Page 29 of Meet Me in Tahiti

“You did?” said Tessa, not realizing it had appeared that way. She’d just thought they were talking.

Avery laughed and kept her voice down. “You’re definitely spending more time with him than the rest of us are.”

Tessa shook her head, smiling. “Nothing is going on. We’re just passing time together now and then while you guys are off with your fiancé and your husband and your boyfriend.” She grinned. “And hey, at least I’m not missing Ethan. I’ve barely thought about him since we left.”

It was true. She was so relieved he hadn’t come on the trip.

Marin raised her glass. “Cheers to that.”

“I’m serious,” Tessa said, laughing. She kept her voice down. “Besides, Russ is probably just being nice. It’s his job to keep the guests happy.” She was beginning to wonder if this was true. It sure hadn’t felt that way today, but men could be mysterious. Confusing. She didn’t pretend she understood them well.

Jenna waggled her eyebrows. “Pretty sure he’s not teaching all the guests to do donuts in the dinghy.”

Tessa chewed her lip. The dinghy had been fun. He hadn’t made her feel small for not going in the water. Instead, he’d found something else that made her tick. He’d lifted her higher rather than shaming her, whichgave her more courage, oddly enough. With him, she wasn’t lacking; she was good enough exactly the way she was.

The girls all laughed at the donuts comment. “Kyle’s ready to sign up for lessons next,” Marin added, grinning.

“I’ll bet he is,” said Jenna, smirking.

Tessa sipped her wine and looked out at the dark horizon, letting the teasing wash over her. Could they be right, though? Was Russ interested in her, too? Did she even dare to hope?

“Talk to him,” Avery said. “See what’s up. He’s single, right?”

Tessa nodded slowly. “As far as I can tell, but I haven’t asked him straight out.”

“Then maybe it’s time to do that,” said Avery. “It would get your point across, that’s for sure.”

“And if he is, then what’s the harm?” Marin asked.

Tessa tucked her knees to her chest and tried to suppress the tiny thrill of hope fluttering in her chest.

Later, when the others peeled off for bed and the deck quieted, she grabbed a sweatshirt and slipped out of her cabin, her heart beating a little faster than usual. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Was that so bad?

She climbed the steps to the top deck, feeling the night breeze tug gently at her hair.

Russ was already there, standing at the railing. He turned at the sound of her footsteps, and when he saw her, Tessa knew it wasn’t her imagination—his entire face lit up.

“Hey,” he said, his voice warm, remembering the phrase she’d used last time. “Fancy meeting you here.”

The night wasone of those perfect ones—warm and quiet, the scent of salt hanging sweet and heavy in the air as the ocean lapped softly against the hull. Russ stood at the rail of the top deck, one hand in his shorts pocket, feeling more like a man waiting for something than a captain wrapping up another day.

When he heard Tessa's soft footsteps behind him, he turned, and the simple sight of her—hair loose, smiling like she belonged here—hit him harder than it should have.

He greeted her warmly, and she smiled in return. And just like that, the rest of the world slipped away.

She joined him at the railing, and this time, he didn’t leave a respectable distance between them. Their shoulders brushed, and he let it happen. Just standing next to her closely was no sin, after all. And something about her made him want to get closer.

She shivered.

“Are you cold?”

“Just a little,” she said with another shimmy of her shoulders, so he moved closer to keep her warm. When that didn’t work, he wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him, and he felt something shift inside of him.

“Thanks,” she said.

He wasn’t sure why he wanted to take care of herlike this. Yes, she was his passenger and charter guest, but it was far beyond the scope of his job to make sure she was warm out here. He just wanted to make sure she was.

They looked out over the dark, endless water, the stars laid thick and sparkling above them.

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