Sailing at Sunset - Cindi Madsen Page 0,61
rather be an overly organized nerd any day. I’m pretty sure the window for us to be considered ‘kids’ passed a decade or so ago anyway.”
Josh shook his head and clucked his tongue. “This just keeps getting worse and worse. First you imply I’m not cool, next you’re implying I’m old. Again.” He firmly crossed his arms. “Last time I offer you congratulations.”
“No, wait, I’m sorry.” Danae jumped in front of him, blocking his way, and brought out the pouty lower lip. “I need a redo.” She gave his arm a tug, loosening it from its crossed position.
After making her stew for a couple of seconds, he halfheartedly held out his fist.
“Like you mean it,” she said with a tilt of her head.
He plastered a goofy grin on his face and repeated, “Rock on.”
“Boom,” she said, bumping her fist to his. Then she exploded it, eyeing him until he did the same.
Seemingly satisfied, she pivoted around, more skipping than walking. “I was so worried, but it’s all coming together. It looks like I’m going to keep my promotion, which leaves me a teensy-weensy amount of wiggle room to breathe and relax and…” She exhaled like they had in yoga, one long whoosh of air.
“And improvise?”
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” she said, and while he didn’t want to examine why too closely, he liked that she’d used “ourselves.” Suddenly she came to a stop, her high-pitched squeal similar to the noise she’d made at the alpaca farm. Which keyed him into the fact that she’d come across something she considered cute.
Down the way, a speckled harbor seal wiggled across the sand, jigging the entire way, and settled next to a seal Josh assumed was its mom. Danae retrieved her phone and took several pictures, and Josh dug his own phone out of his pocket and snapped a couple as well. Something to show George and Nancy.
Just before he put away his phone, he lifted it higher and captured Danae’s smiling profile. The sun hit just right, the cresting waves and seals providing a stunning backdrop.
Between last night’s amazing stroll and her decision to do a challenge he’d put on the itinerary, a big old soft spot was forming. Problem was, he was getting sucked in by Danae. By her smile and her laugh and her swinging ponytail and…
Man, she’s pretty.
Was it so bad that he wanted the ability to pull up her smile on his phone screen once in a while? To consider using the image to cheer him up during lonely nights and long trips?
“I really wish we could pet them,” Danae said, yanking him out of his jumbled thoughts. “But don’t worry, I’m a rule follower.”
Josh bit back his laugh, so she wouldn’t accuse him of mocking her, slightly accurate or not. “Pretty sure that last sentence was unnecessary.”
Her jaw dropped. “Ah! We can’t all be rebels like you.”
Sure. That was him. A rebel. One who wanted to ignore the complications that would inevitably rise, grab her hand, and hold it.
He probably should’ve kept the distance he’d originally attempted to maintain on this walk. No worries, though. He could practice self-control.
“Aww, check out that one. His eyes are so big.” Danae knelt down in the sand, several yards away. “Hi, dude. Or dudette.”
As if the seal could understand her, it barked back.
Pretty soon, everyone on the beach had come to watch Danae talk to the chatty seal. She mimicked its movements, and a couple of other seals scoot-jiggled their way over to see what all the ruckus was about. Ironic that Franco and Vanessa had just been talking about The Little Mermaid, because right now, Danae seemed to be auditioning for the role.
Eventually they said goodbye to the seals, who’d abandoned chatting for snoozing. They reached the last stretch before the lighthouse, a narrow strip of land with the harbor on one side and the Atlantic Ocean stretching out on the other.
“Hey, new marketing idea,” Danae said, pausing in front of the mansions that lined the beach. While Josh was all about ocean views, he’d be too afraid to build here. It was only a matter of time until the strip of land disappeared, the way it had in Martha’s Vineyard a handful of years ago. “Door-to-door boat sales.”
Mark, Vanessa, Paige, and Franco glanced at the houses and began discussing which boat they’d pitch based on the exterior design of their houses.
“Wow, check out that old sailboat,” Vanessa said. “Looks like it washed ashore, and they left