With This Forever Read online

  “Because of one simple reason. You and I both know that in your heart, it is your deepest desire to have some adventure in your life. You just have to get some gumption, as Gram called it.”

  She sighed. “Right. But Roxie, now that I’m here, I’m scared and gumption is scarce.”

  “And that’s understandable. You’ve hidden inside walls until now, taking care of your grandparents and building a business online. Now you’re stepping out and so that is totally understandable. But just like your gram used to say, you can get happy in the same pants you got scared in. Girlfriend, you can do this. You can and don’t you forget it, okay? But while you’re doing it, be kind to yourself. You deserve it.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath as she watched the boat with Jake and his group of merry adventurers’ head out to sea.

  One day, maybe she could be on that boat. Maybe.

  The sun was setting on the bay with an amazing show of golden orange and vibrant pinks when Jake finished for the day. He’d had his new neighbor on his mind all day. He spotted Sammy Jo folding empty packing boxes outside her back door and he headed that way.

  “How’s the knee?” he called, walking down the sidewalk. She had obviously been unpacking all day because he’d spotted her at daybreak when he’d been heading out on his first dive.

  Her smile was gentle and did funny things in his chest.

  “It’s fine,” she said, her voice soft and enticing. “A little stiff, but I lived thanks to you.”

  “And I’m grateful I could help. I really felt bad about leaving you yesterday.”

  She looked startled. “Why, you were amazing. I told my friend, Roxie, how great you were when we were talking on the phone this morning. You helped me so much and I’m the one who is grateful you came along when you did. There is nothing to feel bad about.”

  “After I left you, I kept thinking about you having to move your things up to that apartment when you had a bum knee. I should have stayed.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. Contrary to how it seems, I can take care of myself. You are a busy guy, that’s easy to see.”

  “Swamped, actually. But, luckily I made it through the day without getting dumped in the bay by any more disgruntled customers.”

  She laughed. “That’s always a good thing. And I haven’t tried to dive on the pavement anymore, so things are looking up for both of us. You had an early start this morning. Do you go out that early every morning?”

  “Not every morning. But I enjoy it. I like morning jogs too, so I try to have two mornings a week that I start later. Do you jog?”

  “That is actually something I do enjoy. I could do that without getting too far from home.” She inhaled the salty air and stared out toward the ocean. As if it called to her, she walked, with a slightly stiff walk, toward the railing. He followed her, enjoying how her pale blue dress clung to her in the breeze. She looked as if she belonged with the bay; the colors and movement seemed to flow seamlessly with the surroundings. When she reached the railing, she placed both hands on it and studied the view.

  He studied her. She was beautiful. “Why did you need to stay close to home? Or were you just afraid to get too far away?” She had a bucket list and she stayed near home. That was so far all he knew about her.

  “I took care of my grandparents and I ran my online business, so I had a lot going on that kept me home,” she said a little too quickly, as she turned from the water. “I better get back. I’m making some headway but I still have a good bit to go. My sign arrived and I want to see if I can get it up. Hanging it on the front of the store will make it feel official.”

  “I can hang that for you.” He started toward her shop.

  “No.” She caught up to him, her expression full of alarm. “Really, I can’t take your time again today.”

  He kept walking and noticed she limped as she was probably feeling some stiffness from that wounded knee. All the more reason he should hang her sign. “I don’t mind. Besides, my mom would have a fit if she knew I didn’t help my new neighbor hang her sign. She taught all her boys better than that.”

  “Okay, but I feel like I’m imposing.” Her expression was tense.

  “Only if you refused my offer.” He winked at her hoping to ease the worry in her eyes.

  Her lip twitched, then she chuckled softly. “You are persuasive.”

  “I try really hard.” She was cute, and her soft chuckle curled deep in his chest like a purring kitten. “I want to do this.” They stared at each other, a battle of wills. At last her lip twitched and he knew he’d won.

  She cocked her head to the side. “Then could you please help me hang my sign.”

