is Shaun back yet?"
"No," I shouted down to him. "He's gone for a couple more days."
"Huh. Weird," he grumbled. He already knew Shaun had left with his uncle the night before. I overheard Rena telling him earlier.
"Why? What's up?" I asked curiously as Rena and I came downstairs.
"Oh nothing. I swore I saw his boat docked at the marina this afternoon." His face contorted as he tried to reconcile the whole thing in his mind.
"Yeah, he's gone," I reiterated as I grabbed my keys and my phone on our way out the door.
XXIV
My relationship with Shaun never would have started if Rena hadn't meddled.
She and I were having lunch downtown one afternoon. It was early summer—school had just gotten out. I wanted to run to the bookstore to pick up a copy of Wuthering Heights from Mrs. Bayless's summer reading list.
"I'll come with you," Rena said. "And then we can go to Basha's for Tuesday half-price pedicures!"
We walked down to the marina in our flip-flops while our toenails dried. I saw Shaun standing on a stunning black, silver-trimmed boat docked in the marina. I recognized him right away from The Waterside. To my chagrin he recognized me, too. As soon as he saw me, he waved with an expressiveness that surprised me. He was usually so quiet and kept to himself, only peering at other patrons from under his brow when he thought nobody was watching him.
"Waterside, right?" I said, smiling as I approached him. "You're the guy who never drinks your coffee."
"Yes," he said chuckling. "And you are the lovely young lady who always checks on me anyway."
"That's me," I said awkwardly.
If not for Rena, I would have wrapped it up then. I'd already given myself the orders. Say goodbye, turn around, and make your way back up the wooden planks. But Rena placed her hand on my back and forcefully guided me toward him.
"What do we have here?" she mumbled into my ear playfully while pinching the back of my arm. Like most girls, she was smitten with Shaun after taking one look at him. She initiated a conversation with him, which she did with anyone no matter where she was or who she was with. But that day, her determination was in high gear. She was in no rush to leave and, to my annoyance, she lingered far too long, finding new questions to ask him. Through her endless interrogation, I learned more about boating than I ever wanted to know.
The boat was Shaun's. Technically, it still belonged to his uncle, but when Shaun turned eighteen the following summer, it would be his. His uncle was retiring. Shaun planned to take over his business of running a sailing charter during the summer months when tourists were willing to pay any price to get out on the water.
Shaun was very charming, answering all of Rena's questions with patience and grace —something I never would have noticed about him if Rena hadn't prodded. Though he was more than happy to humor her, his demeanor was infused with a subtle but consistent reserve. He seemed more mature than most boys I knew, and my natural instinct to run waned. His reticence provoked my interest.
Rena gave me a wink and a hard elbow each time Shaun looked away to point to some part of the boat she was asking about. "Cuuute!" she loudly whispered into my ear as she scrunched her face up and pushed me toward him. After many of Rena's non-subtle hints to see the inside of his boat, Shaun offered to take us for a tour. I didn't want to impose, but before I could decline, Rena grabbed my hand and pulled me onward.
We stepped inside the spacious living room, adorned with so many modern luxuries that it was easy to forget we were on the water. A long, white leather sofa ran along the far wall, and a white Persian carpet with rich brown accents was centered on the dark hardwood floor that stretched from end to end in the lavish space. On the wall behind us, a giant flat screen TV descended from the ceiling with the click of a button, and a propane-fueled gas stove with a stone hearth lie in wait for a cool
"No," I shouted down to him. "He's gone for a couple more days."
"Huh. Weird," he grumbled. He already knew Shaun had left with his uncle the night before. I overheard Rena telling him earlier.
"Why? What's up?" I asked curiously as Rena and I came downstairs.
"Oh nothing. I swore I saw his boat docked at the marina this afternoon." His face contorted as he tried to reconcile the whole thing in his mind.
"Yeah, he's gone," I reiterated as I grabbed my keys and my phone on our way out the door.
XXIV
My relationship with Shaun never would have started if Rena hadn't meddled.
She and I were having lunch downtown one afternoon. It was early summer—school had just gotten out. I wanted to run to the bookstore to pick up a copy of Wuthering Heights from Mrs. Bayless's summer reading list.
"I'll come with you," Rena said. "And then we can go to Basha's for Tuesday half-price pedicures!"
We walked down to the marina in our flip-flops while our toenails dried. I saw Shaun standing on a stunning black, silver-trimmed boat docked in the marina. I recognized him right away from The Waterside. To my chagrin he recognized me, too. As soon as he saw me, he waved with an expressiveness that surprised me. He was usually so quiet and kept to himself, only peering at other patrons from under his brow when he thought nobody was watching him.
"Waterside, right?" I said, smiling as I approached him. "You're the guy who never drinks your coffee."
"Yes," he said chuckling. "And you are the lovely young lady who always checks on me anyway."
"That's me," I said awkwardly.
If not for Rena, I would have wrapped it up then. I'd already given myself the orders. Say goodbye, turn around, and make your way back up the wooden planks. But Rena placed her hand on my back and forcefully guided me toward him.
"What do we have here?" she mumbled into my ear playfully while pinching the back of my arm. Like most girls, she was smitten with Shaun after taking one look at him. She initiated a conversation with him, which she did with anyone no matter where she was or who she was with. But that day, her determination was in high gear. She was in no rush to leave and, to my annoyance, she lingered far too long, finding new questions to ask him. Through her endless interrogation, I learned more about boating than I ever wanted to know.
The boat was Shaun's. Technically, it still belonged to his uncle, but when Shaun turned eighteen the following summer, it would be his. His uncle was retiring. Shaun planned to take over his business of running a sailing charter during the summer months when tourists were willing to pay any price to get out on the water.
Shaun was very charming, answering all of Rena's questions with patience and grace —something I never would have noticed about him if Rena hadn't prodded. Though he was more than happy to humor her, his demeanor was infused with a subtle but consistent reserve. He seemed more mature than most boys I knew, and my natural instinct to run waned. His reticence provoked my interest.
Rena gave me a wink and a hard elbow each time Shaun looked away to point to some part of the boat she was asking about. "Cuuute!" she loudly whispered into my ear as she scrunched her face up and pushed me toward him. After many of Rena's non-subtle hints to see the inside of his boat, Shaun offered to take us for a tour. I didn't want to impose, but before I could decline, Rena grabbed my hand and pulled me onward.
We stepped inside the spacious living room, adorned with so many modern luxuries that it was easy to forget we were on the water. A long, white leather sofa ran along the far wall, and a white Persian carpet with rich brown accents was centered on the dark hardwood floor that stretched from end to end in the lavish space. On the wall behind us, a giant flat screen TV descended from the ceiling with the click of a button, and a propane-fueled gas stove with a stone hearth lie in wait for a cool
Similar Books
