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Stepping away, she moved towards her door… and heard her whispered name in the distance.
“Calista?”
Instead of answering, she disappeared inside and threw herself on her bunk, sobbing pathetically as her heart was breaking. She wanted Will for her own, but Marie’s words kept echoing in her head.
Will had duties here, responsibilities.
Calista had deadlines to meet, edits to make, and outlines to come up with. They each had a business, people dependent on them getting things done and organized. He would never ask her to give up her world, nor could she ask him to do the same.
There couldn’t be two more different people in the world, she realized - and they were perfect for each other somehow.
It was just a matter of figuring out the ‘how’.
11THE BRINY DEEP…
WILLIAM
Last night had beenbeautiful and horrible at the same time.
He had never felt such joy, such longing, and such a sense of perfection as he had holding Calista in his arms. She looked at him like he was the most incredible person – and he wanted to be… for her. The taste of her was intoxicating and her response to his kisses made him weak, only to realize that her words were hiding something more as she poured out her heart.
She kept saying she wanted someone to choose her, to be with her, and he was sitting right there – reaching for her. She couldn’t see it - and didn’t believe in him…. which made him realize that perhaps she had some unresolved issues from her previous marriage.
That was something he could not ask about, nor did he want to fall into a counselor-role with the woman he loved. Being a ‘Friend’ was hard enough at times. No, her past andany issues had to be something she came to terms with. He could not help her with it, no matter how much he wanted to… because he was already involved.
If she chose to reject him, reject whatever this was blooming between them, he was going to have to figure out a way to repair his own broken heart… and it was better that he find out now, rather than years from now.
It was going to be torture seeing her face, her smile, and knowing that he was going to have to distance himself until she decided.
“God, I hope she picks me…” he whispered raggedly, sinking down onto the side of his bunk to sit down, putting his head down in his hands.
Thursday morning began rather early as Willfelt the ship give a mighty roll underneath him, and at the same time, he heard banging on his door
“Captain Kidd? William? Hey! It’s Mahoney, sir… open up, please?”
He heard Shepherd banging on the doorway, his voice terse, as he leapt out of his bunk and felt the ship roll once more. Opening the door, he saw the man’s greenish tint to his face in the faint sunrise in the distance and hesitated as awareness hit him.
“The storm changed course, didn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dang it…” Will muttered, shoving his t-shirt into his pants as he stormed out of his cabin with Shepherd following him. “What do we have? What’s NOAA say on the radio? Any alerts from the Coast Guard? Are we still on pace?”
The two men began talking swiftly as they plunged out of the protected hallway into the rain pouring down on them in the muggy air. Sure enough, the seas were rolling wildly and there was lightning cracking in the distance.
“Captain – we’ve gotta get away from that…” Bo said nervously. “I don’t want to be a lightning rod on the ocean.”
“You’re not, you dolt,” Jared snapped.
“Keep everyone in their cabins today,” William ordered, “Occupy them below deck. I don’t want to lose anyone overboard. I’m going to try to turn the ship away from that mess…”
“It’s headed right for us, sir,” Shepherd said bluntly, interrupting him.
“Somehow I knew you were going to say that.”
“What in the world is going on?” Marie said hotly. “I don’t relish the idea of puking before breakfast and…”
“You’re not dumb, Marie. You know as well as the rest of us that we’ve hit a squall…” Jared snapped.
