Sailing at Sunset

by Cindi Madsen

  As Josh scanned the various items he’d bought and tried to recall everything that needed to be done before the party started, he wished he had someone like Danae to help him be more organized, every detail well-planned.

  No, not like Danae. He wanted the one and only. No substitutions or exceptions, and what if he threw this entire party and she didn’t come?

  “Josh, don’t freak out.” Tinsley looped a white string of lights along the bow of his boat, which was facing dockside for the ceremony. She’d assisted with the Evites and arranged things with the marina, so he’d given her free rein to decorate, twinkling fairy lights and all. “This is going to work. I can feel it.”

  Josh’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest when he spotted Vanessa, and he rushed in her direction, his footsteps echoing across the wooden walkway. “Oh, thank goodness, you’re here.”

  Vanessa pushed her large sunglasses up on her head, using them as a headband to secure her dark curls as he led her to his slip. “Wow, the ship is beautiful.”

  “Compared to Barton’s luxury sailboat, it hardly compares, but—”

  “Old doesn’t equate to broken.” Vanessa glided her fingers along the wooden trim of the bow. “I’m at least a decade wiser than you, Josh, so I get it.”

  His nerves went from tumultuous to a sloshing sway. “Thank you is what I should’ve said. Both for the compliment and for being here.”

  Already the woman was raising her phone to take pictures, most likely about to post them on tons of apps he’d never heard of.

  “Everyone, this is Vanessa,” he said as he tugged her toward his mishmash family. “She’s the social media director of Barton Boats, and will be shooting videos and taking pictures as we perform the ceremony.”

  After rattling off introductions, Josh drew Vanessa aside, next to the tarp that covered the gold letters he’d applied yesterday. “Danae’s coming, right?”

  Vanessa opened her mouth. A squeaky noise that didn’t satisfy any part of him came out, and she shrugged. “I truly believe she’ll show up.”

  “Believe?” All morning Josh’s blood pressure had been sky-high, but that sent it screeching into the danger zone. “Didn’t you talk to her? You said you were going to find a way to get her here.”

  “We all talked to her yesterday before leaving work. We told her that she had to come along, or how else could we possibly relive our fun trip? She nodded a bunch, so I thought we were getting through to her.” Vanessa grimaced. “But then she said she wasn’t sure she could make it and asked me to take lots of pictures, just in case. I know she wants to be here, but she’s scared.”

  Scared. There was that word again. It had been frustrating enough when George and Nancy had used it to describe him, but the idea of Danae being afraid…? Oxygen hissed out of his lungs, leaving his head throbbing from the lack of air. “The entire reason I’m throwing this party is because of her. For her. I made Evites. I went food shopping.” He swung his arm toward the bow of the ship. “There are blinking lights strung across my ship.”

  Vanessa gave him a sympathetic look. “I’ll call her. Paige, Franco, and Justin were already planning on swinging by her place to pick her up—I’m sure they’ll get her here. No promises on how happy she’ll be if they end up having to physically drag her from the house and throw her in the car.”

  In any other circumstance, that image would make him laugh.

  Too much was on the line, though. His friends and family had been filled in on how much he liked Danae and wanted to fix things, and with their encouragement, he had allowed hope to filter in. He’d funneled that hope into the stamina needed to clean up the ship, paint the new name, and do everything it took to throw a party.

  Honestly, he’d had no idea how intense planning an event was, which gave him even more appreciation for Danae’s ability to make it seem so seamless. Even when she had a grumpy, stubborn captain working against her.

  “Josh, where should I put the appetizers?” His mother’s voice broke through his erratic thoughts, and he turned to greet her and his father. He took the plate of grilled shrimp and pineapple skewers and frowned at the overflowing table piled with fruit platters and veggie trays. Plus the colorful macaroons that Tinsley referred to as “amazing little cookies filled with extra happiness.”

  “Here.” Nancy moved each platter about half an inch, making use of every spare centimeter, and it allowed a perfect gap for the skewers.

  Josh glanced at his watch again. Ten minutes to go.

  Frantic energy suffused his frame until he practically vibrated with it.

  With every guest who arrived, he worked that much harder to hold his smile. To be polite as he greeted them, instead of constantly looking past them to see if the person he needed to arrive had yet.

  A clashing mix of lingering jealousy and relief mingled in his gut when he spotted Mark. Danae wasn’t by his side. That she might have been was a possibility he’d done his best to steel himself for.

  Mark gave him a sharp nod. “Josh, hello. I wasn’t going to come at first, and if you want me to leave, say the word. But I felt like I should see this thing through. Also, that I’d better be here in case you didn’t do the right thing, so at least Danae would have a solid support system.”

  “I can respect that,” Josh said, while praying he wouldn’t accidentally send her into the guy’s arms again.

  Then he was back to scanning the walkway. Most of the people who lived in the marina had shown, and if Josh glanced at his watch one more time, he was going to rip it off and toss it in the water. He found Vanessa in the crowd and raised his eyebrows at her.

  She pressed her lips together and shrugged.

  Great.

