“It’s really good,” she moaned around a mouthful of spicy tomato sauce and melted cheese.
“It is. You’ll have to try Zane’s when we get to High Tide Harbor. It’s even better.”
“I'm sure it will be,” she said. “Best pizza I ever had was in this little town in Italy. My Grams and I took cooking lessons one summer. Pulled the tomatoes right off the vines on the villa property where we stayed. Now that’s an experience.”
He glanced away, his jaw tensing. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t a fan of the real stuff. "Okay. So back to what I was about to tell you… I spoke to your father.”
The slice of pizza stopped halfway to her mouth and she shook her head. "Okay… so what did he say?" she asked.
David reached for another slice and Bonnie considered if they should order a second pie. As if he read her mind, he signaled their server, ordered another beer and, to Bonnie's amusement, another pizza. “I think he's beginning to get used to the idea of you not being home. I told him you were fine and safe and he seems okay with it now. He just needed the assurance… I think he won't be needing my services anymore…Next time he calls, you should talk to him."
Bonnie shrugged, but all that came out from her mouth was, "Oh". To think that at a time, she'd been angry at her father for sending David to her, but now that he'd soon be leaving her on her own, she hated and even dreaded the idea. She managed to look at him and found him staring at her with an intense look on his face, obviously waiting for her to say something. "I guess that's good news," she finally added.
David nodded. "Yeah I guess it is," he replied.
Did he really think so? The rest of the pizza was eaten in silence, and when they returned to the boat, Bonnie was close to tears. She didn't say much, but told him she had to lie down for a while, to which he simply nodded a reply. Being apart at the moment seemed like a good idea. He needed some time to be alone too.
—----------
“You do realize that bird isn’t ours, don't you?” David stood back as Bonnie accepted the bag from the cashier at a convenience store before they headed over to the marina. “What are you going to do with those baby toys when Duchess takes off again?”
“Donate them to an animal shelter or vet’s office. Does High Tide Harbor have either?”
“Seeing as they don’t live in the Dark Ages, yes. They have both, actually.” She really was disconnected from the real world, wasn’t she? David thought.
“Were those really necessary? We don’t want to entice Duchess to stay.”
“Maybe not,” Bonnie agreed in that carefree tone of hers that buoyed David's dwindling spirits. “But we also don’t want her ripping apart your boat because she’s bored.” She dug into the bag and pulled out the oversized plastic ring of keys. She jangled them in front of her. “Besides, they’re so cute!”
“Adorable.” Tired of waiting for her to tell him, he finally asked, “So what did you and your father talk about when you spoke to him… or should I say what did you agree on?”
Bonnie turned confused eyes on him. “You were sitting right there when we were talking.”
He scratched his chin, not wanting to admit that he was actually anxious to know what she discussed with her father. "Yeah I was, but I could only hear your part"
"He would prefer if I was home with them" she sighed and began, "But he's satisfied that I'm fine and willing to let me be. Says he'll no longer be needing you to…. Watch me. I guess he told you that already"
David nodded. "Yeah, he sent the remainder of my payment already. So I guess you will be leaving after we arrive at High Tide Harbour…"
Bonnie nodded. "I guess this is it," she said. It wasn't really a statement but a question. She didn’t want to push him …She knew that he regretted their kisses…and he didn’t seem to want to stay with her. There was no point in fact. They both needed to go back to their lives, and she hated the fact that she had let herself get so carried away to the point of forgetting that he was here with her because it was his job. But still, she wanted to know if he wanted something more…like she did. What is going to happen now? Would they separate and not see or speak to each other anymore. Just thinking about it made her feel sick…His reply was even more disappointing.
"Yeah I guess this is it," he agreed.
She faced him and lifted a hand to his face, stroked his cheek and offered him the saddest smile he’d ever seen. She knew what she wanted and she had to try. She couldn’t bear to lose the one person she had managed to really connect to in a long time. She didn’t want this to be the end for them. “You don't really want that, do you?" she asked before she added. "I don't… if that means anything to you. I know that I shouldn't be saying this but I have grown attached to you… and I don't want this to be 'it' for us. If you are going to be honest with yourself, I’m sure that you will see my point too"
"Well, it is. You're just feeling that way because I might be the only person you have connected with since you left home. I'm sure it won't be the case when you go back. You have a life and I have mine, and besides, with my kind of job, I don't think I can give you what you are asking for…."
Bonnie simply nodded and pulled away. In the instant before she turned away from him again, David didn’t see the fun, flirty, trying-to-figure-it-out Bonnie who he had met at a bar. He couldn’t hear her laugh or see that smile that lit up her eyes like the stars sparkling in the midnight sky. No. What he saw was a lonely, confused, admirable woman who was searching for the same thing so many others were, including himself. They were all looking for…someone to call home.
Rather than go after her when she went up the ladder calling for Duchess, he found himself frozen where he stood, his heart breaking for Bonnie Rimmer. Possibly forever lost.