clothes before her included a relatively small number of articles from her own closet and a few she’d just spent a meager part of her salary on at an upscale secondhand store. “So we’ll be near the river, right?” she asked herself more than Trinity. With an impatient sigh, she grabbed a new pair of jean shorts and a casual blouse and forced herself to dress without thinking any more about how she looked.
Trinity offered an understanding smile. “If you need anything, keep your cell phone on you. I’ll come get you if you call. No matter what time.”
“I will,” Madison said as she tried to breathe through her nerves.
“Text me anyway when you get there so I know everything is okay.”
This time Madison smiled. “Yes, Mama.”
But she was very grateful for Trinity’s offer when she arrived at the address and found herself near a marina. She walked along the worn planks of the dock until she found Blake waiting for her halfway down. Next to him in the slip was a very smooth, very elegant boat.
Embarrassed heat washed over her immediately. Only sheer determination kept her feet walking toward him. He was dressed in a designer polo and dress pants, standing next to the nicest boat she’d ever seen—even on television. She tugged down on the hem of her shirt, wishing she’d opted for a summer dress at the very least.
What the heck was she doing here? she asked herself for the bazillionth time that evening.
Blake didn’t seem to notice. “Good evening,” he said smoothly.
Madison drew her gaze away from the craft, realizing her mouth had dropped open…just a little. But all that gleaming chrome sure was pretty…and way above her pay grade.
“I’m glad to see you made it,” Blake said, as if he hadn’t noticed her gawking.
Madison could barely meet his eyes. This wasn’t a situation she knew how to handle or fix or arrange. What should she say? Nice boat? Was it even called that? Or was it a small yacht? Ugh. “I’ll admit, I almost backed out.” Dang it. Why did she say that?
But Blake chuckled. “I guess I understand. After all, I’m practically a stranger. Though why you wouldn’t want to spend the evening with someone as heroic as me…”
“Heroic?”
With a sheepish grin, he offered a hand to steady her as she stepped onto the craft. “I did return a missing purse.”
“That hardly qualifies,” she scoffed.
“A guy can hope, right?”
She raised a brow at his begging puppy dog expression, then forced herself to glance around the boat. “The question is, can you pilot this thing without breaking it?”
“You’d be surprised how smooth she is in the water. A captain’s dream.”
Something about the way he said the words sent a tingle along her spine. The good kind…not the afraid-he’s-a-serial-killer kind. To distract herself, she hurriedly took a picture of the boat’s name on the prow and texted it to Trinity, much to his bemusement. Even though Blake didn’t give her any creepy vibes, she wasn’t taking any chances…and he needed to know that.
“A girl can’t be too careful,” she said with a shrug. “After all, if you are secretly a serial killer and I disappear tonight, at least my friends will know where to start looking.”
His shocked expression made her laugh. Normally, Madison never censored herself when it came to laughter. There’d been too many sad times in her life for her not to cherish every happy moment. But here, on this beautiful boat with a beautiful man, her full-bodied laugh suddenly seemed loud, obnoxious. She quickly smothered it.
“That’s actually pretty smart.”
To her surprise, he didn’t seem offended that she might think he was dangerous. She hoped that proved he could handle the quirks that made Madison who she was. Not that she should care. She should have the attitude that if he didn’t like her, she could easily walk away.
This was about fun. Not relationships or happily-ever-afters.
So why did her hand in his feel much more important than that?
Blake had clearly spared no expense when it came to tonight. The boat itself was brand-new, with a lot of bells and whistles from what she could tell. It had a large deck, covered access below and several leather-upholstered chairs in the upstairs driving area. It was the on-water equivalent of a luxury car.
Blake cast off, then joined her in the chairs up front. Now it was just the two of them. Maybe she should be happy that there wasn’t a captain to navigate and watch their every move all night. She wasn’t actually sure if that would have made her happy or not.
Only twenty minutes into this date and settling down seemed impossible. Blake guided the boat smoothly out of the slip and down the channel to where the shore spread out before them. The boat practically glided on the glassy surface.
At this time of year, the breeze at night was cool and comforting, a relief from the midday heat. A recent rain had lowered the humidity, though Madison knew from experience that in a couple weeks it would be uncomfortable no matter what time of day without a breeze and a cold drink.
That was life in the South.
Blake picked up speed as they gained open water, which was when the first bit of uneasiness hit Madison’s stomach. Her focus turned inward as she tried to figure out the source. Maybe her nerves? After all, she had experienced plenty of anxiety over the past few days. No, this was something else. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
The queasiness rose with each passing minute, forcing Madison to swallow once or twice. She tried to concentrate on the feel of the wind on her skin, praying that the feeling would pass. Of all the things she’d anticipated tonight, feeling sick was not one.
Blake slowed, then stopped the boat out in the middle of the glassy gray water. The wake rocked the boat, sparking a quick surge of nausea. Madison breathed in deeply, then let it out slowly. Maybe she’d be better now that the boat had stopped.
Blake smiled over at her. “Good?”
She nodded with what was hopefully a steady smile. The last thing she wanted was a double helping of embarrassment tonight.
“I’ll set up dinner then.”
Madison didn’t move as Blake made his way to the back. At the press of a button, a portion of the deck floor retracted and a table rose out of the depths. Well. She guessed they wouldn’t be eating off paper plates from their laps, would they?
She didn’t have a lot of experience eating outdoors with formal silverware. More like fast-food wrappers and brown paper napkins.
Madison turned back toward the front of the boat, pretending to be absorbed in the view of the water. But her stomach continued to churn. What should she do?
Ask to go back? The thought of that trip had bile backing up into her throat. She definitely couldn’t eat right now. So she simply breathed and prayed whatever this was would go away.
To her relief, the unease in her stomach subsided. She gave herself another minute, then two, but the ticking clock in her head told her he would start to wonder what was going on if she kept delaying. Finally Madison stood to make her way to the back of the boat. The world seemed to tilt as she walked, even though she could swear the boat wasn’t rocking. What was wrong with her?
“I’m about ready,” Blake said as she approached. Then he looked up from his task. “Are you okay?”
She tried to smile. She really did. Then she glanced down at the table and saw an open container of what appeared to be chicken or crab salad. Two seconds later, she was hanging over the edge of the boat to empty her stomach.
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