Pull it together, Charley, she mentally told herself. She was suddenly aware of how she must look. She was probably sweaty, slightly windblown, and flushed thanks to her raging hormones.
“So, you said that you caught a fishing net in the propellers?” he asked.
“Umm, yes,” she replied, focusing on the real situation. She led him to the back of the boat. “As I said, I tried to cut it off, but it’s tangled up pretty good. Plus, there is metal intertwined with the netting, and I couldn’t cut through it.”
Pierce leaned over the edge of the boat to get a look at it. His brow furrowed as he carefully inspected the damage. After a few seconds, he whistled low. “Yeah, that’s not coming off easily, and even if we could cut it free, the propellers are done for.”
“What?” she asked, wondering what he meant about the propellers.
“It looks like they were damaged when the net got tangled,” he told her as he pointed out the two cracks.
“Shit,” she said as she placed her hand against her forehead.
“Hey, it’s okay. We can help you get back to shore,” he assured her as he stood up and brushed his hands off on his pants.
“No. It isn’t okay. This isn’t my boat. It belongs to a friend of my uncle.”
“Hey, this isn’t on you,” he said firmly. “This is on the careless assholes who don’t clean up after themselves. People dumping this kind of shit in the water is dangerous for both the environment and for people like you. This kind of thing happens more than it should, and it pisses me off.”
The conviction in his voice surprised her, and she found herself nodding. “I know it really isn’t my fault. But I still feel responsible since I was using it when it happened.”
Pierce smiled, his dimple showing again. “I’m sure your uncle’s friend will understand.”
His words eased some of her tension. He was right. It wasn’t like she ran over the net on purpose. “Thank you. And you’re right. I’m probably getting worked up for no reason. I just feel bad about it.”
“It’s natural,” he said with a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
She smiled at him. “Well, would you guys be willing to give me a tow back in? I’m at the marina right just south of the base.”
He smiled. “Of course. I wasn’t going to let you just drift away.” He winked before he turned back to the zodiac, where the other three men were. “Get the tow line ready,” he told them.
Charley watched with amazement as the three guys and Pierce quickly got to work. She couldn’t help her wandering eyes when Pierce leaned on the bow of her boat to tie the line. He had a fine-looking ass. Before he stood back up, she quickly averted her eyes, though she felt the heat in her cheeks, and it wasn’t from the sun.
When Pierce returned to her side, his expression was relaxed. “We’re good to go. I’ll ride with you just in case something goes wrong.”
Charley smiled. “You don’t have to do that. You’ve already done enough,” she told him.
He grinned. “I insist.”
She felt the heat in her cheeks again, but she nodded. “Alright. Thank you.”
Pierce took the seat behind the wheel, and she sat in the seat across from him.
As the boats began their slow journey back to shore, Charley couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at her lips. Maybe being stuck out here wasn’t the worst thing in the world after all.
The first few minutes of the ride were quiet until Pierce spoke up.
“So, what were you doing all the way out here by yourself?” he asked as he turned to look at her.
At first, she hesitated, not really wanting to talk about her grief. But she didn’t want to lie, so she decided to be honest. “I was spreading my dad’s and brother’s ashes.”
Pierce’s expression softened. His light brown eyes showed understanding. “I’m sorry for your loss. That must have been tough.”
Charley nodded, feeling her eyes begin to fill with tears. Thankfully, she was able to keep them at bay. “Thank you. It was hard. But it was the right thing to do. They both loved the ocean.”
“So, you’re from the area then?” he asked.
“Yes and no,” she said. “I was born and raised here, but then moved to the East Coast about four years ago. I just moved back a couple of days ago because of work.”
