She mumbled her agreement and let him lead her into the bathroom. He wiped both of them down and they crawled under the covers together.
Charli curled on her side and draped herself over his body, releasing a deep contented sigh. “I can’t remember when I ever felt this good,” she mumbled into his chest.
“Hmmmmm.” Jack kissed her temple, his hand softly stroking her back. “Me either. I could lay here forever with you and be happy.” He smiled when Charli softly kissed his chest. They both slowly drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
A puff of wind rustled the page and Jack planted his thumb as he continued to read. His hammock swayed slightly from the breeze as he carefully turned the page.
April 20, 1868
Today is Elizabeth’s wedding day. Mother and Father are extremely pleased, but I don’t think Elizabeth is as happy. She is to be wed to Timothy Sullivan, a very wealthy wrecker. He is old and paunchy and, even worse, his breath smells like dead fish and tobacco all the time. Plus, his muttonchops are ridiculous. They are overgrown and nearly reach his shoulders. But as I watch Elizabeth prepare for the ceremony today, I do have to say she makes a beautiful bride. Her white-blonde hair is artfully braided and pinned up in a most appealing fashion and her dress is a cloud of lace. But I swear if Mother and Father force me to marry, I will run away. I truly will.
Jack chuckled at Amelia’s description of his many-times great grandparents, nearly able to picture the scene in his mind. He was so absorbed in the diary that he didn’t see the shadow approach and jumped when drops of cold water fell on his hot skin.
“What’s so funny?” Charli asked, an adorable smirk that he wanted to lick off on her face as she hovered over him.
He took a deep breath and released it slowly, staring at her figure standing over him.That morning, they had stopped by the gift shop where Charli had picked out a bikini.
He nearly sighed audibly as he stared at her—the bright purple color of the fabric perfectly complimented her eyes and made them seem to glow, especially with her wet hair slicked back. Even better was that the scant purple material hugged her curves perfectly, leaving very little to the imagination.
He was suddenly amazed that she was here with him.
How in the hell did I get so lucky?
Her smirk deepened. “Well?”
Jack blinked at her. “Did you say something?”
Charli chuckled and shook her head, sending cold droplets all over his body again, making him shiver. “You were laughing at something. What was so funny?”
“Oh!” Jack replied, leveraging up to a seated position, the hammock wobbling precariously before he planted his feet. He held the diary up. “Amelia’s talking about her sister’s wedding. Apparently, she didn’t think much of my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. Her descriptions are pretty amusing.”
Charli’s eyes widened. “What? You started the second diary without me?” She huffed at him. “How far in are you?”
Jack grinned. “Not too far—maybe ten pages or so. It reads so easily that I’m just flying through it,” he replied in his defense. He held up the diary and chuckled. “She said Elizabeth’s fiancé was old and paunchy. If I remember right, Timothy was only thirty six when he got married, which is young to me. But I guess that’s pretty old to a sixteen-year-old girl in 1868.” He laughed and met Charli’s eyes. “Plus she said he had bad breath.”
Charli giggled. “That’s hilarious!” Her lips twisted to the side. “Although, now I feel sorry for Elizabeth.”
He snapped the diary shut. “Yeah, according to Amelia, Elizabeth wasn’t too excited about the wedding either. I think it was an arranged marriage.”
Charli grunted. “Not unusual for that time period. Plus, their father was the wealthiest merchant on the island at the time. He would expect his daughters marriages to be beneficial to the family and his business. I’d think it would be appealing to have a son-in-law who picked goods from sinking ships all along the keys.”
She sighed and turned her gaze out toward the sea. “You know, I really should stop by the local library to see what I can dig up on the family. It may give us a few clues.”
“Not a bad idea,” Jack answered. He stood abruptly and towered over her, the urge to take her in the cottage—which sat just a few feet away—and have his way with her was nearly overpowering. He ran a hand down her arm and then slipped a finger under her chin, tilting her head up. His eyes dusted over her features before holding her gaze.
“You are so beautiful,” he muttered, knowing that he sounded like a love sick fool. But at this point, he didn’t care. He was all in.
Giving him a sweet smile, Charli leaned up on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss, her fingers threading through his hair to hold him in place. Jack’s mind swam at her initiated affection, but the distant tinkling of a bell had his head popping up suddenly.
“Did you hear that?” he asked, grinning at the disgruntled look on her face.
Her brow beetled. “What? The waves hitting the beach? Sea gulls? The wind in the palm trees? There’s nothing else out here.”
Jack tilted his head. “No. Listen for the bell.”
He nearly laughed out loud as her face pinched in concentration and brightened immediately when she heard it.
