Chapter Six
Present: Day One at Sea
“Did you notice Gigi ogling the chef on our way down?” Beth asks in a lowered voice, closing the cabin door behind her.
I stiffen at hearing her sayogling, the same word she used the other night to describe Matt’s inappropriate behavior toward the waitress.
“How could I not?” I unzip my bag and search for my sweatshirt, trying to force away the mental image of my soon-to-be ex-husbandoglinga beautiful young woman’s ass.
“You would never know she’s married from the way she’s throwing herself at him,” Beth adds.
There’s an extra edge to Beth’s voice. Sometimes I wonder if Beth is lonely, living with just her cat. No husband, no kids. Beth stays busy with her career, but I know my best friend would like to be married, have a family. Even though she acts like it doesn’t bother her to be single. That it’s her choice.
I used to wonder if Beth’s coolness to Matt over the years was due to jealousy, but now that I’ve seen Matt’s true asshole self, I feel bad for thinking that. I look at Beth, the scowl on her face about Gigi’s flirtations nearly making me laugh.
“Did you see her in the kitchen? I thought she was a vegetarian,” Beth says.
Earlier, on our way to our stateroom, we spotted Gigi in the galley, her hand on Adam’s shoulder as she leaned over him, asking to have a bite of the meatballs he was sautéing.
“Andwhatwas she wearing?” Beth shakes her head.
I picture what Gigi had changed into when I last saw her—a long-sleeved skintight black-spandex onesie with cutouts across the chest and midriff. I shrug. “I think it’s called a catsuit.”
I check my phone. Seeing that I’ve lost service, I make a mental note to get the Starlink password from Gigi so I can WhatsApp my sister. Beth slips a sweater over her T-shirt as a knock sounds on our door. Beth opens it while I pull my sweatshirt over my head.
I expect to see Gigi, but it’s Emma.
“You guys coming to watch the sunset?” She adjusts a monogrammed shawl around her shoulders.
“Yep,” Beth says. “We were just throwing on something warm.”
Adam is alone in the kitchen when we follow Emma up the stairs to the deck. I regard his profile as he chops mushrooms. He catches my stare and smiles. A dimple appears on one side of his face. I look away, feeling a flush of warmth on my cheeks.
Gigi is seated on the padded cockpit bench, in the same spot that Beth and I sat in earlier. She’s already opened the wine. At the stern, Nojan is stationed at one of the wheels. The wind died down when we reached Port Townsend, forcing Nojan to lower the sails and start the motor.
“Being on this boat reminds me of my grandparents’ sailboat.” The wind catches one of Emma’s blond curls, and she tucks it behind her ear. “Except it was way older. I practically lived on that thing in the summers as a kid while my mom worked.”
“I remember that,” Gigi says. “TheFancy Free, right?”
“Yep.” Emma smiles, nodding.
When she hands Emma a glass, Gigi’s gaze is unfocused, as if she’s had too much to drink already. Emma sinks next to her and throws atanned leg over Gigi’s lap, giving her a close-lipped smile. In return, Gigi taps her champagne glass against Emma’s.
“Oh, look. It’s Sequim,” Beth says as she and I take a seat on the bench across from Gigi and Emma.
I recognize the Dungeness Spit in the distance and the lighthouse perched on the end of it. The sea around it is smooth as glass.
“Remember when Courtney convinced us all to take the trek out there to stay fit in the offseason?” Emma says.
Gigi smiles. “I showed up in flip-flops, not realizing how long of a hike it is. My feet were killing me.”
“Wasn’t it something like eleven miles?” Emma peers over her shoulder at the lighthouse in the distance.
Beth grimaces behind her glasses. “It was brutal, I remember that.”
Emma extends a toned arm toward Gigi. “And I gave you a piggyback ride part of the way back just so we wouldn’t have to hear you complain about your feet hurting.”
Gigi’s mouth drops open. “I didn’t complain.”
