Read Online Tiny Island Summer by Rachelle Paige - Free Book Online
Authors: Rachelle Paige
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left nothing to the imagination.
The waitress approached Char from behind. Darcy took a sip from her drink and couldn’t help her smile. While not a particularly modest person, Char had often espoused the less is more mantra. To Char that meant the less skin on display. But the waitress must have a different interpretation. Char nearly choked when she caught sight of the knit dress putting her bra and barely there panties on full-display.
Darcy slapped Char’s back, and John escaped to yell at the brother who had just come out of the bathroom. Darcy smiled at the girl but made no move to talk to her. After an awkward few minutes of silence among the women, John and Ben rejoined the group.
“Ready to go?” Ben asked before coming to stand next to his date. She practically launched herself at him.
“Can I take this up front? Is that okay?” Darcy asked John.
“Sure, why don’t you and Char go up front. I’ll hand up some blankets so you’ll stay warm.”
“Great,” Darcy replied and beamed.
She and Char walked back to the front of the boat, made themselves cozy with the cushions and a few blankets from John, and settled in. Cold air blasted their cheeks as they pulled out of the slip and slowly made their way out onto open water. They turned north, and Darcy closed her eyes to take in deep breaths of clean air, catching the occasional whiff of a wood-burning fire. When she opened her eyes, they had left Madeline behind and were approaching another island. John slowed down and pulled the boat into a small bay.
Ben came to the front to weigh the anchor, and Char quickly dashed to the back. Darcy would have suspected Charlotte of trying to give Darcy and Ben alone time, but she knew the truth. Charlotte had no desire to leave her man with a tart.
Ben worked in silence, but curiosity got the better of Darcy.
“Ben? Hi, sorry. Where are we?”
Ben finished his task and came over to sit next to her.
“Why do you always apologize?” he asked after a moment’s pause.
“I don’t know. Because it’s the nice thing to do and the other person expects it?”
Ben seemed to consider that for a moment while she rearranged from sitting cross-legged to hugging her knees to her chest. She needed something solid to hold onto.
“Do you always do what’s expected?” Ben asked thoughtfully.
“I guess so,” Darcy answered, then reconsidered. “Yes and no actually. Sometimes I veer off course, but I generally seem to find my way back to what is expected of me.”
“So, you’re not a rebel.”
Darcy smiled and rested her chin on her knees. “Not in the least. Besides, who would I be rebelling against at this stage? I’m a grown-up now. This is my life.”
“Very true,” he nodded and replied, more to himself then to Darcy.
“Nice boat,” she said after a while.
“Thanks. It’s not mine. It’s my family’s.”
“Goes with the house?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s a pretty sweet setup.”
“We always took it for granted,” he said, shaking his head. “Growing up and coming here every summer. But I guess that’s what kids do. Take the good things for granted and blame their parents for all the things they can’t control.”
Darcy had no response for that. “So, where are we?”
“Raspberry Island. There’s a lighthouse here with nice views of the islands. You should come back. It’s a nice path through the woods.”
Darcy nodded.
“Maybe I should apologize.”
“Did John tell you to apologize?”
Ben sighed. “Yes, but he’s right. I kind of lost track of the day.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Darcy told him. “But you might want to keep your friend away from John and Char. Char is not amused.”
Ben grinned, and at that he stood and walked back to John.
Darcy sat by herself for a moment trying to gather her thoughts. She wasn’t mad at him about being on a date. Not even with his choice of date. He’d let her down, and yet she couldn’t help herself from
The waitress approached Char from behind. Darcy took a sip from her drink and couldn’t help her smile. While not a particularly modest person, Char had often espoused the less is more mantra. To Char that meant the less skin on display. But the waitress must have a different interpretation. Char nearly choked when she caught sight of the knit dress putting her bra and barely there panties on full-display.
Darcy slapped Char’s back, and John escaped to yell at the brother who had just come out of the bathroom. Darcy smiled at the girl but made no move to talk to her. After an awkward few minutes of silence among the women, John and Ben rejoined the group.
“Ready to go?” Ben asked before coming to stand next to his date. She practically launched herself at him.
“Can I take this up front? Is that okay?” Darcy asked John.
“Sure, why don’t you and Char go up front. I’ll hand up some blankets so you’ll stay warm.”
“Great,” Darcy replied and beamed.
She and Char walked back to the front of the boat, made themselves cozy with the cushions and a few blankets from John, and settled in. Cold air blasted their cheeks as they pulled out of the slip and slowly made their way out onto open water. They turned north, and Darcy closed her eyes to take in deep breaths of clean air, catching the occasional whiff of a wood-burning fire. When she opened her eyes, they had left Madeline behind and were approaching another island. John slowed down and pulled the boat into a small bay.
Ben came to the front to weigh the anchor, and Char quickly dashed to the back. Darcy would have suspected Charlotte of trying to give Darcy and Ben alone time, but she knew the truth. Charlotte had no desire to leave her man with a tart.
Ben worked in silence, but curiosity got the better of Darcy.
“Ben? Hi, sorry. Where are we?”
Ben finished his task and came over to sit next to her.
“Why do you always apologize?” he asked after a moment’s pause.
“I don’t know. Because it’s the nice thing to do and the other person expects it?”
Ben seemed to consider that for a moment while she rearranged from sitting cross-legged to hugging her knees to her chest. She needed something solid to hold onto.
“Do you always do what’s expected?” Ben asked thoughtfully.
“I guess so,” Darcy answered, then reconsidered. “Yes and no actually. Sometimes I veer off course, but I generally seem to find my way back to what is expected of me.”
“So, you’re not a rebel.”
Darcy smiled and rested her chin on her knees. “Not in the least. Besides, who would I be rebelling against at this stage? I’m a grown-up now. This is my life.”
“Very true,” he nodded and replied, more to himself then to Darcy.
“Nice boat,” she said after a while.
“Thanks. It’s not mine. It’s my family’s.”
“Goes with the house?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s a pretty sweet setup.”
“We always took it for granted,” he said, shaking his head. “Growing up and coming here every summer. But I guess that’s what kids do. Take the good things for granted and blame their parents for all the things they can’t control.”
Darcy had no response for that. “So, where are we?”
“Raspberry Island. There’s a lighthouse here with nice views of the islands. You should come back. It’s a nice path through the woods.”
Darcy nodded.
“Maybe I should apologize.”
“Did John tell you to apologize?”
Ben sighed. “Yes, but he’s right. I kind of lost track of the day.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Darcy told him. “But you might want to keep your friend away from John and Char. Char is not amused.”
Ben grinned, and at that he stood and walked back to John.
Darcy sat by herself for a moment trying to gather her thoughts. She wasn’t mad at him about being on a date. Not even with his choice of date. He’d let her down, and yet she couldn’t help herself from
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