Sail Away by Jen Talty

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.

“I heard you know these boys pretty well,” Milia said with a bright smile.

Darcie had to have known that everyone on the boat would find out that she and Reid used to have a thing. The question was what they knew, and how fast the insanity spread. “What were you told and by whom?” She took the preference sheets of all the guests and scanned them. They had already gone over them with the captain, and Haley had a good handle on what Reid, Preston, and the rest of the team wanted in the food department. Preston could be a douchebag when it came to food. He constantly complained, and nothing was ever good enough, not even when he cooked it himself.

But what disturbed her was the missing bungee jump off Deception Pass on the activities list. In its place, they had them leaving the yacht at twenty-two hundred hours and going scuba diving. Why did they need to leave with someone else?

Because they decided to leave her and Jim out of the equation?

However, that really didn’t exonerate them or the boat owners from liability if something happened.

Her brother was going to have her head if she didn’t tell him, but she wouldn’t lose her job over that one.

“Don’t get mad,” Milia said, “but Kim told me this morning that Jim said you used to date the primary’s business partner.”

Darcie inhaled sharply, checking her temper. She wasn’t really angry with Milia or Kim. Not really. Not anymore. Hell, she couldn’t even stay pissed at Jim. The only person she was angry with was herself, and it was high time she stopped kicking herself over her bad choices and started learning from them and moving forward.

“That would be a true statement.”

“I heard it was for like two years,” Milia said.

“I thought Kim and Jim were getting engaged last night? Didn’t they have better things to do than gossip about me?” She flicked her wrist, tossing out the last couple of swigs of her coffee in the sink. So much for turning over a new leaf and checking her sarcasm at the door.

“We’re all just curious what the feel of the boat is going to be for the next three days.” Haley, the chef, had always been the quietest person on the vessel. She didn’t say much of anything, but when she did open her mouth, she was usually the voice of reason. “We’ve been walking on eggshells ever since Kim left, and to be frank, we’re all kind of tired of it.”

“No offense to anyone, but you should have all come at me with that upfront, instead of tiptoeing around the subject. Because it just makes me defensive and pissed off.” She adjusted her ponytail. “Things could get awkward. And because of my history with both primaries, I could end up losing my cool if they get in my face.”

Just as she said that, two of her deckhands came waltzing into the galley.

“Is someone giving you shit?” Kirk asked. “Because if they are, I’ll kick their ass.”

“Me, too.” Bradley snagged a mug and made himself some coffee. “But what are we talking about?”

“Your boson’s love life.” Anastasia picked at a head of lettuce. She always liked helping in the kitchen, and she was a pretty good cook, often making the crew meals when Haley had a big dinner for the guests to deal with. But she could be a bit of a shit-stirrer, enjoying the conflict as long as she wasn’t part of it. “And the fact that one of our guests is the ex-boyfriend.”

“Shit,” Kirk mumbled. “The guy you were dating when we first worked together in Greece? The one you’d broken up with by the time we met again in Florida?”

“That’s the one,” she said. “His business partner, Preston, can be a bit of a dick, and he’ll constantly try to get a rise out of me.”

“Hey, sounds like he’ll get along with the rest of us,” Bradley said.

“You’re going to hate Preston.” Darcie shook her head. “He’s a pretentious trust fund kid who doesn’t understand the word no.”

“And you dated his business partner?” Haley stopped chopping mushrooms and stared at Darcie.

Everyone had discontinued their activities and glared at her with their jaws dropped as if they were driving by a horrible accident and couldn’t look away.

“You don’t tolerate people like that,” Bradley said, breaking the silence. “The way you pick on some of the guests after they leave is priceless. How could you date someone with stupid money?”

“Reid isn’t like Preston, other than being an adrenaline junkie. They have very different personalities. Where the tension is going to be is between me and Preston more than me and Reid. Maybe. Probably.”

“Toss Jim into the mix, and we’ve got ourselves some rough waters ahead,” Kirk said.

“Hey, did anyone notice all the luggage he brought back on the vessel?” Bradley asked.

