“I don’t have regrets.” She paused and let her phone fall into her lap. “Look, I know it’s a holiday week and most people are off from work, but today’s going to be busy and my boss will probably need my help. But believe me, I get your frustration. It’s an impossible situation, and why I don’t really date. It’s too hard to juggle it all, and in the end I always feel forced to choose between my job and a guy.”
“So you chose the job?”
“Well, yeah,” she said. “Because it’s easier than facing the fact that I’m never quite . . . enough for someone.”
Damn. She always got him right in the gut. “Hannah, you’re more than enough.”
“Am I, though? Because you’d like me to change. You’d like me to set down this phone and maybe have a repeat of what we did earlier.”
That brought a brief smile to his lips. “Never doubt that. But that’s not what this is about.”
“Working hard is a source of pride for me, James. It’s all I know.”
He knew this was true. She’d basically raised her mom and stepdad, both of whom were decent people, but also selfish and at times incredibly immature. He had no idea how to make that any different for her. He couldn’t change the past, but maybe he could help Future Hannah, even if just a little. “You’re tired,” he said quietly. “Why don’t you get a couple of hours’ sleep?”
She nodded agreeably but picked her phone back up. “In a few minutes, I promise.”
He lay back and waited. Ten minutes went by. Then another ten. After thirty more, he slipped out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and left.
All without her so much as looking up.
Chapter Ten
HANNAH WAS so good at hyperfocusing that she could completely tune out her surroundings, and she did so—until she heard the door close. Blinking, she looked around.
The bed had been decimated.
And James had left.
The thought gave her a pang. As usual, she’d lost track of time. She needed to go after him, and would. Soon as she finished up this one last work email.
Only that didn’t happen.
What did happen was that she came awake a few hours later with a gasp. She’d fallen asleep. It was now eight in the morning and she had a crick in her neck from sleeping half sitting up, nose in her phone. But as for the rest of her body, she had no complaints there, because she was deliciously boneless, thanks to James’s careful attentiveness. Just thinking about it kicked her pulse back into gear.
Knowing they’d agreed to have breakfast on the deck, she jumped out of bed, took a quick shower, and dressed, then hurried up the stairs.
The day was stunning. Turquoise waters stretched as far as the eye could see, still and crystal clear. The air was thick and warm. The only sounds were the occasional squawks of seabirds and the gentle lap of water against the hull. As she took it all in, her heart rate slowed and she took a deep, relaxed breath. How she’d ever forgotten how beautiful it was out here, she had no idea.
Making her way to the galley, she smiled in surprise at Sally, who was at the sink.
“Hey,” Hannah said, “it’s my turn to make breakfast. What would you like?”
“Too late,” Sally said with a wink and a smile. “I’ve got everything almost ready. Food’s plated and covered and on a table on the aft deck.”
Hannah kissed Sally on the cheek and made her way to the aft deck, stopping short at the table set romantically for two. With a sigh, she slid a look to Sally, who’d followed her out with a pitcher of orange juice. “There are no secrets on this ship.”
“None,” the woman said with a laugh as she walked off.
Hannah sat and waited for James, surprised that he hadn’t beaten her here. He loved breakfast. Actually, he loved all food, and he was a definite morning person.
But he didn’t show. She knew he wasn’t in bed, since she’d been in it until twenty minutes ago. She started to go look for him, but her phone rang. Work. After a ten-minute call, she texted James: you okay?
Her dad came out from the bridge and sat down. “Hey there.” He lifted the lid on her still-untouched breakfast and stole her sourdough toast.
“Hey,” she said.
“You know there are only two kinds of people on this boat. The quick . . . and the hungry.”
“Uh-huh,” she said dryly. Her phone was buzzing, so she stole a quick look at it, hoping it was James.
It wasn’t.
“So . . .” Her dad looked oddly uncomfortable. “Uh . . . nice weather, right?”
“Yes.” It took her a moment to realize his dilemma. He wanted to ask how she was, but didn’t want to hear about last night with James.
Since she didn’t want to tell him any more than he wanted to hear about it, she decided to take the lead. “How are you?”
“Great,” he said.
Great. He felt good and she felt weighed down by the divorce papers still in her cabin. “So.”
“So,” he said with a nod.
She sighed. “Look, this is dumb. Let’s just get this over with. You were drinking pretty heavily last night.”
“We were anchored. I needed to blow off some steam.”
“Okay . . .” So there wasn’t going to be an apology. “How was fishing? Have you seen James?”
“Yeah, and the fishing was great. We caught dinner. Oh, and he told me about his plans to expand. He said I could be one of his subcontractors. He’d book boating adventures using The Therapist when he could. He’s dealing with high rollers, so the profit margin would be amazing.”
“Dad, Mom told me recently that your doctor had asked you to think about slowing down, maybe even selling and retiring. High blood pressure, remember? And clearly the responsibility gets to you, at least sometimes.” Like last night . . .
He waved this off just as her phone buzzed again.
“Should have left that thing in my hat,” Harry said.
She blew out a breath. “It’s my boss, Cynthia. Should only take a sec.”
Harry was sipping his coffee when she finished the call. “Sorry,” she said to Harry. “There might be some more of that today. The case I’ve been working on is going before a judge later. Everything’s ready, but I’ll want to find out how it went.”
He nodded. “I like listening to you. You’re smart, capable. Your work is important to you.”
“Yes.”
He nodded again. “This boat and the ocean are important to me in the same way. I’m not going to stop any more than you’re going to stop trying to save the world.”
She sighed. “I get it.”
James appeared, wearing another pair of board shorts, these a dark navy blue paired with a white T-shirt that read May the Fish Be with You!
Harry pulled a ten from his pocket and waved it at him. “You were right. Your black grouper was bigger by half a pound. Bragging rights are all yours.”
James grinned. “Good to know.”
“Where were you?” Hannah asked him.
He turned to look at her, his eyes behind dark sunglasses, his thoughts hidden. “Figured you were working.”
“Oh, she was,” Harry said ever so helpfully.