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The ferry ride was nice. He’d been on it several times, but he enjoyed watching Damaris. It was a beautiful, clear day and the San Diego skyline was cool and easily visible from across the bay. They took in the Hotel del Coronado, a Queen-Anne-style masterpiece that was built in 1888. They walked along the beach part of the Strand, eating a little junk food they’d bought earlier along the way. It was nice and relaxing, but he still couldn’t get his brother out of his head.
Maybe if he told her about Jeremy he could move on. As they walked along the beach he started talking. “I had an older brother. His name was Jeremy.”
“Had? He’s—”
“Dead. Yeah. He died when he was twenty-three. I was twenty.”
“Oh, God, Nate. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“No, you wouldn’t. I don’t talk about it. Don’t think about it if I can help it.”
“I’m so sorry I made you think about him.”
He shrugged. “Not your fault. It wasn’t drugs. At least, not drugs he was doing. He was in medical school. He wanted to be a doctor, like Mom. He lived in the student ghetto. He planned on moving but that was all he could afford, and he wouldn’t take money from our parents.”
“What happened?”
He looked into her eyes, soft with compassion. “He was shot and killed during a robbery.”
“How horrible. Did they catch the man who did it?”
“Yeah. About a week later the bastard robbed someone else but that time he was the one who got shot. The cops found a lot of stolen merchandise at his apartment. Some of it was Jeremy’s.”
She put her hand in his as they walked. Squeezed it. “Do you want to talk about it some more?”
No, but he had to. Once started he couldn’t stop. “One minute he was there, like he’d been all my life. And then he was just…gone. I was a mess for a long time. Got into a lot of trouble. Drinking. Women. Not drugs, fortunately. I figured if you could die that easily and senselessly then what was the point?”
“I’m so so sorry.” She squeezed his hand again. “You obviously came to terms with it. Or you’d never have become a pilot.”
“Eventually. Grandma kicked my ass. She said Jeremy wouldn’t want me to act the fool and throw away my future. And that my parents had lost one son and didn’t deserve to lose another. So I straightened up.” He smiled. “Well, mostly.”
“Meaning you continued to drown yourself in women.”
She said it matter-of-factly rather than accusingly, but he sensed something—disapproval, maybe?—in her tone.
“I wouldn’t say drowned myself.”
“Hmph.”
“You think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”
“Don’t I?”
“Not anywhere close.” Changing the subject, he said, “We should get back to San Diego and check in at our hotel. We don’t want to be late for the sunset cruise.”
*
Damaris’s first sunset cruise—first cruise ever, actually—was amazing. It was also very romantic. She wondered if Nate had known it would be and if so, had he had an ulterior motive when he arranged it? Oh, hell, maybe he’d just thought it would be fun.
They weren’t the only people on the cruise, but she and Nate were one of only three couples, plus the crew. The other couples were friendly enough, but it was clear they were more interested in their own partners than anyone else.
First, drinks and appetizers were served while one of the crew pointed out landmarks and other interesting sites. They also saw dolphins, birds, and even some seals. As sunset drew nearer she and Nate stood on the deck, sipping champagne and watching the gorgeous array of colors over San Diego. “Nate, are you romancing me?”
Instead of answering right away he kissed her. She sighed and let him take charge, responding when his tongue lightly touched hers. It was the perfect kiss. Sweet and sensual, tempting and exciting. One thing it wasn’t was a kiss between two people who were simply friends.
Ending the kiss, he looked down into her eyes. “Would it be so terrible if I said yes?”
Would it? “No, but—” She hesitated, unsure what to say. If she were wise, she’d back off, or at least lighten the mood. But she was tired of being sensible.