“I did.” Kirk snapped open a soda. “I saw that he did that a couple of charters ago, too. But when I went looking for the bags, they were nowhere to be found.”

“You actually go looking for his luggage,” Darcie said. “That’s weird.”

“I only went looking because he brought all these extra things aboard the charter Kim ended up leaving. But when I went to get her bags, his were nowhere to be found. Later, I saw him leaving the vessel with them,” Bradley said.

“Come to think of it, he brought on extra bags that disappeared on our first charter,” Kirk said.

“Really fucking weird, if you ask me,” Bradley said.

“Jim does have an obsession for clothes, and he always overpacks.” Something that Darcie enjoyed poking fun at whenever she got the chance.

“All crew. All crew. Captain Jim here. I see our guests walking the gangway. Let’s get this party started.”

“You heard the man.” Darcie smoothed down the front of her dark slacks. One thing she hated about this job was the constant changing of clothes. Right after they greeted the guests, she and the deck crew would change into their sun shirts and shorts and prepare the vessel to leave port, where they’d spend a couple of hours cruising up the coast until they found their anchor spot. And then they could break out the toys and let the drunken bad behavior begin.

She stood next to Captain Jim with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Are you ready for this?” Jim asked.

“Don’t worry. Reid and I will be fine,” she whispered.

“I’m more worried about you and Preston.” Jim stretched out his arm. “Reid. It’s good to see you again. And you as well, Preston. We look forward to making this short vacation special for you boys.”

Preston cocked his head and arched his brow. “Make sure we have lots of tequila and food and we’ll be good.”

“Hey. How are you holding up?” Reid whispered as he kissed her cheek.

“Just ducky. How are you?”

“I’m peachier today.”

She laughed.

“Jim’s being awfully nice to me.”

“He wants a big fat tip,” she whispered, patting Reid’s shoulder, trying to move him along.

Talk about fucking games. Jim had some really choice words for Reid the last time they’d seen each other. Of course, Darcie was acting like a fool and screaming at Reid because Reid had called her a selfish bitch who didn’t have a clue about real love or life for that matter.

Darcie had learned one very valuable lesson since that day.

She had anger management issues, and finding Jim with her bunkmate made her understand that she really hadn’t done anything to figure out how to deal with those kinds of emotions.

Well, she would start doing something about them today.

Besides, she didn’t love Jim. Never had. She was better off without him.

Reid was an entirely different story.

One she’d have to come to terms with because even if they went to dinner when this charter was over and there was more than sex between them, she lived on a boat docked in Seattle, and he lived on an island off the coast of Texas.

It was a doomed relationship.

So why the fuck was she thinking about him in terms of getting back together?

The final guest came through the receiving line. Quickly, she gathered up all the luggage and had her crew change into their other uniform. Since they were nearing the end of this charter season, they had leaving the port down and left the dock without incident.

She meandered up to the bow of the vessel and inhaled the fresh salty sea air. She loved the first few minutes at sea. It was as if she were returning home from a long day at work.

Reid and the rest of the guests were lounging on the back patio, being served drinks and appetizers and flirting with the interior crew.

That fine fucking line that made this job so much harder because everything was based on service and tip. At least she didn’t have to worry about her flirty ways this trip.

Her crew was either resting or finishing a few other things on their day-one charter checklist.

The sound of bare feet scuffing across fiberglass caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, Kirk.”

“It amazes me that more guests don’t find their way up here. It has to be the best place to hang out when we’re cruising. Or even when we’re anchored if you just want some peace and quiet.”

“It’s not necessarily an easy walk, especially when we’re moving. And once you’re here, there’s nothing to do. The guests would rather be near the hot tub and the bar. Besides, it’s our little paradise.”

“It sure is.” Kirk took a swig of water. “What are your plans when this season is over?”

“I don’t know yet. It depends on my captain’s test and a few other things.”

“You just have the written portion left, correct?”

She nodded.

“Have you applied? Because I know a few owners looking for good captains.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.

