Freshwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (6 page)

"I'm not really sure why I'm here, but... I didn't know where else to go. I'll leave if you don't want me here." His voice was low and full of restrained heartache. It sounded as if he had been crying, and given that his eyes were red and his hair disheveled, I certainly thought he had been. I wanted to stand up and give him a hug, to comfort the misery hanging heavy on his shoulders, but I made myself stay in bed. Just because I still thought of him as a friend, it didn't negate the fact we hadn't spoken in years.

"No, don't go. Here, have a seat," I offered, pointing to one of the chairs next to my bed. He stared at it for a moment before moving slowly. He sat gingerly, as though I might change my mind at any second and ask him to leave. We sat in silence for a moment.

"The doctor said I should have drowned out there, and Grace told me you pulled me from the water. Did you really save me?" I asked him. I was still trying to make sense of the whole event. I remembered the pull of the water, and strong arms around me holding me up to the air. There was pain and the water was so cold. It was difficult to put the pieces of my fuzzy memory back into place and I was still trying to understand how it all happened.

Robbie frowned, staring at his feet. "If you mean, crashed into you, knocked you unconscious and then had the decency to dive in and get you out of the mess I created, then yes. I saved you. But I'm not a hero. Not by a long shot."

"Well, thank you for not letting me drown. I appreciate that," I said, a smile playing on my face. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, but he just kept staring at the floor.

"I want to apologize to you. I know Rachel came down, and that you reached an agreement with her, but I wanted to apologize in person. This never should have happened, and I can't begin to tell you how incredibly sorry I am." He looked up at me, his green eyes bright with regret. "You are the last person I would ever want to hurt."

A smile curved on my lips. Those green eyes were the same ones I remembered. There was a boyish spark in them, and I didn't want to look away. I knew I should be angry with him, that I had every right to be furious, but I wasn't. I had tried all night to be mad at him, but instead, I had found myself worrying about him.

"You know I could never stay mad at you," I said softly. I gave his shoulder a slight squeeze. "Rachel said your dad is sick. I can understand the pain that causes. Pain makes you do crazy, stupid things."

He nodded, looking down again. "Yeah... I thought he hated me and he was just getting sicker. The idea that he was going to leave thinking I was a failure... I just wanted to go out on the water where I could think."

A tear slid down his face, dripping onto the floor. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and crossed his arms to his chest. I looked away and glanced up at the TV, giving him a moment to recover. A man was speaking into the camera, but the caption underneath told me why Robbie was so upset: "Breaking News: Billionaire Oil Mogul Daniel Saunders Dead at Age 67."

"Oh, Robbie, I'm so sorry," I whispered as I turned back to him, his eyes up on the TV.

"His last words to me were that he was proud of me. That I didn't disappoint him. He said he loved me." Robbie's voice cracked with emotion. I moved my hand to his, and he held it as though I were his lifeline. His eyes were also up on the television screen, glued to the picture of his father, as he let the words inside of him spill out. I stayed quiet, letting him give voice to the pain.

"I thought he hated me for so long. My whole life, everything was always about Jack and the company. I hated that stupid oil company. It always felt like he loved it more than me. That he had more time for his company than he did for his own son." Robbie paused for a moment and I hit the power button on the remote. The screen faded to black, but he kept staring up at it.

"Last night, I went to see him. We talked for hours, and he actually listened. We talked about sailing and racing, and... he was the father I remembered having as a little kid. He was the one who got me into sailing in the first place. We used to go out, just the two of us, on his boat and just see how fast we could sail around the bay. Jack hated getting up that early, and Mom never liked to sail, so it was just us." Robbie's eyes clouded as he sailed in his memory.

I gave his hand a light squeeze but didn't say anything. He just needed me to listen and be there for him. I had no words to tell him anyway, no way to take the sting from this passing. He just needed someone to understand and let him talk.

"I don't know when we stopped doing that. We just didn't go anymore, and then things went downhill from there. He got so busy with Jack, and I was forgotten. Nothing I did was ever good enough, and if it didn't have to do with the company, no one was interested. I was so sure he hated me. But he didn't." Robbie paused, and looked over at me. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. Or even why I'm here. It just felt right to come and tell you, though. Maybe it's just to explain what I've done."

