Page 30 of Forgiving Her First Love

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Sophie was on the wharf Sunday afternoon, chewing the fat with a couple of trawlers, when she saw the Storm Ridge coming into the cove. As it neared the wharf, Reid came on deck to drop the fender buoys off the port side.

She moved down to catch the bow line he threw to her. He moved to the stern and leapt to the wharf when they were close enough, bringing that line with him and leaning back to draw the cruiser in.

“How was it?” she asked him, looking for Emma among the guests gathering on the deck.

“Great. Definitely good value for the cost. We could be charging more.” He stepped aboard to take the steps from where they’d been stowed and set them for the guests to disembark.

Sophie moved forward to help take the bags he handed off and set them on the wharf for people to collect on their way to the lodge and the rest of their travel plans.

“Sophie!” Imogen came topside and grabbed the rail. She wore a windbreaker and a life preserver over her shorts. “Where’s Biyen?”

“Still camping with his dad.”

“Oh.” She pouted.

“He’ll be home in a few days. Did you have fun?”

“We saw bears!” Her eyes went as big as dinner plates. “They were catching fish. And otters.”

“The bears were catching otters? I’ve never seen that!”

“No.” She giggled. “We saw otters. They were so cute.”

“There’s nothing cuter than otters, is there?”

“One had a baby.”

“I stand corrected. Baby otters are definitely the cutest.”

Imogen nodded enthusiastic agreement.

“There you are, Imogen.” Delta came out to the rail with Cooper’s hand firm in her own. “Did you find your hairbrush? Put it in your backpack and bring it up.” She sighed as the girl disappeared. “It was a relaxing trip until thirty minutes ago, when we all realized it was over. Thank you, Reid.”

Delta accepted his hand as he helped her onto the wharf.

Cooper pulled free and stayed at the top of the steps.

“Uncle Reid!” Cooper lifted his arms and grinned with anticipation.

Reid grabbed him and lifted him high, then lowered him halfway to the wharf.

“Why are you so wobbly? Why can’t you stand?” He joggled him so his feet swayed. “You got a bad case of sea legs?”

“I’m not down! You have to put me down,” Cooper said through his giggles, clinging to Reid’s arms as his feet cycled, searching for the solidness of the wharf.

“What? Oh. I thought you were taller.” He finally set Cooper on his feet.

Sophie almost fell in the water, never having seen Reid act so silly with anyone, particularly someone else’s child.

“Can you be a super-helper and take this bag up to the truck?” Reid draped what looked like a beach bag with long handles over Cooper’s shoulder. “See where Logan is?”

Sophie stubbornly refused to turn and look. Things had been very awkward since the night she’d helped with Storm. She ought to be glad that he was keeping his distance, but she mostly alternated between hating herself for revealing how badly he’d hurt her and hating him for taking her at her word that they would never be friends.

“Hey!” Emma greeted her with a wide smile as she came on deck beside Imogen.

“Hi. Was it a good trip?”

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