14. Galvin

galvin

. . .

G alvin clocked out, untied her apron, tossed it into the laundry bin, saw that it was full, and started a load of wash. She hollered to Andy, letting him know she started the washer, and reminded him she was leaving for the night.

Her mind was on the long, hot shower waiting for her upstairs as she walked toward the backdoor. She’d agreed to dessert with Sail, even though fear and question plagued her decision. Galvin liked Sail. More than she should. The smart thing was to remind him they would only ever be friends, and his romantic gestures—whether he meant them to be romantic or not—should stop.

Except, he made her insides feel mushy and lovestruck. Somehow, he’d softened the hard stance she’d taken when they first met and despite trying to keep a wall between them, the foundation began to crumble.

Galvin had never been so torn on what to do before. Mostly, she made a decision—especially one involving her life—and stuck to it. But Sail whittled away at her defenses and thoughts of giving him a chance were like a siren’s song—pulling her under his spell.

She pushed opened the door and stop dead. Sail sat at the picnic table with his head bent toward a stack of papers. He looked focused. Determined. And he muttered to himself.

“Hey,” she said, testing the waters so to speak, but also to alert him to her presence before the door behind her slammed shut.

Sail sat up straight and glanced at her. A slow smile spread across his lips, but didn’t meet his eyes. Galvin sensed something was off and then chided herself for knowing this. This wasn’t how someone kept their wall up.

“What’s wrong?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and her feet seemed to move on their own volition toward the table.

“Nothing and yet, everything,” Sail said.

Galvin’s heart sank even as she reminded herself, they were only friends.

“Oh?” her voice cracked.

Sail nodded. “It’s work stuff.” He looked down at the papers. “Well, mostly Seaport stuff.”

“Are a band of pirates heading this way?” The joke was meant to be funny but missed the mark. She found herself sitting down instead of heading to her apartment for the shower she desperately wanted.

Sail cracked a smile and nodded. “Pretty much seems like they’re pirates.” He turned the papers toward her. “Remember when I asked you what kind of law you wanted to practice?”

Galvin nodded and picked the stack of papers up. She began reading but was confused. “What’s all this?”

“A pile of articles I printed off the web after work. The fine people of Seaport—and I do believe of Rhode Island and some of Massachusetts—are certain the wind towers going in off the coast are killing the sea animals. This morning, four dolphins were found dead not far from my parent’s property.”

“That’s so sad.”

“It’s devastating,” Sail said. “The water is their home and all the drilling—whales and dolphins use sonar—the drilling has to be messing with their minds.”

Galvin handed the articles back to Sail. “I know one of the professors teaches a course on water rights. Maybe it’s something I can explore.”

“Maybe,” he said frowning down at the articles. “People with big money cause big problems, and no one ever has to pay for their consequences.”

Galvin reached across the table and set her hand on top of his. She gave it a squeeze and in doing so, he looked up at her. Without missing a beat, he maneuvered his hand to hold hers.

“I asked Dune if he wanted to get into some trouble. Normally, this would be the kind of thing I’d go raise a ruckus about. I still might, but right now I want to find a way to protect the animals. Not sure how though.”

“Are you thinking of shifting your major?”

He nodded.

“Maybe law school is the way go. I never thought of myself as an environmentalist because I’ve always respected the earth. But this . . .” He shook his head.

Galvin didn’t know what to say. She didn’t like the idea of dolphins and whales dying, especially if their deaths were due to the wind towers going in, but she didn’t know what she could do to help. Law school was a three-year program and by the time she finished, who knew what the next fight would be.

After he stared at the papers a bit more, he sighed and cleared his throat. “All right, enough melodrama. I promised you dessert and I don’t like to break my promises.” He winked, which caused her insides to flip, flop.

“How about we order pizza instead?” Again, the words tumbled out before she could stop them. She’d just invited him into her place without even thinking about what line this may cross. Galvin glanced up at her door and then smiled, hoping to give Sail the okay to say yes.

He nodded, gathered his papers with his free hand, and then stood. Sail gave her hand a slight tug and helped her stand.

“Just dinner and then I’ll bail,” he told her.

Had he done that to save her from telling him to leave or did he have other plans?

“And maybe a movie?”

“I like movies,” he said, with a smile.

Inside her apartment, Galvin turned the light on in her kitchen. She told Sail where to find the bathroom and then frowned.

“What’s wrong? Do you want me to go?” he asked as he pointed to the door he closed behind him.

“No, I forgot you’d been here before.”

Sail chuckled. “I’ll pretend I haven’t.” He touched the small of her back and winked.

Again, with the winking.

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” His voice was soft. Sultry?

No, she had no idea what sultry even sounded like.

“I need to shower,” she said quietly. “I smell like grease and feel like grime.”

“You smell like a cheeseburger, and I love cheeseburgers.”

She stared. Long and hard. Blinking.

Sail laughed and touched that sweet spot under her chin. “Go shower. I’ll order pizza. What do you like?”

“Anything,” she told him. “I’m not picky.”

As soon as she was in the bathroom, she recognized her mistake. Knowing her luck, he’d order something with anchovies. But then again, maybe he was of the mindset where fish are friends, not food.

Galvin showered as quickly as possible but made to sure lather her body in her best smelling soap. She washed her hair twice, shaved—even though nothing would happen between them—and then washed again. The last thing she wanted was to continue to smell like a cheeseburger, out of fear this would turn Sail on.

