Page 61 of Summer Longing
“Seaweed. I’m hanging it here to dry,” he said, barely looking at her.
This, of course, led to a few obvious questions: Why here? Why seaweed?
And one less obvious question:Why am I so attracted to you?
Olivia forced herself to focus on question number two.
“Oh. Interesting. What’s it for?”
“I’m cultivating it for possible commercial use.”
She was tempted to take a photo for her Instagram but refrained. Somehow she didn’t think that would go over too well with Marco. “Like what?” she said.
He bent over a wide plastic container, a large cooler, and pulled out more of the seaweed, then moved to a fresh spot on the line and clipped it in place. He didn’t answer the question, but he said, “If you’re just going to stand there, I could actually use an extra set of hands to make this go faster,” he said.
“Oh—okay. Sure,” she said nervously. “I’m just having some issues with bending down. My back is sort of…”
“You can stand right here and I’ll hand you the plants and you just clip it—like this.” He held up what appeared to be a regular clothespin, draped one of the fronds over the line, and clipped it in place. “Simple.”
She walked closer to him, willing herself to keep a neutral expression on her face, not to give any hint that she was distracted by his rugged good looks. He really had the most divine face, with sharp cheekbones and a lush mouth and mysterious dark eyes.
Looking at Marco, feeling that undeniable pull of animal attraction, she realized she hadn’t thought of Ian since she’d arrived in town. As emotionally taxing as it was to deal with her complicated feelings toward her mother, at least she was no longer burdened by her failed relationship. She had no interest in starting something messy in Provincetown.
Marco bent down and sorted through whatever was in the container—the open lid blocked her view. She looked at the back of his neck, deeply tanned, and noted how his thick brown hair curled just above the nape.
He handed her some seaweed. It was less slimy to touch than it appeared, and she lifted it up carefully so that it didn’t touch the ground.
“That’s it—just drape it over the line and you can even it out as you go,” he said. “Don’t worry, it’s not delicate. If you’re worried about the smell and your hands, I have gloves over there somewhere.”
“It’s fine.” His attention and encouragement felt like the sun warming her back. She smiled and he noticed.
“It’s not so bad, right?” he said.
“Not bad at all.”
They fell into a rhythm, moving more quickly; they filled the first line and started on the one behind it. They worked in silence, and it wasn’t until the silence was broken that she realized the task had become meditative; she hadn’t been thinking about her mother inside the house or about her back, and she’d forgotten all about the call she needed to make to her father. If Marco hadn’t asked her a question, she might even have forgotten he was there.
“I’m sorry—what was that?” she said.
“I asked if my sister has been around here lately.”
“Oh,” she said, stalling, thinking of Jaci’s forlorn expression when she sat on the couch. “Um, no. Not lately.”
Marco didn’t respond and they went back to working in silence. When both lines were filled to capacity, there was still a little bit of seaweed left over.
“That’s enough for now, anyway,” he said, packing up the containers and a knapsack.
Olivia felt a pang that he was leaving and wondered how long it would be before she ran into him again. “You never told me what you’re going to do with this stuff,” she said.
“Different things. One of them is a bit of an experiment. I’m working with Elise and Fern to make seaweed tea.” Olivia’s expression must have conveyed exactly what she thought of that, because he laughed and said, “It won’t be that bad, I promise.”
“I’m sorry. This just doesn’t smell like something that would taste good.”
“That’s why we’re hanging it in the sun. It’s going to dry, and the flavor becomes more complex. And for the tea, they’re going to blend it with other ingredients. In fact, we could use help taste-testing.”
He could use her help? She felt an undeniable surge in her mood. “Sure. Just let me know.”
Why not have a new friend? It was completely innocent. There was no harm in spending more time with Marco Barros.
