Sunset Thunder

  Chapter Seven

  RYDER SPOTTED MOVEMENT as he opened the doors of the cockpit and stepped onto the bow. Expecting to see Joel and his kids, he was surprised to find Violet following behind an anxious Parker and Sophia. To add to the surprise, a beige towel was wrapped around Violet and what appeared to be a bathing suit peeking out from underneath. Or a bikini...keep the mind guessing.

  Ryder’s grin widened. What was she doing here? And why was she dressed like she was boarding with the kids? He liked that idea, momentarily. Then he scolded himself for letting it pass into his head. He didn’t need an ice queen aboard his boat. No thanks. He didn’t have room in his life to deal with the hot and cold temperatures of this woman.

  Ryder walked back through the cockpit and to the rear of the boat. He stopped at the stairs to the swimming platform and called out to Parker and Sophia, as they walked down the dock toward him.

  “Is my dad here yet?” Parker barked. Literally barked, like a pissed off teenager, instead of the seven year -old he was. Ryder remembered this kid only last year, looking up at him and Joel like they were kings of the water. This year, Parker just snarled and barked out every word. 

  Ryder shook his head. “Not yet. I thought you two were coming with him.”

  Parker didn’t wait for an invitation and boarded the swimming platform, climbing the left stairs onto the boat and tossing his bag on the floor. “He called and said he was late and told us to meet him here,” Parker said.

  Ryder hadn’t gotten a call. He touched the pocket of his shorts, but his phone wasn’t there.

  Where’s my phone? Did I miss a message?

  Parker pulled an iPad out of his bag and walked past Ryder heading for the lounge. Ryder snatched the iPad and was prepared for the glare Parker sent him.

  Tough shit kid. You are on a boat, in the sun, find something else to do.

  When Ryder was his age, they didn’t even have computers yet.

  “You know the rules Parker. No electronics on the boat. Go find a life jacket that fits from underneath and bring it up.”

  Parker grumbled away. 

  Violet was lagging behind, making her way down the dock toward the rear of the boat. Ryder regretted not staying at the bow and watching her hips and backside sway underneath the towel as she walked.

  Ryder took Sophia’s bag as she boarded. “Thanks Uncle Ryder,” she said, taking it back once she was on board. Sophia had skipped the attitude stage that Parker was going through. Three years older than her brother with only four years until she hit her teens, Sophia smiled with kindness and laughed with the wind.

  “No problem. Go below and−”

  “Find a life jacket,” Sophia finished Ryder’s sentence, already on her way, but with her sweet tone and genuine smile, a smile she didn’t get from her thin-lipped mother standing at the edge of the dock. She looked up at him through a pair of large round sunglasses that overtook her face. He wished he could see her eyes.

  Why? So you can read them?

  More like try to read them. This woman didn’t give anything away she didn’t want to. Almost nothing. She hadn’t been able to resist the desire that passed through them last week.

  “Is Joel here?” she called up to him. 

  “Not yet.”

  Her lips thinned again.

  He couldn’t resist offering. “But there’s a life jacket your size, if you’re planning on joining us.”

  Violet’s hand tightened around the top of the towel. “I’m not,” she said, shifting her weight onto one foot. 

  Ryder shrugged. “Did you stop and have a swim on your way over?” He loved teasing her, and he loved her reactions even more.

  She crinkled her nose before answering. “Joel rushed us over,” she explained.

  Joel. Oh yeah.

  Ryder had to locate his cell phone. “Do you want to come up and wait?”

  Violet shook her head. “No. I’m fine waiting right here.” 

  She was a stubborn woman. 

  “Okay.” Ryder left her. Even after she’d walked away from him at the resort, he didn’t want to walk away from her now. But, where the hell was Joel? 

  Below deck, Ryder found Parker and Sophia wearing their life jackets and helping themselves to a bag of chips he’d left out.

  Ryder spotted his cell phone on the counter and swiped it. Four missed text messages and three missed calls...all from Joel. 

  As he scanned the, I’m late texts, Parker grumbled, “No electronics.” 

  Ryder looked up. “Where’s your dad?” he asked.

  Parker shrugged. 

  “Alight then.” Ryder turned and listened to the missed calls. The first one Joel was running late and would be there soon. The second one was an, I’m not going to make it.

  Damn Joel. 

  With clenched jaws and kids sitting behind him, Ryder listened to Joel explain he wasn’t in the mood to put up with his son’s attitude today. Then instead of calling his children or even Violet for that matter, that selfish son of a bitch asked Ryder to tell them he couldn’t make it and make something up. Chicken shit little bastard. It was such a Joel move to place his responsibility on someone else.

  Ryder was furious. There was a line and Joel seemed to always push the limit with him and this time he crossed that limit. There were other pressing issues in Ryder’s life that he could attend to instead of crushing this family’s hearts. It wasn’t Ryder’s family and if it was, he sure as hell wouldn’t be canceling on them. Ryder learned the bond of a family was important, a top priority

  Ryder dropped his cell phone back on the counter, not noticing Parker was watching him until he glanced over his shoulder. “Well? Where is he?” Parker asked. 

  Ryder was going to be having a long talk with Joel tomorrow. 

  “He’s not going to make it,” Ryder said.

  “Why not?” 

  Yeah? Why not Joel? Ryder’s jaw clenched as he answered, even though he tried not to let it show. “He had some car trouble.” Liar. You are a liar. Why with Joel are you always a liar? It was time to put Ryder’s foot down.