She smiled at the thought of him telling his friends in Miami:

“Tell me about your friend.”

“She smelled like a cheeseburger. I loved it.”

Galvin shuddered. She turned the water off, rubbed her favorite lotion all over and then ran her fingers through her hair. When her ears cleared, she heard soft music playing from the other room. It took her a minute to pinpoint the song. Once she did, she smiled. Sail knew how to charm her, which was dangerous.

She dried off, got out of the shower, and froze. The clothes she intended to wear were still in her bedroom. Normally, this wasn’t an issue because she didn’t usually have an unbelievably sexy man, whose presence made her do and think ridiculous things, in her studio.

“Shit, crap, damn,” she muttered to the steam covered mirror. Her choices weren’t as simple as they seemed. Galvin could either go out there, wrapped in her towel like this wasn’t a big deal, or she could peek her head out the door and ask Sail to face the wall. The latter was the best, yet childish option.

With a sigh, she opened the door. “Hey,” she said into the open space.

“What’s up?” Sail came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he took her in. “Uh . . .”

“I forgot my clothes.”

He shook his head quickly. “Oh, uh . . .” Sail cleared his throat. “Do you need me to get them for you?”

“No, but could you turn around? Not look? I mean, I have a towel on but . . .”

“For sure.” He turned right around and moved away from the door. Galvin watched as he walked forward and then sidestepped, putting him behind the curtain she’d put up.

See, he’s not a bad guy.

Galvin scrambled to her clothes, pulling out an oversized sweatshirt, tank top, panties, and yoga pants, before darting back into the bathroom. Before closing the door, she yelled, “Okay, you can look now.”

“Damn, I missed it,” he said before the door shut.

A warm sensation washed over her as she absorbed his words. “Don’t even think about it, Galvin. You are here to work, to save money for law school. No romantic entanglements. Besides, he’s leaving in January.”

Even as she said the words, they were ignored.

She applied the newest fad in face cream, ran a brush through her hair, and then braced herself to sharing her space with a man who made her knees weak, and her mind forget her priorities.

When she came out of the bathroom, Sail was at the door, greeting the delivery person. She fluttered around the kitchen, grabbing plates, pulling paper towels from the roll, and filling two glasses with the root beer she had in the refrigerator. This was likely why she suggested pizza. She needed an excuse to drink the soda she’d bought, and what paired better with it than pizza.

“How much do I owe?” She followed Sail to the other side of the counter, where there was enough of a lip for them to sit and eat at.

“Nothing,” he told her. “I said I was taking you to dinner.”

“I can pay my half.”

“Which I appreciate.” He set a slice of pizza and a cheese breadstick on her plate.

He’d ordered a large pepperoni with what looked like extra cheese, to go with an order of cheesy breadsticks. Her stomach growled.

“I hear ya,” Sail said. “I’m hungry too.”

“Embarrassing.”

“It’s natural. Now eat.”

Galvin took the first bite and hummed in satisfaction. “This is good.”

“It’s the best on the island.”

“Let me guess, the Carter’s own it.”

Sail laughed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. Lou’s has been here for generations. The owner came here from Italy and started selling pizzas out of his kitchen. Mostly to construction workers. I think I remember learning the slices were five cents or something. But all his ingredients came from his yard or were donated by others. It’s actually an amazing story.”

“Well, it’s an amazing pizza.” She reached for another slice.

They ate in comfortable silence until Sail’s phone chimed. He looked at the notification. Galvin studied his expressions, from interest to what she would consider frustration.

“Another dolphin?” she’d assumed another animal had washed up on shore.

“What? No,” he said, shaking his head as he handed his phone over to her.

Her eyes widened at the text from his brother.

Dune

Sailors for a Safe Sea Regatta – Grand Prize $50K

“Whoa!”

Sail nodded. “It’s like the universe listened.”

“What does this mean, exactly?”

“This program plays a crucial role in protecting marine life while fostering a healthy relationship with the sailing community.”

“Are you going to do it?”

Sail took his phone back and began typing. He read aloud, “Sailors for a Safe Sea Regatta is a week-long laser regatta, promoting sustainability and awareness of the ocean. This competition will pit some of the best sailors against each other, with fleet racing and multiple obstacle courses.”

“What’s a laser regatta?”

“Laser is a boat type,” he told her. “They’re single-handed dinghies with a single sail and no spinnaker.”

“So, gibberish to someone like me?” She laughed, and he followed suit.

“It’s my preference,” he told her. “I like to depend on my knowledge and the wind.”

“Are you going to enter?” she picked at a piece of pepperoni and stuck it in her mouth.

Sail sighed, looked at his phone and then her. Slowly, a grin formed. “Hell yeah, I’m entering. I can win this thing.”

“Seriously?” She instantly regretted her tone. “What I mean is?—”

“I know what you mean, and yes, I can. I was the four-time state and two-time regional champion in this discipline. This will be easy.”

“How come you don’t do it in college now?”

“Sailing there is a club sport and some of the team members didn’t take it seriously, so I bailed.”

She nodded, pretending she understood. “So, when do we start training?”

“We?” He smiled at her. “I’ll start tomorrow, probably while you’re still in lala land. I’ll have to do it around my work schedule.”

“Well, I’ll cheer for you from the shore.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing you there.” He winked and then went back to eating his pizza.