  He held open her door and shot her his best cocky grin. “I thought you would never ask.”

  Sammy Jo stared up at Jake on the ladder as he drilled a hole for the new bolts he’d insisted the sign needed. The sun was going down and the light from inside the shop was starting to cast a glow on the sidewalk. It was a nice evening. She tried to focus on that but it was not enough to distract her from the fact that her hunky neighbor was standing on the ladder helping her. It was difficult not to stare at him.

  “There, the hooks are in.” He climbed down the ladder and hopped off the last rung. “You ready to climb up there and hang that baby? I’ll help hold it. You’d have had your hands full trying to hang this thing on your own with just that screwdriver you had to work with.”

  “You’re right.” She was trying very hard to ignore how standing close to Jake was affecting her. She hadn’t minded watching him work but now he would be watching her. Feeling self-conscious and praying she didn’t fall off the ladder, she took one end of the sign as he held the other and then she climbed up one rung at a time. The sign was only hanging from the low-slung awning which was only nine feet from the ground. She stopped climbing up the ladder and looked down at Jake. He held the ladder and her hips happened to be on level with his shoulders. She was all too aware of the man. Their gazes locked and her knees grew mushy, like her insides.

  He was staring at her as if he were nervous. The idea was laughable. She did not make Jake Sinclair nervous. No way. He made her nervous though.

  “Just hook each of those brackets on the sign to the hanger.”

  “Okay.” She slipped the hook over the bolt and then, as he lifted his end of the sign, she leaned out from the ladder to slip the other hook over the second bolt. “There all done.”

  She climbed down the ladder, ready to be on solid ground again. He was holding the ladder and they were very close. Her heart rate was erratic as she paused on the bottom rung, at eye level with him.

  “Congratulations. Your store is official. It’s a good feeling isn’t it. I remember how I felt when I hung my sign with my name on it. Jakes Dive Shop. It felt good.”

  She liked him. “It does feel great. I like having my name on my clothing. And business.”

  “Lovely You.” His gaze searched hers. “It’s a really nice name, Sammy-So-Lovely.”

  Butterflies erupted in her chest at his nickname for her. She could get used to hearing that. It gave her a thrill despite telling herself that he was just teasing her. But then, she looked at him and something in his eyes kept telling her he was feeling what she was feeling.

  No way. That wasn’t possible. She was really kidding herself.

  He liked adventure, to do things; the man not only enjoyed scuba diving, he enjoyed things like skydiving too. He could not be interested in her.

  Seconds passed and she told herself to move away from him, but her body was not listening to her.

  “Can I ask you something?” he asked at last, continuing to hold her mesmerized.

  She nodded, trying to keep her gaze from dropping to his lips.

  “Would you go swimming with me?”

  Her brows dipped together. “Swimming?” She blinked hard. Had he just asked her to swim with him?

  There was a chuckle in his words. “Yes, tomorrow after I get off. Ther
e’s a small island just off the coast surrounded by clear, shallow water that’s perfect for swimming. I thought if you were feeling adventurous, that I could take you out there and you could mark two things off of that bucket list that yours.”

  Her mouth went dry. “Mark things off.” She swallowed hard.

  “A boat ride and swimming in the ocean.” He smiled. “What do you say?”

  “I, well, I’ve never been.” She was stumbling over her words and repeating things they both already knew.

  He chuckled. “But would you like to go? You need to swim in the ocean and make sure you don’t get seasick before you make the next step of scuba diving.”

  Her stomach knotted. He was offering to help her fulfill her major bucket list item, scuba diving. And he was so right: if she got seasick, how could she scuba dive?

  “Say yes. I can see it in your eyes that you want to.” He smiled and melted all of her defenses.

  “I feel like I’ve moved here and am intruding on your life. But if you’re sure, then I’d love to go.”

  “Great. And you’re not intruding.”

  “I just hope I don’t throw up.”

  He laughed. “They make good meds for that these days. So, it’s a yes?”

