“Great.” Lauren grinned at them and arched a brow questioningly. “How do burgers sound?”
Grey smiled at the way the boys cheered and jumped up and down eagerly in response to Lauren’s question. Taking families out on cruises was always fun because the kids got so excited about everything. And the younger they were, the more amplified that excitement became, which made the trip all the more enjoyable for her.
Because she knew that they were running on a tight schedule to get out of port before the seas kicked up later that afternoon, Grey clapped her hands and drew everyone’s attention back onto herself. “Well, while Lauren makes lunch, why don’t I show you guys to your cabins so you can unpack a bit. After lunch, we’ll leave for Saint Frances Bay. It’s a short sail, and you’ll have plenty of time to swim or explore the beach before dinner.”
The kids needed no further encouragement as they ran off to find their rooms for the trip, and Grey chuckled as she led Will and Kim inside, giving them basically the same spiel she had delivered to Lauren earlier that morning. “This is the salon…”
Lauren hung back on the deck and watched through the open doors as Grey showed the Muellers around, and only wandered inside once the family had disappeared down the starboard stairs to the cabins Reid and Will and Kim would be using. She smiled at Max and Peyton when the boys sprinted back into the salon to check out their cabins again, and she chuckled under her breath at the sound of them bouncing on one bed, running through the small bathroom that joined their rooms, and then jumping on the other bed.
Lunch was definitely a more active affair than Lauren was used to, but the boys’ excitement over being on “a real sailboat” was palpable, and she found her own anticipation for the trip building as she listened to them talk about everything they hoped to see and do. She was no stranger to being on the water, but theCaribbean promised far more adventure than the lake she had grown up on could ever do, and by the time the burgers and oven fries were polished off, she was just as ready as the kids were to get underway.
Lauren collected everybody’s plates and carried them into the kitchen, waving off Kim’s offer to help, though she did smile gratefully at Grey when the brunette brought all the condiments inside and put them back in the fridge. Lauren rinsed off the plates and loaded them into the dishwasher, and she was pleasantly surprised when Grey picked up a dishtowel to dry the baking sheet for her. “Thank you,” Lauren murmured as she watched Grey put the baking sheet away in its proper place.
Grey glanced at Lauren and nodded as she hooked the door shut with her heel. She was halfway to the sliding doors by the time the cabinet door clicked shut, the magnet in the frame holding it closed. She did not look back as she wandered through the salon to the back deck, and she took a deep breath as her eyes swept over the familiar contours of the marina. The promise of having the wind in her face as they skipped across the sea made the weight that had settled on her chest all morning completely disappear, and she was suddenly itching to go. To motor to the mouth of the harbor, hoist the mainsail, and let the wind carry her away. Even the sound of Lauren’s quiet footsteps coming out of the salon behind her did little to dampen her spirits, and Grey was still smiling when she turned to look at her. “Can you throw the lines?”
Lauren’s breath hitched at the sight of Grey’s smile. Grey was radiant. Her smile was wide, carefree, and brimming with a zest for adventure, and Lauren was shocked at how strongly she reacted to it. She stared into Grey’s eyes that seemed to sparkle, and nodded once, not trusting herself to speak.
“All right. Start with the bow, then do the spring line, and save the stern for last. I’ll be up on deck following you, so you canjust toss them to me, okay?” Grey’s smile grew wider when she was answered with another small tip of Lauren’s head. “Awesome. Wait for me to get up to the helm before you throw the stern line, just in case the current decides to do something weird. As soon as you get the last one free, jump onto the dive platform and make sure you keep the line away from the props.”
“I got it.” The skin on Lauren’s arm tingled where it brushed against Grey’s as she edged past her, and she shook her head as she hurried down the stairs to jump onto the dock.
Lauren worked quickly, untying the lines and tossing them up to Grey, who coiled them around her arm before stowing them safely away, and less than five minutes later, she was back on the small square dive platform with the stern lines in her hands. She wrapped the ropes around her elbow and fist as she made her way up to the deck, dropped them into the small storage compartment Grey had left open for her, and flipped it closed with the side of her foot.
The Muellers were sitting at the starboard-side table on the back deck, looking out over the harbor with wide, eager eyes as Grey began pulling smoothly away from the dock. Wanting to give the family some space to enjoy the start of their vacation, but still wanting to experience the departure for herself, Lauren made her way along the port-side hull to the trampolines that stretched across the bow.
