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“You’re going down today, Cole Steel,” Whitney said as she hugged him. “And Aria! Goodness, you’re still behind the bar at this silly place?”
Aria waved her hand. “It isn’t so bad. I just wish I could watch the entire race.”
“To tell you the truth, a sailing race is pretty boring to watch from shore,” Whitney said. “But if you’re working lunch, I guess you’ll be out of work to party with us along the docks later?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Aria said, glancing at Cole, whose cheeks were beet red.
At eleven-thirty, from the bar’s porch, Aria watched with other bar revelers as the first of the sailors embarked on their mission around the island. The islanders and tourists who’d come to see them off screamed and cried from the docks, reminiscent of those who’d watched the whalers leaving Martha’s Vineyard hundreds of years ago. Aria placed her hands around her mouth and hollered, “GO, COLE!” Several other bar dwellers followed her lead, calling Cole’s name, as he was a regular and a beloved sailor, especially because he was the son of Aiden.
The race was set to take a couple of hours, and Aria worked herself into a frenzy throughout as a way not to worry about Cole. It was strange to feel so tied up in another person’s joy and another person’s worries, but she also found it exhilarating, as though it gave her life a gravity.
“The reports are saying Cole’s at least in the top ten right now!” One of the regulars, Steve, popped his head over the bar counter to talk to Aria as she changed a keg.
“Top ten?” Aria raised her chin to look at him. “Gosh, can you imagine if Cole gets tenth place? He won’t talk to anyone for a week!”
Steve laughed appreciatively as Aria clamped the keg in place and began to pour the first beer. When she always replaced it, the froth was overwhelming, and she had to fill several glasses before she got the perfect pour. As she worked, she laughed at her thoughts, remembering a version of herself who’d never have imagined she would work at a bar, not in a million years.
A little while later, Steve announced that Cole was as high as the top five, although they still had about a half-hour left of the race.
“I might fall apart, Steve,” Aria said. “I just might fall to the ground!”
Steve laughed. “Cole’s lucky to have a girlfriend like you who cares so much.”
Aria’s eyes widened, but she didn’t correct him. This was the first time anyone had ever referred to Aria as Cole’s girlfriend, as though it was old news.
Just before the sailors came in, Steve ordered that Aria leave the bar and run down to welcome Cole to the finish line.
“There are so many people here who need beers, Steve!” Aria said.
But Steve waved his hand. “You need to get down there. I can pour the beers.”
Although it was illegal to allow someone without an alcohol license to take over the bar, Aria had a hunch nobody was paying attention on such a festive day, and Steven could be trusted. She burst from the door, raced along the boardwalk, and headed back to the finish line. As she neared the crowd, she could see Cole’s sailboat blasting alongside another one she didn’t recognize. When she reached the edge of the dock, she screamed, “COME ON, COLE!” But she knew he couldn’t possibly hear her over the whipping winds.
“Aria! Hey!”
Aria turned at the sound of her voice to see Elsa, Carmella, Mallory, Maggie, and Alyssa beside her, waving both at Aria and the ocean before them. Aria laughed and pointed out, saying, “He’s so close!”
“He really is!” Maggie said this mostly to Lucy, who she held in her arms.
As the boats grew nearer and nearer, the crowd’s roar became like a monstrous hum. More and more, Aria felt sure Cole would cross the finish line first. But at the last second, another one raced ahead of him, and the boats were called, one after another, with Cole in second and Whitney in fourth.
“Second!” Elsa cried, her hand in a fist. “So close!”
But already, Maggie and Alyssa hugged Aria excitedly as Carmella and Elsa cried Cole’s name.
“Go get him, Aria!” Alyssa said knowingly, patting her on the shoulder.
Aria raced forward, as though Cole was a magnet, and she could do nothing but go to him. He was tying up his boat along the dock, chatting joyously to the man who’d beaten him. The man had black hair and wide shoulders, and just as he said something to Cole, a beautiful woman with long brunette hair leaped into his boat and screamed, “Tommy Gasbarro! You’ve done it again!”
Before Cole could step off the boat, Aria decided to follow the lead of Tommy’s girlfriend or wife, leaping onto the sailboat to wrap her arms around Cole. Cole cried out, lifting her in a circle as Aria screeched joyfully.
After Cole and Aria clambered out of the boat, Tommy Gasbarro eyed Aria and said, “Your boyfriend is a killer sailor. I guess you already know that.”
Aria blushed and eyed Cole, preparing for him to correct Tommy. When he didn’t, Aria stuck out her hand and said, “I’m Aria. You were brilliant out there today. Congratulations.”
Tommy shook it, his salty curls shaking. “Thank you. This is Lola, by the way.”
Lola smiled brightly and took Aria’s hand. “I see you understand what being with a sailor is like. They give everything to the sea.”