  “Yes. I’ll be ready.” She couldn’t stop the smile of excitement that burst to her lips from deep inside her. She felt almost giddy. Then he smiled and her chest tightened.

  “Great. I’ll see you then.” He reached for the ladder. His arm brushed hers and sparked a tingle of awareness through her like wildfire.

  She moved out of the way so he could get the ladder and then she watched him pick it up. His bicep flexed, reminding her of how strong he was. “Thank you for doing this, all of this.”

  He paused, holding the ladder, and there was a teasing light in his eyes. “No problem. It’ll be fun.”

  Something about this man had her believing that it would be okay. She felt tremendous trepidation but excitement filled her too. “I’ll be ready.”

  His smiled deepened. “Then it’s a date. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  A date… Ha, if only she could be so lucky. She was not kidding herself, and totally understood he was simply helping her out. The man probably felt sorry for her after reading her bucket list.

  No, she wasn’t kidding herself, and absolutely knew this was not a real date. He was just being helpful. That’s who he was; a very helpful guy.

  Chapter Four

  The next afternoon, Jake got the last dive group back to the dock in record time. Once again, he’d had Sammy Jo on his mind all day and he was ready to take her out on the water. He saw her coming down the dock as the last of his group left and his pulse skipped erratically. She wore a cover-up that came to her knees. The soft yellow outfit was modest and had him thinking about how pretty she was again. She looked like a ray of sunshine as she walked toward him with a beautiful smile.

  He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he really looked forward to seeing her pretty face each day. And taking her out on her first boat ride made him happy because she looked so happy.

  “Hey pretty lady, you ready to come ride with me?” She beamed and his pulse careened recklessly.

  “Honestly, I have been like a kid all day. I am so excited. But a little freaked out too.”

  He hopped from the boat to the pier and it took everything in him not to hug her. “Totally understandable. But relax. We’re going to take the twenty-three-foot ride today instead of the Hopper.” He crossed the pier and jumped into the smaller boat. He held out a hand to Sammy Jo.

  She stared at the boat. “You call this a small boat?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, compared to others, but it is very sea-worthy.”

  She took his hand, tingles shooting up his arm at her touch. She stepped onto the edge of the boat; it rocked and she slipped as she moved to step down into the boat.

  “I’ve got you.” He grabbed her around the waist and set her on her feet. She smelled nice, sweet and tempting. “You’ll get your sea legs in a second.”

  “I hope so. It’s rocking. I’ll have to adjust to that feeling.”

  “Yes, you will.” He took his hands away, though it was tough to do so. “If you’ll go sit on that bench by the steering wheel, I’ll untie us and then we’ll head out.”

  She did as he asked, moving slowly to the bench. He moved to turn the key and fired up the twin motors and then headed to the front of the boat. “This boat will get us close to the island I’m taking you to. It moves in shallow water easily.” He untied the front then went and untied the back; then he moved to stand beside her. “You can stand beside me and lean your hips against the bench seat or you can sit on it. Either way is fine.”

  She leaned against the seat and held onto the handle on the side of the dashboard. “I’ll try it this way at first.”

  “Sounds good. Here we go.” He pointed the boat out toward the mouth of the bay and then pushed the throttle forward and got them moving.

  He slid a glance at Sammy Jo and saw she was smiling into the wind. Her eyes glittered with happiness as she looked at him. “What do you think?” he asked over the wind.

  “I love this!”

  “So, do I. Lean back and hang on. Let’s do this.”

  The wind whipped into Sammy Jo’s eyes and tugged some strands of her hair from the clasp she’d pulled it back with. It was a losing battle as the strands played around her face, whipped about by the breeze rushing around her. She was filled with exhilaration and a sense of pure joy as the boat cut through the waves, passing sailboats and yachts. She could get used to this. Jake slowed the boat to watch a pontoon plane take off. It bounded over the water and then lifted into the air.

  “That looks fun too.” She leaned close so Jake could hear her.

