Freshwater Kisses (The Kisses 3)

"That man is a class A jerk. I've raced him a couple of times." Robbie caught me in the kitchen and put his hands on my shoulders. "He's good, but he's arrogant and I'm pretty sure he has a whole tree stuck up his ass."

I giggled at the image in my head and Robbie smiled.

"Don't you worry about him or his insults," Robbie said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead softly and soothe away the vexation. "We're here to practice for the race, not to worry about some snotty jackass who trespasses on private property."

I nodded and snuggled up to his chest. "You're right. Let's eat and get out on the water. It's a beautiful day."

Robbie wrapped his arms around me and squeezed, hugging the annoyance right out of me. I wasn't about to let Thomas Grant ruin my day. I had too much to look forward to.

Chapter 14

I released the sheet, letting it fall back into the starting position for what felt like the millionth time. Robbie and I were doing drills to prepare for the Invitational, and the best way to get good and fast at something was to do it a billion times.

"You ready for a break?" Robbie called out as I lowered the jib sail to prepare for yet another drill. I nodded eagerly, glad to have a little break from practicing. I felt like we were making real progress in our teamwork and sailing. Despite the hard work, I was having a good time.

Robbie turned the boat into the wind, and I lowered the mainsail so that we would just float out on the open ocean. Several other white sails bobbed within sight of the island, but they were far enough away that it felt like we had the entire ocean to ourselves.

Together, we sat on the bow of the ship. The sky was bright blue and the clouds seemed too perfect to be real. Sunlight glimmered off of the faceted waves, sparkling into eternity. Everything was so beautiful.

"Here you go," Robbie said, handing me a Snickers candy bar. I grinned, turning the candy over in my hands. He already had stripped the wrapper from his and taken two large bites by the time I even got a nibble on mine.

Smiling, I shook my head at him. "You are so like your dad. He loved his candy, too."

Robbie froze and then swallowed hard. "I am nothing like my father."

The vehemence in his voice surprised me. I remembered Daniel Saunders as a driven man, always trying to excel at business and give his children a better life. The idea that Robbie was so against being like him surprised me.

"I remember your dad fondly. He was always nice to me. Remember how he used to take us sailing in the morning?" I smiled down at the candy in my hand. "He would bring Snickers bars for us."

"So? We stopped sailing, and he stopped caring." Robbie turned away from me, and the temperature on the boat seemed to drop a few degrees.

"That's not true, Robbie, and you know it. He loved you," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. He stiffened and stared out at the open ocean.

"You say that, but you weren't there." His voice was low and soft. There was so much pain in it that I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and take all the hurt away.

"He gave you his candy bar. That's how I know he loved you," I said. Robbie turned, his brows pinched and confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember how your dad used to take us out sailing, and before we left, he would give us each a candy bar? It was always a Snickers," I said, gesturing to the candy in my hand. Robbie nodded.

"I remember. Mom said they weren't good for us, so she never let us have them. They were a special treat, and we'd always sit on the deck and eat them."

"Do you remember the time yours went overboard?" I asked.

"You mean the time someone knocked it out of my hand, and it went spiraling into the water and crushed my soul?" Robbie asked, raising his eyebrows and giving me a pointed look.

"That's not the important part of the story. The important part was that you were whining about it-" I started.

"I was not whining!" Robbie interjected.

"The important part is that you were crushed," I said before he could interrupt again. "It was a special thing, and you didn’t have yours anymore. I remember your dad looked out at the bar floating away, reached into his jacket pocket and just handed you his." I looked up at Robbie and shrugged. "The whole reason we even got them was because your dad loved his Snickers, and your mom wouldn't let him have any. But he didn't even pause for a second; he just gave it to you because he wanted you to b

e happy."

Robbie sat there quietly. He frowned, remembering the event. I didn't think he had ever looked at it that way before.

"I know a Snickers bar isn't much, but it was just the way that he did it. When he handed it to you, there was no remorse on his face. It was joy that he was going to make you smile. I remember the expression because it was such an expression of fatherly love that it's etched into my memory." I paused and took his hand. "I know you didn't see it then, but he loved you. A lot."