spun around. “Is something wrong? You’re coming along, right?”
He shook his head, attempting to dislodge the whir of thoughts. “Sorry. I was just…” If he said thinking about his ex-wife and former mother-in-law, that would lead down a strange path, one he didn’t want to discuss. Although for the record, he’d had good experiences with Olivia’s mother. Her father, on the other hand, had heaped on the pressure, demanding that Josh provide a better life for his daughter. Which made it hard not to feel like a failure, even back in the days when he’d been going as hard and as fast as he could.
A few long strides caught him up to the group. “Where to first?”
“Are you saying you didn’t look at the itinerary?” Danae clicked her tongue, but the smile she aimed his way made it clear she was teasing. Mostly, anyway. “The Flying Horses Carousel. Vanessa scheduled this stop, hoping to get some awesome videos for…the app that I’m totally going to download.”
“You already forgot the name?” Vanessa placed her fists on her hips and addressed the entire group, her narrowed eyes flicking from face to face. “Did anyone finish their registration on Trendster yet? I haven’t gotten any follow requests.”
Vanessa lifted her phone and shook it at the team. Then she sighed and tapped the screen. “I’ll check myself and Barton in on Trendster, but the app I want everyone using today is actually a different one. It’s called Quest Obsessed. Danae, you’ll love it. You get stickers for everything you check off.”
That piqued Danae’s interest, and her eyes widened as she studied the screen. “Ooh. You have so many stickers, too.”
Vanessa mimicked a hair flip, in spite of the fact that she’d pulled up her curls. “It’s part of my job, darling.”
The two of them grinned at each other. They seemed to be growing closer by the day. Apparently not as close as Danae and Mark used to be, and Josh needed to scrub that out of his head. It wouldn’t do any good. In the long run, it didn’t even matter.
His memory had been jogged, flooding his brain with the countless complications that came along with relationships and marriage. All the compromising and hard work and hurt feelings on both sides, only for it to end in divorce. For a while it had been hard to imagine a happy life without Olivia and the belongings they’d spent years acquiring.
Eventually, though, it became harder to imagine a life that included anyone but himself, his sailboat, and the water.
I was perfectly happy before Danae came along. She’d reminded him of how nice it could be to laugh and talk and be open with someone else. Then there was that enticing pull of the possibility of more, and the interest that tugged at your gut the entire time you were around the person who sparked it.
Getting involved with anyone required risk, and he just wasn’t willing to gamble any more of himself away.
A giant red building that resembled a barn loomed in front of them, the sign declaring it America’s oldest carousel.
“When I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast,” Vanessa said, “Martha’s Vineyard and this carousel were on the top of my to-do list. I added them to my list of places on Quest Obsessed long before this trip was a twinkle in Mr. Barton’s eye.”
Since Danae and Vanessa had practically raced to the entrance, they were waiting for the rest of the team.
“You look fabulous, by the way.” Danae swept her arm up and down her colleague’s asymmetrical jumpsuit with a slit in the sleeve. It showed off Vanessa’s toned arms, and the white fabric complemented her bronze skin. If Danae attempted that outfit, she’d look like Casper the Friendly Ghost.
“Aww, thank you.” The bangles on Vanessa’s wrist clanged together as she swept a corkscrew curl out of her eyes.
“White is a bold choice, too. I’d definitely spill food or drink on myself if I wore an ensemble like that.”
Vanessa laughed. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself.”
“I think you’re new enough not to have seen some of my disasters. Once—I don’t even know how it happened—the coffee pot exploded on me. Like I lifted it to pour myself a cup of joe and the next thing I know, shattered glass and steaming coffee down my shirt and pants. I’d worn light pink that day.”
Vanessa brought up her hands to cover her mouth. “No.”
“Oh yes. Bonus, it was my second week of