  He smiled at her. “It is.”

  When the boat didn’t veer from its path toward them—her heart thundered as she watched it race over the water toward them. “Is it going to hit us?” She grabbed Jake’s arm just as the small plane lifted from the water and sailed easily over their head into the blue sky.

  She swung around, snapping her hands over her eyes as the plane dipped its left wing toward them before it rode in a long arch then flew back over them and then down the coast. She whirled to look at Jake. “I thought it was going to hit us.”

  His smile widened. “He wasn’t on the right trajectory to hit us, though it would look that way. That’s a friend of mine who enjoys giving me a hard time and buzzing my customers. I get him back sometimes.” He grinned. “It really just seems like he’s gonna hit you when he’s actually not on target for you.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. You could tell a girl, you know.”

  “And spoil the excitement of the moment for you?”

  “Or the thrill you get from watching me nearly hyperventilate.” She laughed. “And here I was just thinking you are a really nice guy.”

  “I am a nice guy. I’m helping you check things off your bucket list. My buddy can take you up in that plane, if you want to add that to your list.”

  She stared at him in dismay. “Are you serious?”

  “I am.”

  “I’ll think about it. My bucket list is a work in progress.”

  “Yeah, but it’s cool you have one. I want to see this bucket list fulfilled. You’re the first person I’ve ever known who actually wrote one down. I like that. It’s an adventure in itself.”

  They stared at each other.

  “Turtle!” he exclaimed, swerving the boat and sending Sammy Jo flying up against him. He wrapped an arm around her to steady her. “Sorry about that. I didn’t want to hit the poor turtle. It would have injured him or killed him. Are you okay?” He stared down at her and her heart was racing against his.

  She nodded, feeling his heart beating just as hard through his thin T-shirt. “I’m fine. Thanks for saving the turtle,” she said breathlessly and then pushed away from him to cling to the handle to steady herself, and to keep from
accidentally, on purpose, falling against him again.

  She thought about her bucket list. Her thoughts snagged on one item.

  “Hang on over there. It’s time to get you in the water. One island coming up.” He smiled at her.

  Her pulse raced and for a moment she let herself dream. The man was funny and amazing and she now had added him to her list… Instead of it reading kissing a man on a moonlit beach, it was now kiss Jake Sinclair on a moonlit beach.

  A girl could dream.

  Jake wasn’t sure why Sammy Jo affected him like no one else ever had, but he did know that she had something that pulled him in. Maybe it was her quiet spirit. Just looking at her gave him a sense of calm that he wasn’t used to. He was an on-the-go, fast-pace loving guy and so it was startling to look in her deep green eyes and just want to stay in a holding pattern. She’d probably think he was weird if he just stared at her hours on end, though.

  It was something he’d never experienced before. He was totally willing and ready to figure out how this dynamic was going to work.

  For now, he was enjoying the expression of joy on her face as he drove the boat over the blue waters of the coast he loved. Why had she never taken a risk? Why had she never opened a store? These were questions about her that filled his thoughts.

  “Are you having fun?” he asked after they had ridden in silence for a few minutes.

  Her eyes lit up like Fourth of July fireworks exploding. “I love it. I really do.”

  Her excitement drew him like a moth. Over her shoulder, he saw movement in the water. He touched her arm and leaned toward her. “There.” He pointed past her toward the pair of porpoises swimming not far from the boat, keeping pace as they glided through the water.

  Her gaze caught his. She hesitated and then turned to see what he was pointing at. “Oh wow,” she gasped. “They are fantastic.”

  His heart had picked up, being so close to her. Her hair tickled his nose and she had pressed back, probably without even realizing she was doing it, but her back was pressed against his shoulder as she watched the porpoises jumping from the water. He had the urge to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. But breathing in the scent of her, he reluctantly kept his hand on the steering wheel and drove, slowing down to stay near the dolphins. She pushed her strands of escaped hair out of her face and held it back with one hand as she studied the sleek gray mammals.