Page 45 of Until Kendal

He nodded. “We can go now or head to the cruise.”

Romance was in his blood. My lips curved higher. “The dinner cruise sounds amazing. Let’s do that.”

The driver took off, and I faced the street. The tall buildings housed more people than the entire population of Murfreesboro. However, we made it to the harbor, and I pivoted to glance over Joel’s shoulder.

He was sweet, letting me gaze out. However, as we pulled to a private boat yard and stepped out, I rubbed my eyes.Boatwasn’t the right word for the ship—it was the biggest one in sight. I tilted my head. “It’s really a yacht? I’ve never even been in a rowboat.”

“We can do that later, when we’re at the beach house.” He offered his arm to lead me to the gangway. “And this one is technically my father’s, so he’s only loaning it to us. He keeps this one docked in Manhattan in case any of us need it.”

I stood at the foot of it, and goose bumps grew on my arm. My eyes widened. “Is it safe?”

He nodded. “You can wear a life vest if that makes you comfortable.”

If I stayed with him, this would be my life. I sighed then nodded as I took a step on the silver walkway. “No, I learned to swim, though I’ve not practiced in a long time.”

Once on board, we walked to the back as the crew handled takeoff. He helped me put on my jacket, and I stared up at him again. He was sweet.

“We won’t be going in the water. Dinner is below deck.”

I curled my fingers around his and walked with him toward the door. Once it closed, I realized we were alone and that the tint gave us privacy. “This is gorgeous. Glass view all around.”

He directed me toward a table for two and the buffet beside it. “We’ll head to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty for a private tour.”

He opened a wine, and I pressed my hand to my heart for a second. “My hands are shaking. Did your parents teach all of you how to sweep a girl off her feet?”

He handed me a glass, and I steadied myself and took it as he asked, “So am I doing that?”

“You make it impossible to doubt you.” I clinked our glasses together.

He laughed, and we both sipped. Then he said, “Good, and to answer your question, Maman and Pedar probably taught by example. They are adorably cute together.”

That was the opposite of my parents. I grabbed one of the strawberries. “So am I the first girl you invited on the yacht?” I dropped it in my mouth, and the sweet fruit blended with the drink.

His gaze narrowed, and he stopped. “Are you asking about my past relationships?”

I lowered my head. Maybe I was ruining everything, again. Self-sabotage was my thing. Everything with him was marvelous, and I had never ever used the word in my life. I tilted my head. “Yeah. How are you even single still, Joel?”

He handed me a plate to pick my food. “I was waiting for you. You’re different than everyone else to me.”

“There is nothing that special about me.” Compared to the women in his world, I was sure I wasn’t up to their standards, though I needed to stop destroying my own chance—our chance—at being happy.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said, stepping away.

I rocked on my feet and reminded myself he was right. Then when he returned, he had a dozen daffodils, chrysanthemums, and yellow roses arranged in a vase. Tears formed in my eyes as he handed them to me. “These are the flowers I bought you.”

I took them then smelled the sweet floral scent. “You bought them yourself?”

He put his hands in his pockets like this wasn’t the cherry on the ice cream of perfection. “You’re always happy, and I didn’t think you were the red roses type. And these made me think of you.”

I put down the vase and nodded. “Yellow makes me happy. Thank you.”

Then I realized he was the perfect guy. My heart would break if he left. I'd known that already, but a thought electrified through me—I would be a fool if I walked away.

ChapterThirty-Eight

Joel

Seeing those tears in her eyes, I wondered if she would ever let me in. Our life together would be a dream come true, but my heart broke in two.

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