Page 7 of His Secret Gift

“What about me?” I don’t understand.

She giggles. “Are there any men on your horizon?”

“Oh.” I glare to the side. “No.”

“Come on, Kayla. You’re too young and too hot… well.” She examines my body. “Your face is hot.”

“Hey!” I smooth back some hair behind my ear.

“I’m sorry. But you dress like my seventy-five-year-old grandmother. In fact, I’m pretty sure she has that exact same shirt.”

I did get it from the “mature women” section at Kohl’s, so it’s possible.

“Anyway, back to your question. No. There’s no man, and I intend on keeping it that way.”

She grunts. “That’s no fun!”

“Yeah well, I found out what fun got me last time.”

“Ugh! That stupid Simon.” She takes off her glasses and makes circles with her fingers before putting them around her eyes. “Hi I’m Simon.” She’s doing her best British accent. “I’m a pretentious bastard with a tiny wiener and no personality beyond the fact that I have little John Lennon glasses.”

“Molly!” I throw another napkin at her, which she tries to deflect before it hits her arm.

In her normal voice, she says, “He sucked, K. There’s no question of that. But he doesn’t represent all men.”

“Maybe not.” But I’m just not ready to get back out in the dating pool. He hurt me so badly.

She reaches her arms out and grabs my hands. “Please, just consider going on one double date with me. Pleeeease.”

I suck air through my teeth and shake my head. “No thanks.”

“Ugh.” She pouts.

I really wantto stick to my word this time, so when I get home, and after texting Collin that I made it safely, I open my laptop, pull up Google, and type “Yacht Jobs” into the browser.

For the most part, the only things I’m seeing are cooking positions for local yacht clubs.

“No.” I keep scrolling while biting my thumb.

Then, I see it. “Steward needed for private vessel.” I click on it and read about how a successful businessman owns a yacht and uses it to travel around the world. The next trip is going to start in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and end in Greece.

“Greece!” That’s not a place I ever thought I’d visit.

However, I’m a little put off when I read about all the certifications you need to get in order to apply. But with a little bit of research, it doesn’t sound like any of them are too complicated or expensive to get.

So, I pull the plunge, and I fill out the application.

“Come on universe,” I whisper while hitting “send.” With my fingers crossed, I look up at the sky. “Please show me a sign that I’m on the right path.”

The clink of my now empty wine glass against the bedside table echoes around me as I reach for the bottle to pour myselfsome more. But my stomach lurches after I hear a “ding” coming from my computer and see that I’ve got an email from someone named Wesley Bryant.

I take a sip before discarding the glass and open it.

“Good evening, Ms. Allen.”

My heart is pounding.

“I’ve reviewed your application and would like to set up a quick Zoom call with you to discuss this position further. Please let me know what date and time work best for you.”

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