by Wood, Vivian
I glare at Fletcher. “Ugh. I didn’t even realize he was a doctor, but of course he is. He’s a fucking bag of dicks.”
“Forget him,” Luna says, moving in front of the window that faces Fletcher’s yacht. “Focus up, Gabriel.”
I look straight forward, clenching my jaw. “Yeah, all right.”
An amplified voice starts counting down from ten. I grip the wheel, readying the speed lever. As soon as the voice says go, I ram the lever up, watching my competition on both sides jump forward.
Luna grips the window bar and looks forward, her eyes prowling keenly. Right away, some of the yachts peel off and go left. I stay the course, which should take me about twenty miles straight ahead.
Annoyingly, I notice that Fletcher doesn’t go left. He guns his engine, taking the lead.
But that’s fine… after all, the race is not won by horsepower alone. We motor in hushed silence for about twenty minutes, passing two checkpoints. But Fletcher is like a bad case of food poisoning, I just can’t shake him no matter what I try.
Trailing Fletcher, I shift my gaze to Luna. “I think we’re going to have to shake things up.”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “I was just thinking that. I am trying to triangulate a course now based on us touching the third point and getting a piece of gold there…” She stares down at the map. “That’s what happens, right? And then we need to go somewhere different than Fletcher’s yacht. The difficulty is that we don’t know which way he’ll go.”
That gives me some pause. I can already see the floating island up ahead, where we will score our first loot. I grimace.
“I’m willing to bet Fletcher’s plan depends on where we go.”
She takes a breath, letting it out slowly. “Can this boat go faster than his?”
I give her side eye. “Maybe in open water? Maybe.”
“So what we’ve definitely got on our side is you as captain, and the fact that you’re so much more experienced than Fletcher.”
I nod, focusing on the touchpoint ahead. “Yep.”
Luna considers everything for a moment, then asks a question. “What if we just steer this boat through a narrow channel? One that’s too treacherous for Fletcher to follow us in?”
I frown a little. “Like where?”
“Look.” She holds up the map pointing to a spot. “Deception Pass. If we squeeze through here before the next stop, we’ll shave off plenty of time and lose Fletcher altogether.”
“Oh, man… Deception Pass is tricky.” I suck on my lower lip, thinking hard. Obviously, we want to win, but I can’t afford to end up at the bottom of the sea if something goes wrong… can I?
Just ahead, Fletcher scoops up a piece of gold from atop a buoy. He looks back at me, engine idling, and flips me the bird.
That settles it. I glare at the pile of gold doubloons, easing down on the engine. “We’re doing it.”
“Yes!” Luna cheers.
I grab a doubloon from the pile, then race back up to the boat’s navigation center. Throwing the boat into drive, I head straight for Deception Pass. I can see Fletcher trailing behind our yacht, probably confused. But I just urge the boat onward, seemingly straight toward a solid land mass.
As I edge up toward the shore, I see the inlet. Raising my eyebrows at Luna, I make a wish. “Here goes nothing.”
Slowing the boat’s engine, I keep to the middle as best I can. Luna stands right beside me, biting her lip. “This part seems like the shores are super close on both sides.”
“Yeah.” I blow out a slow breath. “If I stay right here in the middle…”
That’s the moment that the yacht just brushes the bottom on the right side, making a loud, low sound. Luna looks completely freaked out. If I’m honest, I am feeling the same way, I just have years of practice keeping calm.
Luna grabs the hem of my shirt, her eyes wide.
“We’re okay,” I tell her. “We’re okay. We just have to make it through this part and we’re home free.”
“I believe in you,” she says. She utters it automatically, without hesitation or thought. But it warms me to my very core. To have someone who believes so wholly in me… I mean, her very life could be at risk.
It fills some void I have, deep down inside. God, I think I might be in love with her.
Just as that pops into my head I hear the scraping sound again. Correcting the boat with a gentle touch is an effort. It’s hard to focus on sailing when all I want to do is kiss her…
But eventually, we make it past Deception Pass and into easier to sail through waters. Luna holds onto my shirt for the rest of the race, helping me cross the finish line a good five minutes before anyone else.
