3. Sail

sail

. . .

S ail lost track of the time as he paced in front of the diner his family owned. He knew the moment he opened the door and stepped inside, his life would be over. His father wasn’t just going to kill him. He was going to strangle him, bring him back to life, beat him within an inch of his life, let him heal, and then start all over again.

Except Jack Carter had never laid a finger on Sail or any of his boys.

Knowing this didn’t assuage Sail’s fear. His father had high expectations of his boys, and they weren’t unreasonable. Except Jack wanted Sail to return to Seaport—with a degree in hand—and help run the family businesses, which was something he didn’t want to do.

Sail took a step forward and reached for the door, then thought better of it. He could get back into his car and drive away, off into the sunset. The idea of driving south, maybe to the Keys, appealed to him—way more than walking into the diner to tell his father he’d been suspended.

He’d had weeks to think of something to say, but words failed him on every level. He’d exhausted his appeals. Even though Dean Holmes told him not to even try, Sail still had to give it a go. His main point of contention was that he wasn’t the only one responsible for the partying. The entire fraternity was, and the party in question hadn’t been organized or sanctioned by Sail, even though he was president at the time.

His appeal fell on deaf ears. Every professor and teacher’s aide or assistant he approached denied his request for support. He could’ve asked his brothers—the guys he’d lived with since his first year at the University of Miami—but he didn’t want them to end up in trouble.

Sail had made his bed when he failed to show up to any of his classes. That’s what the suspension was truly about, and the only way to fix it was to leave campus for the semester. There would be no going back to the frat house in the winter, which weighed heavily on him. His need to party and be the guy everyone wanted to hang out with or be known as the one who throws the best parties had cost him everything.

A group of people came out of the restaurant. Sail turned his back to avoid them. No one knew he was back in town yet and he wanted to keep it that way until he spoke to his dad. Once he could no longer hear them, he turned back around and faced his foe.

Carter’s Diner had been in his family his entire life. His parents bought the establishment right after his older brother Dune had been born. They quickly turned what had been a run-down diner into a thriving hot spot for not only locals, but tourists as well.

Then his parents started Pearl’s Clam Shack.

And then Blue Lobster Adventures was formed.

Which meant Sail, along with his brothers, were expected to be a part of the family business.

The thought made Sail’s stomach twist into a knot. He thought again how no one ever asked him what he wanted. His parents never sat him down and asked what he wanted to do in his life. His path had been laid out in front of him and that was that.

Sail inhaled deeply. The longer he stood outside, the easier it would be for his father to find out he was there. It was better for Sail to face the music, take the verbal beating, and then figure out how he was going to earn money to finish his education. There was no way in hell Jack would continue to foot the bill for his schooling, and he was too close to finishing his degree not to finish. He couldn’t let the time spent go to waste. Maybe he’d wait tables like the rest of them. That seemed to work for everyone who came to town.

He squared his shoulders and made his way to the door. If luck was on his side, his cousin would be behind the counter and his father would be out running errands. The more time Sail had to sit and think about what he needed to say would be better.

Inside, the stools at the counter sat empty and there were only a few people in the booths. He’d caught the diner between the morning and afternoon rushes, for which he was happy.

The woman behind the counter looked up and smiled at him. Sail’s steps faltered, and he walked, intent on bypassing the counter and heading straight for his father’s office. He swallowed hard as his heart thumped in his chest faster than he was used to.

What was happening ?

She continued to smile. “Hey there,” she said, as if she’d met him before. “Take a seat anywhere and I’ll bring you a menu.”

The only option in Sail’s mind was to sit at the counter where he could stare at her. Somehow, his feet did what they were intended for and moved his body to one of the red vinyl stools. He sat, rested his hands on the tabletop, and soaked her in.

She was . . . breathtaking. Being in her presence, Sail found himself tongue-tied, and that never happened. He’d never been one to use words like beautiful or gorgeous or have his heart thump wildly in his chest. Neither of those seemed fitting for Galvin. Sail saw her as stunning. She glowed like a goddess princess, as if the sun had been made to follow her around. If he had to put money on anything, he’d bet Galvin didn’t have a clue to how she affected in those few short minutes of interaction.

Her long, chestnut brown hair swayed from side-to-side as she walked, and when she casually looked over her shoulder at him, he was thankful he didn’t look away because he would’ve missed her blushing.

