“I don’t know. A spa day? Maybe a nice dinner or walking around town shopping. At the very least, leaving the house after the sun had risen.”
“We may still do all that. We’ve got all day.”
Claire glanced at her watch and nodded. “We certainly do.” She looked out at the boats in the marina with a curious expression. “Are we getting on a boat?”
“Maybe.” Luca parked the car and got out. When he opened the door to let Claire out, her frown was pinching her brows together. “Okay, yes. We’re going out on a boat. You really don’t like surprises, do you?”
“It’s not that I don’t like them, per se, I’m just not used to them. At least not good ones.”
“I’m going to change that.” Luca took her hand and led her to the dock. There, waiting for them, was a small crew on a catamaran.
“Good morning, Mr. Moretti. Are you ready to go see some whales today?”
Claire’s eyes were wide as she took the sailor’s hand and climbed onto the deck of the ship. “We’re going whale watching?”
“That’s where I’m going,” the captain said. “Since you’re on my ship, that means you are, too. We’re about to head out into some of the best and most diverse waters for marine life. If all goes well, we should see humpbacks, fin whales, a couple species of dolphins and, maybe if we’re lucky, a right whale. It feels like a lucky morning.”
Luca watched as the captain joined his crew in readying the ship for departure. “Have you ever done something like this before?” he asked Claire.
“No,” she said as she looked out at the gray waters. “I’m really excited, though. Are we waiting for some other passengers?”
Luca shook his head and turned back to watch the crew untie the mooring and start the engines. “No, it’s only going to be us this morning. I reserved it just for you and me.”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “Just for us?” She looked around the ship. “That’s crazy.”
“I told you,” Luca explained, “that I wanted to take you out today so you could relax and enjoy yourself. Yes, I could take you to dinner or to a day spa, but I wanted to do something different.”
As the boat started to pull out of the marina, one of the crew brought them a flannel blanket. “Have a seat on the bench up front for the best views. Wrap up and I’ll bring out some coffee and fresh baked cinnamon rolls.”
They took their seats, and Luca wrapped the blanket around them. He put his arm around Claire’s shoulders and pulled her to his side. She snuggled happily against him, resting her head on his shoulder. It was amazingly easy to be here with her like this. She seemed to fit perfectly in the crook beneath his arm, as if she was meant to be there.
Taking a deep breath, he drew in the salty scent of the air as it mingled with Claire’s fragrance. Luca leaned in closer, pressing his lips into the crown of her head with a sigh. Combined with the gentle rocking of the ship, it was incredibly soothing.
After about ten minutes of quietly cutting through the calm seas, the crewman brought them coffee and warm, gooey cinnamon rolls. They ate quietly as they watched the sea around them. They were just finishing up when one of the crew shouted, “Two o’clock!”
Luca and Claire both stood and turned in the direction he was pointing. The sky was lighter now, burning away the early-morning fog. They could just make out the spray of a whale surfacing in the distance, followed by a dark hump rising out of the water. A few minutes later, they were rewarded with a stunning sight as the humpback whale leaped from the water and crashed back down in a spectacular splash.
Luca tried to focus on the amazing sight, but his gaze kept drifting back to Claire. She was totally immersed in the moment, her lips parted softly in unexpressed awe. This moment was memorable, but more so because she was here with him.
Lifting the blanket, he wrapped it around himself, then Claire, snuggling her back against his chest. She leaned into him, her eyes never leaving the water. They stood like that for nearly an hour, watching a pod of dolphins go by and one whale after the other surface. They didn’t spot an elusive right whale, but they saw a pair of fin whales and a couple more humpbacks. The whales didn’t breach again, but he and Claire were entertained with displays of tail lobbing and slapping of their pectoral fins on the water.
As the ship headed back to the marina, Claire turned in his arms to face him. “That was incredible,” she said. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”