“Grilled cheese sandwiches are my favorite comfort food,” she said as she started making the sandwiches.
“It’s one of my favorites, too. Especially with tomato soup after a cold day on the water,” Andy agreed.
“What would you be if you weren’t a waterman?” Samira asked.
Andy raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I mean if you could be anything you want to be when you grow up, what would it be?”
Andy was quiet for a moment. Samira watched silently as he looked more and more uncomfortable. She hadn’t meant to upset him, but something he said before made her believe he didn’t exactly want to take over his dad’s business.
“I’m not sure,” he hedged.
“I understand I’m the last person who should be giving anyone advice on how to live their best life, but if you aren’t doing what you love, it’s not too late to fix it,” Samira said as she flipped the sandwiches so the other side could get browned.
Andy got up and stood by the counter next to the stove. She tried to ignore the way her skin tingled under his gaze. He wasn’t even touching her, but her mind immediately went to the feel of his mouth on hers.
“Do you love what you do?” he asked.
With a slow breath, she carefully considered the question. She enjoyed making sure the hotel guests were happy. She enjoyed delegating tasks and being able to step in to do whatever it took to make a guest happy. She had also become very close to Andrea.
“I think so,” she answered simply as she flipped the sandwiches onto plates.
“You think so? Your answer doesn’t sound much better than mine did,” he said with a smirk.
His full lips curved just enough for one dimple to emerge. Once again, she became distracted by his mouth. She took both plates and led the way to the table before she was too far gone. Cooking together was intimate, and Andy standing by the stove watching her cook was dangerously close.
“I like knowing it’s up to me to make sure people enjoy their stay. I like stepping in to fix things if someone has a complaint.Maybe I just like the power. I even enjoy the paperwork portion of it. I’m weird,” she ended with a chuckle.
“Sounds like your answer should be a simple yes,” he commented.
Samira thought about it some more. “I’m doing what I love, but not sure I love my job. Does that make sense?”
“I think it does.”
They finished up their sandwiches in comfortable silence. The awkwardness seemed to be fading. Maybe it was possible to move forward without rehashing the past. She was tired of hiding. She wanted to be able to visit her aunt whenever she wanted and not feel haunted by the past and uncertainty.
Andy surprised her by cleaning up the few dishes they had created from their meal before he left. She knew he wouldn’t be able to stay late, but she wasn’t looking forward to the deafening silence of the house. When she couldn’t find any excuses to ask him to stay longer, he kissed her on the cheek and headed out the door.
She got busy right away with straightening up the house. She went around the living room and dining room and removed the sheets from all the furniture. It wasn’t dirty, but she still cleaned up where the sheets once were and made sure everything looked and smelled fresh.
When she looked around to see if she had missed anything, she finally noticed that she was not looking at her childhood furniture. The old sofa had been replaced by a large sectional, and a large oak coffee table sat across from it. There was a table in front of the picture window with an empty candy dish and some decorative candles. The candles looked more up to date than the rest of the house, so she assumed it was some of her aunt’s handiwork.
If she was going to live there for two months and not go crazy dwelling on the past, she would need to put her own touchesin the house. There were no photos on the walls, and she figured they were all with her aunt for safe keeping. That was a relief. Seeing all the old photographs as she walked through her childhood home would have probably pushed her over the edge.
The nonstop rush of emotions that had been washing over her since she met with the lawyer had completely drained her energy both physically and mentally. Her limbs were heavy and her eyes tired. With one last look around, she went upstairs to her new room. She hadn’t spent much time in that room growing up, so it was a safe place to recover. She turned on some music to fill the silence and took a few cleansing breaths. Her entire body felt raw and exposed. She put on her favorite old, ratty, sleep shirt and curled up in the bed, hoping sleep would come quickly so she could stop feeling.
Chapter 6
Andy enjoyed repairing and maintaining the crab pots. The work was simple in comparison to pulling the pots out of the water, but it kept his mind occupied. He started on the stack in front of his garage, then stacked them up next to his house as he got them finished. After carefully inspecting each one, he made repairs as he went along.
It was hot and humid, but he enjoyed the heat knowing soon enough it would be almost too cold to stand. He finished up the pot he was working on and hauled it over to the side of the house. After neatly stacking it, he looked out toward the water and was surprised to see Samira heading in his direction. He wiped his hands on the towel that he kept tucked into his waistband and walked over to meet her.
“You lost?”
“Well, I was taking a walk at my usual spot, and my legs brought me this way. I’ll keep going if you’re busy,” she said, glancing behind him to where he had been working.
He took a moment to appraise her. She wore cut off shorts and a white tank top. Her bronze skin was a radiant contrast to thewhite. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she had on a simple pair of flip flops. She had clearly had comfort in mind when she got dressed, but he still couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
