Sailing at Sunset - Cindi Madsen Page 0,7

thumbnail, a habit she was trying to break. How could she get her team to agree on a marketing plan when she couldn’t even coordinate with the sailor chartering the trip?

Vaguely, she noticed footsteps, but it didn’t hit her that they were heavier than Mom’s or Selene’s until strong arms circled her around the middle and she found herself a foot or so off the ground, her breath squished out of her.

“’Sup, big sister?” Leo asked, returning her feet to the floor.

She spun around to face him. Sometimes it was crazy to think that the tall guy in front of her was the little brother she used to cart to and from school. “Dude, I thought you were spending all your time working to pay off your student loans, not pumping iron.”

Mostly she was kidding, but she also longed to hear he was taking care of things. Sometimes her family had told her to kindly mind her business, but they were her business.

“Legal files are heavy.” Leo flopped onto the nearest stool and flashed Mom the winning grin that had gotten him out of way too much trouble growing up. “Hey, Mom.” He nodded at their youngest sibling. “Selene.”

Mom leaned across the counter to pat Leo’s hand. “Yes, work is important, but are you taking time to go out and meet people? The offer to set you up with Principal Taylor’s granddaughter still stands.”

“I have a perfectly healthy social life, Mom. Why don’t you give Danae the third degree?” Leo gave her shoulder a light shove. “She’s older than me.”

Danae shoved him right back. “‘Older than I.’ Anyway, I’ve had a relationship in this past year. You haven’t.”

“Oh sure, rub it in.” His smirk made it clear he was far from hurt. Usually Mom took turns nudging them about setups and their dating lives. There had also been hints for grandkids.

When it came to priorities, solidifying her promotion currently held the number one spot. After the last company she’d worked for downsized—something that had definitely not been in her plans—she’d been out of a job for months. It had been right after she’d cosigned on Leo’s student loan so he could get through law school, and she’d tossed and turned at night, worrying what would happen.

Once she sat across from Mr. Barton and saw the passion he had for his family’s legacy and his employees, she was sure she’d found the optimal job for her skill set. Fortunately, he’d hired her on the spot.

Which was why she couldn’t let him down, either. A weight pressed against her chest. Everything was riding on this upcoming trip.

When Mom turned to check on the potatoes, Leo leaned in. “You okay?”

“I’ve just got a lot going at work, but it’ll be okay.” It had to be. On a teacher’s salary, it was hard enough for Mom to make it as it was, and once Selene started school, finances would get even tighter.

As soon as Selene was accepted at a college, Danae would help fill out financial aid and scholarship forms. Then the three of them would sit down and work out a budget—one she fully intended to contribute to. Her family counted on her, and she hadn’t come this far only to lose the progress she’d made in her career.

Least of all because some sailor couldn’t manage to return an email the night before they set sail.

Thanks to a combination of being overly tired, simply tapping the address his sister Jane had sent him, and the restaurant’s recent name change, Josh hadn’t realized they were eating at Midtown Fish and Oyster Bar until his GPS led him to it. His stomach sank, bad memories creeping in.

Since he kept his personal business to himself, of course Jane and Nathan would only think of the restaurant that had been renamed Jax’s Fish and Oyster Bar as one of their past hangouts, one they hadn’t visited in a while. Josh, on the other hand, thought of it as the place where things with his ex-wife had begun unravelling.

It had been their five-year anniversary, and Olivia had requested they celebrate with a romantic dinner at the same place Josh had taken her on their first date. She’d also been pushing hard for a five-year plan that included a housing upgrade and a baby.

To be fair, back then, Josh thought he’d wanted those things as well. A bigger house near the beach where they could raise a kid or two. Thinking he’d be able to surprise her with good