“That brings me to why I flagged you down. Would it be okay if I put you down as a reference? I’m applying for a boson position on the Gerling, and Captain Tim is running the show.”

“He’s a great captain. I loved working under him. Of course. I’ll give you my professional contact information later,” she said. “You’ll make a great boson.”

“I hope so.”

“As soon as we anchor, I want you helping Craig with the slide. Bradley and I will get the rest of the toys in. The cliffs are open, so we can take them over there by tinder. It’s going to be hard to entertain these boys.”

“I imagine the things we have don’t pack the kind of punch they crave. I mean, we do have a governor on the persona watercrafts, so those will be boring as sin.”

“They will still have fun on them. Trust me, not everything with these guys has to be a near-death experience. Just watch their alcohol consumption when using the toys. I don’t know their team members, and while Reid doesn’t usually get drunk, he still likes to have a good time. However, Preston can get pretty nasty when he’s wasted, and he doesn’t like to be told what he can and can’t do.”

“It’s not like we haven’t dealt with that kind of guest before.” Kirk nodded. “Can I talk to you about something kind of touchy?”

“Of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we weren’t done with the serious chat.”

“I’m sorry we all put you on the spot in the kitchen earlier. And other times, especially since everything blew up with Kim.”

“Don’t be. I’ve been on edge since the whole scene last month, which I should have never put you all in the middle of. I could have handled myself much more professionally.”

“For what it’s worth, what they did was a shit thing to do, and any of us would have gone off the deep end. We were all just a little blindsided.”

“Only thing either one of them did wrong was not tell me before they got involved with each other. But it’s all water under the bridge. I’m really fine with them being together.” She stared out over the port side of the yacht at the islands and the sun slowly making its descent in the afternoon sky. She’d never tire of being on the water. It would never get old.

Ever.

Especially when her heart and mind were conflicted. It was as if the sky touching the seas below could give her all the answers.

“You know what? I believe you,” Kirk said. “There is something different about you today that wasn’t there a few days ago. I can’t place it, but your confidence and the fierceness in your eyes is at an all-time high. No one can put that there but you. And no one can take that away unless you let them.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ve enjoyed working under you, which is why it was important to me to get a referral from you.”

“Why do I sense a but coming where I might want to retract my decision?”

“That will be up to you, but I mean it.” Kirk leaned back against the railing. “I’ve had to deal with a couple of female bosons before, and trust me when I say, I’ve got no issue with women in power. I say bring it on. The more there are, the better off the world would probably be. You’ve had to fight for every little piece of respect that I get just because I’m swinging a dick. It’s not right. It’s certainly not fair. I wish I could say I get it, but I don’t. I have no idea what it’s like to walk in your shoes. However, I will say this.” He held up his index and middle fingers. “There are two camps when it comes to how you handle a man’s world, and you always seem to choose the harder one.”

“Seriously? You want to stand there and tell me that I should use my tits to get what I want in yachting instead of being good at my job after you asked me for—”

“I’m not saying any woman should have to do either. That’s just a shitty thing all around. I’ve got five little sisters, and it makes me crazy that they have to deal with things that I don’t have to even think twice about. But I digress,” Kirk said, letting out a long breath. “You’re hands-down the best boson I’ve ever worked with. I’ve learned more from you this summer than I have in the last two years I’ve worked in the yachting industry.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“The problem isn’t that you come off like a bitch, because you don’t. You have a management style that commands respect because you give it in spades. You don’t hover over your crew and bark out orders, expecting everyone else to do the heavy lifting; you get right in there, working side by side. But you do it with an attitude that constantly reminds us that the line you draw is a squiggly one, and we’re not sure where we stand from one minute to the next.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Of course, she had a good idea if it was anything like Ziggy’s explanation for why Darcie didn’t make girlfriends.

“Having the gift of sarcasm, a resting bitch face, and a wicked dry sense of humor doesn’t give the rest of us a good handle on when you’re dicking around. It’s why there are so many awkward silences.”

