Page 13 of Sail Away with Me

Sail went over to Crew and roughed up his hair a bit. “Ah, thanks little brother.”

The microwave beeped and Crew yelled for his friends to come into the kitchen. They sounded like a herd of dogs at dinner time. The four of them sat around the kitchen table and ate lasagna at midnight. It wasn’t the best idea, but Sail was starving, and he had missed his mom’s cooking.

Crew finally introduced his brother to his friends, Jason and Drake, who thanked Sail again for not calling their parents and for making them something to eat.

The front door opened and Tidal’s voice rang out. “Why are all the damn lights . . . what the hell?” He stopped and stared at his older brother. “Is something wrong with Mom and Dad?”

“Nah, I needed to come home.” Sail stood and gave his brother a hug. “I’ll be here for a bit.”

“Messed up?”

It was like Tidal knew his brother so well.

“Yep,” Sail said as he sat back down. “Grab a plate and join us.”

Tidal did just that.

galvin

. . .

Galvin sat on the park bench, watching people walk by. Somehow, she lucked out when her day off fell on one of the most beautiful days Seaport had, weather wise. It was a crisp seventy, with a light breeze coming off the bay. Every time the wind blew, she closed her eyes and soaked everything in. Coming to Seaport had been the right decision. At the rate she was saving, she’d be able to go to law school comfortably, and without stress. Well, the only stress would be studying and her grades, but she’d tackle those when it was time.

The path in front of her led in different directions, but they were all along the water and had a massive iron rope cascading from one granite pole to another. Boats milled around, some idle in their slips with their motors running, while others moved in and out of the marina.

Groups of people disembarked from a travel bus and headed right to the public restroom. The women instantly creating a line along the brick wall. The men lingered, pointing at sights, and looking at maps spread between two or three of them.

People rode their bikes along the sidewalk, while others speedwalked, weaving in and out of the tourists. It surprised Galvin that the visitors actually tried to pet the dogs who walkedwith their owners, interrupting the walker’s cadence. She shook her head when she witnessed one tourist all but accost a jogger in order to pet the dog. Dogs were cute and the urge to give them all the pets was something she experienced daily, except people needed to be mindful of the owner and what they were doing.

She inhaled the salty air, finding she enjoyed sitting here versus being on the beach. Although she loved the way the sand felt after baking in the sun all day long. Galvin hated the rancid odor of the seaweed when it washed ashore. Still, she wouldn’t give up her current location or living status for anything. Having access to the beach any day of the week was a luxury she never knew she wanted until she had it.

After being in town for a few weeks now, and waiting on a handful of the same locals, she felt like she belonged. They said hi to her when they saw her at the store or when she was out exploring, and they greeted her with a smile while she worked, even if they didn’t have her as their server. Galvin fit in and she loved the close-knit community.

With her eyes closed, she leaned back and absorbed the warmth from the sun. Her plan was to sit there for a few more minutes, and then head to the library. There was a list of books she wanted to check out, and it was one of the places on her list she had left to visit.

In a simultaneous motion, she startled and opened her eyes when she felt a presence sit down next to her. At first, she wondered who in the hell would sit next to a stranger on a park bench, and then she regretted the notion because what if someone needed to rest? But no, it wasn’t someone who needed to take a break from walking—it was Sail, the guy who claimed he was the son’s owner, which Galvin hadn’t been able to confirm with Penny because she’d forgotten.

“What are you doing?” Her question had some bite to it.

Sail smiled at her. It wasn’t one of those creepy, I’m a serial killer type of smiles, but then again, Galvin never met a serial killer, so she wasn’t sure what kind of smile they had. Still, something told her Sail was safe despite her body and mind battling against each other. Oddly, she felt an attraction to him, and she likened him to being a shiny new toy. But her mind put up a block. She didn’t have the time or patience for any type of romance. Especially with the owner’s son. Those types of relationships never ended well.

“I saw you sitting here.”

“And thought you’d sit down?”

Rude much, Galvin?

“Sorry, that was rude.”

“No, I get it,” Sail said as he stretched his long lean and very tan legs out in front of him. He wore stylish sneakers with what she assumed were no show socks, with dark blue dress shorts and a cream polo styled shirt.

“Are you going to work?”

Sail shook his head and then motioned toward the dock. “I’m about to take the boat out. Wanna go?”

“Uh, no.” Galvin shook her head. “Does that line work on women?”

He laughed and shrugged. “In my defense, people know me around here, so they wouldn’t think twice if I asked.”

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