it to die.”
“It just needs a bit of polish,” Josh said.
Danae blinked at him. “A bit?”
Josh didn’t want to violate any trespassing laws, but he wandered a few yards closer. “I bet it’s a seventies model. I bought a similar boat a couple of years ago. Solitude was awfully beat up when I bought her, so I spent the last year restoring her. She turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself.”
“Solitude? Sheesh, why didn’t you just name it sadness?”
“Hey,” he said with a laugh. “I like my private slice of heaven. If the whim hits me, I can head out onto the ocean for days or weeks. Leave my worries behind. Change my destination. Begin a new adventure.”
Danae wrinkled her nose in that adorable way she did when she was processing. “I don’t think I could handle that much quiet.”
No, quiet wasn’t a word he’d use to describe Danae. While he’d become accustomed to the peaceful silence of living on a ship by himself, he had a feeling that once this journey was over, he would miss the hubbub.
He might even miss Danae bouncing to her feet in the crowded kitchen to recite the itinerary for the day.
What a silly thought. He’d be fine. Same as always. There were other people at the marina if he did get lonely.
Although Danae wouldn’t be one of them, and a pang thumped deep inside his chest at the thought. “Someday you’ll have to come to the marina and check out my pride and joy.” Josh realized everyone else was still around as well, and he hadn’t meant to exclude them, so he tore his gaze off Danae and glanced around. “All of you.”
The idea of five extra people onboard his tiny ship made air leak out of his lungs. Surely they wouldn’t show up all at once, though.
Thinking of Danae aboard Solitude, pitching in with the sails as he steered, on the other hand, caused a flush of excitement. He’d like to take her for a quick sail on Solitude sometime. See how much fun they could have with absolutely no schedule whatsoever.
“When did you christen her?” Danae asked, and the entire group focused on him, waiting for the answer.
Josh swiped a hand through the air. “Eh. I didn’t do the whole christening ceremony.”
Danae gasped in horror, and she wasn’t the only one. You would’ve thought he’d told them his ship had an enormous leak. “Josh, that’s not okay,” Danae said. “Not only is it tradition, you’ll anger the sea gods. They’ll think you have underhanded motives if you don’t do the renaming ritual.”
Vanessa’s eyes flew wide. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. We can’t have that. It’s been a lovely trip, and I’d like for it to keep going that way.”
“Danae’s kidding,” Josh said.
“Danae doesn’t kid,” Mark countered, and Josh had to work to not glare at the guy. All day, the entitled jerk had been making a point of showing how well he knew Danae. Mark wasn’t the one she’d been out with last night, though, was he?
Instead of the sense of smugness Josh had expected, conflicting emotions tugged at him. As much as he’d enjoyed their time together and Danae’s awe at the beauty he’d shown her, he still couldn’t decide if spending time alone together had been a good idea.
“Not about this,” Danae said. “You need to have a christening ceremony ASAP, Josh.”
He was fairly sure she’d said his name more in the last few minutes than she had for the entire trip, and while he liked hearing it spilling from her lips, he was done being the center of attention. He also needed some of that space he’d mentioned to pull himself together. “It’s not a big deal,” he insisted, but Danae was already shaking her head.
“It’s a huge deal. And we’re gonna fix it.”
Chapter Seventeen
As Mr. Barton had suggested before they left, Danae had made reservations at one of the fanciest restaurants in Nantucket Island to celebrate finalizing the business plan. She’d included instructions to bring a couple of nicer outfits, and everyone was all dressed up.
The overhead lights in the restaurant caught the silver overlay on Danae’s pink dress as she led the group inside. Thanks to her hair having been in a ponytail earlier, she’d gone with an updo to hide the bump, although she’d loosened a couple curls to frame her face. She’d also switched from her regular bag to her clutch, because glitter. The ankle straps on her matching heels made her feel like