Yup. That would be the Ziggy philosophy. Her sister had tried to explain this to her once before but had failed miserably in her description. It was sinking in now.

“So, wait a second,” Darcie said. “You’re telling me that you guys are confused on when you can make jokes with me and when you can’t?”

“And what you might find funny or not.” Kirk waved to another deckhand as a larger yacht cruised by.

“I have a sense of humor.”

“But it changes. And that’s why there is so much tension sometimes with you and the rest of the crew. I’m sure it’s the dynamics with Jim, but it’s something to consider.”

“Other than my catfight with Kim, and the fact that Jim is a womanizing asshole, this is a really good crew.”

“None of us can believe she said yes to marrying Jim. No one changes their stripes that quickly.”

“When it’s the right woman, a man can.” She turned and leaned her middle against the railing and stretched out her arms. “Now we just need the music from the movie Titanic.”

“Are you saying you’re a romantic deep down?”

“No. I’m just saying I’ve known Jim for as long as I’ve been in this industry. The first time we worked together, I was actually the third stew, and he was the first mate.”

“You were a stew? Interior? I don’t believe it.”

“I’ve done it a couple of times.” She tilted her head toward the sun and closed her eyes. “I spent half the season in the laundry until one of the deckhands got injured, and Jim suggested they pull me in. I was shocked because we butted heads all the time. Jim and I didn’t like each other, but we respected each other.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I still cringe every time he calls me ‘sweetheart’ or ‘doll’ or ‘baby.’ He just doesn’t get it.”

“No. He doesn’t.”

“He’s still not the worst man in the world.”

“I don’t know about that. He cheated on you. That’s pretty slimy if you ask me.”

Darcie needed to get real with herself about her life and the direction she was headed. It was the only way she’d be able to change course and make it stick. “I was never totally committed to Jim as his girlfriend. While I wasn’t at fault for what happened, I had both feet out the door.”

“Are you making excuses for him?”

“No. I’m just taking responsibility for my actions and how I ended up where I am today.” She blinked her eyes open and inhaled the fresh salty air. Her father had accused her of being lonely.

He also thought she was afraid and that she ran from the things that scared her. He didn’t think she was chasing a dream.

He thought she was running from it.

Except, from the time she was a little girl, all she ever dreamed about was the water. The vastness of the ocean. The wide-open space it created. The way the wind raced across the top, making ripples that turned into waves, creating massive swells. It was both life and death.

Whenever she was sad, she used to ride the ferries back and forth between the islands. She would watch the birds dive into the water, looking for fresh fish.

She had nowhere to go and nothing to do. She would just sit and be one with the Sound. The second she stepped off the vessel and headed back to her family, she felt her skin prickle. Her muscles tightened. A thick lump formed in her throat. It made her crazy. She loved her family. She enjoyed every waking moment with them, but the pull to be on the water was too great.

“Um, Darcie. Looks like someone wants to talk to you.”

She stepped away from the railing and turned. “Oh. Hey.” She stared into Reid’s intense blue eyes. They always reminded her of the ocean the first thing in the morning as the sun brought light to the depths below.

“Can I steal you for a few moments?” Reid asked.

“Sure.”

“I’m going to go prep the slide,” Kirk said. “We’re getting close to our anchor spot. I’ll make sure everything is ready.”

“Thanks.” She fiddled with her hair, tightening her ponytail. “Why don’t we sit over here?” She glanced toward the bridge, knowing Jim was sitting in his chair, watching her every move. When she dated Jim, for lack of a better word, he’d shown a different side of himself that she wished he’d let the rest of the world see. He could be sweet and charming when he wanted to be, but instead, most saw the arrogant ladies’ man who thought he knew everything. “How do you like your accommodations?”

“They’re awesome. While stoked they get the master, our youngest team members aren’t thrilled they’re sharing a bed.” Reid laughed. “But Preston and I are too old to share rooms, even if they are twin beds.” He rested his arm over the back cushion. He’d changed into a pair of long red boardshorts and a white T-shirt. “It never gets old pulling that kind of shit on the new guys. One of them will either end up on the floor or the sofa, but we’re hoping they get drunk enough and don’t care so we can sneak in and take pictures.”

