Page 36 of Sea La Vie
“Feet up,” I urge.
Lainey giggles. “Yes, sir.” Her voice comes out gravelly with tiredness, and my stomach clenches. I need to focus on anything otherthan wanting to kiss her right now, because that’s truly all I want to do.
“Good girl.”
She bites her bottom lip, clearly trying not to smile, and I whirl around before I completely lose focus and head back to the kitchen. I grab the steaks from the ancient fridge that is miraculously still working, the blast of cold air enough to make me snap back to reality.
When I come back inside from throwing the steaks on the grill, I hear two sets of soft snores coming from the couch. I peek in on Lainey and Midge curled around each other, sleeping soundly, then get to work making the rest of dinner. There is not much here in the way of kitchen utensils, and not a single dish matches, but somehow it all works.
Just as I’m pulling a warm loaf of bread out of the oven, I hear the soft pad of footsteps and turn around. Lainey rubs her eyes and pulls out a chair to sit in.
“How long was I out?” She asks.
“Only about forty-five minutes.”
“Sheesh, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
I set a plate of food in front of her then join her on the other side of the table. “A little nap never hurt anyone. Especially someone who works as hard as you do.”
Lainey smiles softly then takes a bite.
“Other than the motor issue, how are things going with the fishing business?” I ask.
She reaches for her jam jar filled with wine. “How much of this do you have? And how much time?”
“That bad, huh?” I ask.
Lainey takes another bite and chews thoughtfully before answering. “It’s like I take one step forward and two steps back. And I can’t tell Dad how far in the red we are for the season, or it will absolutely crush him. Then he will want to come fix everything, but he can’t. The doctor made it very clear that if he wanted to get better, he was going to have to finally get some rest.” She takes a sip and continues, “It’s just that the weather has been way more unpredictable than usual, and everything on the boat seems to be falling apart. It’s been a rough season.”
I watch as her shoulders drop and she sighs, feeling the need to say anything to make her feel better. “If anyone can turn this season around, it’s you.” Lainey eyes me curiously. “You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met,” I explain.
She wads up her napkin and tosses it in my direction, but I duck and it hits the refrigerator instead. “Are you keeping these old appliances or getting new ones?” She asks.
“Probably keeping them. The buyer can get new ones if they want.”
A frown flickers across Lainey’s face so fast I almost miss it. Does she want me to stay?CouldI stay if I wanted to?
Before I have time to dwell on those thoughts, she’s pushing back from the table. “I better help you clean up before I get going. I’ve got another early morning tomorrow if the forecast stays dry like it says it will.”
“Leave the dishes,” I tell her. “I’ll get them later. It’s more time I can stay away from Lucille.”
Lainey laughs. “We really need to get the bathroom and bedroom done so you can get out of there.” I follow her to the front door, and she scoops a sleepy Midge into her arms. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Anytime,” I tell her. She’s almost to her truck when I realized we haven’t made plans to see each other again, and for some reason, I can’t stand the thought of that.
“Hey Lainey,” I call, and she turns around. I hesitate for only a second before I blurt, “I want to ask Grandpa about the ring. Will you come with me tomorrow evening?”
Even from the front porch, I see her face light up, and for a second, I let myself believe it’s because she wants to see me again and not because she wants to solve the mystery of the note and the ring.
“I’d love that, City Boy.” She slides behind the wheel, and I watch until I can’t see the taillights anymore, the sound of crickets and bullfrogs serenading me on my walk back inside.
“Where’d you find this?” Grandpa asks. He seems to be having a better day, greeting Lainey by name when we walked in a few moments ago. Lainey’s hesitant eyes had instantly brightened at the use of her name.
“We found it in the bedroom when we were painting,” I tell him. “It was under a soft spot in the floor, hidden between the floor joists.”
Grandpa chuckles, then reaches out for the ring. “I see my hiding spot has finally been found.”
I grin sheepishly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
