Haley, dressed in sneakers, white shorts and a dark blue tee, giggled as she perched her sunglasses atop her head. The morning sun shined on her already tanned legs. It was a beautiful day and even more so because Nathan Scott was with her. He had suggested the night before that they take the boat out the following morning. All night long Haley had tossed and turned in bed alone, grin plastered on her face as she thought about an intimate canoe type ride spending one on one time with Nathan. As they drove the 11 miles to the dock in nearby Hyannis Port, Haley stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes grew wide.
"What's wrong?" a concerned Nathan asked, stopping with her.
"You said we were taking the boat out."
"We are. What do you think we're doing here?"
Her mouth hung open. Haley had never laid eyes on such a massive beauty.
"You said boat, Nathan. I was expecting a raft or my word, a small sailboat at best. This, this…"
"This is a yacht," he grinned.
"No, this is a mansion on water. Holy crap!"
"It's pretty cool. I bought it a couple years ago but I rarely take it out. I don't have a lot of time. Come on. You want to see it?"
"Sure," she laughed happily. "Why not? Just hold onto my hand, please. I could get lost on that thing."
Picnic basket and duffel bags in hand, they boarded the large boat. Nathan led the way giving the grand tour. He showed her the Engine Room, the Crew Quarters, the Guest, Master and VIP Staterooms, Sky lounge, Salon, Galley and the Aft Deck.
"And this," he said as they arrived to their final destination. "This is the Upper Deck."
"Nathan, this is absolutely amazing. I mean, seriously unbelievable. I don't mean to be rude but I have to ask. How much does one of these babies cost?"
Before Nathan could open his mouth, a third party boldly answered for him.
"You can acquire one of these beauties for the bargain price of 2.9 million dollars, Miss Webb. Are you interested in making a purchase? Wow, nurses must make a lot more these days than I originally thought."
Nathan and Haley's faces fell at the surprising and unwelcome intrusion.
"Dad, what the hell?" Nathan frowned.
"Ah, my second born son. How nice of you to join us, Nate."
"Join you? What are you talking about, man? This is my boat and Haley and I had plans to take it out today."
"Did you now?" he asked innocently.
"Don't play dumb. I called the captain last night to set it all up. You were sitting right there and…"
Nathan stopped mid sentence, cursing to himself once he realized he had been set up.
"Gee, was that this morning? I must have mixed my days up. Oh well. The captain is here. I'm here, you're here and so is Miss Webb, I see," Dan added tersely.
"Watch it, Dad," Nathan warned.
"It'll be a long overdue family affair."
"Family affair?"
"Nathan? Haley?" a surprised Lucas asked as he rounded the corner, Brooke close beside him. "What are you guys doing here?"
Nathan bit his lip.
"I could ask you the same thing," he muttered.
"Ah, my first born son and beautiful daughter in law."
Nathan shook his head.
"Let me take a wild guess, Mom is here too, right?"
As if on cue, a smiling Deb emerged from the corner.
"I thought I heard your voice, Nathan. Hi, Haley. I didn't expect to see you two today but what a lovely surprise."
"Lovely," Dan grinned.
"Yeah lovely," Nathan repeated sarcastically.
His plans for a fun and romantic day alone with Haley had been foiled, thanks to his meddling father. And as the yacht began to set sail, there was nothing else he could do.
"Nathan, it's okay," Haley squeezed his arm, giving him a warm smile.
"This is gonna majorly suck."
"It won't be too bad," she replied uneasily, trying to ignore Dan Scott's invasive stare.
"So what brings you two out?" Dan inquired.
"We're just hanging out," Haley answered with a shrug and smile.
Nathan just looked at her. Normally he kept his personal affairs private. It was no one's business, especially his father's. Plus, the last thing he wanted was to hear Dan's mouth all day. But the handsome young baller had learned his lesson. He wasn't ashamed and he had nothing to hide. An ocean breeze swept across the deck blowing a long strand of Haley's hair. Nathan gave her a real smile and in front of everyone, tenderly swept it behind her ear.
"No, Dad, we're not just hanging out. Haley and I are on a date."
Beaming and blushing, Haley couldn't believe he had said that in front of his family. More importantly, she couldn't get over how good it made her feel inside.
"Interesting," Dan pursed his lips. "Do you think that is wise, Nathan? Mixing business and pleasure."
"Look, Dad…"
"Oh Dan, they're adults," Deb admonished her husband. "Leave them alone. Let's just try and have a nice day."
"Yeah," Lucas agreed. "Hey, bro, want to help me take the beers down to the fridge?"
Nathan looked at Haley who signaled to him she would be okay for a few minutes without him. He left with his brother, their father trailing behind. Left in the sunshine were the three women.
"Sorry Deb," an embarrassed Haley began. "This is all kind of new for Nathan and me and we were just taking it slow before we told everyone and…"
"Oh honey, no need to explain. Contrary to what Dan thinks, Nathan doesn't need our permission. As long as you both are being sensible and taking your time with eyes wide open, I don't see a problem. I think you're a lovely girl."
"Thank you."
"And I think it's a fabulous idea, Nurse Haley," a giddy Brooke wrapped her arm around her friend. "You two are totally cute together."
"It's been nice. We're having a good time."
"Good for you. Just don't let Dan spoil your day. You look a little upset."
"No, it's not that. It's just that...um, how fast do these things go?" Haley looked overboard.
Brooke shrugged.
"It's not too bad. The water's just a little choppy now. It will calm down soon. Let's go work on our tans and after a while you won't even notice it."