  It was funny, in every other aspect of Ryder’s life, his feet were planted solidly on the ground. His respect and duty for his family had compelled Ryder to step-up and take control over his dad’s business when Donald was diagnosed with his sickness. Ryder could sit in front of any problem and study it until he found a solution that benefited his employees and customers. But, one phone call with Joel and he was lying to a child’s face. Not just any child’s face, but the closest thing Ryder had to a nephew. Ryder didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell Parker the truth.

  Parker tossed the bag of chips on the table, and a disappointed huff came from Sophia. Parker rose to his feet, while unbuckling the life jacket and tugging it off. “Big surprise,” he muttered and took the steps two at a time back up onto deck.

  It broke Ryder’s heart. How did Joel not understand the disappointment that Ryder saw so clearly? Parker wanted to go out with his dad. By missing events and breaking dates, Joel was giving Parker the ammo for his attitude. Donald had never been a man to break a date with his son on purpose, but when work called, he had to leave. Ryder could relate to how Parker was feeling, but at the same time, Donald had never shied away from expressing his feelings, including his love for Ryder.  

  “Awe man,” Sophia said unzipping her life jacket. 

  Ryder held his hand up to Sophia, on his way to the bottom of the stairs. “Hold that thought Sophia,” he said.

  Ryder followed Parker’s two feet up the stairs, crossing the deck with his long legs and making it to the ladder Parker was heading towards before he did. Ryder grabbed both sides blocking the boy from going down.

  Parker made a fussing noise, but didn’t ask him to move. When Ryder glanced over his shoulder Parker was sending him a, what are you doing glare, with his hands crossed tightly in front of him and lips pinched tightly together. He looked
like he might cry.

  Damn Joel. 

  Ryder looked from Parker and found Violet in the identical stance with an equal fine-tuned face, lacking the tears.

  Her bare lips tweaked tight together and the natural pucker gave him the urge to climb down the ladder and kiss them. Her legs were parted shoulder-length apart with the towel tied low around her waist, and he could see now a crochet bathing suit covered her body. That might have disappointed his desire to see her naked skin, if the gaps weren’t playing peek-a-boo with his senses.

  “He cancelled, didn’t he?” she asked, not sounding surprised. Ryder got the feeling this was a regular occurrence. He didn’t even have a chance to answer and Violet started calling out orders. “Parker, go get your sister. Make sure you two have everything you brought.” She glanced around Ryder to find her son. “And remember to say thank you to Ryder for offering.”

  “Thanks, Ryder,” he grumbled so miserable.

  “Thanks buddy,” Violet said, softening her tone.

  She slid her sunglasses up her forehead and sent Parker a smile. It was beautiful and tender, lighting up her eyes and highlighting her cheek bones.

  Parker mumbled an, okay before going back down below. Did that boy know how hard it was to get a sincere smile from his mother? It was like Ryder had just witnessed a miracle.

  “I will take them fishing,” Ryder said. 

  Violet’s smile fell, leaving her lips partially open and her nose crinkled like she’d misunderstood. Then she snapped her lips shut and relaxed her face. Back to masked Violet. 

  “I won’t inconvenience you,” she said, but he knew her decision had nothing to do with inconveniencing him.

  With his hands planted on each side of the ladder, Ryder jumped over the top and climbed down. He stepped off the swimming platform and onto the dock, in front of Violet. He was glad to be wearing his shades, because his eyes couldn’t resist lingering on her glowing face and the all natural allure without makeup.

  “It’s not an inconvenience. I have the fishing gear on the boat. The fridge packed for lunch and supper, plus Joel promised them a night of eating under the stars.”

  “That wouldn’t be until after nine,” she pointed out, looking mortified at the hour. 

  Ryder shrugged.

  “I can’t leave my children with you for almost...” She paused to do the quick math. “...twelve hours.” At the beginning of her sentence, she looked horrified and he wasn’t sure if it was that she feared her kids spending the day with him or that she feared him spending the day with her kids. At the end of her sentence, her lips curved up into a grin that lit her eyes. “They would slaughter you.”

  Ryder laughed and Violet joined him.

  Her laughter was unexpectedly soft, but full and wrapped around them, folding them into their own world. He’d thought her laugh would be reserved and snobbish, just like he was always told she was. There it was again, Ryder thinking there was more to Violet than he knew, then she let people know and that she was letting only him know. Confusing.

  When they finished he said, “Come with us.”

  Violet sobered quickly, her smile dropping to her well adapted thin line, her eyes narrowing. She didn’t like the idea. Why would she? She didn’t like him. He wasn’t even sure he liked her?

  Then why hadn’t he stopped thinking about her all week? And why was the idea of going boating with Violet more appealing than with Joel? 

  Violet would need more convincing though. “We don’t have to do a whole day. We can go fishing, eat lunch and head back, if that suits you better. At least then Sophia and Parker’s day isn’t ruined.” 

  “Okay,” she said right away. Too quickly and Ryder thought for a second maybe he had heard her wrong. Or quite possibly made up the answer he wanted to hear in his head. 

  The waves of stimulating shocks her answer sent through him was like the first fish catch of the year.

  “Okay.” He moved aside to let her climb aboard first. She did so with a smile. A smile!

  This turn of events almost had Ryder texting Joel to say thank you. Almost. Joel was still acting like a jackass with his kids who adored him.

  Ryder shook those thoughts out of his head, while unknotting the ropes. This was going to be a good day.