a white porch added a welcoming touch. Like Come on in for a lemonade, and later we’ll save ships from crashing.
“It’s beautiful. Not as elegant as the mansions we planned on filming, but if men don’t feel like men when they see the craftsmanship of buildings and lighthouses that’ve withstood the test of time, that’s not our problem.” Vanessa nudged Danae. “Right?”
“Hear, hear!” Danae added, lifting her fist in the air.
Josh surreptitiously checked the time on his watch. They were forty minutes late for their tour of the Block Island lighthouse, but Danae hadn’t mentioned the fact that they were behind schedule. Maybe there’s hope for her yet.
The tour guide greeted the group and gave them a mini history lesson. Mariners had always given Block Island a wide berth, on account of the submerged rocks and sandy shoals. She also explained that though the tower was fairly short, its elevated location atop Mohegan Bluffs allowed its flashing green light to shine over two hundred feet above the water.
Due to the narrow stairway, they were going to have to climb to the top in shifts, and Josh purposely hung back so he could go at the same time as Danae.
While they waited for the first group, Josh, Danae, and Vanessa walked to the edge of the bluff and peered down at the shore.
“Wow, that’s some drop,” Danae said.
“About ten stories.” Josh leaned farther to get a better look, and Danae grabbed his wrist. He glanced over his shoulder at her, and he hadn’t realized before that a grimace could be cute, but on her it was.
“Sorry. But you’re making me nervous.”
“Aww. You worry about me?”
“About your judgment, yes.”
He laughed, as did Vanessa. Danae, not so much.
“I figured to save time, we could just roll down to the shore instead of hiking it.” He tested the bounds of her grip, leaning another inch or so, and her fingers dug in, nearing cutting-off-circulation territory. “I know how much you care about sticking to the itinerary.”
Vanessa tried to hide her laugh with a cough, but Danae still shot her a look. “Et tu, Brute?”
“I can’t help that he’s funny,” Vanessa said. “Or that he managed to figure out how you tick in only two days.”
“Full disclosure: Thanks to a couple of days of lengthy emails, I had a head start.”
“Very funny. I bet the other group is almost done, so if you guys can take a break from teasing me, we should head back to the entrance.” With a grunt, Danae tugged him backward a foot or so. As soon as she let his wrist go, he immediately missed her touch.
It almost made him want to find other ways to be devious.
Since he didn’t want to stress her out, he followed after. She must have had some internal sensor, because sure enough, the other group was exiting the building as they walked up to the red-brick lighthouse.
The inside smelled a bit musty, the way old buildings near bodies of water often did. The small entryway led to the narrow staircase, and then the metallic clink, clink of footsteps filled the air as they began to climb.
Halfway to the top, Josh peered down at the inside of the cool spiral staircase. As a result of the humidity, the steps were a mixture of coppery blue and green shades. “It’s like art.”
Danae hugged the outer curve of the staircase. “It’s also a century and a half old, so I hope you’re not trusting that railing to hold you. I’m done trying to pull you back from danger.”
“At least take a look at it.” Josh held out a hand. “Here, I’ll anchor you.”
She studied his hand, and he tensed as she didn’t make a move to take it. He shouldn’t care either way, but he wanted her to experience the bird’s-eye view. Wanted her to trust him.
Wanted to have her hand in his again, like earlier when they’d been rushing through the rain.
Just as he was about to charge up the stairs feeling like an idiot for putting himself out there, she stretched out her arm and placed her palm in his. “You have to be an anchor closer to the wall if I’m going to do this.”
He bit back a smile. “Okay.” As requested, he hung near the wall, holding tight to her hand as she peeked over the railing.
“It does look amazing.” Danae slipped her phone out of her pocket and, gripping her phone so securely her knuckles turned white, snapped a picture.
“Ooh, make sure