Page 70 of Devlin

Her stomachturned over and now she understood the odd expression in his eyes. He felt guilty about killing her dreams. But that guilt hadn't stopped him from doing it. "My dad and I are racing together," she reminded him.

"Well, it's up to Frank, of course. But since he built theWind Warrior, I wanted to give him the chance to race it."

"Your father knows he can't beat me," her dad said, aknowing gleam in his eyes. "He's out of practice. He doesn’t want to lose. That's why he suddenly changed his mind about me."

"Is that true?" she asked.

"That my dad's skills are a little rusty, yes," Devlin replied. "But that didn't have anything to do with his decision regarding your job."

"Oh, I think it did," Frank said. "As I said, I need to consider my options."

Devlin didn't look happy with her father's answer. "All right. I just want to reiterate that the race is separate from the job. You can come back to work and still race with Hannah."

"Understood."

"Dad—" she started, thinking she needed to let him off the hook for the race. TheWind Warriorwas his baby as much as it was Devlin's.

Her father put up a hand. "Please, no morewords. I have some thinking to do, and you two need to let me do it. Can you get yourself home, Hannah?"

"Sure. But where are you going?"

"I'd like to be on my own for a while. We'll talk later."

As her father left, Devlin said, "I'm sorry, Hannah. I felt I had to offer Frank the opportunity to race theWind Warrior."

"I know."

"And I hoped you'd be happy thatI'm rehiring him."

"I'm thrilled he can have his job back, but I'm a little sad for myself. I know my father will feel compelled to race with you. Actually, compelled isn't even the right word, because he'llwantto race with you. You are a much better sailor than I am. And theDaisy Maedoesn't hold a candle to theWind Warrior."

"I told him the race is a separate deal."

"We'll see. The thing is, even if he agrees to sail with me, I should let him go. The two of you will be unbeatable, and theWind Warriorwill get all the glory. As you said, my dad built that boat. It's the way it should be." She paused. "Why did your father change his mind? When I spoke to him, I got the feeling he would never back down. Was it your ultimatum?"

"Maybe. I'd like to thinkhe respects the job I'm doing."

"I'm sure he does."

"I have to say that, for the first time, I feel like the Boatworks might really be mine."

She could see the pleasure in his eyes and knew that meant a lot to him. "It's a win for you and for my dad."

"I don't want those wins to be at your expense," he said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you, Hannah."

"You'renot hurting me. It's all good. This is the way it should be. This racing world belongs to you and my dad. I shouldn't have let myself get so caught up in it. What's important is that my father gets his life back and that his work is valued, not only by you and your family, but also by the sailing public. I know that the upcoming race is as much about business as it is about sailing."

"You'rebeing very understanding."

"I'm trying to be."

"Do you think there's a chance your father will not come back to the Boatworks?"

"I honestly don't know, Devlin. I would have thought he'd say yes immediately."

"Do you know anything about an offer from Victory Sailing?"

"I know they made him one, but he hasn't shared the details. My father is a proud man, Devlin.I hope he doesn't let pride get in the way of making the best decision."

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