“Nope. Now we’re going to lift it up a bit. To finish driving the hook in place.” Reaching both arms around Kinley, he guided her hands back to the reel. Ryder was the most focused fisherman he knew when it counted, but right now he was struggling with Kinley between his arms. Her vanilla-scented shampoo floating on the breeze. Her neck exposed and close enough for a soft kiss.
“Ryder?”
He cleared his throat, refocusing.Knock it off, Ryder. You’re just friends. She still leaves next week.The Army won’t let her stay.He placed her fingers around the handle and crank of the reel. “Like this.”
“Now what?”
“Reel in your catch,” he answered, unmoving. Kinley likely didn’t need him standing so close. But Ryder’s feet felt cemented in place as he said against her ear, “I’m here to help you if you need it, but this one’s all you. Show me what you got, soldier.”
Rowdy paced behind them, uncertain why they were excited but certainly willing tobeexcited. A vague flash of a future caught him off guard. The two of them in the fishing boat, with Rowdy, catching their dinner. Together. He shook it away. She’s not staying.Youknowthat.
Ryder waited to assist until Kinley asked for his help. Together they worked to reel in her halibut—at least a thirty-pounder. Maybe close to forty. Once the fish was in the boat, Ryder handled the rest. It was easier that way, and necessary for him to clear his head. Her vanilla scent lingered anyway.
Rowdy let out a happy bark from the front of the boat where Kinley held her back by the collar.
“Easy, girl. You can’t eat the fish yet,” Kinley soothed the shepherd. Though Ryder always pictured getting a dog that’d fall asleep halfway through any fishing excursion and avoid the actual fish when caught, he found he rather enjoyed Rowdy’s excitement. It was akin to having a personal cheerleader.
Despite his best efforts not to get attached, he realized he’d miss the company when she was returned to her owner.
He’d miss Kinley, too, when she boarded that plane.
“Ryder, you have a bite,” Kinley announced.
Moving into action, Ryder willed the ice to again slowly harden over his heart, remembering why he’d vowed to be alone. He didn’t want to suffer the pain of losing anyone else close to him. But the pair had made their stamp on his life in an alarmingly short period of time, and he had no clue what he was going to do about it.
Chapter Nine
Kinley
“Back away from the onions, Fiona.” Kinley quickly marched over to the casserole pan, confiscating the chopping knife before her aunt managed to claim it. “You arenotslicing three whole onions with your left hand.”
“I’m more than capable—”
“If you lose a finger trying to prove a point, then what?” Kinley bumped Fiona’s hip with her own, letting out a tiny yawn she quickly suffocated before it could be scrutinized. “Scoot, I got this. Honest!”
But she wasn’t being honest, not by a long shot. Of course, she wanted to protect Fiona’s innocent digits from damage, but Kinley also needed the distraction. Ryder’d be over for dinner within the hour, and she wasn’t ready to face him. She’d never dreamed, when she took him up on his fishing offer yesterday, that the day would end up so . . .perfect. The easy way they worked and bantered together unsettled her. They’d fallen into an old, comfortable rhythm in five seconds flat.
It was one thing to be friends. It was another to feel . . .more.
Yesterday, after they returned to Ryder’s house, Kinley insisted she could clean her own fish if only he showed her how.Who knew you can scale a fish with a power washer?They spent the evening reminiscing about the shenanigans they used to get into when they were only old enough to ride bikes. They never spoke aboutthat kissbut it was evident the thought lingered between them. An electric current hung in the air, growing stronger as the night wore on. When Ryder offered to whip up some grilled salmon, Kinley ignored the clock.
It wasn’t until this morning that panic set in. Her waking thoughts were of Ryder and that enchanting smile. Shedreamedabout kissing him. She couldn’t befallingfor Ryder Grant.Not again.
She’d managed to avoid Ryder all day. Hanging out with Ava at the shop filled her morning with girl talk, but it didn’t stop her from constantly checking her phone. Ava noticed, commenting with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Kinley diverted by treating Ava to lunch at Moosecakes, their laughter filling their favorite corner booth by the window.
“It was awful nice of Ryder to help you clean that halibut you caught yesterday,” Fiona said, setting a plate with halibut fillets next to Kinley’s baking pan. “What time did you get home? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
Fiona had been fast asleep when Kinley slipped inside last night, or so she assumed by the snoring. “Sometime after ten, I think?”Eleven forty-five, but details.
“Hmm.”
With Fiona in the kitchen, Kinley feared her aunt was going to read every emotion written on her face. “I’ve got this,” she said. “You know, if you wanted to watch TV.”
Unfortunately, that had never been Fiona’s style. She continued bustling around the kitchen, collecting plates and silverware for the table settings. “Thought the sun was down before I passed out. Maybe I was wrong.”
Betrayed by the midnight sun.
“I haven’t had Halibut Olympia in years,” Kinley said, hoping to deflect. When she was younger, it’d been one of her favorite homecooked meals. “I can’t wait to eat tonight.”