  Each step took way more effort than usual, but Josh managed to make it to the front of his ship. He gripped the metal railing and boosted himself onto the bow so he could address the crowd. “First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming.”

  The pang in his throat reverberated all the way down to his toes. This wasn’t how he’d wanted this evening to turn out, but his friends and family had shown up, and while it hurt that Danae hadn’t, he’d try again. And he’d continue to do so until he could at least apologize and tell her how much he’d missed her. Then he’d add that he was ready to compromise and do whatever else it took to give a relationship with her a shot.

  Movement in the crowd caught his eye, and then every face but one faded away. The same face in the picture he’d taken on a beach in Cape Cod, seconds after Danae had spotted a baby seal. He’d pulled it up countless times during the past two weeks, wondering why he was torturing himself, yet unable to stop.

  “Uh, so there are appetizers, so feel free to grab a plate and mingle for a few minutes,” Josh said. “Then we’ll fill our glasses and toast to this sailboat’s future journeys, wherever they may lead.”

  Whereas his feet had been leaden moments ago, they were so light now that he virtually flew off his boat. Although the loud thud of his landing on the wooden walkway earned him a few concerned glances.

  The crowd parted for him as he headed toward Danae, who was flanked by Paige, Franco, and presumably Franco’s husband. Her blond hair hung around her shoulders in loose curls, and she’d worn her glasses. The navy-blue dress she wore flared right below her knees, and due to the beige heels on her feet, she was taller than usual.

  She clenched a gift bag in her hands, and as he approached, she lifted it higher, like the wimpiest shield ever. When it came to the woman in front of him, his memory was a sad imitation knockoff that didn’t do her justice. She was even prettier than he remembered. The last rays of the day played across the planes of her face, highlighting her freckles and her hair and those endless hazel eyes.

  Beauty aside, it was the heart beating within her that he’d truly fallen for. He adored how kind and caring she was. How she’d ignited something within him t
hat he’d thought no longer existed.

  “Hi,” he said, the simple word coming out strangled with the countless emotions rioting within him.

  “Hello. I’m so glad you’ve decided to christen your boat.” Danae’s words came out oddly formal, and he wasn’t sure how to respond to this robotic version of her. Then she reached up and rubbed the side of her neck, and there was the woman he’d been missing so strongly that he ached from it. “I’ve been worried about you out on the water, unprotected by the gods.”

  He smiled, a dozen fireworks igniting in his chest at once, and he went ahead and let his hope run free. She’d shown up. She didn’t want him hurt.

  As her friends tactfully left them alone and boarded the boat, Danae leaned in, close enough that Josh’s heart forgot how to beat, and whispered, “Um, who is that woman waving super huge at us? I’d say she was waving at you, because I don’t recognize her, but I assume she understands you can’t see her when your back is turned.”

  Josh pivoted around, and sure enough, a woman was waving at them. He lifted his hand, and Tinsley bounced on the balls of her feet. She snagged Nancy by the arm and whispered in her ear, and then Nancy grabbed George and did the same.

  Before long, Tinsley was spreading the news to his parents and Jane and Nathan as well.

  Not real subtle, his family and friends. But man, did they care, and more than he’d realized, at that.

  “Anyway”—Danae twisted the twine handle of the bag in her hand, leaving it spinning at her side—“I didn’t want to interrupt, and I hope it’s okay that I’m here, but—”

  “It’s more than okay,” Josh said. “I want you here. That’s why I invited you.”

  “I thought maybe you were just being nice.”

  “Haven’t you and I met before? When have I ever just been nice?”

  Everything inside him froze—and then immediately melted—as her signature warm smile spread across her face. He was almost afraid to say more in case he somehow ruined it. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Josh Wheeler. You can be nice.” Her grin widened. “When you want to be.”

  “Thank you. But I wish I had been a lot nicer at the end of our trip. I’m sorry I was a jerk.”

  “I could’ve handled things better, too. I’ve regretted not saying goodbye, and I’ve thought a lot about you. About us.” Danae tucked her hair behind her ear, each one of her familiar gestures buoying him up and adding another block of courage. “When I lost my dad, trying to control everything became my coping mechanism. I thought the only way to be true to myself was to stick to my goals and usual protocols, no matter what. If you’ll give me another chance, though, I’ll try not to plan everything. I’m totally up for just seeing where this goes—as long as you still are.”

  Before he could fully process her words, Danae thrust the gift bag into his hands. “But no pressure, and I’m not expecting an answer now. I just wanted to wish you luck and show my support, and I’m sure it’s about time to start the ceremony.”

  Josh pressed his lips together so a laugh wouldn’t burst out of him. “Are you in charge of the itinerary for my own boat christening?”

  Her eyes widened. “No. I didn’t mean to…” She shrugged, her mouth pulling to the side in a ridiculously adorable way. “Force of habit. But I’ll work on it.”

  Concern hung so heavy on her features that his heart couldn’t handle it anymore. He stretched out his fingers until they brushed hers, and then he tentatively folded her hand in his. Everything inside him shouted for joy when she returned his grip full force.

