Follow Love

Chapter 2-2

“As I said, no worries,” he replied. “Let’s get you two and this gear into the boat. When will your dad and brother be here?”

“They dropped us off and headed back to get some sandwiches for the day. My mom told us about a place she had lunch the other day, Misty Mountain Café.”

“Misty Mountain is a local favorite—great sandwiches. How come your mom doesn’t come fishing with the rest of you?” he asked.

“Oh, she gets seasick pretty quick. She’s happy to fish from shore, but she rarely goes out on the water.”

Nathan nodded as he grabbed one of the mooring lines and tugged the boat flush against the dock. “Makes sense. There’s some shore fishing here, but you have to head out for a better chance at halibut and king salmon.”

He carefully set Jordan’s fishing gear on the dock and held his hand out for Jordan while he gave him a small lift to get him into the boat. He turned to Tess next, his hand extended. Tess set the cooler down on the dock. Nathan reached over and took the cup of coffee from her with his other hand. “I got this.”

Tess nodded and placed her hand in his. His touch sent a warm buzz coursing through her, sparking a quiver of heat in her center. His hand was large and warm, his grip firm and strong. She looked up, straight into his blue, blue eyes—that small quiver of heat flickered and spread through her, a simmering pulse of desire. The flush that had finally faded from a few minutes ago blazed to life. Nathan held her gaze and with a lift, helped her up and over the side of the boat. Her hand felt cool and empty when he released her. Stepping back from the side of the boat, she turned to see him waiting with her coffee held aloft.

She found it hard to look at him, disconcerted. She carefully took the coffee from him. “Thanks,” she said, the only word she could manage.

“Anytime,” he said. Lowering his voice, he continued, “I’ll take dinner with just you too, in case you were wondering if I forgot.”

Tess was aflame from the blush that just wouldn’t fade. She looked in Jordan’s direction. He was busy examining the fishing poles lined up in a rack. Returning her gaze to Nathan, her eyes ran smack into his. She smiled, in spite of herself. “You mentioned that the other day. Is that something you ask many of the women you take out for fishing trips?” The question slipped out, and she promptly regretted it.

Nathan was unruffled, but he didn’t seem the kind of man that let much ruffle him. “Actually, no. You’re the only one. Make what you will of that,” he said. For a flicker, Tess saw uncertainty in his eyes.

She waited a beat before responding. “I’m sorry I said that. The thing about whether you asked other women out like this. It just came out.”

Nathan shrugged. “It’s okay. Can’t say I blame you. But the offer stands. I’d love to take you out to dinner,” he said, his dimple making its appearance.

For the first time in a while, Tess just let herself do something without thinking it to death. She allowed the smile she’d been trying to suppress to bloom instead. “Well then…yes. I’ll go to dinner with you. I just don’t know when. Let me check with my family on what our plans are for the next few evenings.”

“Awesome! Your dad seems to have planned this trip out pretty well. Much as I want to take you to dinner, I don’t want to interfere with your trip.”

“Dad did plan this trip well in advance, but the parts that matter to him aren’t dinner. Just anything to do with fishing.”

Just as Nathan opened his mouth to respond, she heard someone call his name. They turned in unison to see Jared walking down the dock towards them. Luke was further behind with a tall woman walking alongside him. Nathan waved to Jared as he stepped back onto the dock. The quick grin he threw in her direction ratcheted up the heat that crackled between them.

Before Jared and Nathan made it to the boat, Michael and Simon walked onto the dock. She watched curiously as Luke approached with the woman she assumed to be his wife. She’d noticed he wore a wedding band the other day. They were holding hands in a loose grip. They held cups of coffee from the same coffee truck where her father had stopped this morning. Nathan and Jared were waiting beside the boat.

“Good morning lovebirds,” Nathan said with a wink. “Starting to wonder where Luke was. Ever since you two got married last year, I’m the early bird.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I’m late—just not the first one here.”

“Exactly the problem. Can’t be sure you’ll have coffee for me,” Nathan said with a weak attempt at feigning annoyance.

Jared stayed out of the teasing and shook his head. He looked over to Tess. “Tess, this is Hannah, Luke’s lovely wife,” he said, gesturing towards Hannah.

Tess nodded. “I’m Tess. I guess there’s no point in me explaining that I’m here on a fishing trip,” she said.