I don’t even stick around to see the crushed look on Fletcher Montgomery’s face… Instead, I pull my yacht into the first slip available and then kiss Luna on the lips for a solid two minutes.
“I knew you could do it,” she whispers.
“I fucking love you,” I say, snarling a hand in her hair.
She beams up at me like I’m the only thing in the entire world… and I hold her close, feeling like I won way more than the regatta.
Chapter Thirty-One
Luna
I walk up the dock toward the yacht club, hand in hand with Gabe. I’m riding right now. Feeling the endorphin rush of our win plus the crazy, head over heels, shout it from the rooftops kind of love for Gabe…
Love that is reciprocated. Before today, I barely dared to whisper the word in my head.
But then Gabe, staid and buttoned up Gabe, said it to me…
And my heart soared.
He squeezes my hand as we reach the first people outside of the yacht club. They are all standing around and drinking champagne in their formal attire, looking very out of place on this blustery late summer morning.
“Congratulations!” a man says, raising his glass. “You beat the other yachts by quite some time, it seems. It looks like you’re the best yacht by a mile.”
Gabe gives the group a small smile. He grips my hand. “Thanks.”
“Come on inside,” a woman says. “We are throwing a little party to celebrate and you two are now the guests of honor.”
Buoyed along on a wave of good feelings, I follow Gabe up the steps and into the club. I haven’t been here before but it is exactly what I thought a yacht club would look like inside; heavy maple paneling on the walls, a nautical theme to the wall hangings. We are ushered into the portion of the club that serves as a restaurant and seated at a round plush booth. Several people slide in the booth around us, boxing us in.
“Here, let me get you two a glass of champagne,” an older blonde woman says, snapping her fingers at the waitress. The woman wears a white dress with a pink bolo jacket, and her nails and hair are so fake. I cringe a little at her treatment of the staff, but I don’t make a fuss. It’s not my place and it isn’t the time.
As the waitress comes over with two glasses of champagne, the blonde woman smiles. “I’m Veronica. This is Charles,” she points to an older man in a gray suit jacket. “And Melanie, and Antony.” The redheaded lady and young man in all black bob their heads in greeting. “We’re all glad to meet you, dear. What was the name of your yacht?”
Gabe shifts in his seat and clears his throat. “The Arctic Light, ma’am.”
“Oh, he calls me ma’am!” Veronica says with a chuckle. “So polite. But please, call me Veronica. What are your names?”
“I’m Gabe. This is Luna,” he rumbles, nodding his head to me. Underneath the table, Gabe puts his hand on my knee.
“Did you have a company you were racing for, young man?” asks Charles.
Gabe tenses, but I slip my hand under the table and cover his hand where it rest on my knee. He looks at me gratefully for a second.
“Aurora Borealis Charters,” he supplies.
Charles nods. “Mhm. A newer company, then?”
The tension in Gabe seems to increase. He frowns. “No. We’ve been a family owned an
d operated business for over thirty years.”
“Is that right?” Charles asks.
Before Gabe gets a chance to answer, Dr. Montgomery strolls in the yacht club’s restaurant, his gaze sweeping the entire place. He finds me and Gabe and then smiles cruelly.
I can feel all the blood drain from my face. God, how did I forget that he would be here?
Gabe stiffens as he sees Dr. Montgomery approaching. He slides me a look, but I’m paralyzed where I sit.
I grip his hand under the table and his expression darkens even further.
Please god. Please just let Dr. Montgomery not tell Gabe about my intent to betray him. I can’t breathe as Dr. Montgomery comes up to our table, a curious smile on his face.
“Are these the winners of our little yacht race?” he asks.
The blonde gives him an arched brow. “Fletcher, you should meet Gabe and…” She pauses. “I’m sorry, dear. What was your name again?”
My lips are pressed into a firm line. Before I can speak, Dr. Montgomery smiles.
“Oh, Luna and I know each other pretty intimately.”
