The Quietest Shop on Main (Shops on Main #3)

Chapter 15

15

S kyla held onto the rail of the boat as Dalton called back and forth with a man on the dock, the two working in tandem to get the boat docked properly.

With a small bounce off a large rubber cushion, the boat’s engine throttled down, and Skyla blew out a sigh of relief.

It might take her longer than she’d expected to get her sea legs. The night had been amazing, but the longer they’d been out on the open ocean, the more her knees had begun to shake. It might be tricky to walk once on dry land again.The man helping them tied off several ropes, then he and Dalton secured a small metal bridge for her to walk on.

“All ready, Captain,” the man said.

Dalton grinned. “I hate to say it, because that coat looks better on you than it ever did on me, but do you mind if we put it back so I’ll have it tomorrow for the tours?”

“Oh my gosh,” Skyla breathed, embarrassment causing her neck to heat. She scrambled to get it off. “I totally forgot I even had it on.” The removal of the coat brought a blast of cold wind even while she felt immediately lighter at the loss of weight. “I’m so sorry.” She handed it to Dalton, who was still grinning.

“I’m not,” he teased, leaning in as he lowered his voice. “Now we’ll have to think of other ways to keep you warm.”

“Dalton,” she scolded, though Skyla couldn’t help but smile. So new. So wonderful. She shook her head, huffing a small laugh.

He chuckled as he walked away, heading down the stairs to put everything away.

“Are you ready, Miss?” the man called from the dock.

“Oh, um…yes.” Skyla gave him a small smile and gripped the railing, then carefully made her way over the bridge.

Her worries about getting back on land were spot on as her legs began to tremble, and she stumbled once landing on the wood.

“Easy, there,” the man said, grabbing her elbow. “Captain would have my liver if I let you fall on your face.”

Skyla tried to laugh, but she was too embarrassed to make it genuine. “Sorry.”

“Dewey,” Dalton called as he leapt across the walkway without hesitating. “Are you making a move on my girl?”

My girl.

Once again, Skyla’s heart beat in an odd rhythm. Her life had never been exciting or adventurous, but it had been peaceful and pleasant. Now Dalton had snuck in and was opening Skyla’s eyes to all sorts of new experiences, some as simple as terms of endearment, and each one made her want to sigh and melt into a puddle.

Her knees shook again. Better wait to melt until she was home and ready for bed.

“I would never,” Dewey defended, then gave Skyla a wink.

She grinned just as Dalton’s arm went around her waist. “Thank goodness,” she gushed, latching her arms around his chest. “I feel like a newborn fawn. Please tell me this sensation goes away.”

Dalton’s grip tightened. “Probably. Though some people never really adjust.”

“You seem to have adjusted just fine,” Skyla grumbled.

Dalton and his friend chuckled.

“Where’s the catch?” Dewey asked, looking back at the boat.

Dalton slapped his forehead. “Totally spaced it. Hang on.” He went to let go of Skyla, but Dewey interrupted.

“I’ll get it,” he grumbled, though he smirked, clearly not put out by the offer. “Which chest is it in? And did you catch anything good?”

“The white one,” Dalton called. “Three rockfish. Medium sized.” He looked down at Skyla. “We’ll have to get them gutted and fileted. Then your freezer will be almost as full as mine.”

“How do you cook rockfish?” Skyla asked, her focus on her feet as they walked.

“They’re a white fleshed fish,” Dalton informed her. “Slightly firm. People say they have a nutty texture, but I’m not sure my pallet is refined enough to notice that.” He shrugged one shoulder. “They pair well with just about anything because their own flavor is mild.”

“Okay…” Skyla’s mind immediately began churning. Would he like lemon or capers? Perhaps a brown sugar dry rub? “I’ll have to do some experimenting.” She reached out her hand to grip the car when they arrived.

Dalton kissed her temple. “I volunteer as taste-tester.”

She smiled up at him. “I accept.”

Still smiling, he opened her door and helped her sit down.

Skyla groaned as she took the load off her legs. “That was crazy.”

Dalton just shook his head with a smile, closed her door and walked around to the back.

Skyla watched him in the side mirror as he waited, then chatted for a minute with his employee. They loaded the fish into a cooler in the back of the SUV before Dalton came around to the driver’s seat.