“Nice to meet you Tess,” Hannah said. “And it’s excellent that you’re here on a fishing trip with your family. That’s what these boys do.” She looked up at Luke, her eyes warm and soft.

Tess felt a flash of envy at the comfort she saw between Luke and Hannah. Jared’s description of Hannah was apt; she was lovely in a casual way. Her build was tall and willowy. She stood almost shoulder to shoulder with Luke, and Tess would have guessed him to be a few good inches over six feet tall. Hannah had sky blue eyes and long, dark hair that fell in loose waves around her shoulders. She was dressed in the uniform Xtratufs, jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Luke basically matched Hannah with the exception of a flannel shirt over his t-shirt. Jared, along with everyone else, wore Xtratufs and jeans. She looked down at her own rubber boots, which were multicolored with stripes.

As the brothers bantered, Hannah looked over to her again. “They’d do this all day if life didn’t interrupt them,” she said ruefully. “Boys, hop in the boat and let’s get going.”

Luke, Jared and Nathan kept up their banter as they loaded a few more coolers on the boat and helped her father and Simon get their gear up. The brothers included Jordan by having him carry the smaller items, which Jordan loved. Hannah invited Tess to sit with her on one of the benches. Tess shivered when a small gust of wind came off the water.

“It’s chilly here in the mornings on the water,” Hannah said.

“I noticed that the other day. I have a jacket in my bag but I’m doing okay except for the wind.”

Hannah took a sip of her coffee. “I see you discovered my friend’s coffee truck,” she said with a nod towards the matching coffee that Tess held.

Tess glanced down at the label on the paper cup, Red Truck Coffee, and took a quick sip. The coffee was rich and delicious. “This is your friend’s place?”

Hannah nodded. “My friend Cammi started that little coffee truck the summer after we finished high school. She initially did it just for some extra cash, but she makes damn good coffee, so it took off and now it’s all she’s been doing in the summer for years. Misty Mountain Café is probably the only other place to get really good coffee in town, but that’s more of a sit down place. Red Truck is where everyone goes when they’re headed out on the water.”

“Well, her coffee is amazing. Diamond Creek could compete with big cities when it comes to food, coffee, and shopping,” Tess said. “Not that I’m from a big city. We’re from North Carolina, near the coast.”

Hannah tilted her head with a smile. “Really? I was born in North Carolina, but we moved here when I was six, so Diamond Creek and Alaska are home to me. Before we moved here, we lived in Chapel Hill but I have memories of going to the beach there. So different from the beaches here.”

“That’s for sure,” Tess said. “We’re from New Bern, which isn’t on the ocean, but about a half hour away. Here though, it’s amazing that the ocean is right up against the mountains. The views are like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

Hannah nodded and looked out towards Mount Augustine, standing tall in the early morning. “The views are hard to beat. I went to grad school in Massachusetts and didn’t realize how much I missed looking out and seeing the mountains everyday until I moved back home.”

Tess followed Hannah’s gaze to the volcano sitting quietly in the bay. The morning sun was high in the sky despite the early hour. In the few days they’d been in Alaska, she discovered that that trying to go to bed before the sun had set was an odd feeling. It was midsummer and the sun didn’t set until after midnight and was up before Tess rose.

Nathan and his brothers untied the boat and within minutes, the boat motor rumbled and Jared was steering the boat out of the harbor into the bay. Though the breeze picked up, the warmth from the sun took the edge of the wind off. Tess took another sip of her coffee followed by a deep breath, the fresh air invigorating. Simon sat on a cooler beside the bench.

“So sis, what do you think of Alaska so far?” he asked.

“So far, so good. The fishing has been great and it’s beautiful. I’m glad dad finally made this trip happen.”

“I’ll second that. Jordan’s having the time of his life. He’s determined to catch a king salmon today.”

Hannah chimed in. “Well, he’s with the right crew if he’s hoping for that. I can’t call favorites or I’d be in the middle of a war of brothers, but Luke and his brothers know how to find fish and catch them.”

“They’re also great with Jordan. Not sure how dad found out about their business, but we couldn’t be happier,” Simon said.

Hannah opened her mouth to respond when Jordan called out, “Look!”

Jordan was pointing out ahead in the water. Tess didn’t see anything, but the ocean surface was disturbed where he was pointing.