"It's okay. You can tell me anything. It's been a while, but I'm still your first mate," I said. His hand tightened around mine, his skin growing warmer the longer we touched.

We sat there, our fingers wrapped around one another as the sun slanted through the window, the world awash in orange fire. He might be taller and stronger now, but this was still my Robbie. It was as if no time had passed while we were apart; the two of us came back together as easily as if it had been days instead of years. The connection that we shared was still there, and we didn't even have to talk to find it.

We would have sat there like that into the night, except the nurse came by to tell me the doctor was finally on his way. Robbie roused himself as though he had been lost to a deep sleep and stood once the nurse left. I felt a small twinge of sadness as he let go of my hand.

"Thank you," he said. He managed a sad smile, and ran his fingers through his short, sandy colored hair.

"Anytime. It was actually really nice to see you." My fingers started playing with the end of my ponytail, and I bit my lip. I really wanted to see him again.

"Would it be okay if I saw you again?" he asked, as though he had heard the words inside my mind. I couldn't have stopped the smile that spread across my face even if I had wanted to.

"I would like that very much. I've missed you, Robbie."

"I've missed you too, Sam. I tried to find you after you moved, but my calls never went through." His legs pressed against the bed as he looked down at me. A surge of happiness went through me that he had looked for me too. "Things are always better when you're around."

He paused, as though he wanted to say more, but then Dr. Robins walked into the room. Robbie nodded to doctor and raised his hand in a wave as he headed toward the door. "I'll see you soon, Sam," he called. And then he was gone again.

Dr. Robins began asking me questions, checking me out one last time so I could go home, but my mind wasn't on him. It was on the man that I knew as the boy with the bucket at his feet.

I
blinked as I stepped into the bright afternoon. After the dim restaurant, the sunlight seemed almost unnaturally bright. The sky was still a cloudless blue, and the water smelled salty and clean as it came off the ocean. The afternoon was almost unseasonably warm, and it felt surreal to have the warmth with the fall colors filling the trees. Despite my manager's best efforts to make my life miserable, it was a beautiful day.

"And Sam, if you miss another shift—you're fired!" Mike called out before the door swung shut. I didn't even turn around; I just kept walking. It was a gorgeous day, and I wasn't about to let him spoil it. He had been pissed about my missed shifts and had cut my hours just like I suspected he would. Normally, I would have been panicking, but I knew the money Rachel had promised had already been wired into my bank account.

The freedom of knowing that my credit cards were going to be paid off and that the tuition for Avery's private school was covered, despite losing my work hours, was fantastic. I could hop, skip, and sing because I knew I had at least a little bit of financial flexibility.

I hummed softly as I walked along the dock. Fishing boats bobbed gently in the distance, the white of their paint like extra wave caps in the distance. It was a perfect afternoon. If I had my windsurfing gear, I would have been out on the water in an instant.

I stumbled on a loose board, catching myself before I fell. My side burned and I grimaced, pressing my hand into my bruised rib. The rib was healing, but it still hurt if I breathed in too deeply. My wrist was no longer swollen, but I was still babying it. A couple of days more, and the bruises would be faded and I'd be back to my old self. In a week, no one would even be able to tell I had been in an accident in the first place.

I waved to Sheriff Matt as I walked up alongside his boat. It was a simple motor boat, perfect for fishing and day trips. I could see his poles and gear all stashed neatly in a corner as he pulled into his slip.

"Catch anything good?" I called out, grabbing his line as he threw it toward shore. I deftly secured his small fishing boat as he hopped onto the dock, carrying a cooler of fish.

"A couple of bass. You want one? I end up storing half of what I catch in my freezer until I'm sick to death of fish. You and your sister can have one on me," he offered. I thought about it for a moment but shook my head.