My face heats and my mouth opens as Gabe’s eyes find my face. “Dr. Montgomery works at the University of Washington. I’m one of the med students under his purview.”
It comes out rushed, making me sound childish. Dr. Montgomery’s smile widens.
“Do you mind if I have a seat?” he asks.
“Sure,” Veronica says, waving a hand like a queen. “Sit, sit.”
Gabe holds my hand so tightly that I almost cringe. “We have to go soon,” he says.
“Oh, sit and enjoy some champagne,” Charles says, chuckling. “We have to get to know the man who is going to be sailing us around on his yacht.”
Dr. Montgomery sits, looking between me and Gabe. “You two look cozy.”
Gabe’s eyes narrow to slits. I can practically feel his need to say something nasty to Dr. Montgomery vibrating within him. “What do you want, Fletcher?”
Instead of answering Gabe’s question, Dr. Montgomery waves the waitress down. “I need a glass of champagne. You don’t mind, do you Gabe?”
As the waitress brings another flute of wine over, Veronica makes a toast. “To the Harbor Pointe Yacht Club! And to our winners. May we get to know you and then love you.”
She raises her glass a little too suddenly and splashes some over the rim, then giggles. I release a silent sigh as everyone cheers her, making direct eye contact with Dr. Montgomery.
He sips his champagne, a little smile on his lips. I start to sweat. Gabe is staring daggers at him, but it just seems to roll right off him like water off a duck’s back.
“You know, Gabe,” Dr. Montgomery says, not taking his eyes off of me. “When I first met Luna here, I asked her for a favor.”
My heartbeat begins to race. I claw at Gabe’s hand. “I need to get up!” I blurt out. “I have to go!”
Gabe casts a suspicious look at me, but Charles and Melanie are already moving out of the way. Gabe scoots out of the booth and offers me a hand up. I take him hand, looking at his with wide, nervous eyes.
“Come with me,” I say softly.
His brows descend and his forehead creases. “What?”
He slides a look sideways to Dr. Montgomery, then scowls. I tug on his hand.
“Please?” I ask.
He looks back and me, then shakes his head. “I’m good here.”
Dr. Montgomery stands up with a smirk on his lips. “I think it would be for the best if the three of us stepped outside for a moment. We don’t want to cause a scene, do we?”
I glare at him. Gabe has a look on his face that is a mix of suspicion and hatred. “Let’s go.”
Gabe leads the way with me right on his heels. Dr. Montgomery follows, his expression so clearly self-satisfied I can barely look at him. Gabe pushes open a balcony door, letting us out onto the yacht club’s stately balcony. It looks out over the sea and because today is so blustery, no one else is out here.
I gulp as Dr. Montgomery closes the door behind us. My pulse is racing. I turn to Gabe, a plea on my face and in my voice. I reach out to him, touching his forearm with my cold fingers. He tilts his gaze down to look at me.
“What?” he asks me. “Just tell me.”
I open my mouth to explain, but Dr. Montgomery cuts in. “I’ll explain. You see, I asked our little Luna here to spy on you in exchange for advancement at the university. And she agreed.”
I blush furiously. Dr. Montgomery grins, looking back and forth between us. Gabe turns to me.
“Is this true?”
I hesitate for a moment. “I didn’t go through with it, obviously. I felt like I couldn’t just tell Dr. Montgomery to take a hike—“
“You should’ve seen her agreeing with me,” Dr. Montgomery cuts me off again. “She was actually excited about the opportunity to get ahead! I asked her for the route map you guys would be working on…”
“I didn’t actually give him anything!” I blurt out. “You said I’ve been acting weird for the past week… I’ve been trying to figure out a way out of this whole thing without betraying you or hurting my career!”
I’m so worked up that I’m on the verge of tears. I inhale a long, shaky breath.
Gabe’s expression is suspiciously neutral. He folds his arms across his chest. “Fletcher, you can right fuck off. Do you hear me? Run along and play your nasty little games with someone else.”
My heart lifts. Maybe Gabe sees D’s play for what it so clearly is. Maybe he believes me when I say that I was not going to spy on him.