"Okay," Haley exhaled.
"Come on, you're a Florida girl," Brooke reminded her. "You act like you've never been on a boat before.
Yeah, a Florida girl. Haley had almost forgotten. She flashed her a nervous smile as she followed Brooke and Deb to a seat on the elaborate deck furniture. The men were on their way to rejoin them.
"Nathan…"
"Dad, just let it go. I mean it, alright? Don't say another word. No one cares what you think or what you have to say."
"So I am supposed to sit back like everyone else and pretend it is okay that you have lost your mind?"
"Haley is a nice person. Why don't you give her a chance? You don't even know her."
Dan crossed his arms.
"Neither do you, son, and that's precisely the problem. None of us really know anything about this girl."
Lucas took a breath, intervening before things became too heated between his brother and their father.
"Come on, guys. It's a nice day, let's not ruin it. We're here, the girls are here so let's just make the most of it. Dan, Nathan is a grown man. He can see whoever he wants so just lay off, okay? Besides, he's right. Haley is a nice person. If you feel uncomfortable because you don't know anything about her, then take the time to really get to know her. Be pleasant without giving her the third degree."
"Not you too, Lucas. For the love of God, did either one of my sons inherit good old fashioned common sense? She is the help, you know, and that in itself is bad enough."
"Dan…"
But it was too late. An irate Nathan pushed his father hard against the wall.
"Don't man! I'm serious! Not this time. You better fucking quit while you're ahead. You're not gonna mess this up today or any other day. I'm warning you, leave Haley alone!"
"Alright, alright," Lucas pushed between them.
A sour faced Dan straightened the wrinkles out his expensive, neatly pressed Polo shirt as the trio arrived back on the Upper deck.
"Everything okay?" Deb asked, studying the three tense faces.
Nathan shot his father one more death stare before turning his attention back to everyone else.
"It's cool, Mom."
"Yes," Dan cleared his throat. "Everything is fine."
He took a seat on same chair as Haley. Together they sat quietly, holding hands as the yacht drifted along the Atlantic coastline. The minutes turned to hours. Deb and Brooke, clad in bikinis, worked on their tans while Lucas and Dan read books. Even with his head down and sunglasses masking his beady little eyes, Haley could still feel his glare staring down her and Nathan's every move. But Dan Scott wasn't the only thing making Haley feel uneasy. Stirring, she abruptly sat straight up.
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.
She touched her belly before putting a hand to her mouth.
"I…I don't feel so good," Haley moaned.
"Poor thing," Brooke sat up. "She's been sea sick since we left the port."
"I have some pills in the bathroom by the second Guest Stateroom," Deb offered.
Dan smirked.
"What else is new, my dear?"
"I meant nausea pills. Haley, they're legit. It's just Phenegran. Why don't you take one and sip some ginger tea? Lie down and in a few hours I'm sure you'll be fine."
It did seem like the obvious choice.
"Um, okay, thank you," she said before turning to Nathan. "I am so sorry…"
"Why? You didn't do anything. It's cool. Do what Mom said and you'll feel better. It's still early and we have the rest of the day. If you don't feel better when you wake up, I'll just have the captain take us back. It's no big deal."
"Thanks but I'll be okay I'm sure after I lie down. Besides, I'd hate to ruin everyone else's trip."
"Like they ruined ours?" Nathan raised his eyebrows with a hint of a smile. "Come on. I'll show you where it is."
"It's okay. Lucky me you're an excellent tour guide. I'm sure I can find it myself."
"Okay. I'll come check on you in a little while."
Haley politely excused herself as Dan made a disgusted face.
"Sorry, Mr. Scott, I…"
"Carry on," he motioned for her to keep walking. "You've already ruined one pair of my shoes, thank you very much. This is a very expensive boat. Please limit all bodily fluids to the trash can, toilet or overboard."
"Dan…" Lucas just shook his head in disbelief.
Haley made her way below, brown eyes skimming the floor trying to go where Deb had instructed her. She wandered around lost for what felt like forever before finally happening upon a closed door she presumed to be a bathroom. The door appeared to be stuck and she pushed on it. Finally it opened but it wasn't a bathroom. It was a large storage type room connected to the Engine room. Inside were two identical yellow and black Kawasaki jet skis. Haley gasped. Immediately she remembered the dozens of case files and the very first conversation she had ever had with Bailey and Alston about the Scott's. Nathan's wife, Asher, had died as a result of a suspicious jet ski accident. Peering further inside, she went to take a better look but halted when she felt a looming presence lurking behind her.
"Lost, are we?" Dan folded his arms.
"I…um, I, I was looking for the bathroom," she stammered.
"Funny, that doesn't look like a commode to me, Miss Webb. You're looking for the third door down on the left."
"Thanks," Haley said quickly and practically ran off.
Dan watched as she scurried down the hall like a scalded dog, as his father, Royal, would say. He had an uneasy feeling whenever the young nurse was around. There was something about her that wasn't quite right and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. But there was no time for questions. Haley closed the door behind her. She grabbed the pill from the bathroom and swallowed it without water, collapsing on the bed in one of the Guest Staterooms. Her heart pounded. One more instance that made her recognize she wasn't just Haley Webb, girlfriend of Nathan Scott, enjoying a relaxing day on his multimillion dollar yacht. No, she was still Haley James, FBI Special Agent. She was still searching for clues in the midst of the most important investigation of her career. And out of the blue perhaps she had stumbled onto the most important one yet.