Page 18 of Sail Away
“Hey, I never cheated on you,” he said. “Got anything to drink around this place?” He made himself comfortable on the aft deck, which was quite roomy. “This is what, a fifty-footer?”
“It is, and I’m really tired, Reid. If we keep going, it appears we’ve both had just enough to drink to piss each other off, so can we just call it a night?”
He rubbed his temples. She knew how to push all his buttons, the good ones and the bad ones simultaneously.
“Reid. I accept your apology, and I make my own for tonight. My family was in rare form with the razzing, and my dad mentioned you, and he doesn’t even know you’re here. I’m just dealing with a lot.”
“You read too much into what your parents say about your career. You always have.”
“It gets hard when everyone around says the same thing.”
“I’m going to run the risk of having you toss a shoe at me, but that’s not true. The people in yachting that give you shit are either idiots who think they are motivating you, or are afraid of you. Your folks just see the same thing I do.”
“I’m not lost. I’m not running. I’m not hiding.”
“Maybe not. However, you refuse to take a good look at what really makes you happy.” He tilted his head and stared at the stars. There were so many things he wanted to say now that he had a clear head and a year to think about what was important. “I’m really sorry. The things I said that day in the Bahamas was totally uncalled for. I was hurt and angry. I was trying to do something nice for my girlfriend, and I felt completely unappreciated.”
She turned, showing off her profile. Her pink tongue darted out of her mouth and stretched across her lips like a paintbrush leaving a glitter trail.
“When you were walking away with Preston, I kept hoping you’d turn around. But you didn’t.”
“We didn’t speak to each other again until New Orleans,” he said. “One beer. Let me talk to you for as long as it takes me to finish a single can.” He tilted his head. “Please?”
“Fine. But when it’s gone, you’re gone.” She disappeared into the galley.
He peeked inside the cabin. The fine teak wood was accented with high-end dark-brown vinyl upholstery. She certainly had good taste, that was for damn sure. He could only imagine what this thing cost her, and it was probably killing her financially to maintain it between the marina fees and whatever else went into living on a boat. “Do you really like being here? Isn’t it kind of small? Or creepy late at night.”
“It’s never creepy on the water. And small? No. Not when it’s just me. And I love to go out and sail. I’ve gone all the way up to Alaska, down to Mexico, and I wouldn’t mind taking some other trips.” She handed him a beer while she nursed a bottle of water. She sat next to him, tucking her feet up under her cute little ass. Her hair caught in the gentle breeze, blowing it over her shoulders. The moonlight threaded through the natural blond highlights, making her hair glow.
The massive wheel stood proudly in the center of the back deck. He could envision her standing behind it with one hand covering her eyes as the sails grew tight with the wind and the boat hugged the water.
When they first met, her age had bothered him. She’d been so young and had yet to experience even half of what life had to offer. Only he’d been wrong about what she understood about life. And what the hell was in a number anyway? Twelve years wasn’t that big of a deal at this point in their lives.
“This sailboat fits you,” he said.
“Thanks.” She held his gaze for a long moment. She could still take his breath away with her powder-blue eyes. She had long, thick lashes, and when she blinked, he bit down on his lower lip in anticipation of when they’d flutter open again, showing off those intoxicating orbs. “What have you been up to for the last year?”
“Work, mostly.” He could have been honest and told her that he’d spent the first six months of it drunk and unaware of anything. That he’d become a useless human being because he’d let her walk out of his life.
And she didn’t come back and fight for him.
After that, as his brain slowly came out of its fog, he’d found out that his friend and business partner had been doing his best to make sure Reid would get nothing of their company. In reality, Reid had only put it all together in the last few weeks, and Reid wasn’t even sure he’d uncovered half of it.
Which terrified him.
He knew Preston could be ruthless. They always joked that they were the perfect team because Reid always knew when to pull back and keep Preston from becoming his own worst enemy.
Reid, though a sports extremist, didn’t take certain types of risks, and that’s where Preston came in. He was willing to go into the shark-infested deep end with both feet and his eyes closed while doused in blood.
But somewhere along the way, Preston had gone all lone wolf.
“I heard you were on that television show where inventors go and ask rich people for money. Kind of funny when you’re independently wealthy.”
“Not rich enough to do everything I want.” Reid laughed. “I didn’t go on the show because I wanted to. It was all part of the movie contract, which is all Preston’s baby. I would have rather said no. I’m still bitter about it. And I’m not supposed to say anything, but they turned us down.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“It doesn’t really matter. Preston got his deal with the production company. He gets to move forward with my product and design when I’m not even sure it’s ready.”
