Page 52 of Sail Away with Me

“You’re coming back, right? After graduation?”

Sail looked at his baby brother. All four of the Carter boys were tall, within inches of each other, and all with dark hair. There was no mistaking them for siblings.

With the smallest of head shakes, he said, “I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Crew said as he ran his hand through his hair. “That would suck.”

Sail laughed. “Why because you’d have to work sooner?”

“No, because I like having you home.”

Any other time, Sail would’ve gone to his little brother, put him in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over his scalp until Crew cried out for their parents. Instead, Sail went to Crew and gave him a hug.

At first, it was awkward, but Crew relaxed and hugged Sail back.

“What was that for?”

“No reason,” Sail said. “You’re a good kid.”

“Have you met our father?”

Sail nodded. Each boy had a bonafide fear of their father, but it stemmed from not wanting to disappoint him. Jack Carter raised his voice, never his hand, and had the deadly look when he was unhappy with one of his kids. Sail felt it often.

Until this morning.

“How’d practice go?” Crew asked as they made their way up the steps to the porch.

“Really well. Obviously, I have a lot of work to do, but I’ll get there.”

“Are you going out again in the morning?”

“Yep, first thing. Wanna join us? We can race.”

“Not tomorrow but dad asked me to sail on Saturday. I’ll happily race you.” Crew smirked and Sail accepted the challenge. Sail taught him everything he knew. The question was, what had Crew learned while Sail was away at school.

They walked into the house, with Crew heading upstairs and Sail into the kitchen. Their mom, Pearl, stood at the window above the sink, looking out.

“It’s a nice sunset,” Sail said as he went to the refrigerator for something to drink. Only to shut it again when all he saw was milk, chocolate milk and orange juice. “What’s wrong?”

Pearl sighed. “Oh, nothing. Just . . . watching.”

Sail stood next to her and looked out over the property and toward the horizon. He loved his parent’s property. It was right on the water, with magnificent views of the ocean. They had a small area where they could relax, but also had a dock for them to park their boat for the day. They always docked overnight at the marina. The weather could be unpredictable, and the bay provided some shelter from the other open waters.

“What’s on your mind, Mom?”

Pearl sighed again. “Are you dating Galvin Winters?” She turned slowly and looked at Sail. Her expression was indescribable. “Your aunt said you brought her by the Clam Shack, and I know you’ve spent a lot of time at the diner.” She took a deep breath. “And you haven’t been home the past two nights.”

Sail groaned and gripped the edge of the sink while he continued to stare out the window. He loved his mom, but this was one of the reasons why he didn’t come home last summer—she was overbearing—or was she just the type of mother who needed to know everything.

“Mom . . .”

“Sail, I know you’re an adult, but she’s the daughter of a man your father respects.”

“I know. She told me.”

“And she doesn’t know anyone here.”

“She knows me,” he said. “She knows Dune and tonight she’s meeting Caroline. I’m introducing her to everyone I can. Galvin’s also met Margaux. I’m trying to show her Seaport. The island we love so much so she’ll feel at home.”

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