wn bottoms as he dressed.
I gathered the rest of my things and then sat on the bed to watch as he got ready. The suit looked expensive and fit him like a glove. I still loved his naked form better, but he looked damn fine in a suit. He held up two ties as if to ask me which one he should wear. One was blue and the other green. I stood and took the blue one, wrapping it around his neck and easily tying a double Windsor knot.
“Where'd you learn to do that?” he asked softly.
“In high school. My crush was in orchestra with me and could never get his right for concerts. It was the perfect excuse to get to touch him.” I smoothed the tie down his shirt. I liked having a reason to be near Noah. “It worked. I got a date out of it.”
“Lucky guy,” he whispered. I grinned up at him.
“You have no idea. I am the best tie-tyer around.” I didn't tell him that the guy had gone on to break my heart when he left for college. It didn’t matter so much now.
“You're definitely pretty good at it,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss me. “I should let you do all of my ties, too. Beth always messes them up.”
Our lips met, soft and sweet. This felt good, like it could become normal. I could get very used to tying his ties for him in the morning. I pressed into the kiss until Beth started knocking on the door again.
“I'll call you as soon as I can,” he promised, pulling back but not letting me go. “If I get this done early...”
I went up on my toes and kissed his cheek. “Don't worry about it. I'll help Brooke with some shark-tagging today. Maybe I'll even bring you dinner from Adele's when I'm done.”
His face lit up at the idea. “You are wonderful. Fantastic. Amazing.”
I gave him a gentle push toward the door. “Flatterer.”
He turned and grinned. “Is it flattery if it's true?”
“Noah? You ready?” Beth called through the door. I pushed him again.
“Go to work. I'll see you this evening,” I told him as I slipped on my sandals and followed him. His hand went to the knob, but he didn't open it. Instead he just turned and kissed me again.
“I love you,” he said simply as he straightened up and opened the door.
“Me too.” I stepped out, nearly running into a now very businesslike Beth. She had a full dress suit that made her look professional instead of like a pixie. He winked at me before taking a file from Beth's hands. I grinned at him one last time before turning to head up the path back to the beach. This wasn't quite the way I had been expecting the day to turn out, but as I played with my shark tooth necklace, I figured it was still a pretty damn good day.
Chapter 17
Thunder boomed. The air was heavy with the promise of rain as Brooke and I brought the boat into the dock and secured it. Lightning flashed out at the horizon, striking the water with a blinding brilliance. I double-checked to make sure the knots were secure on the boat; I didn't want it floating out to sea with the storm.
“Thanks for the help today, Izzy,” Brooke said, heaving her gear onto the dock. We’d had an amazingly successful run. “This data is going to be amazing. If the Grove thing doesn't work out for you, I'll take you on my project in a heartbeat.”
“You are most welcome, but I have a good feeling about the Grove. That's where my future is,” I told her, securing another rope on the boat. Another peal of thunder made the air shudder around us.
“Yeah, you do mesh better with baby sharks than the big scary ones,” she teased. I had done more than all right with “the big scary ones” today, but she was right. I enjoyed the nursery of the Grove far more than the wild of the open ocean.
“You go on in. I'll finish tying up and bring in the cooler.” I tossed her the empty canvas bag that had held our lunch.
“Sounds good.” Brooke nodded, her light blonde hair catching in the wind and whipping around her face. “Thanks, though. You're the best.”
“That's what everyone tells me these days,” I replied with a laugh. Brooke picked up the rest of her equipment and hurried down the dock toward the house. The storm was coming in fast. I could see the rain creeping toward the island along the ocean in thick gray sheets. I finished lashing down the rest of the boat, grabbed the cooler, and hurried to the backdoor in an effort to beat the rain.
Thunder shook the windows as I fought the wind to open the kitchen door. The storm was picking up and tossing the leaves of the palm trees around like they were in a crazy dance party. The t-shirt and shorts I had changed into to work on the boat flapped wildly around my body as I struggled with the door. With a loud slam, the wind shut the heavy storm-door behind me, and I set the cooler down. The room was dark and gray, since the light was off and it was so cloudy outside. I ran a hand up to smooth my windblown hair, moving the cooler with my foot so that it rested against the wall and out of the way.
“Izzy?”
I startled, looking up at the kitchen entrance. Standing in the doorway to the next room was Doc, his arms uncharacteristically crossed in front of him. I wasn't sure if it was just the gray light of the storm, but he looked older. Tired. Where I was used to smiles and light, dark lines were now etched into the planes of his face. Something was wrong.
“You scared me,” I said, putting a hand to my chest. My heart was pounding, and my palms were suddenly sticky with sweat. The grim look on Doc's face frightened me. “Did something happen to Devon or Lucas?”
“Devon and Lucas are fine,” Doc answered. His face crumpled a little, but he did his best to hide it. “I need to talk to you.”