First Time in Forever (Puffin Island 1)

“Which would have been a thousand times more boring than going to see seals and puffins.” Letting go of her hand, Ryan picked up a short length of rope from a bag he’d put on the deck.

“We’re going to see puffins!” Lizzy was finding it hard to keep her bottom on the seat.

“Yes, but first you’re going to learn to tie a knot, because all good sailors learn knots.” He squatted down in front of the child with the rope in his hands. “Watch closely. First you make a rabbit hole—“ he formed a loop with the rope “—out comes the rabbit, around the tree, back down the hole.” He showed her again and then handed the length of rope to Lizzy, who copied it perfectly.

“Like that?”

“Great job.” He stood up. “Keep practicing.”

He maneuvered the boat skillfully out of the marina, guided it through the markers and out into the bay. He stood easily on the deck, loose-limbed and relaxed as he absorbed the rise and fall of the boat. As they left the sheltered harbor of the island, Emily felt the wind pick up and gripped the seat, but there was something undeniably magical about being out on the water with the sunlight dancing over the surface of the sea.

She decided that if he was relaxed, then maybe she could be, too. She forced the tension from her muscles and took a few breaths.

Ryan pointed the boat into the wind, and it rocked gently while he hauled up the sails, first one, then another. Then he returned to the wheel, adjusted the angle and worked the lines until the wind filled the sails, and the boat seemed to come alive in the water. And then they were moving, skimming the surface of the water at a speed that took her breath away. It felt like flying, and Emily felt a sharp stab of anxiety. Then he turned his head and shot her a smile, and anxiety gave way

to exhilaration. The wind whipped at her hair, and the spray of the sea showered her skin, and in that brief moment she understood why so many considered sailing to be the ultimate adventure. There was a rhythm to it that she hadn’t expected, a beauty to the curve of the sails and the gleam of sunshine on the polished wooden deck.

Ryan stood at the wheel, legs apart and braced against the rise and fall of the boat as he judged tide and wind. He sailed along the rocky coast of Puffin Island, past the lighthouse that guarded the rocks by Shipwreck Cove, and across the inlet. They saw large houses tucked along the shoreline, children exploring the mysteries of the tide pools. From here she could see where the forest touched the sea and rocky outcrops that provided home to a variety of nesting seabirds.

It was a clear day, with not a hint of the fog that had a habit of shrouding the sea in the summer months.

As they sailed away from the island toward Puffin Rock he pointed out Castaway Cottage and Shell Bay.

He allowed Lizzy to steer the boat, an offer that resurrected Emily’s anxiety until she saw him put the little girl between himself and the wheel and cover her hands with his.

They dropped anchor in a little cove, and Ryan pointed out a seal pup and its mother lying on a sunny ledge.

“Take a look at the puffins.” He helped Lizzy adjust binoculars. “Puffins only come on land when they’re breeding.”

“They live on the sea?”

“Yes. They’re skilled divers, and, here’s the coolest thing of all—” he crouched down behind her, helping her focus in the right place “—when they’re flying, they beat their wings up to four hundred times a minute and reach speeds of around fifty miles an hour.”

“How do you know?”

“Because biologists study them.” Ryan took the binoculars from her, and Lizzy peered over the side of the boat.

“My mom said I should be an actor or a ballerina, but I think I might want to be a biologist or the captain of a boat and do this every day. Can women be captains?”

“Women can be anything they want to be.” Ryan handed the binoculars back to her, and Emily thought again that for a man who didn’t want the responsibility of children, he was remarkably good with them.

Ryan opened the cooler, and they ate a picnic of delicious sandwiches he’d ordered from the kitchen of the Ocean Club, and then sailed the boat farther out into the bay before giving both of them a brief lesson on tacking.

It made her happy to see how much Lizzy was enjoying herself. She was swift and nimble in the boat and a fast learner.

Emily found it more exciting than she would ever have imagined. It was impossible to picture anything bad happening while Ryan was in charge, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of spray on her face, the warmth of the sun and the smell of the sea. By the time they arrived back at the marina, she’d decided that maybe, just maybe, she didn’t want to move to Wyoming.

Ryan sprang off the boat, secured it and then reached for Lizzy. “How does pizza sound?”

“I’m going for a sleepover.”

“It’s the twins’ birthday,” Emily explained as he glanced at her in surprise, “and she really wanted to.” And she was trying hard not to show how nervous she was about it. One of the hardest things about parenthood, she was discovering, was not transferring her own hang-ups to Lizzy.

“You’re not meant to call them ‘the twins.’” Lizzy grabbed Cocoa. “They’re separate people.”

“You’re right. Thank you for reminding me. It’s just that ‘twins’ is so much quicker to say than ‘Summer and Harry.’”

“We’re going to eat pizza, birthday cake and then watch a movie in our pajamas.”