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“Don’t apologize,” Mark said, eyes sparkling with delight. “I love it.”
“You do?” She felt a little shiver of delight run down her spine. She wanted him to love it. Love her.
He gave a slow nod.
“Good, because I can’t change it.” She shrugged. She’d tried, with Dean. But the fact was she couldn’t help it. “Dean hated it.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Dean was an idiot,” Mark said, clutching her hand. “You’re an amazing woman and he was a fool for letting you go.”
Laura felt her heart swell. If he kept talking like that, she would fall in love. She squeezed his hand back. She stared into his dark eyes and felt she could get lost there. She wanted to get lost in them.
“Besides me nearly drowning, how do you feel the boat handled today?” she asked.
“Good,” he said. “I’ll need to make some minor adjustments, but I think we’ll be fine.”
“Ready in time for the big race?”
He shrugged. “Not that it matters. Don’t have a crew.”
“Will you reconsider teaching me?” She knew to tread softly here. She also knew he was still reluctant to bring her on board.
“It’s just dangerous.”
She squeezed his hand. “I want to do it. Please.”
He sighed. “I just don’t know. It’s just so much responsibility and—”
Laura let out an exasperated sigh. “You sound like my sister.”
“Why?”
She filled Mark in on the conversation she’d had with her sister. About the nagging, about her disapproving of Laura even being here.
“I disagree,” Mark said after Laura finished relating the conversation. “I don’t think it’s irresponsible of you to take a time-out. I think it’s actually responsible. Sometimes in life, we need to hit the reset button.”
“Exactly,” Laura exclaimed.
“Even if that costs us or even if it seems silly. My ex, Elle, she should’ve done that. I told her she should see someone, a therapist maybe, after Timothy was born. She had postpartum depression.”
“Oh! I didn’t know. That must’ve been horrible.” Laura took a sip of wine. She wondered if she should ask him about what Edward had said about putting her in jail. Was there a reason she didn’t know about?
“Terrible. She should’ve taken some time out for herself. Hit the reset button.” Mark looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was slipping into the past. “Instead, she limped along. So listen to your gut. Do what’s right for you. Don’t let your sister live your life. Only you can do that.”
Laura raised her chin, feeling defiant. He got her. Her own sister didn’t get it, but this man, this grumpy sailor, got it. “I will. Thanks, Mark. You’re a good man.”
“Only when I’m sleeping,” he joked, and she laughed.
Laura felt buoyant for the first time in a long time. Mark really understood her. Maybe they might even be more than just a fling.
She shook her head.
No. That was cart-before-the-horse thinking. No need to get ahead of herself. They weren’t going to be a thing. She wasn’t going to let her overactive imagination plan out a happily-ever-after that wasn’t there yet. And after my big speech about guys falling in love first. Looks like I’m proving myself wrong.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Mark asked.
“Just happy that you don’t think I’m crazy for cashing in a 401(k),” she said and left it at that.
Just then, the waiter put their food down in front of them, and the two began to dig in. The meal was amazing. Laura had never had salmon that flaky, that tender and delicious. She was so engrossed in the meal that it took her a second to notice that Mark wasn’t eating. In fact, he was staring over her shoulder at the front door of the restaurant.
Laura craned to look and saw his brother, Edward, standing there, holding hands with a woman—tall, leggy, blonde and gorgeous.
Her stomach tightened. Could that woman be…?
“Mark?” Laura asked, questioning, even as she felt a little prick of dread at the pit of her stomach.
“That’s Edward and Elle,” he said, frowning. “My ex-wife.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MARK WAS BEGINNING to hate this small island. It seemed he could never get away from his brother or his ex, and now here they were at the only nice restaurant on the strip. This was why he’d become a hermit, he remembered, why he took all his meals on the couch in his living room. But with Laura, he’d decided to take the risk. Now, he was regretting it. Of course he’d run into them. The island was microscopic, the restaurants few.
