Do You Take This Daddy?. Katie Meyer
stored there to protect them from the elements. The marina uses a big forklift to move them in and out.”
“Valet service for your boat?”
She smiled. “I’ve never heard it put quite that way, but yeah, basically.” Getting out of the car, she checked that she had everything and let Baby out of the back. “Let’s head up to the marina store. I want to get some bottled water and we’re going to need bait.”
“So what’s the deal? Are we renting a boat here?”
“Nope, my Dad has one stored here. Well, I guess it’s the family boat, but he and I are the only ones that take it out. My sister is a workaholic and doesn’t make it down here much. And Mom likes to tag along, but she won’t take it out by herself.”
With Noah carrying the gear this time, she walked with Baby, waving at a few of the people down on the docks. They passed the restrooms and a covered picnic area, and then the pool.
Noah turned to take it all in. “I always thought a marina was like a parking lot for boats, but it almost seems like a campground or something.”
“Well, it’s kind of both. Most people just store their boats here, but some live off them. For them, this is a neighborhood of sorts. And even the day trippers sometimes like to get a drink or something to eat at the restaurant.”
“I wonder what that’s like, living on a boat.”
“I’ve thought about trying it, but haven’t had the guts or the money to actually do it.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe someday, though.”
They reached the small bait-and-tackle store along the waterfront, and she reminded Baby to behave.
“You can bring the dog inside?”
“Everyone here knows Baby. They’d give me hell if I didn’t bring him in.” Once inside, she walked past the rows of shiny lures and the displays of custom-made rods to the coolers in the back. “You grab us some water and ice. I’ll get the bait.” She picked out a package of frozen shrimp and some squid. Usually she went with live bait, but given Noah’s lackluster reaction to the idea of a fishing trip, the frozen stuff might be a better way to ease him into the experience.
Taking everything up to the register, she paid while Baby was fawned over by Frank, the owner. “How’s my favorite pup?”
“She’s doing great, thanks. How are you and Marie?”
“Oh, we’re good.” His smile crinkled the lines on his face. “The grandkids were down last week and about wore us out.”
“And I’m sure you can’t wait for them to come back again.” The elderly couple doted on their grandchildren, and the feeling was mutual. The kids were often underfoot around the marina, enjoying the fresh air whenever they had a school break.
“You got that right.” He tipped his head toward Noah, who was inspecting some handmade boat models. “Who’s the fella?”
“Oh, he’s one of Jillian and Nic’s guests, someone Nic knows from work. I’m just showing him around a bit.” In a small town like Paradise, it was better to stop any rumors before they started.
“Mmm-hmm. Well, you just make sure he treats you right. You never know with those tourist types. At least you’ve got Baby here to keep an eye on things.”
She had no doubt the loyal dog would defend her from an attack, but what she really needed was protection from herself and the growing attraction she felt every time Noah was around. She wasn’t about to explain that to Frank, though, so she just nodded and headed for the door.
“Hey, don’t forget me,” Noah called, putting down the replica sailboat he’d wandered over to.
Forget him? She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since she saw him on the steps of the Sandpiper. No, the only thing she was in danger of forgetting was her common sense.
* * *
Noah followed Mollie out of the dimness of the bait shop, squinting against the harsh glare of the sun. Taking one of the plastic bags from her, he matched her pace down one of the long docks extending over the blue-green water. “Which boat is yours?”
She pointed to a midsize vessel about halfway down, a picture of an orange and the words Main Squeeze emblazoned on the hull.
“Cute name.”
She rolled her eyes. “That was Dad’s attempt to suck up to my mom. He was trying to get her to like the boat more.”
“Did it work?”
“Nope. I mean, I’m sure she appreciated the gesture, but she’d rather stay on dry land and fuss with her plants. The garden is her happy place.”
“And the water is yours?”
“One of them. I’m not real picky. Anywhere outside works for me.”
“And anywhere you can snap off some good shots?” He nodded to the camera bag she’d pulled from the car, now hanging from her shoulder.
A quick smile of acknowledgment was replaced with a grimace as she stepped onto the deck, absorbing the movement of the sea like a seasoned sailor. “Someone must have left some bait on board.” Her nose crinkled, her freckles bunching up as she made room for him to join her. “Sorry, I’ll rinse out the bait wells if you’ll keep an eye on Baby.”
At the sound of his name, the dog stood up from where he’d been sprawled on the warm wood planks of the dock, leaping across the gap between the dock and boat with much more grace than Noah expected from the oversize amputee. “Show-off.”
Switching the bags to his left hand, he braced his right on the post beside him and swung down, a bit more clumsily than the dog but without falling on his butt, thankfully. Being out of his element was one thing; making a fool of himself was another.
Baby sat calmly a few feet from his mistress, not needing any minding that Noah could see. Mollie had her back turned, a hose in her hand as she bent over the bait wells hidden inside a set of bench seats. He wasn’t quite sure what she was doing, but he wasn’t going to distract her as long as he had such a nice view. Long, tanned legs ended in a trim bottom with just the right amount of curves, displayed nicely in a ripped pair of cutoffs that had him looking at denim with new appreciation.
“There, that’s better.” Mollie stood up, tossing the short hose back onto the dock. Kicking off her flip flops, she stepped up onto the gunwale, stretching to reach the spigot sticking out from a mooring post.
“Careful!” His breath caught at the way she was leaning out so far over the edge—and not just because of the way her tank top was riding up.
Ignoring his warning, she turned the water off and then hung the hose up neatly on the hook next to it. “Relax. I’m not going to fall overboard. I promise.”
As if to prove her point, she balanced for a minute, hands free, before hopping down beside him. “See, totally safe.”
She might not be worried about drowning, but with her standing only inches away neither one of them was safe. She was close enough to taste, and he’d like nothing better than to kiss that cocky grin off her face. But she’d set the ground rules, and he wasn’t enough of a jerk to break them. He hoped.
Backing up, he put some breathing room between them. “All right, so, what do we have to do now? Tell me how I can help, and don’t say watch the dog—he obviously doesn’t need a babysitter.”
Amusement flashed in her eyes. “You caught on to that, huh?”
“That you were just giving me a job to salve my ego and keep me out of the way? Yeah.”
Unrepentant, she shrugged a shoulder. “Well, I really didn’t need you to do anything, and a lot of guys would get offended if I did everything myself and didn’t let them help.”
“Are you kidding?