"Avery is going through a phase where, in addition to only wearing her princess costume, she will only eat things that are orange or green. Or chocolate." I gave him a smile. "So unless your bass is orange, green or made of chocolate, I'm afraid it won't get eaten at our house. Thank you, though."

Sheriff Matt laughed. "No problem. I'm sure I'll find something to do with it." He looked me over, obviously checking to make sure I wasn't still banged up from the accident. "How's Robbie doing? I haven't seen him for a couple of days, but I heard he stopped by the hospital to see you."

"He did. He's having a hard time getting over his dad's death. I think it's gonna take him a while to really accept it. At least they went out on good terms, but... I know how hard it can be to lose a parent. It hurts so deep, and that just never goes away." I looked down at the wooden planks, remembering my own grief. My heart ached for Robbie. This wasn't something that could simply be gotten over. "I'm supposed to meet up with him later this week. I'll tell him you said hi."

"I'm sure he'll just love that," Sheriff Matt said, rolling his eyes. "He's got potential. I just wish he'd see that. You sure you don't want a fish?"

"Yes, I'm sure," I said, nodding vigorously.

"I'll see you around, then. Have a good afternoon," the sheriff called out as he limped back toward the County Jail. I watched him for a moment. I knew he had been in the Army, but he never spoke about his injury. The way his eyes clouded whenever anyone mentioned it, though, I had a feeling it was not just a physical injury that caused the pain.

I continued along the dock. The smell of fish and seaweed brought back happy memories of my childhood. I had spent most of my days out on the ocean, playing with Robbie on boats or in the water. Even at school, sailing was all that Robbie and I ever talked about. We had big plans to sail across the ocean and see the world. Those plans had seemed so important back then.

I came around to a marina slip that was usually empty. I considered it my "dream" stall. It was where I liked to launch my windsurfing gear, and where I someday hoped to put a boat of my own. Where I was expecting an empty space, a beautiful, shiny new J111 racing sailboat sat bobbing gently.

I whistled softly, looking her up and down. She was just big enough that you could fit a party on the deck, but small enough that two could easily sail her. She had a strong, tall mast and what looked like new sails. I knew from experience that when properly handled, she would fly like the wind across the water. She was a beautiful, fast racing boat.

"Do you like it?" Robbie asked, stepping out from behind me. He had on his typical sailing gear of windbreaker-like pants and a tight fitting rash-guard shirt. His muscles, honed from years of sailing, were prominently displayed through the thin fabric.

"What do you mean, 'do I like it'? It's a beautiful boat. You win races with that kind of boat," I answered.

"Good. She's yours." Robbie watched my expression carefully as shook my head, trying to figure out exactly what he meant.

"You're giving me a boat?"

"Yes. I figured it's the least I could do. I knew you could always use something to race in, so I thought this would work. Do you like it?" A hint of concern that I might turn him down entered his voice, but he did his best to keep it hidden.

He needn't have worried. This was the boat of my dreams.

"This is almost too nice, Robbie. I don't know what to say," I said, stepping closer to the beautiful work of art that was this boat.

"Yes. You should say yes. It's not like I can't afford it."

"Then yes. And a big, big thank you," I said. His face relaxed as I smiled. "How did you know I would want this one? She's perfect."

Robbie blushed slightly. "I saw that you placed with this boat at nationals last year. You got your best times with this model."

"This has always been my favorite." I grinned and gave him a hug. His body pressed into mine, and I felt something in the pit of my stomach start to heat. I liked the way he felt against me. I held on for a moment longer than necessary, pulling away reluctantly. He just felt so good.

"You want to take her out for a spin?" Robbie's green eyes glinted in the sun with excitement.

"Hell yes! I was wondering how long you were going to make me wait," I said, hopping onto the deck and starting to untie the lines. Robbie laughed, his smile shining across the boat as he untied the mooring lines and jumped aboard.

He went to the back of the boat, taking control of the helm while I started the engine. The motor whirred to life and Robbie navigated us out of the harbor and into deeper waters. The wind was crisp and cool, the dark blue water calm with the white tips of the waves beckoning us out toward the horizon. It was a perfect day for sailing.