  “I’ve regretted the way things ended, too,” Josh said. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and our trip, and you.” His throat tightened, the rest of his words requiring extra effort as he prepared to lay it all on the line. “I’ve also decided that I’m not willing to let you go without a fight. There has to be a way for both of us to compromise enough to make it work, because the other option is…not working for me.”

  “Really?” Her voice cracked, enough vulnerability packed in that one word that he went ahead and dropped every one of his walls, too. That way they could be susceptible together. Even if it was—as his marina family put it—scary.

  “You’re the reason I threw this party. Not just because you suggested it, but because I wanted to tell you that I’m crazy about you. I’m ready for a new phase in my life, one where I focus on being happy, and you make me happy, Danae.”

  She brought up her free hand, covering that gorgeous smile for a moment.

  He swallowed hard and took that one last, big leap. “I’m ready to go all in and do the whole relationship thing, as long as it’s with you.”

  Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and his heart hammered against his ribs, as if it were high-fiving him from the inside. Even as his friends and family had assured him that he could win her back, he’d had his doubts she would give him another chance.

  All around them, the rest of the guests were beginning to grow noisier. “Guess I should start the ceremony.” Josh slipped his fingers through Danae’s. “Will you come with me and help me rename my boat? I could use you by my side for this.”

  “Who else is going to remind you how it’s supposed to go?” she teased, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip.

  Hand in hand, they strode to the decked-out bow of his ship. “Sorry about the delay,” Josh said to his guests. “I needed to take care of something—of someone—first. Everybody, this is Danae. She’s the one who suggested this ceremony. According to her, she’s not superstitious, but she said she also worried about me being out on a boat without the approval of the sea gods.”

  “Okay, fine. I might be a pinch superstitious,” she said, holding up her fingers, the last glimmer of sunshine glowing through the space between them.

  Snickers went around the crowd.

  Since it was his party, he took a moment to introduce everyone. Danae said a quick hello to his parents, his sister, George and Nancy, and finally, Tinsley, who was talking so fast that Josh only caught half the words. Enough for him to put together that she was telling Danae how absolutely devastated “poor Josh has been since messing things up with you.”

  Tinsley wasn’t wrong, so he didn’t bother protesting. The woman at his side might as well hear what a mess he’d been without her, especially after what he’d put her through.

  The bag she’d given him gaped open, and he let go of her hand so he could check out his present. He lifted the tissue and box out of the bag and then peeled away the flimsy white paper.

  Affection washed over him, suffusing his entire being with warmth. “You got me a star,” he said, and Danae looked over with a shy smile.

  “It’s one of those lanterns, like the ones we saw on Martha’s Vineyard at the gingerbread houses. You don’t have to hang it up, but I saw it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about that night, and—”

  He pulled her into a hug, one tight enough to lift her feet off the ground. “I love it. Thank you so much.”

  “Well, it’ll match the white fairy lights that I’d bet a million dollars you had nothing to do with.”

  Josh grinned at her, and she grinned back, and when it came to foolish things, this ceremony definitely wasn’t one of them. Almost letting Danae go was the most foolish thing he’d ever done, and he was never doing it again.

  Forget taking it slow. He’d already fallen for her, and it was the kind of free-fall there was no coming back from. Who would even want to, considering the landing was so soft and kind and beautiful and smart?

  Destiny wasn’t something he’d ever believed in. But the fact that Danae was here with him suggested it believed in him anyway.

  “Just wait until you see how the boat’s name looks,” he said to her, and then he raised his voice. “Thanks again, everybody, for joining me for the christening of my boat. When I bought her, she was pretty be
at up, but after a lot of hard work, she’s one of the best boats out there.”

  “Hear, hear!” George raised his glass of wine, and Nancy told him it wasn’t time yet, which made Josh, Danae, and most everyone around them giggle.

  “Without further ado, I call upon the sea gods and thank them for keeping this boat safe under her previous names, Reel Therapy and Solitude. Today, we come together to give the boat a new name…”

  He glanced at Danae and, in an attempt to soothe the creases in her forehead, ran his thumb over her knuckles. Why did she look so worried?

  “Um, not to tell you what to do,” she whispered, “but you don’t have to list Solitude as the old name.”

  “It is the old name, though. I never put it on the boat, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Especially since I plan on taking you out with me, many, many times.”

  “Oh-kay,” she said, obviously still a bit confused. “Just pretend I never said anything.” She mimicked zipping her lips, even though they both knew that zipper would never hold.

  “I request all the records of those old names be erased, and ask the gods to bless this ship under her new name and grant her safe passage on all future voyages.” Josh lifted the uncorked bottle of wine and then inclined his head to Danae. “Which way do I pour it again? I did my research. I just can’t remember it right now.”

  “I got you,” Danae said. “It’s east to west. Like the rising and setting of the sun.”

  Josh poured the small wine sacrifice to the sea gods. Then Tinsley handed him the netted, pre-scored bottle of champagne, and he held it out to Danae. “Will you do the honors?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Believe it or not, today I have a plan, and you’re a huge part of it. The best part of it, really.”