Sailing at Sunset - Cindi Madsen Page 0,13

many times you’ve sailed the same course. Each time is different—that’s one of the beauties of sailing, and it’s better if you know beforehand that sometimes plans have to be rearranged.”

Danae’s eyebrows drew together, the scrunch of them suggesting she didn’t like the idea, which was why he figured he’d better warn her sooner rather than later. Managing expectations at sea was important.

After briefly pointing out the parts of the ship, he nodded in Danae’s direction. “Now, I believe your fearless leader has a whole list of items for you to get started on.”

The preppy guy with the neat sandy hair and the button-down shirt lifted a finger in the air, not as if he were testing the direction of the breeze. More like he couldn’t be bothered to raise his whole hand. “While Danae is leading this particular project, she’s not our boss. Or leader, or whatever.”

Josh wasn’t sure what to say to that.

Franco and Danae shared a glance that spoke volumes without saying a word. Then Danae said, “Thank you, Mark. Now, let’s leave our captain to the sailing while we start our first meeting of the day, which I do happen to be in charge of.”

Within twenty minutes they were clear of the more crowded part of the harbor. Josh studied the fluffy clouds overhead, noting the darkening undersides. Yesterday had been inordinately hot, and a cold front was predicted to roll in later this afternoon, although with the breeze, maybe they’d manage to miss any of its effects.

The engine growled as Josh sped up, the sound softer and smoother than the grumbly motor on Solitude. He had to hand it to the Barton Boating Company—they made one beautiful sailboat. The Fortune 703 model cut through the water like a dream. It was bigger and shinier than what Josh was used to, with a wheel that moved easily, no grinding required.

While Josh got the allure, this ship was a little too smart for its own good. Auto features were fine and well until they broke, and you didn’t have enough experience to get yourself out of trouble. Then again, it’d be a long while before any of the bells and whistles on this hunk of—

Hmm. I suppose calling it a hunk of junk doesn’t fit. Occasionally he lovingly referred to Solitude as a hunk of junk. Particularly pre-remodel, when the term was painfully accurate.

With the course set and the boat steady, Josh locked the wheel, and dug out the so-called final itinerary that Danae had given him. Oops, he’d already missed her second requested change, but with a few alterations, he could switch up which part of the harbor tour they would end on.

With that done, he headed to check on the passengers. While the boat was twice the length of Solitude, he could still hear snippets of conversations as he moved around the first cabin. The Barton employees had split themselves between the two bench seats, and while Danae was facing the center of the boat, the others were straddling the bench or turning around to enjoy the view.

Danae struggled to keep her team focused as they peered over the side of the boat and pointed at birds and the large suspension bridge that connected Newport to Jamestown. In the distance, several sailboats bobbed along, looking more like seagulls than boats, especially when compared to the giant cement-and-wire structure they were sailing underneath.

“…two hundred and fifteen feet of vertical clearance to accommodate the Navy’s largest ships,” Mark was telling Franco, who was the company’s tech geek. It was a factoid Josh shared himself when people wanted to know more. Perhaps with a crew of locals, today he could coast. Not that he was unwilling to play tour guide, but some clients preferred to take in the sights without his chatter, and he wanted to give people their best possible sailing experience. Bigger groups made that a bit trickier because of the varying personalities, likes, and dislikes.

That was why a lot of his first day was spent sussing out his passengers.

“Paige and Vanessa, do you have a list of social media contacts who can announce the launch of our new campaign as soon as it’s finalized?” Danae asked. “Really spread the word and drum up some good publicity?”

The fair-skinned redhead kept her eyes fixed on the Rose Island Lighthouse. They’d see several lighthouses during the trip and had a tour of the one on Block Island scheduled for tomorrow, but the squat white one with its pale