“Dad there was a whale! Did you see it?” Jordan asked.

Simon stood and walked towards Jordan. Simon shared her father’s dark, straight hair and chocolate eyes, which he’d passed on to Jordan. Simon was two years her senior, had been her tormentor in childhood and now her overprotective brother in adulthood. Since he’d watched her relationship with Chad dissolve, he’d become doting to the point of annoying sometimes. He knelt beside Jordan.

Just as she was about to turn away, the water surface rippled and broke about fifty feet ahead of them, a whale’s tail flicking up out of the water, followed by the whale’s body curling against the water and dipping back under. Tess stood to get a better view. Jordan jumped up and down, clapping. “See! I told y’all there was a whale. What kind of whale is that?” he asked.

“That’s a humpback,” Jared said. “They put on a show sometimes. Glad you got to see that.”

Tess sensed Nathan beside her before she saw him. She turned away from the water to find he had tugged the cooler nearby a little closer and was sitting down.

“We aim to please when we take people out, but not everyone gets to see a whale like that,” he said, catching her eyes. He nodded towards Hannah. “Right, Hannah?”

“True. Plenty of tourists pay small fortunes to go on whale sighting tours, but there’s never a guarantee. How long are you here?” she asked, directing her question to Tess.

“Three weeks. My dad has wanted to come to Alaska to go fishing for years and we finally got around to it. I’m not sure how he decided on Diamond Creek, but we love it so far,” she said.

Hannah and Nathan alternated with filling her in on all things Alaska and Diamond Creek. Being the only woman usually when they went fishing, it was nice to have feminine company. Hannah had a practical sense to her that Tess appreciated. It was clear that she was considered just as expert on fishing as any of the brothers. As the boat rolled across the water in a rocking motion, she watched Nathan banter with Hannah.

“You’ve ruined my guaranteed coffee from Luke. It’s hit or miss now—have to plan for myself. It’s rough,” Nathan said.

“Yeah and that’s probably good for you. Between Jared and Luke, you’ve been coddled. Stopping to get your own coffee might train you up to do it for the woman that you’ll eventually meet and fall for,” Hannah replied.

Nathan looked aggrieved. “Hey, I’m not that bad.”

“I know you’re not, but you tend to create this impression of stumbling through life when you’re steady and stable, even though you won’t admit it,” Hannah said, a teasing look on her face.

“Okay…Luke fell hard, which is why, in case you forgot, I made sure he realized how amazing you are,” Nathan retorted. “You two have been nothing but sugar and sunshine since you got married. And you went and had John last year, so now mom and dad aren’t pressuring me and Jared to marry up and produce grandkids.”

Listening to Hannah’s comments only added to Tess’s curiosity about Nathan. Sitting with them gave her a chance to casually take him in. His presence was potent. He radiated a sense of strength, along with being handsome and sexy as hell. And those eyes…she just wanted to dive in to the heat that swirled whenever he looked at her. Although she’d let herself say yes to dinner, it didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t figure out what he saw in her.

Despite her tendency to dwell, the day didn’t allow it. It wasn’t long before they arrived at what Jared deemed a good spot to try to catch a king salmon. Many hours later, Jordan’s sought after king salmon had been caught. Tess had caught two more halibut with Hannah’s help before the boat headed back for Otter Cove. While Hannah was at her side, offering pointers, Tess missed Nathan’s assistance. His arms brushing her side, his steady focus, his black curls falling over those blue eyes, his confidence—radiating a strength that disarmed her, melted her defenses. Hannah stood beside Luke towards the front of the boat, one of his arms resting around her waist, his thumb hooked in a belt loop. Tess experienced another prick of envy. She didn’t think she’d ever have something like what she saw between Luke and Hannah.

Tess rode the remainder of the boat ride quietly on one of the benches. Jared, as Nathan had noted on their last trip, drove the boat all day. Nathan was seated with her father, brother and Jordan, casually talking. He occasionally glanced her way, winking once or twice with a quick smile. The sun was just starting to dip in the sky. Light flickered across the water, striking sparks on the surface. Looking towards the shore, Diamond Creek sat against the cliffs, surrounded by deep green spruce forest. Tess took a deep breath of the clean ocean air and tilted her head back, her curls catching in the breeze. For the first time in a while, she relished a moment of peace.