I shook my head. “No. When I look at everything through your eyes, I see it. Clear as day. And I could kick myself for being such a fool.”
Rowan put his arm around my waist and guided me into the hallway. “Kendra. Please hear me when I say this. You’re not a fool. You’re a trusting, loyal friend who believes in people. You see the best in everyone. If someone took advantage of that, they’re the fool, not you. Don’t lose that trust in the good. That’s what makes you - you.”
His words warmed my heart, and I hugged his waist, leaning in closer to his uniquely familiar scent. “Thank you. But - agree to disagree. How about we start this celebration of life, and I can calm my racing heart? That was a close call.”
Rowan pulled back slightly and kissed my forehead. I leaned into his lips and closed my eyes, cherishing the moment andthinking about the other close call and mistake I’d been making my entire adult life.
Pining after the wrong man.
Chapter 29
Rowan Rafferty gets a visitor
“Hit the ignition again,”I shouted from the deck.
Kendra turned the ignition button, and nothing happened except clicking. “Nothing!” she shouted down at me.
I growled in frustration, my voice barely audible over the rhythmic lapping of waves against the hull. We’d been working for over an hour under the relentless sun, beads of sweat trickling down my brow. With each futile turn of the key, my irritation mounted. The deck was cluttered with tools, their metallic sheen starkly contrasted with the fiberglass beneath my feet. I silently berated myself for not checking the ignition before accepting delivery from Seeger—rookie mistake. Every unsuccessful attempt felt like a wasted heartbeat, and I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I failed Kendra.
“Wanna take a break?” Kendra handed me a cold bottle of water, which I graciously accepted.
“What kind of break are you talking about?” I grinned.
Suddenly, the boat pitched, and Kendra fell forward right at me. I dropped the water and caught her in my arms. She giggled and squeezed my biceps. Not going to lie. I might have flexed a little.
“Where did that rogue wave come from?” She gasped.
“Don’t care. C’mere.” I pulled her tighter and kissed those full lips that I dreamt about last night on board the pirate ship. She tried to get me to come home with her after the funeral, and I was sorely tempted, but I also needed some time to think about everything.
Kendra was quickly becoming an important part of my life, and I had no idea how to tell her.
When we came up for air, I glanced over her shoulder to discover a puzzling sight on the dock. “Is that a tortoise?”
Kendra turned and laughed. “Yeah. That’s Bertle the Turtle. We call him Bert.”
Bert’s shell was a massive mosaic dome of browns and deep greens. There were signs of cuts and sun-bleached patches. Thick, scaled skin covered his robust legs. And I swear the thing slowly winked at me with his large left eye.
“Did you see that?”
“See what?”
For a tortoise, Bert moved faster than I expected. He had already turned away from the catamaran and loped down the dock to where Ernest waited for him. “Is that the tuxedo cat?”
“Oh, yeah. They like to take walks together,” Kendra said. “Wait for it.”
We watched as Bert lowered himself to the ground next to the parking lot, and Ernest hopped up on the tortoise’s back like a king sitting regally in his chariot.
“This place is bonkers,” I said.
Kendra pulled me closer. “Yeah, but bonkers, in a good way. You love it.”
“That I do,” I admitted before pecking her on the lips. “Now, let’s get this boat started.”
She sighed. “I don’t understand it. This is the same problem I had with the other one. Maybe Seegers aren’t what they used to be.”
“Bite your tongue!” A familiar pissed-off voice called from the dock.
My father stood beside the boat, wearing a three thousand-dollar suit.
