Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
The captain nodded and yelled back, “Whenever you are.”
Four dock lines kept us tied to land. Edmund untied the first rope from a cleat, and my eyes bounced to the wooden path that led to the parking lot. No one was coming. The same thing happened as he untied the second and then the third rope. When he got to the fourth and final one, there was still no sign of Jagger. My shoulders slumped.
Once we were untied, Edmund jumped on board and gave the captain a thumbs up. He shifted the throttle forward, and slowly we began to pull away from the dock. It felt like I was leaving all my hopes behind. But then I looked back one last time and saw a man jogging down the path.
I jumped up from my chair. “Edmund, stop! Jagger is coming!”
CHAPTER 16
* * *
Sutton
You would’ve thought I had a disease.
Jagger kept his distance all afternoon. Though I was absolutely certain the same wasn’t true of his gaze. Even with his dark sunglasses on, I could feel his eyes on me every time I went anywhere near him. I might’ve made sure of it, shamelessly stripping down to my bikini and sunning myself while everyone else still wore their cover-ups.
It was less than an hour ride to Block Island. The captain slowed the boat as we entered the five-mile-per-hour zone that led to the marina.
“Which beach are we going to?” I asked Mom. She’d been here before, but it was my first time.
“Mansion Beach. It’s only about a ten-minute walk from where we’ll dock. But I’d like to stop on Water Street and do a little shopping first.”
Patrice lifted her sunglasses and smiled. “Did someone say shopping?”
Edmund chuckled. “I can give you kids directions if you don’t want to shop. We can meet you at the beach when the ladies are done. There aren’t that many stores, so we shouldn’t be more than an hour.”
“That sounds good to me,” Colette said.
“Me too.” Chloe shrugged. They both turned to me, waiting for an answer.
I had to spend time with Brendan and Colette because it was my mother’s birthday. But if Mom wasn’t going to be with them for an hour, neither was I. I pulled my cover-up out of my beach bag and shook my head. “I’m going to go check out these cliffs I read about while I was on the train this morning. Mohegan Bluffs?”
“Oh, they’re beautiful,” Mom said. “But we’re on the north side of the island, and the bluffs are on the south side. It’s probably at least a five-mile walk, right, honey?”
Edmund nodded. “Well over an hour, I’d say. Each way.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Oh.”
“There’s a scooter rental shop right on Water Street, though,” Edmund said. “Have you ever driven a scooter?”
I shook my head. “No, but it can’t be that hard to learn.”
Brendan scoffed. “You crashed the electric bike when we were up in Maine a few years ago and refused to get back on. And that thing doesn’t go half as fast as a scooter.”
Colette frowned. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to pretend I’d never dated her husband.
Jagger’s jaw flexed. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. I can give you a lesson before you go.”
“But, honey…” Mom shook her head. “You really shouldn’t rent one of those things by yourself. You have no experience riding a motor bike, and you also get lost pretty easily.”
I nibbled my lip, looking at Jagger. “I actually don’t have much of a sense of direction. Any chance I can talk you into going with me?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
Internally, I did a mental fist pump, while outside I did my best to look blasé.
Once the boat pulled into a slip, everyone grabbed their beach bags and piled off. The beach was in the opposite direction of the shops, and I was happy to be rid of Brendan and Colette for a while. Mom and Edmund and their friends went into a nautical-themed store, and then it was finally just Jagger and me.
He pointed to the right. “The scooter rental place is this way.”
“Thank you for coming with us today.”
“Your mom is great. Edmund is a lot more relaxed when she’s around.”
“Is that why you came? For my mom?”
Jagger looked over at me. “Did you really crash an eBike?”
“Just twice.”
“Then how about we rent one scooter, and I’ll drive.”
Hmmm… Let me see—picking rocks out of my knees after I crash, or wrapping my arms around this gorgeous man and getting to feel the abs I’ve been salivating over all day?
I nodded.
We arrived at the rental place, and I zoned in on a powder pink scooter. “Oooh. Can we get the pink one?”
His lip twitched. “Whatever you want.”
Fifteen minutes later, we both strapped on our helmets. Jagger straddled the pink scooter and released the kickstand before starting it. He pointed to the back. “Hop on.”