AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Addie was The One.
Crazy talk. He was way, way ahead of himself.
“Here we go.” He plunked the cooler onto the sand and arranged the towel so they could sit together facing the water, then opened the lid. “Les sandwiches du jambon.”
“Good Lord, what have you made for me?”
“Ham sandwiches.”
Addie giggled. “So chic, Pierre.”
“Ain’t it?” He unwrapped a sandwich he’d made when he stopped into the main house for a lightning fast shower after chopping all that wood, and for condoms. It had occurred to him if his plan for Addie’s morning worked out he’d want to spend a lot of private time with her that afternoon as well, so lunch was a good idea. Paul and Ellen had nothing planned for the group until the rehearsal dinner that night. Many of the guests had decided to spend the afternoon on the mainland. They were free and clear until early evening.
“Thank you. It looks delicious.” She took the thick sandwich—of ham, cheese and cucumber slices on whole wheat bread, and a can of lemon-flavored sparkling water.
They ate for a while in comfortable silence, then Derek started smiling—he couldn’t help it. Addie had that adorable frown across her forehead, which he was starting to learn meant she was working something out in her mind.
“It’s funny,” she said eventually. “I almost didn’t want to come to this wedding.”
“Yeah?” A tiny shock jolted his chest, as if he was suffering the idea of never having met her. For crying out loud. She did come.
“Anything that promised to take me out of my comfortable everyday routine felt like a threat. It’s kind of scary to look back now and see how stuck I was. I hope I never go back to that.”
“You won’t if you don’t want to. And for the record, I’m very glad you came.” Understatement of the millennium. She’d already changed his life. From now on he wouldn’t settle for less than this remarkable level of affinity and of intimacy.
“Me, too.” She smiled at him, her dark eyes warm and a little shy, dimple sweet in her right cheek. His heart seemed to double in size, straining to get out of his chest. “Tell me more about your life as the big romantic yacht captain.”
“Ha.” He took a sip of water. “Nonstop fun and glamour.”
“I knew it!”
“Let’s see. Which would be more thrilling, talking about managing a hardworking, squabbling crew stuck in close quarters for weeks at a time, or discussing the hours spent charting courses and worrying about weather, or dealing with annoying entitled passengers, or managing the budget, or hey, I know, understanding the paperwork and health regulations required by different ports, rarely getting a day off...are you still awake?”
“Wow.” She chewed solemnly on a bite of sandwich. “I guess every job has its downside, huh. You still love it, though.”
“Most of the time, yeah.”
“There must be some glamorous parts to it.”
“There are.” He chased a bite of sandwich with water, realizing he’d been starving and glad he’d packed lots of food. Not only had he worked his body plenty today, he’d also been through an emotional Tilt-A-Whirl. “I’ve anchored at some of the most gorgeous spots in the world. Seen places I never would have dreamed of if I’d stayed in Massachusetts with my family.”
“Hmm.” Addie took another bite. Derek was intrigued. Usually this was where women sighed and batted their eyes and said they’d give anything to be able to come along on a trip, that it sounded so romantic. But Addie sat still, that slight frown creasing her forehead.
“It must be a lonely life.”
For about three seconds he sat, stunned and oddly moved. She was right. It was a lonely life. But not that many people—no one he’d met—had ever figured that out.
“It can be.” His voice had gone husky. He cleared his throat.
“It’s also not a life conducive to having a family or a home. Not in a traditional way anyway. So it must seem like there’s no real solution to loneliness.”
Derek took a last big bite of sandwich to delay answering. What was he going to say, You’re right. And quite honestly, I didn’t even consider marriage and kids until I met you the day before yesterday? It would be a great way to see her gorgeous rear—running away from him as fast as possible. He wouldn’t blame her.
