Page 63 of Sail Away with Me

Galvin eyed him warily. “I’m starting to think you didn’t have any girlfriends growing up.”

Sail shrugged. “I did, but I rarely brought them home to hang with my parents. What about you? Did you bring boys home to watch football with your dad?”

Galvin leaned as close as she could to Sail. “Yes, and at halftime we played our own game.”

Sail cleared his throat and muttered, “You’re evil and I am so taking you upstairs to my room.”

galvin

. . .

Galvin paced in her studio. The space was small, making the back-and-forth trips from the kitchen to the living room short. She’d showered, did her hair and make-up, and then changed her clothes a million and one times. It didn’t matter what she put on, nothing seemed right. Her jeans were too tight, her shirt not flattering. This dinner was beyond the scope of meeting someone’s parents or trying to make a good first impression. They were her bosses, and she was doing the no-no with their son.

When she finally found the right shirt, to complement her jeans, Caroline’s more than perfect outfit from the night before popped into her mind. That was one of the first things she noticed after meeting her—her attire was Rodeo Drive rich—with the second being how stunning she was. It wasn’t even the pregnancy glow. Dune’s fiancée was drop dead gorgeous. And she made Galvin feel a bit like a freak show.

Her clothing consisted of a few sundresses, shorts, tanks, jeans, yoga pants, and the must have bulky sweatshirts to go with copious amounts of T-shirts. She’d never been the dress up type but had always admired women who did it on a daily basis.

Diego’s—the restaurant they’d gone too—definitely didn’t require a Chanel bag and Gucci sunglasses. Galvin didn’t think Caroline cared one iota, which was how she wanted to feel. Yet, the thought of hanging out with Sail’s family tonight made her nerves feel like they were on fire, and no matter what she did, nothing would extinguish the flames.

Galvin looked at her phone for the time. Sail would pick her up at six, and then they’d stop at every restaurant on the list his mother needed him to. Tonight, was takeout night at the Carter’s. This was one of the ways the family supported all other businesses.

Sunday’s dinner would be a whole different ball game. While not exactly formal, they would sit around their ornate family table in their dining room, with nice plates, silverware, the whole nine yards, and enjoy each other’s company.

She wasn’t sure which night was going to cause her the most anxiety. Tonight, she could easily pass as Sail’s friend or charity case since she’s new in town. On Sunday, she’d sit next to him as his whatever they were to each other, while people at the table stared at her.

Yep, tonight is definitely the easier of the two.

Looking at the time on her phone again, she continued to pace and make up conversations in her head, so she was prepared to respond. It wasn’t like she hadn’t met parents before, this just felt different.

It’s because you like him a lot.

Her thoughts made her stop. A smile formed on her lips as she accepted the fact that Sail was everything, she didn’t know she was looking for. For the most part, she didn’t care he hadn’t finished college. According to him, he’d go back to Miami and work his ass off to finish so he could still graduate on time.

But where did that leave them?

Law school was in Boston. She’d already applied, paid the fee, and deferred a semester to save money. And Sail had a life in Miami. One she wouldn’t ask him to give up for her.

“Ugh,” she said, as her hands came to the top of her head and squeezed. “You’re way over thinking everything, Galvin. Get it together.”

Once January came, they’d go their separate ways, making no promises to each other. If and when Sail returned, they’d see how things were between them.

“If he comes back,” she said into the open space. She fully expected him to stay in Miami and become some tropical tour guide, like he said he wanted to be.

The knock came before Galvin could text Sail and give him some lousy excuse as to why she couldn’t go tonight. She opened the door in a rush, startling Sail.

“Shit, I almost fell.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “The platform is big enough that you’re not on the edge, teetering toward your death.”

“Touché,” he said as he rested his arm on the door jamb. He eyed her, causing her insides to play topsy-turvy. And if she wasn’t mistaken, the button on her jeans began to loosen by itself. She took a deep, shuddering breath, which only made things worse because he never took his eyes off her.

“You okay?”

Galvin nodded. “Just thinking.”

“About last night?”

She hadn’t been but was now. The things he’d done to her body and the way he made her feel . . . another shudder ripped through her.

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