by Jen Talty
“What? When did you get here?” She rolled to her side and fiddled with her penguin pillow.
The one Reid had won for her at a stupid carnival on their very first official date.
“I just got off a plane two hours ago. And before you ask, I flew solo. I’m here for a cop thing.”
“I just saw my brother. He didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“I was sent to the conference last-minute. The person who was supposed to go got sick, and I offered. Casey and Lilia will come for the weekend.”
“Sweet. I have Sunday off. I’ll take you all out on my sailboat,” Darcie said.
“It’s a date. Now, what’s got your panties in a wad?”
“If someone wanted to bungee jump off a bridge, what would they have to do?”
“Just do it before anyone finds out and hope to God no one gets hurt. But that would be a moronic thing to do.”
“I’m talking about a professional stunt person or a sports extremist. Whose palm would they have to grease in this city to make that happen off a bridge or tower where a recreational thrill company isn’t offering jumps to regular people?”
“They need something similar to a special use or a production permit that filming companies apply for. Those are given out by the town and county, depending on the details. It usually takes a while to get one. Why are you asking? And please don’t tell me it has anything to do with the asshole I smacked in the chin.”
“You shouldn’t have hit him. He was drunk. And you, Jagar, and Matt were all being assholes.”
“So was your ex-boyfriend. And for the record, he started it.”
“No. Jagar started it when he got in Reid’s face and called him a douchebag for breaking up with me. And Reid felt the need to tell Jagar why it was a mutual breakup.”
“It went a little deeper and harsher than that, and you know it.”
Darcie snuggled up to the porthole and watched the waterline gently bobble against the glass. The sounds of the lines rattling against the mast and the seagulls crying above gave her peace of mind.
But she still had a restless soul.
Both her older brothers could be overwhelmingly protective at times. As a little girl, she couldn’t wait for Jagar to get the hell out of the house. He was the worst, always checking out her boyfriends and doing background checks on the people she hung out with.
He was worse than her parents most of the time.
“Why do you want to help Reid out with this, and why is he in Seattle?”
“I just found out he’s my charter tomorrow. He had no idea. It’s a celebration with his business partner. So, it’s my job to help make this happen if I can.”
“Well, if he’s going for Deception Pass, it won’t happen. Sorry, kiddo. I can make a call if you want me to, but the chances are slim to none.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Asher said. “I want you to know I wasn’t proud of myself the day I clocked Reid. But you’re family, and I won’t tolerate anyone hurting those I care about.”
“You’re simply the best.” She pulled the sheets over her body and settled in, holding onto the pillow. It would be weird being around Reid for three days and two nights.
But it might be good, too.
The second she closed her eyes, an image of Reid in a pair of shorts, flip-flops, and no shirt appeared in her mind. Even though they’d never be a couple again, she could let go of the anger she’d burned into her heart. She had to make this a turning point in her life.
Chapter 5
Reid stared at the screen and blinked. His fingers trembled. He glanced around the hotel room until his gaze fixed on the window. The first curve of the yellow sun kissed the light blue sky. A fifty-million-dollar business with one hundred direct employees, and he couldn’t trust a fucking single one.
Why?
Because he’d had a stupid breakdown over Darcie.
He slammed his fist on the sofa and jumped to his feet. Pacing at the edge of the bed and planting his hands on his hips, he let out a long breath. He had no right to be mad at her for his inability to get over her. That wasn’t her fault. He should have fought for her. He should have told her that he would have followed her to the ends of the Earth.
Instead, he’d ruined his life.
“Fuck,” he muttered. He had to get into the backup server without Preston being notified, and he wasn’t sure how he could do that since he no longer knew the external password. The only way for him to get into the system was to do it from inside.
But that would alert Preston.
Reid was fucked.
And once Preston got wind that Reid was poking around... God only knew what his partner might do or how he would respond.
The worst part was that Reid was pretty fucking sure that Preston was up to more than sliding the fire-retardant material into manufacturing early. Reid just didn’t know what, and he wasn’t sure how to find the answers. What he did know was that he hated putting Darcie right smack dab in the middle of it all.
His cell phone buzzed.
A text from Preston indicating a change in plans and that there would be no jump off Deception Pass.
Thank God.
That was the last thing Reid wanted to do, only he didn’t like the replacement excursion very much either. He’d rather double down on the kayaking through the rapids.
His chosen ring tone chimed. He jumped.
A local number that he didn’t recognize appeared on the screen. He declined the call and tossed his phone onto the bed. He had to figure out how to get into the system without Preston being notified. It shouldn’t be this hard. It was like an alarm, so maybe he could intercept the texts somehow.
No. That wouldn’t work because he had no clue how to do that. He considered himself well-versed in technology and knew a thing or two more than most, but he wasn’t that good.
His phone rang out again.
Same local number.
He figured he better answer it this time.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Reid. It’s Jagar Bowie.”
Of all the people in Seattle, Jagar was not someone Reid expected to hear from. “Hey, Jagar. What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping to meet you for a cup of coffee this morning.”
