An hour later, Savannah found herself driving to the ferry, which took her to a dock that wasn’t far from Ashton’s place of business.
That made her a little antsy, but when she looked around, she didn’t spot the man, so she figured this was just a coincidence. It had to be. Her sister wouldn’t sell her out. No way.
“Savvy, it’s so good to see you again.”
Jumping at the booming voice of Joseph Anderson, Savvy turned around too quickly and stumbled to her knees, instantly sending a shooting flash of pain through her kneecap. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or pain — embarrassment was more likely.
“I’m so sorry, darling,” Joseph Anderson exclaimed as he instantly bent down and helped her to her feet. His two brothers were right there with him, both looking equally concerned.
“Please don’t apologize. I’m such a klutz,” she said, trying to get the tears out of her eyes. Dang it!
“I’ve been told I’m too loud and startle people,” Joseph said sheepishly.
“No, really. It’s so nice to see you again, Joseph,” she told him, hoping he would just drop the subject.
He gave her an assessing look and then smiled big before grabbing her up for a monster-sized bear hug. Her breath rushed from her.
“It’s wonderful to see you both as well, Richard and George,” she added, almost afraid of what would follow.
Those hugs weren’t quite so bone-crushing, though.#p#分页标题#e#
“What are you three up to?” she asked as she looked out at the nice boat sitting at the dock with no sign of a dive instructor.
“We ran into your sister at the hospital when we were attending a board meeting,” Richard said, “and she was telling us how disappointed you were that you hadn’t gotten to go on a dive this summer.”
“So we arranged one for you,” George piped in.
Savannah looked around in panic. She just couldn’t see Ashton again. Her heart was just now starting to heal, sort of, and spending the day with that man would undo her limited progress.
“My nephew Austin has a lot of diving experience,” Joseph told her. “It was something of a hobby for him for a lot of years. He and his cousin Lance will be here any minute now.”
She let out the breath she’d been holding. “You really didn’t need to do this for me,” she said with a smile that kept growing wider. “But I do appreciate it. I should tell you to go about your day, but I’m eager to get into some scuba gear.”
“This is no trouble at all for any of us,” George said. “It’s a beautiful Saturday with calm waters. And Austin happens to know of a place where there’s a wreck that hasn’t been completely picked through.”
Savannah’s eyes lit up as she looked toward the boat.
“Sorry we’re late. Got caught in traffic,” a man said as he approached. He had a bit of gray at his temples, but he was still devastatingly handsome, as were all the Storm and Anderson men she’d met.
“Yes, if Austin didn’t drive like an eighty-year-old blind grandma, we would have made it here an hour ago.” This came from Lance, whom Savvy had met at Joseph’s party and that one time on the docks, a little earlier, when she’d been with her sister. Lance was a definite flirt. And it had been more than obvious that the man had found her sister attractive. Savvy wasn’t so sure about her sister’s feelings.
“Shut up, Lance,” the first man said. “I’m Austin. And I’m only a few years older than this cousin of mine, whose driving is much worse than mine. Of course, we did meet briefly at my uncle’s bonfire.”
How in the world could she have forgotten this man? Maybe because she’d been so completely consumed by the fire in her blood that was Ashton.
“I’m truly grateful that you’re taking me out. I haven’t been able to dive for over six months now, and I’m pumped up about it,” she said, taking Austin’s hand and then Lance’s.
“Well, then,” Lance said, “we’d better get this show on the waves.”
“Are you three joining us?” Savannah asked the infamous meddlers.
“Not this trip, sweetheart. We have business to take care of,” Joseph boomed.
She was disappointed to hear that. She really enjoyed the company of the dynamic older men. They weren’t aging gracefully at all and they didn’t seem to give a damn. She only hoped she had half their energy as the years continued to pass.
She barely had time to register what was going on before she was being led to the boat, and then they were casting off. So once again she was on the sea, but this was for a day trip only. Maybe that was a good thing. She didn’t need any more storms in her life — either the thundering ones or the ones who had it as a surname. And who could also be terrifying forces of nature in their own way.