“Do you know the Sandpiper Restaurant on Angler Road in Lewes?”
“No, but I’ll find it with my GPS. What are we doing?”
“That’s a surprise.”
“Hey! No surprises! How do I know I can trust you?”
Now it was his turn to twist her tail. “You call me up late at night and yell at me for not calling you first, then demand I take you out – I’d say we’re past the point of worrying about trust.” He softened his voice a little bit. “But there will be a lot of people around and you’re going to meet me there at 10:00 in the morning, so you don’t have anything to worry about. Cool?”
“Yeah, that’s sounds fine.” A pause. “I wasn’t really worried.”
Maybe you should be. I might be in jail by tomorrow. “Good. Dress to be outdoors. See you then.” Without waiting for her answer, he hit the kill switch and maintained his course south, towards home and safety.
Chapter 4
Going a Bit Overboard
Katie was up early. She had a bit of a drive ahead of her and, GPS notwithstanding, she didn’t know exactly where she was going. And it was a first date, so that meant she needed a little extra time to perfect her hair and makeup. She had strong-armed the date out of Carson, so she figured she owed it to him to look as good as possible. His description of their plans had been somewhat limited, so she made her best guess on her outfit, finally settling on a Kelly-green blouse with tan capris and white tennis sneakers.
At least the weather was cooperating with a glorious early-spring day, drenching the world in sunshine and a light breeze. It hadn’t eliminated the morning chill quite yet, but it wouldn’t be long. She put on sunglasses and hopped into her VW bug, choosing to keep the convertible top up as she pulled out of the driveway.
With the summer tourist season not yet in full swing, the roads were clear and she made good time through the featureless scenery of soy and corn fields that stretched to the horizon. Used to the mountains and valleys of northern Vermont, she was forever amazed how flat Delaware appeared. It was like living in Kansas or Nebraska or something.
The Sandpiper was a typical beach-town bar, with a small indoor section and an expansive deck covered with bistro-style tables that bordered the canal Katie had just crossed to get here. Ignoring the looks from the smattering of borderline alcoholics drinking Bloody Marys by themselves at such an early hour, she scanned the area and received a wave from Carson, who was leaning against the railing at the water’s edge, drinking from a coffee mug.
“Hiya,” she said cheerfully upon walking over.
“Hey there,” he responded, his face once again reflecting that not-quite-pleased appearance he seemed to have mastered. “Did you find it OK?”
“Yeah, I looked it up last night and then my GPS did the rest. This town is so pretty and quaint! I had no idea this was here.” She checked him out as they spoke. He was the more casually dressed one between them, with cargo shorts that covered his knee, hiking boots, and a slightly-oversized hooded sweatshirt. The last item disappointed Katie, who had been hoping to see a little more of what had looked like a very nice upper body back in the office. A baseball cap and a small fanny pack rested on a table next to the railing that prevented drunken patrons from losing their Rum Runners in the waters of the canal.
“Yeah, it is kind of Victorian in nature,” he agreed. “I’ll have to show you around sometime. Do you want some coffee?”
“No, I’m good,” she answered. “But, since I doubt you scheduled a walking tour of Lewes, what are we doing?”
Carson said nothing, instead reaching into his back pocket to withdraw two tickets, which he handed to Katie. It took her a second to read the appropriate information, but once she did, she raised her eyebrows and smiled. “We’re going on a whale-watching tour?”
“Yes, Ma’am, right over there.” Katie followed his finger to a dock near the bar, where a white boat about 60 feet long floated. A few passengers had already boarded and were finding their seats while others, probably crew members, moved about with purpose.
“Are we going out into the ocean?”
“No, probably just the bay. Problem?”
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve only ever been on big boats, like cruise ships.”
Carson chuckled. “Well, pardon me, Madame,” he replied in his best to-the-manor-born accent. “The Queen Mary 2 wasn’t available, so this rather pedestrian conveyance was all I could muster.”
Katie sighed dramatically. “I assume I have a private cabin? And butler service?”
“Uh, terribly sorry, there are no cabins Ma’am, but you will get a seat with a lovely view on the upper deck,” Carson said before changing back to his normal voice. “And I’m all the butler you’re going to get. Did you get seasick on your cruise?”
“No, not a bit.”
“Was it a big ship?”
“I’d say so,” she answered with a coy grin. “It actually was the Queen Mary 2.”
Carson’s eyes bulged. “It was? Wow. When? What was it like?”
“It was four years ago. My ex and I did a cruise to England, spent a week there, and then took it back again. The ship is so huge, it feels odd because you don’t think you’re moving, then you look outside and see you are. It’s like having a city block go wherever it wants.”
“I’d love to go on that ship,” Carson said wistfully. “But I doubt it’ll ever happen.”
“Then I probably shouldn’t tell you I’m already booked for a trip on it through the Caribbean in November.”
Carson closed his eyes and oversold his pained expression. “Man, you like
