idea how to fix, but sure spent a big chunk of change trying to.
There was an old saying, never repeated in the office: The two best days of a boat owner’s life are the day they buy a boat, and the day they sell it. Boats were expensive to maintain. Add in a myriad of fishing gear, and the fact that Dad played hooky a little too frequently, and a stampede of creditors had nearly trampled their family.
Which was one of the main reasons that these days, Danae was all about selling boats instead of sailing them. “I do. I’m just not sure that right now, when we’re launching a new campaign and website, is the best time to head out on the open sea.”
“Nonsense,” he said, swiping a hand through the air. “It’s excellent timing. A change in environment will foster creativity, will push you to grow closer, and you’ll be able to have meetings between ports. Vanessa has already planned an entire week of social media around it. She has so many ideas on how to improve our online presence, so I let her in on the secret, and then she was off and talking up a storm in that fast way she has.”
As Vanessa was the newest member of their team, it seemed a bit strange that he’d confided in her first, but as Mr. Barton said, the woman was full of ideas. Not to mention, Danae had been preoccupied with landing the promotion.
Wait. That meant Vanessa and Paige would be on a boat together—no chance to retreat to their separate corners for some cool-down time between disagreements. That could get dicey.
Another realization barreled into Danae, one that made a tight band form around her chest. Eight whole days at sea with her ex-boyfriend. Despite their attempts to remain professional, there’d been enough guardedness following the breakup that the team had noticed. Even though it was better now, they worked in different departments for the most part.
She had already worried that with one of them getting the promotion, it would obliterate the barrier they’d erected to keep the peace. Take away a thousand square feet of office space, and things on the sailboat would get up close and too-personal, fast.
Vaguely, she heard the sound of a desk drawer opening and an accompanying flutter. “I’ve already chartered the trip and drafted the itinerary.” Mr. Barton extended a sheet of paper, his expression making it clear she needed to get onboard—literally.
Danae tapped into her enthusiasm for her new title—one she planned on earning permanently—and let that shine through. “When’s our push-off date? I’ll get it in my planner and begin scheduling the entire trip so we can be as successful and productive as possible.”
“You set sail this Monday.”
Too many clashing thoughts shrieked through her brain at once, leading to a traffic jam that had her mouth stumbling over her words. “The…Monday that’s after this weekend? As in four days from now?”
“That’d be the one.”
While she adored her boss and his big ideas, he tended to dive headfirst before checking if the pool was eleven or three feet deep.
More protests crowded to the tip of her tongue about giving people—especially those with spouses and children—more of a warning and a chance to prepare, but Mr. Barton was up and out of his seat. “Let’s go tell the rest of the team!”
Like a kid racing to see what Santa had left under the tree, he rushed out of the office, the hip he complained about on cold days not slowing him down one bit.
Guess I’d better get to planning.
Danae glanced at the list and worried her lower lip with her teeth.
I’m going to need more stickers.
Chapter Two
Regardless of the fact that Josh had been doing chartered tours for two years, every time he stood at the helm of his boat, salt water misting his skin, it hit him how amazing his job was.
No more cubicle, countless emails, or never-ending calls. No faster, harder, bigger, more, more, more.
Mr. and Mrs. Rivera, his current passengers, inhaled the fresh ocean air and basked in the glorious sunshine. Josh did the same as he gripped the weathered wooden handles of the antique steering wheel.
“It gives your boat a nice, rustic touch,” Mr. Rivera said. Josh had found the wheel at a junkyard. To get his ship in shape, he had spent hours sanding and painting, but the discarded wheel he’d installed was still his favorite piece.
Sturdy and a bit cranky, the metal barrel and spindle