eeling sorry for her, and nothing more.
Gary’s plans weren’t working out at all. He’d assumed his and Katie’s slower pace in the tandem would frustrate Steven to the point he would continue ahead without them, leaving the two of them with a few leisurely hours alone. Instead, thanks to her unrelenting efforts, they’d not only spent the first hour alongside Steven, with no conversation whatsoever, but now Katie would finish the morning in the tandem with him.
Maybe it was just as well. He could see the latent attraction between Steven and Katie. He knew Katie would be happier with Steven in the long run. Like most women, she probably didn’t want to date a man with leukemia, even if it was currently in remission. Why open himself up to that kind of rejection again?
With Katie, the circumstances were even worse, since his cancer reminded her of her sister’s death. He’s seen the pain on her face, as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. If he really cared about her, he ought to leave her alone and encourage Steven to pursue her.
But right now, I just want to bash Steven’s teeth in.
“I have an alternative,” Gary said. “You go on ahead in the solo kayak, and let me take Katie for a tour. We’re going so fast, she’s not getting to enjoy the scenery.”
Gary kept his eyes trained on Steven, avoiding Katie’s glare as it burned into the side of his face.
Steven stood, swinging his arms in circles to loosen the muscles. “I like that plan.”
“Excuse me.” Katie waved her hand in front of Gary’s face. “I’m sitting right here. Someone might want to ask my opinion.”
Steven’s eyebrows lifted. “Ms. Carson, we didn’t mean to ignore you. Both Gary and I are equally capable of paddling the tandem and giving you a break. What do you prefer?”
Who would she choose?
Gary stole a glance at Katie, glad to see she no longer looked as if she might pass out any second. But her face was still flushed, perhaps from anger, rather than heat. She obviously had a thing for her boss. He’d seen the way she looked at Steven when he gave her that granola bar. Gary knew what her answer would be, and he didn’t want to hear it.
Abruptly, he was on his feet, his head tucked down to hide his glower. “I’m fine paddling the solo kayak.”
He reached to take the empty water bottle from her hand, but she jerked it away. “I haven’t told you my preference.”
“Fine.” He ground his teeth. “What do you want to do?”
She rose to her feet, surprisingly stable. “I think I’d like to go on the slow tour with you. But only if you won’t bite my head off.”
He fought to keep the silly grin off his face, but lost the battle. “What if I only bite off the tip of your nose?”
She tapped a slender finger on her arm with a thoughtful expression. “I’ll give up a small piece of my nose, but only if you’ll let me try paddling again.”
“That’s not a good idea—”
“Only if I get my strength back,” she amended. “I really think, in twenty minutes or so, I’ll be ready to try again. And I promise not to overdo it this time.”
“Okay, then. I’ll meet you guys back at Indigo Bay.” Steven didn’t seem the least bit perturbed. Gary still had a tinge of guilt that his friend was unaware of Katie’s attraction. But for whatever reason, this morning, Katie had chosen Gary, and he intended to take full advantage of it.
Katie regained some of her dignity, walking back to the kayak on her own two feet. Having failed at her first attempt to impress Gary, she wasn’t ready to give up. Somehow, she would find a way, even though she was starting with a significant deficit.
With her paddle resting across her legs, Katie leaned back and tried to enjoy the scenery, while flexing her fingers in hopes of regaining the strength in her arms.
“I’ve been trying to figure something out,” Gary said, as he paddled at an easy, steady pace, Steven having long since left them in his wake. “I thought you said you’d never kayaked before, but you knew exactly what to do, from the moment you stepped into the boat.”
“YouTube,” she answered. “There are how-to videos for everything on there. There’s a how-to-step-into-a-kayak and how-to-paddle-a-kayak and how-to-steer-a-kayak. I even watched the how-to-roll-a-kayak, so I would know what not to do.”
“Ah. Makes sense.” His soft chuckle floated past her ears. “I have to say, I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Katie.”
She kept her face forward, so he wouldn’t see her burning cheeks. “You probably don’t hang out much with nerds.”
“You think I’m a dumb jock, don’t you?”
“I never said that.” This time she cranked her head around to frown at him, but he was laughing.
“I’ll have you know I have an engineering degree from MIT.”