“I’m going to be getting on a boat shortly.”
“I know. My sister’s vessel,” Jagar said with quite the stern, deep voice. “But that’s not till noon, and the marina is across the street. I’m in the lobby. If I don’t see you in five, I’ll be up banging on your door.”
“Isn’t this something like police harassment?” Reid said sarcastically under his breath.
“If I didn’t sort of like you, I’d take offense.”
“I’ll be down in a few.” Reid stuffed his phone into his pocket along with the plastic key. He slipped his feet into his cowboy boots and meandered out the door. If he had a little sister, he’d be doing the same thing. He couldn’t blame Jagar for being concerned.
When they first met, Jagar had really disliked Reid, in part because of Reid’s age. He wondered what a man a little older than him would see in his kid sister. But after spending some time together, Jagar and Reid had become good friends.
Until the breakup.
Reid stepped from the elevator and found Jagar sitting at one of the tables in the breakfast area with two tall mugs of coffee. He didn’t wear a cop uniform, but he had a badge hanging on his navy-blue shirt and gun on his hip.
“I really didn’t think I’d see you this trip.” Reid held out his arm.
Jagar shook his hand good and hard. “You’re looking much better than the last time our paths crossed.”
“Yeah, that’s a night I wish never happened.” Reid took a seat and shifted. “The things I do remember were pretty rotten, and what I don’t remember I wish people would stop filling me in on.” He glanced inside the mug and smiled. “You remembered.”
“For a Southern man wh
o claims to be a fucking cowboy, you drink coffee like a goddamned girl with all that fancy-schmancy stuff. And I’m not sure I got it right. The girl at the coffee shop didn’t understand one of the things I said, so she did the best on what she thought I meant.”
“It smells like it’s got all my requirements.” He brought the paper mug to his lips and closed his eyes. “Oh. That’s good fucking coffee. Darcie won’t have that on her yacht. I’ll have to suffer for a few days.”
“How did that happen, by the way?”
“What? Me ending up on your sister’s boat?” Reid shrugged. “Pure luck. Never in a million years would I have believed Darcie would wind up back here of all places. She swore to me she’d never live in Seattle. Ever. Not even to have a slip for a boat.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but after the two of you broke up, she went a little crazy. Coming home was the first sane thing she did, though we all thought it weird and very unlike her. She tends to run away when things get tough, not come crawling home.”
“I agree, which is why I was shocked. Do you know what she has planned after this summer season?”
“She’s taking her captain’s test. But after that, she doesn’t have anything lined up. Another scary thing for the family.”
“She’s gone weeks, even a month between gigs before.”
“But she’s always had them ready and waiting. We know she wants to captain, but she’s not even looking.” Jagar leaned back, resting his hand on the butt of his weapon.
Reid pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why am I here?” This was not the type of conversation he’d envisioned when he walked into this lobby.
“Two reasons. First, I’m asking you to stay away from Deception Pass. Don’t make me arrest you.”
“I’ve always enjoyed handcuffs.”
Jagar rolled his eyes.
“Don’t worry. We have called off those plans.” Reid held up his hands. “Swear to God. We’re going looking for sharks instead, or at least that’s what Preston says we’re doing.”
“Are you being strainght with me?”
“I’m telling you what I’m being told. But either way, I’m not participating. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
“At least I won’t have to pull your body from the water,” Jagar said. “The second reason I’m here is my sister. I know there are two sides to every breakup, and seeing you in New Orleans, I can tell Darcie did a number on you. And I’m not sold that either of you are over the other.” Jagar held up his hand, waving his wedding ring. “My wife and I had a horrible breakup after I told her that I put the wrong person behind bars, and a killer struck again, murdering my wife’s sister. So, I know a little about heartache and patching that sucker back up.”
Reid knew all this, and he sure as shit didn’t want to sit here and listen to it again when he needed to figure out how to save his company and get Preston the fuck out of his life. However, he couldn’t be rude to Jagar. It wouldn’t be right.
“I shouldn’t be the one telling you this, but Darcie spent the first part of this year working every exotic boat she could get on. She even took a job as a stew again.”
“Oh, good grief, she did not.” Reid struggled to see Darcie working on the interior of a yacht. Besides it being stereotypical, something Darcie couldn’t stand, it was not the kind of work she was good at.
“It was as if she was trying to work you out of her system. And then Captain Jim hired her as boson on a yacht. Next thing we knew, she and Slimy Jim were an item.”
“I take it you don’t like Captain Jim,” Reid said with his hand over his mouth, trying to contain his amusement.
“He cheated on my sister.”
“Yes. I know that,” Reid said, clearing his throat.
Jagar lowered his gaze. “How?”
“Darcie told me last night.”
“She said she ran into you for like ten minutes. I’m surprised she told you about Jim at all.” Jagar squeezed his paper mug and tossed it into the garbage.
“I was still at the docks when she got back from your parents’ house.”
“Really. And what happened?”
