Did Josh even have the slightest idea of the effect he had on her? She would have loved to glance up and see the look in his eyes, but she didn't dare. Hannah's gaze wandered over his shoulders, where small grains of sand were stuck to his skin, catching the light from the setting sun. They reminded her of stardust, and of the starry skies she'd always looked up at when she was a little girl, lying in the grass, finding the constellations.
Her eye fell on a birthmark under Josh's collarbone. It was shaped like an animal. Strange - she couldn't remember seeing it before.
"Did you always have that mark?" she wondered softly, absently touching his skin with her index finger. Josh stopped breathing, and she looked up. He was staring at her hand, and then briefly at her. His gaze drifted to the sand below their feet.
"No," he replied after a long, awkward silence. "Last time you saw me I didn't have it yet. I got it - after that."
"Oh." Well, that was weird. After all, they were called 'birthmarks' because people were born with them. "It's shaped like an animal," she pointed out, suddenly realizing her hand was still on his chest. She quickly let it slide down.
"A bear," he said crisply. He avoided her eyes and scanned the deck behind them. "Let's go eat our ice cream."
Hannah frowned. Something in his attitude had clearly changed after she mentioned his birthmark. "Look, I'm sorry if I was prying."
He looked down at her, a sudden touch of tenderness in his eyes. "You're not prying," he said softly. Then he pressed his lips to her hand - the hand he was still holding - in a quick, soft kiss. He stepped back and headed toward the table. Hannah let her hand fall to her side and let out her breath. Apparently, she'd been holding it again.
With a sour face, she rubbed her forehead. Yep, Ben was absolutely right. St. Mary's Port was definitely the best place to relax and let go of things.