At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories)(26)

She'd been in her element at Doctor Jim's office. She drew her strength from animals, caring for them, learning what made them tick. People were more problematic by far. Take her out of the animal hospital and put her in Noah's world and she'd be in big trouble.

"It's not a date," she told herself as she started the car.

"It's not a date," she repeated as she zoomed toward Andy's Dockside Shack, Home of the World's Best Lobster Roll.

"It's not a date," she whispered as she pulled into a parking spot.

Then she saw him and once again she was lost.





#





The first thing Noah noticed when Gracie climbed out of her car was her smile. She had beautiful teeth, perfect and even and white, and her smile was wide and genuine. He'd seen the other kind and he knew the difference.

The second thing he noticed was her body. She was long and lean and graceful, strong and still feminine. He liked the way her waist curved in and her hips flared out and the way her legs seemed to go on forever. Her hair was a deep rich brown—he hadn't realized how beautiful it was yesterday when he saw her in the office—and it shimmered with red and gold highlights in the sun. Her breasts were small and round and they jiggled softly with each step. He felt every step deep in the pit of his belly, an awareness that shook him right down to his shoes.

She wasn't the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen but she did something to him no girl had ever done before: she made him feel unsure of himself, as if he'd have to try harder somehow to make her happy. As if making her happy was the only thing in the world worth doing.

Then he caught himself.

This isn't a date moron. You just want to ask her about a job.

Somehow he seemed to have forgotten that fact in the time it took for her to walk from her car to where he stood leaning against the side of Andy's Shack.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she approached. "Mrs. Daggett showed up with one of her Siamese and..." Her words dissolved into soft laughter and Noah found himself laughing with her even though he didn't get the joke.

She wasn't like anyone he'd ever known. Her jeans were patched, her feet were bare, but her toenails were polished a glossy hot pink. She smelled of soap and shampoo and faintly of Siamese and the combination dazzled him.

"I ordered you a lobstah roll," he said, wincing at the way he said lobster. They used to tease him at St. Luke's about that. "I figured you'd be short on time."

"Great," she said, smiling up at him as if a lobster roll was the best thing going. "Lemonade too?"

"If you want."

"A big one," she said, "with lots of ice."

He grinned. "Anything else?"

"Not right now but you never know."

Joey Anderson, whose mother taught at Idle Point Elementary, had Noah's order waiting for him. "You're with Gracie Taylor?" he asked as he rang up the bill.

Noah grunted something noncommittal and handed Joey a ten-dollar bill.

"Gracie's a good kid," Joey said, "but real serious about things. If you're looking for a good time, why don't you row over to Hidden Island one night. The whole crowd's there. Just make sure you—"

"Bring a six-pack," Noah said, pocketing the change. "Don told me."

"Hey, Joey." Gracie joined them. She reached for the drinks and some paper napkins. "How're you doing?"

"Could use some days off, that's for sure." He grinned at Gracie and Noah found himself moving a step closer to her. "Any chance you'll be at Joann's party tomorrow night?"

Gracie shook her head. "I'm on late shift tomorrow but I'll be thinking about you."

"You're invited too," Joey said to Noah. "You can bring someone if you want." He looked from Gracie to Noah then shrugged. "Or not. Whatever."

If the invitation made Gracie uncomfortable, she gave no sign of it.

Noah followed Gracie across the parking lot and out onto the beach. The tide was low, exposing the rounded backs of rocks that had been around long before the Chases or anyone else discovered Idle Point. It was what he liked most about the beach; the fact that it belonged to nobody but itself.

"Be careful," Gracie called over her shoulder. "The rocks are slippery."

"Yeah," he said. "I've noticed." Twice he'd almost landed on his ass.