Sailing at Sunset - Cindi Madsen Page 0,48
she had paced the cabin, worried that if she went above deck, she’d have to fill the awkward silence with their sailboat captain while pretending it wasn’t awkward.
Danae sent a group text announcing that their Pedelecs—or electric-assist bikes—had arrived, and that they’d be taking off ASAP. Paige was first off the boat, her red hair up in a high ponytail similar to Danae’s. They were both wearing yoga pants, breathable tank tops, and sneakers.
“Were you able to chat with your fiancé last night?” Danae asked Paige when she came over to claim a bike. Of all the people on the team, she’d spent the least time interacting with Paige. Since Danae had connected with Vanessa, she also didn’t want Paige thinking she had picked sides.
“I did.” A dreamy expression overtook Paige’s features. “Neither one of us wanted to say goodbye, so we FaceTimed until we both fell asleep. I woke up to a text about how much he loves me.”
The mushiness in Paige’s voice touched Danae, and a hint of longing rose up. “Aww, that is really sweet.” She’d always adored couples talking about how they fell in love, or how madly in love they were with each other. It gave her hope that one day, she would find that as well.
Once the campaign is officially launched, maybe I’ll attempt to get serious about dating again. Josh’s face flashed through her mind, and she quickly blocked it and peered at the water.
“Are you enjoying the trip? I know the beginning was slightly rocky for you, but I’m glad you’re here. I’m hoping you’re feeling better about things, too.”
“For sure. During the storm, I was so seasick I thought I’d have to go home. But the bracelets helped—as have the calmer waters—and last night, I actually found the sway of the boat soothing.”
“I’m so happy to hear that.”
“Yeah, and in news that surprised me and my fiancé, I kind of love fishing. Enough that he and I are going to plan a deep-sea fishing excursion of our own. Although I already told him he’s doing all the icky stuff involved.” Paige laughed, and Danae joined in.
“That’s amazing. I hear you on the icky stuff—it’s a no from me.”
That made them both giggle. The rest of the group began streaming off the ship, and they turned in tandem to greet them.
Danae held her breath as Josh disembarked, a tornado of conflicting emotions wreaking havoc on her state of mind. Yesterday she’d been so furious, and she’d unleashed on him.
Then immediately regretted it, while assuring herself she’d been justified. Her promotion was at stake. Commanding authority was important in a managerial position. Even when she’d been calling creditors back in the day, if she didn’t switch from polite to stern, no one would help her.
Admittedly, she probably hadn’t needed to go full force with Josh, and she may had overreacted the tiniest bit, and ugh. Since they had an upcoming appointment and she refused to be late, she shoved her personal issues aside and assigned bikes to everyone. Then she handed out maps with the highlighted route they’d be taking to Island Alpaca Company.
The idea of the poofy animals and their squishy faces elicited the enthusiasm she’d been missing since crawling into bed last night. Instead of falling asleep, she had tossed and turned and rehashed every moment of the trip so she could figure out how to do better. She was the team leader, and that meant she didn’t have time to have a bad day or be annoyed at a handsome sailor who made her feel too many things at once.
Danae straddled her bike. “Does everyone have water bottles? It’s a five-mile course, but it’s fairly level. According to the map, it should take about thirty minutes. I’ve padded our ride with two five-minute breaks, so if you need to rest for a few minutes, let me know.”
Once she’d confirmed everyone was ready to go, they were off, riding past the busier part of the town they’d walked yesterday.
As soon as the vehicle and foot traffic cleared, they found the bike trail that ran along the main road and headed to the heart of the island. The trail also allowed them to spread out and cluster in groups instead of having to remain in single file.
Mark biked up on her left side, and while she was huffing and puffing, he’d hardly broken a sweat. So unfair, but then again, he frequented the gym after work, whereas she cuddled up on her