“Look, Courtney,” he began before he could change his mind, “I’m sorry we got on your case this morning. It was an honest mistake. I mean, as far as you knew, we were the late ones, and you didn’t get all bent out of shape at us.”
Courtney looked surprised. She adjusted her sunglasses beneath her visor and tugged on her hair to tighten her ponytail before she answered him. “It’s okay. Thanks.”
No other response, but she had already apologized several times. She didn’t owe him anything.
“So did you say you just got back from Australia?”
“Uh—yeah. Flew back Tuesday. The day I saw you—” She let the sentence go.
“—At the coffee shop. Right.” Nick cleared his throat.
“Sorry about that,” Courtney said. “I should’ve been more careful. I was rushing around. Rough morning.”
“Nah. It was no big deal. You had your hands full with all that luggage, anyway. I should’ve offered to help you.”
Her expression softened and she nodded.
They continued paddling alongside each other over the limestone caves. “Slow down a little bit.” Nick gestured ahead of them. “There’s a huge one coming up here. You don’t want to miss it.”
They went a little farther then brought their kayaks to a near standstill. Courtney cast her glance down into the crystal-clear water again and gasped. “Oh, my gosh, that’s so cool,” she said. “This place is really amazing. I can’t wait to write about it.”
Nick breathed a sigh of relief. Happy customer. Happy blogger.
He took off his baseball cap, set it back on his head, smoothed it over his hair, and peered over at Courtney again.
She had big brown eyes, light freckles on her cheeks, and a touch of sunshine already coloring her shoulders. She was really cute.
Courtney looked over at him. “Do you have a few minutes after we get back? For the story, I mean. I have some questions about your shop and stuff. I need to take a few notes when I ask you about it.”
“Oh, sure. How about—hmm? Kira’s got to fly her drone around to get the aerial footage. She said she’ll need about an hour after we put away the boats. We can talk then?”
“Sounds good.” Courtney paddled ahead.
About twenty minutes later, Nick pulled in alongside Courtney again, and Kira brought the dinghy in close. “You ready to head back, Aussie? I think I’ve got what I need.”
Courtney rolled her eyes. Still—with the nickname? “Ready.”
Nick grinned.
“How ‘bout you, Nickel-and-Dime?”
Nick laughed then backed up the boat a few paces so he could turn it around.
He watched as Courtney dropped one end of her paddle into the water then steered her boat alongside his.
Nick finished locking up the kayaks and the dinghy and jumped off the truck. “I’ve got a thermos full of coffee in here. Should still be hot. Anyone want a cup?”
“Now you’re speaking my language.” Courtney’s stomach growled. It was still chilly under the shade of the trees.
“Thanks. I’ll take some when I get back.” Kira was all business. She’d helped with the boats and readied her equipment. “See you guys in about an hour.”
They said goodbye and Nick looked at Courtney.
“You want to go sit by the water while we wait for Kira? I know a good spot. Otherwise we’re standing. Or sitting in the front seat of the truck?”
Courtney nodded. “The water sounds good. Let me grab my notebook.” She started towards the car. “You want a trail bar? I’ve got a few extras.”
“Yes, please. I’m starving.” He smiled.
Courtney headed toward the car. Nick was certainly no leathery old guy in a fishing hat. And he was turning out to be a lot nicer than she’d originally thought he was. He might actually be a decent guy.
Or was he just being nice so she didn’t write anything bad about him?
She frowned. Who was she kidding? The story was a sponsored post and he knew it. She couldn’t write anything bad about him—or the shop—even if she wanted to. Sponsored content like this was the reason a sweet gig like hers even existed these days. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Bring it down a notch, Court. He seems okay.
She reached the car and found the trail bars and notebook.
She wasn’t so sure about Kira.
Apparently, when Beecham said he’d be watching her, he must’ve meant through Kira.
But Kira already seemed over it. Maybe Courtney could just ignore her remarks and move on. Getting into it with her wasn’t worth losing the job.
Back at the truck, Nick grabbed the thermos and an extra travel mug. “Cool. Let’s go.” She fell in step beside him as they headed toward the lake.
Six
A soft breeze slipped through the trees behind them as Nick kicked at the rocks with his heels. He sipped from a stainless-steel travel mug as Courtney dangled her feet over the large outcrop of rocks at the water’s edge. She looked happy there.
The sunshine warmed their faces and Nick squinted, glancing at Courtney as she gazed out at the bobbing waves and sipped from her paper coffee cup.
A thick forest of cedar, fir, and birch lay behind them. Mossy green earth and fern blanketed the rocks in shaded spots along the short trail they’d taken to reach the small cliff.
They’d chatted along the way about Courtney’s impression of Heritage Bay and some of Nick’s favorite places to take a kayak out on the lake. Nick explained that this particular lookout was one of his favorite spots on the entire peninsula.
He’d also offered her some useful facts and figures for her article beyond that of the kayak tours, which he hoped she’d use. For instance, the peninsula’s three-hundred-plus miles of coastline saw a surge of population throughout the summer, but most people thought it never really felt crowded.
Courtney reached again for her pen without looking and accidentally brushed Nick’s fingers. When she pulled her hand back, he automatically sat up and repositioned himself, stealing a glance at her. Those soft freckles across her nose. Her rosy cheeks. He felt distracted.
“So, what’s the best time of day to take these trips?” Courtney asked. “Like, do the waves pick up a lot in the afternoon? Seemed calmer out there this morning.”
Already, the water was beating against the shoreline with greater force.
“Yeah, sometimes afternoons are rougher, but often, they’re not. Just depends.”
“Safe answer?”
“You guessed it,” Nick said. “We offer both morning and afternoon tours. Wouldn’t want to scare anyone away. But really, the weather’s the main factor. If a storm’s expected, we don’t go out at all.”
“Okay. Makes sense.” Courtney jotted a few more notes on the page then looked up again, fixing her gaze on the water. “Well, I think I have just about everything I need.”
She removed her visor and took out her ponytail holder. He watched the breeze slip through the long, sun-kissed brown locks of her hair as it fell across her shoulders. She glanced at him and he looked away before she caught him staring.
“Can you think of anything else to add?”