Page 84 of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

Hazel had retired from piloting the boat and was curled up under the blanket he’d tossed her when the wind picked up. Her big brown eyes watched him, a worried crease appearing between her brows.

Damn it.

He’d told her to trust him and he was royally screwing it up. So much for not coming up short.

‘A bit of weather coming our way.’

‘I assume that doesn’t mean good weather.’

‘Uh ... no, not really.’ He ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing with ideas on what to do. The water was already choppy, the white tops of the waves crashing into the sides of the boat.

Where had this damn storm come from? He’d been so confident it wouldn’t hit them. And then he’d let himself get distracted. He’d dropped the ball. Again.

There’s just so many ways this could go wrong.

‘Noah...’ There was fear in her voice and he hated it.

‘Hazel.’ Her face was turned out toward the water, her hands clenched tight to the metal bar beside the bench she was sitting on. ‘Hazel, look at me.’ His voice was stern, serious, so different from his usual tone that her head whipped back to face him.

‘I got this, okay? I have a plan.’

She nodded, her gaze frozen on his.

‘Promise.’

‘Okay.’ Her response was nearly lost in the wind. But he heard it. Small but sure. Trusting. She was trusting him with a whole hell of a lot more than her fun summer now.

‘Put this on.’ He tossed her a life jacket and her eyes widened. ‘Just as a precaution.’

It was raining now and her glasses were speckled with water but it didn’t hide the fear in her eyes as she pulled on the life jacket and buckled it over her chest.

‘And remember, if you see any sharks just punch them in the gills.’

A little whimper of fear escaped her.

‘I was kidding! God, Hazel, I’m sorry. I was just kidding. We’re going to be fine, okay? I know a place where we can wait out the storm, all right?’

She nodded. Just barely. No witty response.

‘And then maybe you can finally get some reading done, okay?’

He got a small smile from her at that and that was all he had time for at the moment. He had to turn this damn boat around and get them to safety. Now.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Wind, whipping her wet curls against her face.

Rain, soaking her jeans and these stupid, canvas sneakers.

Endless gray waves with white peaks.

Dark clouds racing across the sky, like the storm was in a hurry to arrive, eager to rage.

Noah’s handsome face set in grim determination as he steered the boat.

That’s what Hazel focused on. Noah’s face. Not her cold feet or her wet hair or the violent rocking of the boat or the thoughts of how horribly cold the sea must be right now, how terrifying it would be to plunge into that dark water.

Hazel was wearing the giant raincoat Noah had tossed her when the rain started and she pulled the hood further over her hair. They were under the small roof that covered the cockpit but the wind was driving the rain sideways and into the open sides of the boat. The life jacket she had fastened around her middle, squeezed around her ribs with each deep breath she tried to suck into her panicked lungs.