Page 44 of Hook, Line, and Summer

He opened the thermos and filled two cups with the lemonade I fresh-squeezed last night.

“Do you know how much willpower it took to not drink this last night?” he said as he took a sip. “Mmm, you haven’t lost your touch.”

Nanny Jules used to make it as a special treat and I carried on the tradition and would make it for special dates. And sometimes in between if Adam bugged me enough. It’s definitely yummy, but it’s a pain in the ass to make.

“That’s good to hear.”

He finished his drink and poured another. Normally I pack a snack for these hikes, but today we stopped at The Sea Breeze Cafe and grabbed a couple sandwiches on our way to the trail.

We sat in companionable silence, eating and enjoying the day. I thought about the past few weeks and how Adam has meshed seamlessly into my life. Yes we’d lived together before, but since we’re older and more set in our ways, I thought there’d be a period of adjustment, but there really wasn’t.

“This is nice,” Adam said, breaking into my thoughts.

“It is.” I looked over at him and smiled. “In fact, I was just thinking about how nice it is having you stay with us.”

Our eyes held for several heartbeats, the mood suddenly serious. Thea finished her snack and broke the moment as she stood and shook before going to explore.

Adam watched her for a few seconds before he looked back at me.

“Summer, I love you. We’re going to make it work this time.” He took my hand in his and squeezed. “I don’t know how exactly, but we have to. Not being together isn’t an option.”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat to speak, but couldn’t, so I just nodded. We are older and wiser. Maybe we’ll be able to figure it out this time.

* * *

Adam

Summer dropped me off at the dock on her way to the clinic and I walked toward the boat with an extra spring in my step. Today’s charter isn’t leaving until ten o’clock so not only did I get to sleep in, I woke up with her in my arms and said good morning properly. It makes for a great start to the day.

I was surprised to see Andrew and Maggie talking to my father when I got on board.

“Hey,” I said.

“Nice of you to join us,” my father said.

Ignoring him, I directed my attention to Maggie.

“Did he get the okay to work?”

“No.” That single word was directed at Andrew in a firm tone. In a more tempered voice, she added to me, “He said he’s going crazy at home and promised he’d just hang out. Please make sure that’s all he does.”

“I will.”

“He still can’t do anything with that shoulder.”

“Understood.”

“I’m standing right here, you know.”

“And I know that you’re going to push it if left unsupervised.” She gave him a quick kiss and patted his chest. “I love you. Text when you get back.”

I have to go get the ice, so I walked off the boat with Maggie.

“I’ll make sure he behaves,” I said.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She sighed. “Logically he knows that anything he does can extend his recovery time, but he doesn’t think about that in the moment.”

“Don’t worry, I’m on it.”

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