The galley on the boat was small, only really big enough for one person, and even then, there wasn’t a lot of room to move around. Bowie’s boat wasn’t one of those massive yachts people always dreamed of owning or spending time on when they would see it go by. It was perfect for his small family and a couple of guests, as long as you didn’t mind the close quarters. Of course, not many people traveled by boat during the colder months as Rennie and Graham had.
Graham stood at the sink, washing dishes. Rennie had seen Theo do this chore a few times but never had he made her stop and watch him. She never cared to, but there was something about Graham doing this menial chore that made her stop and pay attention. As Graham cleaned the pan used to cook their breakfast, the muscles in his arms flexed, and her mouth watered. Why? It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Graham’s well-toned arms before. She had. She was very familiar with them. Maybe it was the white shirt that kept her attention. It wasn’t tight, but she could see the muscles in his back shifting each time he moved, and she could see the dark shadow of the tribal tattoo he had showing through the thin fabric. She suddenly found herself in the middle of a hot flash. It was too cold outside, so what was the explanation?
Graham.
As if on cue, he glanced over his shoulder and smirked. Her heart leaped, and she quickly looked away. He was her friend, her confidant. Sure, they had been together before, but that was always just a casual hookup. Yet she couldn’t resist turning her attention back toward him, expecting to find him focused on the task at hand. He wasn’t. He was watching her, studying her. Who did he see when he looked at her? The woman she used to be? The one where all he had to do was tilt his head to the side and smile, and she’d run to him. Back then, they had this undeniable connection. They were drawn to each other. Others saw it as well, and it made dating difficult for them. When Graham started dating Monica, he put some separation between him and Rennie. She hated him for it but forgave him because she understood why he had done it. Rennie should’ve done it when she returned to Cape Harbor for the first time in fifteen years—kept Graham at a distance—but she couldn’t. Or did he see the broken woman shattered by deceit? The one who realized after finding out her boyfriend was a lying, cheating piece of shit that she didn’t care. By all accounts, she should be in bed, exhausted from crying. But she wasn’t; she had no desire to see Theo or even hear from him ever again. More so, she felt complete and utter relief he was out of her life. While she thought she should have felt broken and distraught, she didn’t. Her heart wasn’t aching for him, and her body didn’t long to be with him. He put her in an unthinkable situation and expected her to be okay with it. She never would be. Rennie Wallace was not and would never be a home-wrecker.
The more she thought about the past couple of days, the more it hit her. She had fallen out of love with Theo the day she walked into the Whale Spout and saw Graham. To her, he represented everything she wanted to be in life—the fun, outgoing, life-of-the-party person who people wanted to be around. With Theo, it was hard work to be the reserved, dull, and boring person he met the day of the conference. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind she was over Theo, and as she accepted this, she felt as if a ton of bricks had been lifted off her body. Rennie could finally be herself.
She stood and went over to Graham. He kept his focus on her until she was by his side, staring into his green-colored eyes that reminded her of emeralds. She suddenly felt like she could get lost in his beautiful orbs for hours. He peered at her intently, never breaking eye contact as he turned his body around slowly. She stepped forward, sliding her leg between his. Rennie yearned to have his hands on her, to feel his calloused hands grip and pull at her flesh. She reached for his hand, and he gave it willingly. They often held hands when out. It was natural for them, but now, as they stood face to face, she took her hand and pressed it to his, and it felt different. Her hand was much smaller in comparison, and he could easily wrap his around hers. She angled their hands, clasping their fingers.