Page 74 of The Second Chance in the Mediterranean
We weren’t staying in Jolly Harbour this time. InsteadThemiswas sailing to the bottom of Antigua and docking at Falmouth Harbour. It was a deep bay, with a marina big enough to fit a nice collection of superyachts. And it was well protected, with hills and forts all around. Jolly Harbour was more popular with the small sailboats, with its bigger grocery stores, cleaner water, and a stunning view of sunset. But it was too small forThemis.
My breakfast plate empty, I spun around in my chair and watched Montserrat pass by. When we’d been in Antigua onOdyssey,Montserrat had taunted me. I was supposed to be on a grand adventure sailing the islands, and instead I was confined on a yacht that was going nowhere. No charters, no guests, and no exploring.
Now I was coming back less than a year later, having sailed from Antigua to Tahiti, flying from Tahiti to Montenegro, and sailing back to Antigua. Pride rushed through my veins. When getting to the next island over had seemed impossible, I’d made something else happen, and gone around the world.
“What’s so special about Montserrat?” Seb leaned onto my shoulder and kissed my skin, warm from the sun.
“I remember staring fromOdysseyand wanting so badly to be anywhere else, exploring. And you, you were desperate for more sea time or a big crossing. And now look how far we’ve come.”
Seb wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “I’m proud of us.”
This visit to Antigua would be different. We weren’t being held back anymore, and now we’d tackle it as a team.
* * *
It tookus a few days to get settled into Falmouth.Themisgot a good scrub down, I finished my deep clean of the galley, and the boat was aired out. I’d also met with my provisioning suppliers here and walked the shops looking for specific things I knew I would need to pick up for the arrival of the crew and the first charter of the season.
When I came back from a shopping trip, I stepped into the galley and found two duffel bags packed on the counter.
“What is this?” I wondered aloud.
“I packed your bag for you for an overnight trip.” Seb stood in the doorway to the stairs. “We have a flight in two hours.”
I blinked at him. “What? Where are we going?”
He stepped forward, bringing his hands up to relieve me of the grocery bags, then set them on the counter before wrapping his arms around me.
“We have a room booked for one night with a stunning view, and a fifteen-minute flight—yes, fifteen minutes—from the Antigua airport to Montserrat’s airport.”
I pulled back, surprised. “We’re going to Montserrat?”
Seb bit his lip and nodded. “If you want.”
“I want. How...What...” My mind focused on the most exciting part of that news. “We have two days off?”
Seb laughed. “Yes, two days off. And you know what this means?” He grabbed my hands and bounced them excitedly. “We get an actual date—”
“You took me on our first date in Gibraltar.” Actually, it had been a whole day. We’d hiked to the top of the Rock, taking in the glorious views of the city and the emerald waters. Afterward, we’d scrambled back toThemis,hot and sweaty, to shower and dress before dining at a chef’s table in Catalan Bay.
“—and a vacation together—”
“I think our life is a vacation together.”
“—and a very big bed to share tonight.” He preemptively cut me off with a kiss before I could say anything else, but there was nothing left to say. While my cabin was bigger than his, the room was still small, and our bed was tight with two people. Seb had officially moved into my—our—room in Gibraltar.
Seb kept his face close to mine, forehead touching while he brushed kisses against my lips. “A big bed will be nice,” I conceded. “And Dom said it’s okay?”
“Mm-hmm. Said taking two days off after a long passage was totally fine, and the crew can fend for themselves on takeout and sandwiches for a few days. And we will get to go hiking and have a great view and a romantic dinner.”
I tilted my head back a bit. “This island will be ours.”
Seb gave a firm nod. “Ours.”
“We get to make all these new memories here in Antigua, replace the old ones and enjoy the island. But we’re still here with our crews, our boat. Monserrat is a clean slate. It’s only us.”
“Only us,” he echoed, a smirk on his lips.
“Wow, Seb.” I stretched my arms up, wrapping them around his neck and pulling us even closer. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do when I have you all to myself for two days.”
“I have a list. Let’s start with number one.” And he kissed me, deeply and soundly.
