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Imagining herself unconscious in the ink-black ocean, she did as he said, despite her overly sensitized body. “Thank you. For helping me.”
“You’re welcome.”
The night hung dark and endless around them. They floated in silence for a long time while she battled with the desire to extricate herself from this awkward situation and the realization that getting back on the boat probably meant getting sick again. She chose what seemed the lesser of two evils and stayed where she was.
“So how do you know Tyler?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“He’s my lawyer. And friend.”
Cole didn’t say anything for a few moments. She sensed the unspoken question and said, “I’m also good friends with Peg. His wife.”
“Ah. So what made him think you wanted a vacation like this?”
She started to say she hadn’t wanted a vacation like this, but found herself being honest with him. “I actually talked him into selling me their tickets. I’m kind of at a crossroads. Some time away seemed like a good thing.”
“And is it?”
“I’ll file that under ‘remains to be seen’,” she said, a little surprised by the question. “I’ve taken up enough of your night. You don’t have to stay out here with me. If you want to get back on—”
“And leave you to the sharks?” he said.
She jerked her head up. “Sharks?”
“Just kidding,” he said. “It’s rare to see one in this area.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“And besides,” he added, “maybe we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot earlier, but do you really think I’d leave you out here by yourself?”
“I guess not,” she said.
“I’d be liable if anything happened to you.”
“Of course,” she said, feeling suddenly deflated by the obvious explanation.
A LITTLE OVER an hour later, Cole helped Kate back onto the boat, wondering what had possessed him to put himself in this position. She’d been sick, and his only thought had been to help her. He’d then spent a half hour in the ocean with his arm around her waist, calling himself a select range of names for getting involved. He’d never known anyone to die of seasickness, and besides if Harry had woken up and found him in the water with her, he’d never hear the end of it.
He cut the thought off there, leaving the raft in the water for now and telling himself the sooner he got her back to her cabin the better.
She unbuckled the vest and shrugged out of it. The white cotton gown was now plastered to her skin, the fabric clearly outlining the shape of her body.
He quickly averted his gaze, the night air noticeably warmer on his face.
She dropped the vest to the deck and looked up at him, folding her arms across her chest as if just realizing how revealing the gown was. “Thanks for your help,” she said. “I’ll be all right now.”
She headed across the deck and disappeared beneath the stairs. He gathered up the life jackets and put them away. That woman should come with her own set of warning labels. He’d only known her a matter of hours, and yet something told him she was trouble.
He didn’t know how he knew.
He just did.
KATE SLEPT THROUGH most of the next day, waking up around midmorning to realize she had missed her kitchen duty call. She managed to quell her disappointment and went back to sleep.
At some point during the afternoon, a knock sounded at her door, and Harry stepped inside with a tray.
“Hey,” he said, smiling. “Cole asked me to bring you this. Potato soup and crackers.”
She lifted up on one elbow, still not sure she could force anything down. Her stomach was so sore it hurt to move.
“I know it probably doesn’t sound too good,” he said, “but you really should eat it.”
“Thanks,” she said. “Could you just put it on the nightstand? I’ll give it a try.”
He set the tray next to the bed. “Cole said you had a rough time of it.”
“It was pretty awful,” she admitted, dropping back onto the pillow, surprised by her own weakness. “I’m sure I left him with a lasting impression.”
“Happens to the best of us,” Harry said. “So he threw you overboard, huh?”
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