feel that much bigger. “Let me get this straight. You all want to stay here and then just sort of glance at the Elizabeth Islands as we sail past them and head back to Newport? Is that what I’m hearing?”
After looking at one another yet again, they all nodded and gave answers that boiled down to yes.
Then Vanessa gave Franco a shove, nudging him to the forefront of the group.
“Doesn’t a nice evening with good food, where we can relish our last night instead of rushing to our next destination, sound nice?” he asked.
Danae curled her hand around the bill of her baseball cap as she considered it. “If that’s what the entire team wants, then…”
Team. She blinked at the group, which had been full of mostly solo artists at the launch of their voyage, each person doing their own thing. Not anymore. They compromised and harmonized, and in the end, that was her main goal. “As long as we get into Newport early enough tomorrow, I’m okay with it.”
The entire group erupted in joyous shouts and hoorays, so clearly they hadn’t thought she’d agree to the switch-up.
“I’m so proud,” a familiar deep voice said next to her ear, and she turned to gaze into ocean-blue eyes.
Yes, she’d learned to adapt and change on this trip, too. To at least consider the flow, if not go along with it. While the slight shift would require a big sticker to blot out her planner entry for the day, she had full confidence that Josh would sail them to where they needed to be, and that it would all work out.
More than that, this change made sense. The team needed an evening off. It would only help their productivity come Tuesday morning at the office, and they did deserve it.
“What’s the name of this restaurant?” Danae lifted her phone. “I’ll call and make arrangements.”
“It’s a secret.” Josh clapped her on the back, as if she were some dude on his ball team. “But I’ll make sure they can accommodate us.”
“Right, but what about Fr—”
“Franco’s gluten allergy and Paige’s vegan diet? The owner and I are old acquaintances, and I’m sure he’ll gladly whip up a few options.”
No checking out the menu? No calling ahead to ensure they wouldn’t have a long wait? No finding the best, most efficient route there?
“You’re getting this cute little eye twitch.” Josh pointed at her eye, as if otherwise she’d be lost as to what he meant.
Danae slung her bag over her shoulder. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re enjoying this.”
“I’m afraid you might not know as much as you think.” His smug expression stirred up a frenzy of emotions and made her rehash their conversation on that wooden bench again.
There was so much promise permeating the air between them. Yet how could she possibly give Josh a firm answer when her brain insisted she needed assurance?
If he were truly interested, wouldn’t he have agreed to a date? Or at least made a semi-sorta plan?
No, because he felt about plans the way she felt about the lack of them. Perhaps that meant they were too different, their lives destined to head in opposite directions.
That thought turned her butterflies into pebbles that rattled her insides before settling in one large lump. Then she was questioning every single thing all over again.
As he had earlier, Josh watched Danae’s reaction as they walked into the restaurant. The exterior was gray brick with faded blue-and green awnings, so she’d gotten a hint it wasn’t anything fancy.
A seascape was painted on the far wall, and a plastic marlin with a long pointy nose hung from the ceiling. The place had booths, which wasn’t abnormal for him, but he’d noticed that the group had avoided vinyl benches in eating establishments thus far.
Simon the third, who upheld his father and grandfather’s legacy, glanced up from the cash register, then grinned with pleasure. “Josh Wheeler.” He rounded the counter and pulled Josh into a big, fried fish-scented hug. Then he raised his voice. “Hey, Linda! Get out here and see who’s finally come to visit.”
Linda exited the kitchen through the big open archway and gave Josh a slightly less bone-crushing hug.
“I’ve been sailing with this group for a week now, and I told them they couldn’t head back to Newport without trying your food first.” Josh introduced everyone, and Simon informed them they were going to get the red-carpet treatment.
The group ordered large plates of fried clam strips, shrimp and scallops and oysters,