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Chapter Twenty One
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A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Two
She gripped his hand, ignoring the tiny jolts of excitement that danced across her palm when his skin touched hers. He gave a gentle tug. Bonnie shifted too quickly, tried to get her feet under her before she dropped from the shelf. “Careful!” His warning came too late. She felt her dress catch, heard a distinctive rip and before she knew it, she’d landed face-first on the floor of his boat. She raised her head and coughed. The worn carpet, which was the color of rusted metal, smelled like it had been laid at the turn of the century. Before she could even think of righting herself, he’d scooped both hands under her arms and hoisted her up. “Whew.” That almost sounded like a word. She stepped to one side and shoved down her skirt, only to have her ankle give way and send her toppling over. “Ooooow!” She tried to break her second fall in as many minutes, but missed the closet door handle by inches. He caught her again, this time locking his hands around her arms and pushing her
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Three
Bonnie smiled at him and pulled her sandwich closer, looked down at the top of her gown and sighed. So much of her life had been put on hold….Even more during her grandmother’s illness, including her friendships. She wanted to explore that life now, figure out exactly what she could do. What her life could be. Despite the chaos she’d caused when she left home and her wedding, for the first time, she truly felt free. No guilt, she ordered herself whenever she thought of her parents. She rejected even the notion of it. She had done nothing wrong as far as she was concerned… If she didn't want that 'princess' life, there was nothing wrong with that. “Shoot.” David snapped his fingers and brought Bonnie out of her reverie. “I need to make a phone call. Be right back.” He left and Bonnie continued with her meal. In between bites of her sandwich, she removed bobby pins from her hair. With each one she set on the table, she felt remarkably lighter as her hair fell in waves around her sh
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Four
He glanced toward the closed door at the end of the passageway. Bonnie Rimmer definitely had a way about her. She hadn’t seemed fazed by the close quarters on the vessel as he had thought she would have been. Regardless, she was way out of his league. That necklace she wore around her neck, the fancy rings on her fingers…the pretty earrings. Obviously she lived in a world he couldn’t begin to fathom. He was perfectly content living his life. However, nothing about Bonnie Rimmer said “simple.” At least after they separated, he’d have an entertaining story to tell once he saw George again. He’d leave out how his heart beat double time when he’d touched her or how he’d inhaled the scent threading through her hair. Or how soft her skin had felt beneath his touch. He had to stop thinking so much about her. She wasn't and would never be his… eventually, she'd miss her old life and want to go back. The earlier he got her out of his mind, the better for him. When he finished tidying up, h
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Five
“Yes,” David said with a twinkle in his eye. “Yes, you are. It’s no big deal. I told him where we are…So don’t worry.” He held up a hand. “He just wants to know that you are safe. You should get a phone… so you can… call him sometime." “I feel like a teenager who’s run away from home,” she grumbled. Not that she ever had. By the time she was old enough to think about it, she knew very well her father cared too much and would come after her. Which was why this situation was so perplexing. Why couldn't he just let her be? “Yeah, well, since it seems like he is not going to let it go anytime soon,” David said as he got up to pull the burgers off the heat, “maybe you should go ahead and speak to him…regularly, i guess. So he will worry less” “I suppose that’s one option.” She swallowed, gathering her courage. “Or there’s another one.” “What’s that?” He opened a bag of chips, popped one in his mouth and sat down. She waited until his mouth was full before she answered. “We could not
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Six
“I’m not naturally sneaky,” she said after making a show of climbing the short stair-case. He glanced over his shoulder as she joined him. “I’ll try not to scare you again.” “You can scare me all you want if you bring coffee.” He accepted the offered mug with a quick smile. “Thanks.” “Everything okay?” The view from the window was nothing more than a collection of boats and cruisers—a view she’d seen hundreds of times over the years. The view behind her—the view waiting for them—now that was another story. “Electricity seems to be working. I’m going to try not to push the engine too hard on our first trip out. The ride to Palm Bay should be a good test.” “Like I said, I’m just along for the ride.” said Bonnie. “You are the boss” “Oh, you’re more than that.” He took a long drink of coffee. “You’re crew now.” “In that case, Captain, your wish is my command. If I don’t know how to do something, I’ll let you know or figure it out myself.” “Fair enough. You know how to unmoor us?”
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Seven
“So, Palm Bay, here we come—” She told him. “Yeah. You'll like it. You know, they also have a pretty good farmer’s market on the weekends.” “How often have you been there?” “Too often to count.” “Where does your High Tide Harbor fall in? Seems to me it’s a tourist spot, isn’t it?” “Touché,” he said. “High Tide Harbor’s special. It nearly went under a few years ago. Tons of foreclosures due to financial malfeasance on the part of the main bank in town. Took a lot of people coming together and fighting to save it.” “Sounds like an interesting place.” Not that much different than most cities and towns she supposed. “It looked lovely when I saw it on a TV special. The one they aired about a celebrity chef and his wedding.” She could remember the images clearly; the coastal town with expansive beaches, high cliff sides and cypress trees outlining the rocky shores. There was a historic inn painted a bright summer yellow with white shutters and trim, perched at the highest point overl
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Eight
“I told you, I’m not expecting anything.” She backed away to let him out. “But whatever happens, you aren’t alone. I'm here”David had purposely kept close to land, so as not to be considered offshore; some risks, even alone, he wasn’t about to take. He did a quick evaluation of the intake valves, the bilge pump and, specifically, the head gaskets. If they blew one of those they’d be dead in the water.Despite the years Blue Blood had spent unoccupied and moored, she was in pretty good shape. Until he got her into dry dock and really dug into the engine, however, he couldn’t risk burning her out completely.“Well?” Bonnie asked when he slammed the engine hatch shut. “What’s the verdict?”“All the things I really worry about seem okay. Let’s start her back up.” He walked around Bonnie and climbed back into the pilot cabin.“We’ve only been out on the water a short time. How far have we gone?” She took a tentative seat on the bench beside him.“About thirty miles. Hopefully we’ll catch
A DASH OF TEMPTATION Chapter Twenty Nine
“I’m sorry, but it’s company policy.” The friendly middle-aged man behind the counter at the cell-phone store blinked at her. He reminded her a little of a frog with over-round eyes and an equally round face. The fact that his shirt was the color of algae probably didn’t help. His name badge read Steve. She didn’t like Steve at the moment. “But I told you, I’ve lost my ID.” Not exactly true, but close enough. “There must be an exception to the rule,” David said, resting a hand on her arm. “People lose their wallets and phones all the time. You don’t refuse to replace them all, so what’s the catch?” “No catch.” Steve pointed to the sign over the back counter. “It’s our policy.” “Hold on,” Bonnnie said. “If I requested a new phone online they wouldn’t need my ID to mail it to me, would they?” Steve blinked again as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “I suppose they wouldn’t.” “So we can just approach it that way,” David clarified. “Can’t do it.” Steve pointed behind him again
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