“Men. You’ll get naked with each other. Shower together. But you won’t sleep in the same bed.”

He leaned a little closer. “Women. You’ll sleep in the same bed, but you don’t like to get naked with each other. I don’t get it.”

She shook her head. “Not to mention that’s really childish.”

“You know what they say about men and boys.”

“That I do.”

The yacht slowly banked to the right, heading into the cove where it would anchor for the night. She’d been all over the world and had seen some incredibly exotic places, and every single one amazed and touched her soul.

Her backyard was no different.

“I’m glad you came and found me. I wanted to ask about Deception Pass and what happened to it because it was taken off the activities list and replaced with a scuba diving trip with friends.” She raised her hands and made quotation marks with her fingers. “Why would you need your so-called friends to come and get you when we could have tendered you wherever you wanted to go? Within reason. We can also recommend some great places for scuba diving.”

“We didn’t know our buddies would be here. We just thought it would be fun.”

“That’s how you’re going to play this? Because I know when you’re lying to me.”

“Fine. Preston blindsided me with Hans, but I’m not fucking around. Hans is a potential business partner. He invited us out on his boat, and he loves scuba diving at night. He’s a wannabe extremist and kind of a pain in the ass. However, we couldn’t say no without being rude.”

“Let me ask you this. Do you want to do business with this Hans guy?”

“Not the point,” he said. “But it’s one less thing for you to worry about.” He tapped her nose.

She jerked her head back. “Don’t do that.”

“Sorry. I’m a creature of habit, and I always did that when we were dating.”

“Not when I was working, and my boss is glaring at us.” She nodded toward the bridge.

“Well, then I should shove my tongue down your throat and stick my hand up your shirt and really give him something to gawk at.” Reid tapped his index finger on her knee. “I can’t get over the fact you went out with him and that he cheated on you.”

“I would have broken up with him at the end of the season, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.” She tilted her head, wiping the few stray hairs that had blown across her face. “Be honest with me about Deception Pass.”

“I am. Although I’m not the one who got the call. This entire trip is all Preston. If it were up to me, I’d be… nope, I take that back. I like the view where I’m sitting right now.”

She tried not to smile, but her mouth denied her mind’s wishes.

“Your cheeks are turning pink.”

“They are not.” If they weren’t before, they were flushed now.

“I like how I can still make you blush.” He pushed his shades up on top of his head. His blue eyes sparkled in the bright sunshine. “And I wish I could take you in my arms right now and just enjoy this little piece of heaven, but I know that’s not possible, and not just because you’re working.”

She swallowed her heartbeat.

“Because of the timing of Hans and when he’s meeting us, the kayak trip is canceled and I’m going to need to get at the internet modem by tomorrow morning. Can you make that happen, please?”

“I will let you know for sure at dinner tonight. I’m moving some of my deck crew around on their jobs so I will be on anchor watch.”

“I appreciate it.”

Her earpiece crackled. “Darcie. Darcie. Captain Jim. Time to drop anchor, and then I need you to come to the bridge.”

She stood. “Duty calls.”

He lifted his thumb and made a gesture over his shoulder. “I guess I should go pretend to have a good time while I try not to stare too hard at you.”

“We don’t want you to strain your eyes.” She patted his chest.

“I’ll talk to you later.” He turned and strolled toward the stern of the yacht.

He paused. “Do you remember when you were working on that one boat. What was the name? Rapture?”

Every inch of her body ignited in flames. She fanned herself. “I do.”

“I came to visit, and we stayed in the guest cabin and had some wild sex that night. The cabin was amazing. It was similar to the one I’m in now. It’s even on the right side of the vessel.”

“It’s called the starboard side.”

“I’m on the starboard side. Just saying.” He winked.

It was only two nights. She could get through two nights without sneaking into his bedroom. Yep.

She could do it.

She had self-control.

She groaned.