“Ready to head home?” he asked.

Skyla smiled and nodded, but inside she was already mourning. Fawn-like legs aside, she had no desire to let tonight go.

Her fingers were frozen, her nose brittle with cold, her lips probably cracked, and she could barely walk, but going home meant leaving Dalton’s side and Skyla wasn’t ready to do that.

Dalton cranked the heat and leaned over to turn the vents toward her. “Give it a minute, and you’ll feel better,” he assured her.

The truth was, he was the one who made her feel better, not the heating vents. But it was too much too soon to say that.

Her inexperience with men was definitely showing as Skyla fell harder with each and every sweet word that came out of Dalton’s mouth. She was quickly coming to rely on him, and that frightened her just a little.

Until a few weeks ago, Dalton had barely been a friend, and now Skyla wanted him to hold her and never let go. It couldn’t be healthy to fall this hard and fast, and it probably meant heartache was imminent.

Dalton reached over to take her hand and entwined it with his before resting them both on his thigh as he drove one-handed. “Did you have fun tonight?” he asked, giving her a wide smile before turning back to the road.

“Of course,” she said quickly.

“Even though I made you bait your own hook?”

Skyla scoffed and dropped her head back against her seat. “As I recall, Mr. Saunders, I said I wanted to.”

“Wanted to might be a strong word,” he teased.

Skyla snorted. “Okay…I said I wanted the full experience.” She sniffed. “And you gave that to me.”

He brought their hands up and kissed the back of hers. “And what about the rest of the experience? The untraditional part?”

“Are you saying that you don’t kiss all the women who step foot onto your boat?” Skyla asked, her amusement coloring her tone.

“You’re the first,” he assured her.

Skyla frowned and twisted in her seat just slightly. “Are you serious?”

Dalton nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never taken a girl on my boat for the express purpose of a date and with plans to kiss her.” He glanced at her. “Is that really so surprising?”

Skyla shook her head, an involuntary smile pulling at her mouth. “No, I just…you’re so kind and friendly. You just seem like the type who has probably dated quite a bit.”

“Nah,” Dalton continued. “Besides…the last two years I’ve been taking care of my sister. It hasn’t exactly been the time to pull a girlfriend into the mix.” His hand squeezed hers. “Not that there were any I was interested in, anyway.”

Skyla watched him, the profile of his face in the dim light of the vehicle. “I’m glad you had that meeting at the library,” she said softly.

Dalton’s smile made her heart pitter-patter. “And I’m glad you were working that night,” he reassured her. He kissed her hand again. “I’m also glad you weren’t as scared of me as I had originally assumed.”

Dalton’s stomach sank when he pulled into the Bowen’s driveway. He’d had Skyla with him for several hours now, and he still wasn’t ready to let her go.

But he had to. For propriety’s sake, if nothing else.

It was a weird sensation. To enjoy another’s company so much that the more time he was with them, the more time he wanted to be with them.

Dalton spent a lot of time with his sister. They worked together, they lived together. She’d cried on his shoulder and ranted about men more than Dalton could count. They were probably as close as two siblings could be and yet, sometimes, he wanted a break from her.

Sometimes he needed a walk or a run or an escape in one of his boats without Analiese by his side.

It wasn’t the same with Skyla. Each glance, each touch, each moment felt precious, and Dalton didn’t just want more of them, he wanted all of them.

He mentally smacked himself. He was totally getting ahead of himself. He’d kissed her for the first time tonight, and that stupid mushy brain of his was already jumping to something more permanent. The joke about her not being scared of him wouldn’t hold true if he started talking marriage and white picket fences this early in their relationship.

“Here we are,” he announced unnecessarily. Pasting a wide smile on his face, he grabbed his door handle. “Hold on. I’ll come get you.”

Before Skyla could argue with him, he walked swiftly around the SUV and opened her door, helping her down the single step. Holding her in place, Dalton glanced up at the house, making particular perusal of the windows. “I think it’s safe,” he whispered, waggling his eyebrows.

“Safe?” she asked.

Dalton smiled and shook his head. “Ah, Skyla. So innocent.” He leaned in. “Safe for one more of these.” So much for only one. Dalton kissed her, then kissed her again and again.

