Page 20 of Sail Away
“You want me to help you, but you’re going to keep me in the dark? It doesn’t work that way.”
“It’s for your own protection,” he said.
“What can you tell me?” she asked, bringing her water bottle to her plump, pink, kissable lips. “I can’t just do you a solid without having some intel.”
“I think one of the men on my team is stealing from the company. And before I bring it to Preston, I want to make sure I have all the facts.”
“You expect me to believe that?” She leaned forward, putting both elbows on her knees. “And I still don’t understand the internet thing.”
“I need you to trust me. If I go digging into certain things, Preston will get an email and a text that I’m poking around in employee files, and he’ll wonder why. And I don’t have a very good poker face when it comes to this shit. I don’t want the vibe on the boat to be anything but the team getting drunk and having a good time, outside of the work that Preston and I will make them do. Because you know, we don’t ever stop.” Fuck. He hated lying to Darcie. Not just because she despised dishonest people, but also because he loathed doing the one thing she’d begged him never to do. Ever, no matter what.
Not that she’d ever forgive him for being the biggest dickhead on the planet. Darcie was a reasonable woman, but she didn’t tolerate old-fashioned misogynistic bullshit like her boyfriend telling her that being a yacht captain was a man’s career. To this day, he cringed every time he thought about the words he’d used when he tried to beg her to reconsider her choices so they could be together.
Of course, looking back, he realized that he hadn’t done much in the way of offering to change his lifestyle for her, something he should have put some thought into.
But what was done was done. And right now, he needed to focus on his company.
When that was done, he could work on getting Darcie back in his life. Because he was still head over heels in love with her.
There was no doubt about that. She still tickled his fancy, pushed all the right buttons, and if there were ever the perfect adrenaline rush, it would be calledThe Darcie.
“I just need access to your router. That’s all.”
“It’s not going to be easy because the router is housed in the cockpit, and Captain Jim doesn’t like guests up there unless he’s there to supervise.”
“Please tell me you were kidding when you said you fucked around with Captain Jim.”
“I could tell you that but it would be a lie.”
Cold goosebumps dotted his skin. “Jesus. Seriously? You and Jim? I’m just not picturing it. You used to warn the female deckhands and all the stews to stay away from all-hands Captain Jim. I mean, he’s not a horrible human being, but as a man, he kind of falls short.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t joking when I said he’s in love with someone else and is getting engaged tonight.”
“Ouch.”
“Not really,” she said. “I didn’t love him. I’m just mad that, once again, I’m the last to know that my boyfriend just isn’t that into me.”
Reid narrowed his eyes. “Was that a jab at me? Because I’ll have you know, I was all sorts of into you when we were together. The only reason we broke up was because I wanted a girlfriend who wasn’t gone more than two hundred days out of the year.”
“That’s not exactly how you put it.”
“If I had used those words, would we still be together?”
She shook her head. “The moment you asked me to choose between you and my dreams and everything that I’d been working toward, that was the moment you lost me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I know I was wrong.”
“It doesn’t,” she said. “But that’s all in the past. We’ve both moved forward.”
Maybe she had, but he was still stuck in a land of fantasy where she would forgive him and welcome him back with open arms.
And he’d focus on that. Just as soon as he got rid of fucking Preston, something he should have done years ago.
Reid swallowed his heartburn. His life hadn’t turned out quite as he’d planned. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I really am.”
“Apology accepted.”
He polished off the last of his beer. “I guess I better be going.” He stood, placing the empty can in the recycling bin. “Thanks for the time and for your help. I owe you.”
