A Time for Us - By Amy Knupp Page 0,46
without a word, not wanting to debate with her in front of Cale. After a glare at her mom, she set the mixer down and faced him. “I’m not much of a partygoer.”
“It’s not really a party. Think of it as a boat ride on the gulf.”
Rachel’s mom walked over to her and took the mixer from in front of her. “Out.”
“Now?” Rachel asked in disbelief. “You practically forced me in here an hour ago.”
“And now I’m forcing you out. Go with Cale. Get some fresh air. The journals will be there when you get back, I promise.”
Rachel stared at her mom for a handful of seconds. To refuse to go at this point would be beyond rude. She didn’t have that in her, and her mom knew that. Slowly, she pivoted around to Cale. “I guess I’m going on a boat ride.” She forced a smile.
“Good. Just put on a swimsuit and something over it. I’ve got everything else we’ll need.”
A swimsuit. Didn’t that just make everything a touch more fabulous? Her smile was still pasted in place as she nodded. “You got it.”
She’d kill her mother later.
* * *
CALE SUSPECTED INVITING Rachel to go with him to Evan and Selena Drake’s party was a mistake right after they got to the marina and walked up to the Drakes’ trawler yacht.
He hadn’t had a chance to warn Evan he was bringing someone. Although his friend had made it clear Cale was welcome to bring a guest, he realized a little heads-up would have proven wise in this particular circumstance when he caught Derek Severson and Evan, who’d both known Noelle, exchanging a wide-eyed look up on the flybridge as Cale and Rachel climbed aboard into the midst of eight or nine people on the roomy aft deck.
“Cale, you made it,” Selena said and took his hand. Macey Severson, Derek’s wife, looked subtly shell-shocked until he was able to introduce Rachel.
“Everyone, this is Dr. Rachel Culver—”
“Noelle’s sister,” Clay Marlow announced, as understanding obviously dawned on him.
Cale couldn’t imagine how Rachel felt to repeatedly have people direct that momentarily stunned expression at her.
She smiled just enough that no one else was likely able to tell she wanted to throw up from nerves, but Cale could see it. He put his arm around her waist, hoping to reassure her.
“Since this is a no-name-tags affair, pay close attention,” he told her in a mock-serious voice. “Up top is the captain, Evan Drake, the fire station’s former playboy until he got snapped up by Selena.” He gestured at Selena, who smiled warmly to welcome Rachel. “Derek Severson is up there with Evan.”
“Nice to meet you,” Derek called down, lifting his aviator shades so she could see his face.
“Derek, like the rest of these guys, is a firefighter, and he and his wife, Macey, own the Shell Shack bar. Do you know it?”
“I’ve heard of it,” Rachel said. “I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never been there.”
A round of exaggerated disbelief and phony outrage went up around them. “Island mainstay!” Evan called.
“Fire-department mainstay,” Clay added and everyone laughed. “Make sure Cale takes you there. Best bar on the island, by far.”
“It’s our food that makes us famous, right?” Macey, who was a lot of months pregnant, said.
“That and your Sandblaster,” Cale said. “It’s a triple-size drink with about a dozen types of alcohol in it. It’s feared and revered far beyond the island,” he explained to Rachel. “This is Clay Marlow and his wife, Andie. They have a daughter who’s...how old?”
“Seven going on sixteen,” Clay said. “She’s staying with my sister today.”
“She’d much rather be on a boat ride having all her daddy’s firefighter colleagues spoil her,” Andie, who had multiple intricate tattoos curling out from under her short sleeves, said.
“Nice to meet you all,” Rachel said stiffly. “I really like Cale’s idea of name tags. I’m used to having people’s names readily available on their medical charts.”
Everyone laughed and Cale squeezed her waist briefly, again to try to put her at ease.
“What kind of a doctor are you, Rachel?” Macey asked.
“Emergency medicine. I’m sure I’ll see some of you guys bringing in patients to the E.R.” Rachel nodded to the men.
“Not an ob-gyn,” Derek hollered to Macey, “so keep your legs crossed while we’re out on the gulf.”
“Baby’s not coming for two months, Mr. Impatient,” Macey said. “Two months, you hear that?”
“Unless baby has other plans and decides to come before that,” Selena said. “But we’ll cross our fingers she’ll stay put for a while.”
“I