"Everything okay?" Ben asked as he opened the door and climbed out.
"Just checking our timeline," Luca said. "Connie texted to confirm everything's ready at the marina."
Ben had asked Connie, their cook, to prepare a basket of food for them. There was a barbecue on the boat, so he’d requested something that he could prepare on it. He didn’t do a lot of cooking, but he’d been known to man a barbecue on occasion.
"Perfect. We just need to wait for Amelia to change, then we'll head over."
Ben and Luca leaned against the SUV as they waited. The day had been sunny and warm, presenting a perfect opportunity for him to plan an evening on the water.
When Amelia appeared a few minutes later, she’d changed into a pair of light denim shorts that reached mid-thigh and a gauzy-looking shirt that hung open over a black tank top. She had on a pair of flat sandals, and she’d pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. A pair of large sunglasses were perched on the top of her head.
Ben pushed away from the SUV as she approached. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.”
This time, he let Luca drive while he and Amelia climbed into the middle seat. He wanted to be sure he spent as much time focused on her as possible. This evening was for her, and he was beyond grateful that she’d agreed to it.
The drive to the private marina didn’t take long, and once Luca had found a parking spot, they left the SUV and headed for the boat.
“Wow,” Amelia said, her steps slowing as they neared the boat. “Did you rent this?”
Ben hesitated for a moment, then said, “No. I own it.” When she came to a stop, Ben turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” She gave her head a shake. “Nothing. It looks beautiful.”
As they started to walk again, he said, “When I realized I’d be spending the summer here, I wanted a boat that I could use whenever I wanted, and that wasn’t as big as Cole’s. It arrived a couple of days ago. This is the first time I’m taking it out other than the day it was delivered.”
When they reached the boat, Luca boarded first, then Ben followed him, turning back to offer his hand to Amelia. She took it without hesitation, and Ben held her hand firmly until she was safely aboard.
After doing a quick check of the food that Connie had delivered, Ben gave Luca the go-ahead to steer the boat out. They’d already agreed that Luca would pilot the boat so that Ben could focus on Amelia.
The thrum of the engine vibrated through the boat as Ben guided Amelia to the bow. There was a seating area that he thought would be a good place to relax as Luca guided the boat out of the marina.
“Do you want a drink?” Ben asked as Amelia sat down on one of the cushioned benches.
“Sure.” She slid her sunglasses down over her eyes. “What are my options?”
“I have diet and regular pop, sparkling flavored water, and plain water.”
“Sparkling water would be nice.”
Ben opened the cover of the refrigerated cooler and pulled out a bottle of sparkling raspberry water, cracked the cap, and handed it to her. She took it from him, looked at it, then peered at him over the top of her sunglasses.
“Raspberry?”
“Is it not still your favorite?” he asked as he settled down next to her with a bottle of pop in his hand.
“It is,” she said. “I’m just surprised you remembered.”
He wanted to tell her that he didn’t think he’d forgotten much about her, but his goal was to get her to relax and enjoy the evening. Not put her on edge if she was still uncertain about things between them.
Once they were past the marina, Luca increased the speed a little bit, but Ben had already told him that he wanted to keep things on the slower side. He was hoping for a leisurely evening, not a speedy one.
The boat he’d bought was more of a cruiser than a speedboat. It even had a small kitchen, bedroom, and a bathroom on its lower level. He could probably spend the night there if he ever needed a break from the main house.
The gentle breeze off the lake played with the loose strands of Amelia's ponytail as she took a sip of her raspberry water.Ben settled back against the cushions, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease as the boat cut smoothly through the water.
He'd been worried she might say no, but here she was, sitting beside him, the late afternoon sun painting her skin golden.
