Really?" Sabrina squeaked. "That's amazing.
I just bought .... ," she began, then yelped and grabbed at his
knees when a large wake rocked the dinghy.
"Careful," Jay said, steadying her. "There's
a couple more coming. They're from that barge over there," he
pointed.
Sabrina placed her hands on either side,
balancing herself. "Sorry; I wasn't expecting that."
"Would you like to steer?" Jay offered.
"No thanks. If you don't mind, I'd rather
watch the sunset," she said. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Jay nodded as the sun sank closer to the
horizon. Orange, pink and violet banded together for the
spectacular event. As the sun sank into the bay, Jay turned the
boat and headed back towards the river, tacking slowly towards
Warren.
Sabrina watched as he expertly handled the
sheets and tiller, and all too soon the experience ended. Jay
handed her the tiller and told her to keep the boat steady while he
pulled down the mainsail, tied it to the boom. He let the current
move them to the pier and then tossed a line around a piling.
He held her hand as she stood
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