“Nothing,” Reid said. “She and I just needed to clear the air. I wanted to apologize. That’s it.”
Jagar stood and adjusted his pants, looping his fingers into his weapons belt. “Do you still love my sister?”
“Interesting question when you’re standing in cop mode, presenting your gun as if I’m being interrogated.” In order to level the playing field, Reid hopped to his feet.
“It’s just a simple question.”
“That has a complicated answer. And a man who’s had his heart crushed by the woman he loves more than life itself should understand that.”
“I guess I have my answer.” Jagar smiled. “The one thing my family, especially my father, doesn’t understand about Darcie is that she’s not running or chasing anything. While they are all trying to figure out what it is she wants. Or why she wants it. And suffocating her while doing it. She’s living the dream, only no one who matters to her ever gave her permission to enjoy it.”
Reid opened his mouth. Nothing but a gasp came out. He closed it and tried again. “That was profound and kind of beautifully said.”
“I’m married to a writer, who has me read and write with her these days. I find myself saying weird shit all the time. But even I didn’t get it until my father said something last night about Darcie, and it hit me that we’re all asking her to conform to what we think, and no one is listening to what she thinks. She always used to say being the baby sucked because everyone knew things before she did. She hated it when any of us said something like ‘you just wait until you’re my age.’”
“Try being twelve years older and her boyfriend and say something like that.” Reid palmed his coffee mug. “She’s always felt like she had to fight to be seen, heard, and respected in anything she’s ever done.”
A young couple, who were barely awake, and their two toddlers, who were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, entered the breakfast area. The young mother mumbled something about birth control and caffeine, while the father waggled a finger, and the kids and pretended to scold them.
When he was Darcie’s age, or even Jagar’s age, Reid didn’t think he wanted a wife, let alone kids. He didn’t want to settle down. He liked jet-setting from one whirlwind adventure to the next.
And then he went and fell in love with Erin. She was a bright soul with dark demons. However, she made him want to be a better version of himself, and if she could have gotten a handle on her emotional and mental issues, well, he really didn’t know. Because she wasn’t here anymore.
But Darcie was flesh and blood, and she’d turned his world upside down and shook him to the core. He went from wanting to be thrown from a rocket as a human bullet to sitting on a front porch with a puppy, a newspaper, and maybe, just maybe, a little boy or girl playing in the front yard. And then she’d walked out of his life, and she’d taken the image with her.
“I know. As her big brother, it pains me to see her struggle like that and not be able to dropkick her so she gets that she’s her own worst enemy.”
“Sometimes, we have to figure that one out for ourselves.” Reid scratched the back of his head. He’d stood in the way of himself for years after Erin died. He couldn’t open himself up because he always worried that once he peeled back a layer, he’d find the ugly demons.
But everyone had a past.
Baggage.
He’d learned when he fell in love with Darcie that he hadn’t been afraid of losing someone again, but rather of not being able to save them. Because no matter what he did, he knew he never would have been able to fix Erin.
She knew it too, and in the end, she did what she believed—no, what she knew—would end the suffering for everyone.
Darcie had been right, and in the beginning of their relationship, he used Erin’s death as a shield. And that had been a shitty thing to do. By the time he figured it ou
t and tried to turn things around, it was too late. Darcie already had one foot out the door.
“What’s on your mind?” Jagar asked.
“Just work stuff. I really shouldn’t be taking a three-day cruise. But my partner is still more like a twenty-year-old surfer dude than a grown-ass man.”
“I’ve heard Preston is a piece of work.” Jagar glanced over his shoulder as the two toddlers knocked over a thing of milk. He covered his mouth. “I’m going to suck at being a father because I won’t be able to keep a straight face when my kid does stuff like that.”
“I’m sure you’ll be a great one. Thanks for stopping by. It was really good to see you.”
“You too, man.” Jagar slapped Reid on the shoulder. “Tell my sister you still love her and then listen to what she has to say. That’s all she wants. To be heard.”
“Yes, oh wise man.”
“And don’t ever say that again.” Jagar waved his hand over his head. “Have a fun trip. We’ll see you for dinner at my place when you get back.”
“I don’t think so,” Reid responded.
“You’re going to sweep my sister off her feet.” The doors closed behind Jagar.
“I’m probably going to get myself thrown off the ship by my own business partner, but that will be about the only excitement,” he mumbled as he headed to the elevators and poked at the button.
It was going to be a long couple of days.
Chapter 6
Darcie sipped her coffee in the crew mess while Milia, the chief stew, and her second, Anastasia, finished putting away the provisions. Chef Haley prepared trays of appetizers for when the guests arrived. The hour before a charter was always the most stressful for the interior crew, but the deck staff wouldn’t get too busy until the vessel pulled away.
Reid as a guest on her yacht. That was a surreal concept. He’d come to visit her many times while she worked a charter season in the two years they’d dated. Depending on the captain of the vessel, they either had to get a hotel room, or they could stay in the guest cabins on the yacht.
She found it ironic that it was Jim who always said no to Reid staying on the vessel.
