Page 58 of Suddenly Yours

Cade was meticulous. Slow. Thoughtful. He measured twice, cut once, and still stepped back to study his work like it might whisper secrets to him if he waited long enough. He worked as if he was savoring each move, like finishing meant the end of something, not the beginning.

This weekend, though, there would be no work, just water, sun, and friends, thanks to an invite from Lilly to join them and some other friends on their sailboat.

We met down at the marina midmorning. The air was already warm but softened by a breeze rolling in off the water.

I had dug out my swimsuit, shorts, and tank tops from my boxes of things I had yet to unpack. Seeing myself in the mirror I was thankful I spent what time I had this winter doing Pilates. I could have used a spray tan, but at least I knew I wouldn’t be the only white-skinned person going.

Cade was wearing swim shorts and a tank top and looked at least ten shades darker than I was. When I pointed that fact out, he laughed and said it paid to work outdoors instead of in a kitchen.

Adam’s sailboat bobbed gently at the end of the dock. Its white hull was gleaming and the sails were neatly tied back. He and Lilly were already aboard, Adam stowing gear while Lilly arranged cushions and towels like she was setting a scene instead of packing a boat.

They had invited all of us for a daylong, kid-free sailing trip, including a lunch that Adam had put together. Who could pass that up? Why would you?

Cal and Bella arrived next, laughing about something private, followed closely by Sarah and Ben. Sarah was wearing oversized sunglasses and a flowing cover-up, and Ben carried a large cooler like it weighed nothing.

“We brought the drinks,” he cheered as he got help to bring the thing aboard.

Max showed up last, of course, with Cora right behind him. Both of them looked as if they’d just stepped out of some summer clothing magazine, with my brother in khaki shorts and a button-up shirt and loafers and Cora in a navy and white striped sundress with a big white sun hat.

This, this was my life now.

Once we were underway, I was handed a glass of champagne, then Sarah came by and added a splash of orange juice and some fruit in it. The women all congregated at the front of the sailboat and chatted while the men stood around Adam as he steered.

The boat headed up the coast, the shoreline slipping past us in a blur of rocky edges and evergreen trees as the wind filled the sails overhead. The water glittered under the sun, and I kicked off my sandals, curling my toes against the cool deck as Cade settled in beside me.

He leaned in, his arm warm against mine. Easy. Familiar. Safe.

If anyone here didn’t know about us before, they did now. Though I was pretty sure they had known for a while.

Besides, I was growing tired of hiding it from my friends. My true friends.

The sun felt like a physical weight on my shoulders, strong, warm, and comforting.

I took a sip of the mimosa and enjoyed the bubbles dancing in my mouth. Around me, the sailboat was a symphony of easy sounds: the rhythmic slap-slap of the hull hitting the chop, the snap of the canvas overhead as the wind claimed it, and the high, bright ring of my friends’ laughter.

I watched Lilly for a moment. She was moving around the deck with an effortless grace, smoothing a linen cloth over a basket of bread as if we were in the high-end resort she worked at rather than tilting at an angle on the open water. She looked settled. Content. It made me realize how much I’d been bracing myself lately, waiting for the other shoe to drop with my family and with Levi. Not only that, I had been waiting for the stress of the move or opening my own business to catch up to me.

But as the shoreline of rocky cliffs and stubborn evergreens continued to pass by, that tightness in my chest finally started to unfurl.

“You’re overthinking again,” Cade whispered near my ear.

His presence had a specific frequency, a low-thrumming energy that was my North Star.

“Was I?” I teased, looking over at him. The sun caught the gold in his eyes and the fine lines at the corners, earned from squinting at the horizon. “I was actually thinking about how pale I am. I’m basically a lighthouse for the rest of the fleet.” I motioned to everyone else on the boat. All of them had a soft glow to their skin, including Lilly, who was as light-skinned as one could get.

Cade let out a low chuckle as his arm slid across the back of the seat, his thumb grazing the skin of my shoulder. “I think the word you’re looking for is ‘radiant.’ Besides, the day is young. By the time Adam turns this thing around, you’ll have a tan to match the rest of us.”

He was right. Besides, I bet Adam and Lilly had been going out on this sailboat all winter long. She was bound to get enough sun on the warmer days to make her shine.

“I think they all know about us now.” I whispered and glanced around. I mean, we were being chummy, but we had always been so.

Cade followed my gaze. “Does that bother you? Do you want to keep the secret still?”

I shrugged. “I’m sort of over it.” I smiled.

He shifted a little closer. “Good. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to keep our distance today. I really want to touch you.”

I melted as I leaned back, letting my head rest against his shoulder. The boat crested a larger swell, and a spray of mist kicked up over the bow, coating my skin in a fine, salty film. It was bracing and perfect.