Until Then (Cape Harbor 2)

“It’s too cold, choppy.”

“And not a lot of people around. If anything, they should be near the pedestrian beaches, where people are running, where they’re visible. They’re risking a lot by being near the marina. Most of the boats around here are for leisure and docked for the winter. Foot traffic these days is very minimal.”

“I bet they got them for Christmas.”

“I see you got something new for Christmas.”

She turned sharply and glared at Graham. What would possess him to say such a thing to her? Her penetrating gaze obviously didn’t faze him as he sipped his coffee.

“It is hard to miss. It looks like you have a piece of ice hanging from your neck.”

Her fingers instantly went to her necklace. Somehow, she had forgotten about it and even showered with it on. It had been hiding under her shirt when she had been analyzing herself in the mirror. Surely, if she had seen it, she would’ve taken it off. No, ripped it off, which was what she was doing now. She tugged until the chain dug into her neck and let out a bloodcurdling scream as she tried to yank it away from her body.

Graham’s hand stilled hers, and in one swift motion, he had the chain away from her skin. The thin gold metal dangled from her clasped hand, and the diamond cut into her palm. She stood and walked the few inches to the railing and dropped the necklace into the water.

“How very Titanic of you,” Graham quipped.

“You can just call me Rose.”

“As long as he’s Jack . . .” Graham paused. “No, I want to be Jack, but you’re moving over, because I refuse to drown.”

Rennie found herself laughing as she sat back down. She expected regret to take over, but what came was a feeling of relief, and again, she laughed. She laughed so hard tears came out of her eyes, and she had to bend over to curb the ache forming in her side.

“Care to share the inside joke?”

“Oh my God, that necklace was probably a couple of thousand dollars, and I just dropped it into the water.”

“Want me to get some scuba gear and go look for it? It’s not very deep.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Deep down, she knew he was.

“For you, yes.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I don’t ever want to see it again.”

“You could pawn it,” he told her, and while the thought was appealing, her desire to never lay eyes on it again was stronger.

“I think I’m good.”

“Well, now that you’re talking, want to tell me what happened?”

She tore her eyes away and looked out over the water. The kayakers were still in the area and hadn’t ventured far enough out where they’d need to be rescued. “Do you ever wish you could take your house sailing?”

He laughed. “No, the thought has never crossed my mind.”

“Oh, because it’s crossing mine right now. I want to be out there, away from the world.”

“Okay,” he said. He got up and went into the house. She heard muffled voices and wondered who he was talking to. He came back to the patio and rested against the railing. “We need to go to the store, or I will, but three docks down is Bowie’s boat. We can take it out.”

“Did you tell him I was here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Being as I’ve picked you up in Canada when you’re supposed to be with someone else, I imagine that someone is going to come looking for you. It’s better this way. Bowie and Brooklyn won’t tell anyone where you are.”

“How long can we be out there for?”

“Depends on what we’re doing. What do you want to do?”

She stood and pointed. “I want to be away from people.”

“Okay,” he said. “I can do a couple days until Krista will need a day off. I might have to send her to Hawaii or something after this. She’s been covering my shifts a lot lately.”

“She’s a good employee.” Rennie paused and then looked at Graham. “Okay, can we go?” She felt like a heel asking him, but she needed to get away. She needed to be someplace where no one would find her.

“Of course.”

Together, they walked over to where Bowie’s boat was and undid the tarp. They worked as a team to fold it as small as they could get it for storage. Graham stepped onto the transom and stowed the tarp in one of the cabinets and climbed the steps to the bridge to start the engine. Rennie followed, and Graham asked her to go down the stairs and into the accommodation area to see what they would need for blankets and such. She made a mental note of items to take from Graham’s and met him back in the upper salon, where the galley kitchen and primary living space was.