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I can’t tell Nick that my grandfather’s alcoholism came on the heels of losing his cherished daughter to the Pennsylvania prison system on a life sentence for murder. I can’t tell him that after my mother was convicted and my grandpa was dead, the only person I had left was my grandmother—a woman whom I know wanted to care for me, but couldn’t because of her sorrow for the daughter she’d been forced to watch be taken away.
I can’t tell him about the deeper secrets that have been eating away at my soul for nearly a decade. Secrets that are like poison, eroding me from within the longer I keep them, but certain to destroy me if I ever let them out.
Our server comes to my rescue again, bringing our check and presenting it to Nick with a smile that seems less about winning a big tip than catching his eye. If he notices the attractive girl’s attention, he handles it with the same cool confidence that he handles everything else that comes his way.
Discreetly placing a large bill inside the check wallet, he hands it back and politely tells her to keep the change.
“Want to take a walk?” he asks me, training the full measure of his smile on me alone.
“I’d love to.”
We head out onto the boardwalk and begin a leisurely stroll along the docks to look at the rows of flashy, large-engined speedboats with groan-inducing names like Pier Pressure and Liquid Assets and Feelin’ Nauti. A few minutes into our tour of the marina, I spot the futuristic looking gray yacht from earlier. When I snort out loud, Nick turns a curious glance at me.
“What’d I tell you?” I gesture to the name emblazoned on its stern. “Double-Oh-Heaven.”
He laughs, too, then takes my hand and we begin making our way over to the quieter area of the marina where most of the sailboats are docked.
As we walk, my phone rings in my purse. I don’t have to guess who’s calling. Given that my mother wasn’t able to reach me last night, she’s using precious time during her lunch break to try again. As much as I don’t want anything to intrude on the nice time I’m having with him, I hate leaving my mom to wonder or worry about me.
Nick pauses. “Do you need to get that? Go ahead, if you want. I’m going to run over to the marina shop and get us a couple bottles of water.”
Although I’m certain it’s only a polite excuse to give me privacy, as soon as he steps away I reach into my bag and swipe the screen to answer. “Yes, I accept,” I quietly tell the automated collect calling message. “Hi, Mom.”
We fall into an easy conversation, picking up right where we left off a few days ago. After assuring me that her parole board interview is still on track with no anticipated snags, she happily informs me that she’s finished the mystery novel she was reading when we last spoke and has now started a juicy romance about a vampire, of all things. She tells me how glad she is that spring is coming and how pretty the blossoming trees look outside her cell’s window.
I listen and respond accordingly, while guiltily staring out at the boats gleaming in the blue water of the marina and the white gulls swooping through the sun-filled sky—a freedom my mother will likely never experience for herself again.
I want to tell her about Nick. I want to tell her that I’ve met someone special, someone who makes me happy. But our fifteen minutes have dwindled to less than five, and, besides, I know that’s a conversation that won’t be easy for her to hear. She’ll worry for me. She’ll need to be reassured that I’m safe with this man she doesn’t know. That I’m being careful.
As we say our goodbyes, I see Nick walking toward me across the dock. He’s carrying a plastic shopping bag with the marina’s logo on it in one hand and a couple bottles of water in the other hand. By the time I end my call, he’s striding up to me with an enigmatic grin on his face.
“What’s all this?” I ask.
He passes me the water. “Provisions.”
While I stare in confusion, he reaches into the bag and pulls out a sailor’s cap. The blue and white captain’s hat is made for a child, but Nick leans in to kiss me as he places it on my head. “Are you ready to go?”
“Ready to go where?”
Instead of answering, he starts walking up one of the docks. I hurry after him, watching as he approaches the prettiest vessel in the marina—a large, two-masted, teak-trimmed white sailboat named Icarus. Nick sets his shopping bag down on the deck and motions for me to join him.
I eye him warily. “You can’t be serious. Don’t tell me you just chartered this boat for us.”
“I didn’t.” His grin is positively boyish. “I own her. She was one of the first things I bought for myself once I could afford to be stupid with money. Come on aboard, Avery. Let’s go sailing.”
Chapter 29
For the rest of the day, my world consists of billowing white sails, crystalline blue water, balmy ocean air . . . and Nick, expertly mastering them all. After motoring out of the marina into Biscayne Bay, we raised the sails and headed south. I don’t know how many hours we’ve been sailing or even where we’ll end up.
Frankly, it doesn’t much matter to me.
With the breeze in my face and the sun warm on my skin, I’m in heaven. It doesn’t hurt that I’m sharing this little piece of bliss with a gorgeous man who looks like something out of a swashbuckling dream. Nick’s dark hair is tousled and wild as he stands shirtless and barefoot in the cockpit, his tan skin turning an even richer shade of bronze in the hours since we set sail.
For what isn’t the first time, he catches me staring at him. His answering grin is relaxed and carefree, and it does strange things to my heartbeat. “Ready to take the helm for a while?”
“Sure.” I step next to him in the cockpit, eager to pitch in. Although my grandfather taught me the basics of sailing, my skills are rusty and Nick’s boat is like nothing I’ve ever handled before. “What do I need to do?”
He moves in behind me at the wheel and points forward, his arm stretched out over my shoulder. The heat of his body, the sun-kissed scent of his skin, all conspire to make me dizzy with sensory overload. And he knows his effect on me, dammit.