Standing at the helm up on the bridge, Grey stared out over the horizon, feeling more content than she had all day. The wheel beneath her hands was solid and warm, and she could feel the pull of current sliding around the rudders. She was in her element, totally in-control of everything, and she relished the calm that knowledge gave her.
Sailing had always been her escape. She had spent her childhood on the much cooler waters off the coast of Rhode Island racing two-man catamarans with her father, and when shehad gone west to UC San Diego for college, she spent the majority of her weekends at Mission Bay sailing casually around the bay or taking on whomever she could goad into a race. Salt water ran in her veins, and when she was away from the sea for too long, she would actually become ill.
Movement in her periphery drew her eyes down, and she held her breath as she watched Lauren lower herself gracefully onto the starboard trampoline. Though she would be the first to say that the twelve years she had spent since college sailing the Caribbean had been a dream, the last three had been more of a nightmare: an all-encompassing, never-ending horror that she could not escape.
She thought she had been doing a decent job deluding herself into believing that she was okay, that the alcohol and the faceless women she lost herself in were enough—until she walked into the salon earlier that morning to find Lauren Murphy staring at the galley like it was the most incredible thing she had ever seen. Lauren’s fiery red curls had thrown a blinding spotlight on her futile struggle to forget, and she was left wondering how she had ever managed to convince herself that she was okay.
CHAPTER SIX
THE BACK DECK of theVeritaswas bathed in a combination of light from the moon overhead and the warm glow of the lights from the salon that spilled through the open sliding doors. The sun had set half an hour earlier, leaving the sky a mix of blues and blacks, dotted by stars that burned brightly in the darkening heavens. Lauren spent the afternoon in the kitchen finishing the prep she had not done earlier that day, while Grey busied herself with making sure the sails and rigging were all properly stored after their afternoon at sea and the Muellers spent the time in the water: swimming, jumping off the side of the boat, and teaching the boys how to snorkel.
Grey hummed quietly under her breath as she popped the last bite of her Mahi-Mahi into her mouth and chewed it slowly, letting the flavors of the lemon-soy marinade and the pineapple salsa Lauren had piled on top of the fish flood her taste buds. She had eaten more than her fair share of gourmet meals over the years, that was just one of the perks of captaining a charter yacht, but she had never tasted anything as wonderful as the meal Lauren had just prepared. The ingredients were simple—fish, wild rice, and steamed vegetables—but the things Lauren had done with them were out of this world. “That was seriously amazing.”
The quiet compliment made Lauren blush, since Grey had gone out of her way to avoid her all day long, and she smiled shyly as she tipped her head in a small bow. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Grey murmured, forcing herself to hold Lauren’s gaze for an extended beat before it became too much for her and she had to look away. It was still too hard to look at Lauren and not be reminded of all she had lost, but at the same time, she was finding it harder and harder tonotlook at her either. She could not explain it, but there was something about Lauren that just called to her.
“Dinner was absolutely incredible,” Kim Mueller agreed. The sentiment was echoed by her husband and all three boys, who were bookended by their parents at the table opposite Grey and Lauren.
Lauren smiled. “I’m glad you all enjoyed it. Would you like dessert now, or would you rather wait a bit?”
“Dessert!” the boys yelled, bouncing in their seats and drumming their hands on the table excitedly.
Grey chuckled and shot a questioning look at Will and Kim, who simply smiled indulgently at the boys and nodded their approval. Grey grinned and winked at the boys as she slid out of the banquette and began gathering the Muellers’ plates. “Looks like you guys don’t have to wait.”
Kim started to stand as Grey took her plate. “I can help.”
“Nonsense. Stay and enjoy your family,” Lauren said, shaking her head at Kim as she stacked the boys’ plates to make them easier to carry. “We got this,” she added, glancing at Grey, who nodded her agreement.
The dirty plates were set into the sink to be dealt with later, and Lauren smiled gratefully at Grey as she opened a cupboard near the stove and pulled out a saucepan. “Thank you for helping bring everything in. Would you like some dessert?”
“It’s not a problem. And, sure. Are we having the brownies you made this afternoon while everybody was swimming?”
