shared a smile, and the heaviness in his chest eased.
Danae tilted her head toward the cooling table, where the rest of her team stood. “We should get back over there. I don’t want to be rude.”
The group crowded around to watch as the workers fed a roll of taffy into the machine that cut it into bite-sized pieces and placed them in wrappers, and then twisted both ends. At the end of the demonstration, they put some of it—along with the taffy they’d made themselves—in bags. Then they headed out front to browse the storefront.
Josh picked up a gift box of fudge for his parents; a bag of sea life gummies shaped like sharks, crabs, and seashells for Jane and Nathan; and a sugar-free assortment of chocolates for Nancy and George, since George’s doctor had instructed him to cut down on sugar. Josh figured that if anyone could make that taste okay, it’d be the people in this shop.
He stepped outside to find Danae posted in front. She dug into her bag, lifted out an extra-long candy necklace and, as she had with the hats, stretched onto her tiptoes to loop it over his head. “For you, King Candy. I bought the big one so it wouldn’t choke you.”
Their discussion about how Jane used to make him play Candy Land seemed like a week ago instead of a couple of days. So much had happened, the close quarters and nonstop activities making each day feel longer, while also managing to fly right by.
“Thank you,” he said, bringing the necklace up to his mouth and biting off a couple of the hard candies. Like the orange taffy, it was one of those time-travel flavors. It took him right back to Jane’s bedroom, littered with stuffed animals, dolls, and the Candy Land board.
“You’re welcome.”
The rest of the group exited the store and they began their walk back to the boat. As they neared the wharf, Danae stepped closer and whispered, “FYI, I’m still counting on you to keep me from falling, railing notwithstanding.”
Perhaps it wasn’t the outcome he’d expected after their time together last night and the fun they’d had in the hat shop. What mattered was that it was for the best, and that thanks to sailing, he was a master of readjusting and finding another course. “I got you. What are friends for?”
Chapter Twenty-One
After one of the craziest, busiest weeks ever, Danae had struggled to get out of bed that morning. With the launch of the new campaign, the next month was sure to be extra hectic, so she resolved to take advantage of every single minute of their last full day at sea.
As she pitched in to help Josh with the sails, every word, gesture, and smile caused a bittersweet sensation to swell within her. No doubt in her mind, their decision to stick to being friends was for the best. If only it had erased every spark that had ever flickered between them. Why did they continue to ignite, ignite, ignite? Especially knowing it would never work?
They sailed across Cape Cod Bay, through the canal that took them underneath Bourne Bridge, and down to Monument Beach. So far during their trip, they’d mostly strolled across the sandy beaches, always on their way to another destination. Today, they had two glorious hours blocked out for soaking in the sun, and the sand and water were calling their names.
Danae had just settled on her beach towel and kicked off her flip flops when a man-sized shadow blocked the light. Josh squatted next to her, and a tingle corkscrewed through her as his profile sharpened into relief. The blue eyes, the slant of his nose, and that slight dip above his lips that matched the dimple in his chin.
We’re no longer noticing those things, remember?
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” The part of her brain that came up with clever responses was feeling as fried as her shoulders probably would be after today—regardless of the thick layer of sunscreen she’d applied to her fair skin.
“I have an idea. Don’t shoot it down before hearing me out, okay?”
Danae mimicked zipping her lips, and his smile widened enough that those delicious eye crinkles showed up, too.
“I want to show you something.”
“Okay,” she said, and he chuckled.
“So much for the zipped lips.”
“Here’s the thing, they don’t stay that way. From the time I was little, I’ve always been a chatter box. While I’ve worked on it, it’s one of those things that are beyond my control.”
“Something beyond