“Got it in one.” He winked, grabbing his rain jacket.
Vince practically flew out the door.
Yup.This day just kept getting better and better.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Lace couldn’t wait to get home. A home she’d soon be sharing with Vincent.
Not that she’d see him very much, what with her busy schedule and his, but just knowing someone else would be in the house, living under the same roof, made her feel a modicum of comfort that she hadn’t had since her grandparents died.
The man was still somewhat of a puzzle. But one she was looking forward to solving.
Like today. What would Vincent pick up for lunch? With guys it was usually either pizza, subs, or Chinese.
Lace’s guess was pizza, and the thought of warm gooey cheese on a raw day had her happily contemplating this rare opportunity for a real lunch.
Once they docked at the pier, Lace grabbed the bag that held her computer and a few other personal items. Saying goodbye to Zach and Ryan she practically skipped down the companionway.
She received nothing more than a scowl from the captain as she disembarked, which was actually colder than his normal grunt.
Seriously? He was going to hold a change in days off against her?
Well, if that were the case, it was his problem. He’d either get over it eventually, or not speak to her for the rest of the summer.
Her choice? The latter. What a boon, not to have to make small talk with the taciturn prick for the next few months.
A few months…
Lace sighed. She seriously couldn’t wait for this job to wrap up in the fall, which was a new feeling for her.
Oh, she’d met crews in the past who weren’t exactly keen about having her on board, but she’d more often than not been able to win the majority of them over before too much time passed.
Not so on theWater Wrestler.
Maybe the problem was her? Maybe the breast cancer and the chemo had her off her game more than she realized—even though she’d done everything she could to hide it—and had her more unapproachable.
Not that Captain Up-his-ass would give a shit one way or another. If he found out she had cancer, he’d probably tell her to go die already. It wouldn’t surprise her.
Lace walked across the nearly empty parking lot to her car and opened her door. Getting inside, she dropped her small backpack onto the passenger seat.
Thirty seconds later, she was leaving the lot.
It was a twenty-minute trip home. She wondered who’d be there first? Her or Vince.
If it was Vince…
Lace’s mind’s eye suddenly dropped into another realm as she drove.
Vince. On her couch. Wearing nothing but sweats…
No. Scrub that.
Wearing no shirt. Just shorts…
Not quite right.
Wearing nothing but boxers.