Sailing at Sunset - Cindi Madsen Page 0,44

flirty one. Vetoing the latter didn’t mean he didn’t want to continue to chat or push her to have more fun on their outings.

Danae’s brow furrowed as she glanced up, as if she were surprised to find other people nearby. “Did someone say something to me? I’m just brushing up on my notes for my presentation, so I…” Her lips moved as she continued to skim down the page, lost in her planner yet again.

Evidently, Josh’s powers of persuasion needed to be recharged—or maybe he’d used them all up getting her on the carousel. So he zipped his lips and continued walking along. Only problem was, frustration churned through him, growing stronger with each step.

Was it his imagination, or had things changed once she’d gone after Mark at the end of their carousel ride?

Worse, why did it matter so much to him?

With their cluster bobbing and weaving their way through the crowd, Josh ended up next to Franco at the tail end of the group. He opened his mouth, only to shut it. By the third time he’d almost spoken, only to think better of it, he rebuked himself for being a wimp and asked the question he’d been dying to ask since their walk to the Flying Horse Carousel.

“Hey,” Josh said, keeping his voice low. “Did Mark and Danae used to be…?” The words snagged in his throat. “Were they married? Earlier he said something about her mom when we were joking about mothers-in-law.” He shrugged, stopping short of saying he’d caught a strange energy between them, but not one that quite fit ex-spouses. After all, he and Olivia very rarely spoke, and while they could now be civil when their paths crossed, he couldn’t imagine working in the same office. “I was going to ask Danae, but…”

Franco’s eyebrows arched so high they blended into his dark hair. Then he glanced at the woman Josh had just inquired about. “But she’s studying her planner like it’s a playbook and her team’s in the Super Bowl.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, they weren’t married. But they did date for the better part of a year. At first it was hush-hush, although most of us at the office suspected it—that was back before Vanessa was part of the team. Anyway, a lot of us thought they would get married eventually, but about six months ago, things seemed super tense. Finally, they admitted they’d broken things off, but were determined to remain professional, and I’ve been impressed at how well they’ve pulled it off. That whole friends-with-your-ex thing so rarely works out.”

Considering Mark kept finding ways to be near Danae, Josh wondered if the guy didn’t want to be more than friends again.

Which was fine. Even if Josh were willing to attempt a relationship—which was a big if—he could never be in one that didn’t allow room for spontaneity or adventure.

As everyone was finishing what had been an amazing lunch, Danae wiped her fingers on the white cloth napkin draped across her lap, and then placed it over her plate. The café was as incredible as the reviews claimed, its dark wooden floors, blue-and-copper floral wallpaper and matching blue trim creating a charming atmosphere that gave her a much-needed boost.

So far, the day was on the right, positive trajectory. Now to keep it going. “While everyone’s finishing up, I wanted to dive into the subject of increasing sales this coming year.” She shifted her plate aside and withdrew her trusty planner. Instead of diving right into her presentation, she was doing as Mr. Barton suggested and listening to her team, too. “Anyone have any ideas they’d like to share?”

“Get the website updated as soon as possible,” Franco said. “I toyed with it first thing this morning and will have another version for you all to look at soon. I’ve heard everyone loud and clear, and after taking some time to process, I realized you were right. I’m working to make it chic and streamlined, with Danae’s slogan in mind.” He raised his voice, the same way she’d done when she originally pitched it in the meeting. “Barton Boats. Not just a boat, but a lifestyle.”

She returned his smile, her mood getting another upsurge. “Thank you, Franco. I can’t wait to see what that genius brain of yours comes up with.”

“I was thinking we should analyze where we’re spending our ad money,” Paige said. “Places that used to work aren’t performing as well for us, and I’ve found three more boating magazines to try. I’ve already emailed their