Dr. Montgomery sneers at him. “Whatever, Gabe. We both know that you’re a fucking loser who cheated to win today.”
Gabe cocks his head at Dr. Montgomery. “You’re just lucky that there are so many witnesses here, Fletcher. Because given the chance, I would beat the living daylights out of you.”
Dr. Montgomery makes a disgusted sound and starts to leave. He pauses with the door open partway to shoot his final arrow right at me. “You are done at the University of Washington, Luna. You’d better find another med school that will accept your ass.”
A wrinkle of worry forms in my brow. My shoulders tense. But Dr. Montgomery is gone in the next second, slamming the door, leaving me and Gabe facing off in the bright sunlight. I look at Gabe with a sigh.
His expression is so guarded that I can’t figure out what he’s actually feeling. He takes a long moment to study me. “I don’t even know where to start, Luna. I just… I thought I could trust you. I thought you could trust me too… and yet, there are still these secrets between us.”
My heart jumps into my throat. My eyes mist over. “I swear, I wouldn’t have actually spied on you for Dr. Montgomery.”
“That is not the point!” he shouts. His blue green eyes pin me in place. A muscle ticks in his jaw. “The issue is that you had a problem, maybe the biggest problem you’ve ever had… and you never came to me about it! Instead you deceived me, just like Michelle did.”
“Gabe, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I reach out for him, but he steps back.
His expression is tortured. “I can’t do this again, Luna! I won’t!”
“But… but I love you!” I whisper. Tears fill my eyes and I do nothing to stop them from rolling down my face. “Please, Gabe…”
He closes his eyes for a second, looking like I just punched him in the gut. “I’m sorry, Luna. You don’t know how much I wish I could trust you.”
“Don’t let Dr. Montgomery win!” I beg him.
Gabe shakes his head. “I think I should leave. And… you should start finding another summer internship. I don’t want to see you anymore.”
And with that, he turns on his heel and walks away. I start sobbing, knowing that there is nothing I can do or say to bring him back.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Luna
A Week Later
I’m lying on my living room couch, staring at the television screen. The tv is on but the so
und is muted. Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone pedal their foot-powered car across the screen. The doorbell trills and I pull a face, looking back toward the entry hall.
I’m in my stretchy pants and a loose pink sweatshirt, my hair thrown up in a ponytail. This is definitely my moping around the house outfit, complete with a box of Kleenex beside my head and balled up tissues on the floor in front of me.
I’m not interested in the intrusion of anyone or anything. It’s not like they could pierce the fog I’ve been in all week anyway…
The doorbell trills again, insistent. I sit up with a groan, dragging myself off the couch and going over to the security panel. Cate and Harper stare up at me impatiently, and Harper pushes the doorbell button again. Exhaling a long breath, I type in my door code and the door buzzes, unlocking after a second.
By the time that my two best friends let themselves in the apartment, I am already sinking back into the blue velvet couch.
“Hello?” Cate says. “We come bearing your absolute favorite donuts…”
I scrunch up my face and assume the position: curled in ball on my side, my face pushes up against the pillow that migrated onto the couch from my bed.
“Okay,” Harper says, her tone businesslike. She marches over and finds the remote, turning off the television. “Enough of this. You’ve been avoiding us all week and moping around this apartment instead of having fun. This apartment is great, honey, but it isn’t that great.”
Cate chimes in, her voice soft. “And I don’t want to be the one to tell you this, but… you really need a shower.” She makes a sympathetic face. “Come on. Get up.”
“Seriously. I’ll make coffee while you’re in the shower,” Harper says.
I sit up, giving them both a look. “Are you sure I can’t just have a donut?”
“Yes!” both my friends insist.
Muttering under my breath and shooting daggers at them with my eyes, I get up and go shower. I’ll admit to staying under the steaming hot water longer than I really need to. And my beauty rituals, which I’ve basically been ignoring all week long… it’s nice to spend some extra time putting lavender-scented lotion on my whole body, brushing my teeth for a couple of minutes, and washing my face really thoroughly.