Soon enough he had a hand in her hair, her hat askew and his other arm around her back. Her fingertips caressed his jawline, and electricity zapped through his chest, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Dang it. He needed to stop.

Wrangling his self control into submission, Dalton slowed their exchange and eventually pulled back. Both of them were breathing heavily, and he rested his forehead against hers.

“I don’t think I need the heater anymore,” Skyla whispered softly.

Dalton chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “We better get you inside anyway, or I may decide to keep you.” He let her go and began to walk to the back of his vehicle. “I’ll grab the fish and be right there.”

“Dalton.”

He paused and turned back.

Skyla gave him that alluringly sky smile, tucking some hair back under her hat. “I don’t think I’d mind if you did,” she said, then turned and walked away a little quicker than normal.

Dalton was frozen to the spot. Had she really just said that? His shy, quiet, bookworm? He wasn’t sure how long he stood there in shock, but it was long enough for Analiese to come to the door.

“Did you turn into a popsicle?” she called from the threshold. “Skyla said you were bringing in fish.”

Dalton gave his head a hard shake. “Yeah. Hang on.” He pushed the button on the door and made his brain focus on the task at hand. A task which did not include visions of holding and kissing Skyla more.

“Get yourself together,” he scolded as he lugged the cooler out of the back. “Luca’s gonna beat your butt into submission if you don’t knock it off.”

“Why is Luca going to beat you?”

Dalton fumbled with the cooler. “Geez, Liese. Do you have to sneak up on me like that?” He frowned when she snickered. “Why are you out here? I said I was coming.”

“You were taking too long,” Analiese said, taking one side of the cooler from him. She smirked. “Must have had a pretty good time.”

Dalton grunted. “What makes you say that?”

Analiese bounced her side of the cooler. “Because this isn’t super heavy, which means you didn’t catch a lot of fish, but Skyla’s lips were way too chapped for only one evening on a boat.” Analiese’s smile grew. “Not to mention the beard burn around the edge of her mouth was quite telling.”

Dalton rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “Shut up,” he muttered, which only made Annaleise laugh. “Come on. Let’s get the fish inside.”

“So why will Luca beat you?” Analiese pressed.

“Can we just go inside, please?” Dalton snapped.

Analiese rolled her eyes as they walked up the steps. “So touchy, Big Bro.”

“See?” Skyla’s voice came through the door. “I told you we caught something,” she said.

Dalton looked up, and Skyla stood with her grandfather, smiling as he and Analiese entered the house.

“Is that what the kids call it nowadays?” Mr. Bowen huffed.

“Grandpa!” Skyla scolded.

Analiese’s laughter grew. “I’ll have to remember that one,” she teased.

Dalton glared at his sister, but she wasn’t paying him any heed. He shouldn’t be surprised. If she was willing to spill sordid stories about his antics as a kid, she was definitely willing to laugh at his flustered state now.

“How big was the one that got away?” Mr. Bowen asked, one side of his mouth pulled up.

“None,” Skyla said, sticking her chin in the air in defiance. “We pulled in every fish that tugged on the line.”

Dalton set down the cooler and closed the door, then opened the lid. “Ta da!”

Mr. Bowen pursed his lips and nodded slowly. “Not bad.” He glanced up at Skyla. “You gonna gut ‘em?”

Dalton couldn’t help but smirk at the face she made. “I think that’s Analiese’s job,” Dalton said, ignoring his sister’s cry of outrage. “She’s the best at it and always does it for friends and family.”

Analiese narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

Dalton knew that look. He’d better watch his back for a few days…but it would be worth it. He hated gutting fish, and Analiese was being a booger.

“Right,” Analiese said, nodding her head. “I’ll gut them.” She grinned. “And while I’m doing it, I’ll share every story of?—”

Dalton lunged forward, putting his hand over his sister’s mouth. He pulled her back and began dragging her toward the door. “Just put them in the fridge, and we’ll get to them tomorrow,” he promised, smiling when Skyla laughed behind her hand at the chaotic scene he was creating. “Ow!” He shook his hand where Analiese had bit it.

“Serves you?—”

Dalton cut her off again and barely managed to open the door to pull her out. “Night! See you soon!”

And he would see her soon. Analiese and her trouble notwithstanding. Something big had started tonight, and Dalton couldn’t wait to see where it took him.