“Sweet mercy,” he muttered as he discreetly adjusted himself under the counter. Never, in all his years of finding the opposite sex attractive, had he ever been so besotted at the sight of someone.

He was in trouble.

He never took his eyes off her as she talked to the other patrons in the diner. He figured she was about five foot five or six, which to him was perfect. Short enough he could gaze down at her, but not tower over him if she were to put heels on.

Sail shook his head. Why was he thinking about her in heels? He didn’t even know her. But he wanted to. He could see them sitting in a booth, late at night, sharing a piece of apple pie and drinking coffee or hot chocolate. Sail saw himself twirling a piece of her long—what he could only describe as dark, creamy caramel—hair. The urge to run his fingers through those silky strands had him sitting on his hands.

She walked by, smiled at him again, and then made her way behind the counter, where she added the chit to the cook's board. She turned, with her bright grin still in place, and set a menu in front of Sail.

Their gaze never wavered, locked solely on each other.

“What’s your name?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“Galvin.”

“Galvin.” Her name escaped his mouth in a breathless whisper. It was unique and one he hadn’t heard before. He loved that she wasn’t an Emma, Olivia, or Taylor. All names of women he knew at school by the multiples.

Her cheeks blushed, which he could only assume was because of him. Her doe-brown eyes went to the menu and then back to his. “Something to drink while you look over the menu?”

“I know what I want.” Sail’s finger nudged the menu toward her. He had it memorized and unless his father changed it drastically, his favorite would still be on there.

“You’ve been here before?” Galvin held the ticket pad in her right hand and the classic ballpoint pen his parents stocked at every establishment they owned in her left. He’d never dated a lefty before. Not that he ever truly noticed.

Not that they were going to date .

The last thought caused him to frown. There was a laundry list of reasons Galvin should stay away from the likes of him. He was on the cusp of being disowned and wouldn’t have a pot to piss in. What could he even offer her?

Not a thing .

Galvin leaned her hip against the counter, bringing herself closer to Sail. He inhaled and immediately regretted it. He knew all about pheromones and what they did to a man. The evidence stirred in his pants now. He cleared his throat and adjusted the way he sat on the stool without taking his eyes off hers. Her eyebrows rose, and he realized he hadn’t answered her question.

“Sorry, yes. I’ve been here before.”

Galvin nodded, her smile never fading. “So, what can I get you, then?”

“I—” he cleared his throat. “I’d like a Coke, please.”

“And to eat?”

“Uh . . .” He knew this menu like the back of his hand. This inability to recall its contents bothered him.

“Let me get your drink while you decide.”

She pushed it forward again and left to get his drink. Even though she was gone only seconds, and he could watch her the entire time, it felt like it took her hours to put ice in the glass and hold it under the stream of carbonated soda. When she brought it, she set it down in front of him and put a straw next to the glass.

“I know what I want now.” He wanted her.

“And what’s that?” Galvin leaned against the counter again. This time, without her handy pad of paper and trusty pen.

Was she flirting with Sail?

He thought she was.

The urge to clear his throat was there, but he ignored it. “I’ll take the club sandwich with no tomato, please.”

“Would you like fries or tots?”

“Tots?” As soon as he said tots, he wished he hadn’t.

Galvin held her thumb and index finger about an inch and a half apart. “Cylinder shaped, deep-fried potato.”

Sail deserved this. He nodded. “Yes, tots. Not sure why I forgot what they were.” He winked, hoping to show her he was joking with her. “I’ll take tots.”

“What kind of dipping sauce would you like?”

When did the diner start serving tots and dipping sauce? What happened to just regular fries and ketchup? And the occasional person asking for ranch dressing? What else had his parents changed?

Sail didn’t want to look like an idiot. At least not a bigger one. “What’s your favorite?”

“I love the lemon garlic aioli.”

“Me too,” he lied.

Galvin turned away from him and went to the prep table, wrote out his ticket and set it on the board. Her recent order was up, and Sail watched her every move as she put the right condiments on each plate. He forced himself to not follow her out of fear she’d see him staring and find him creepy.

He chanced a look through the pass-through window and wondered if he still knew the cook. Chances were, he did. Unless people moved away, most of the Carter’s employees stuck around. The door opened. Sail held his breath, looked, and groaned.

“What are you doing here?” Penny asked as she came toward him.

“Hi to you, too.”

Penny held her wrist up and pointed to her watch. “Long weekend already?”

“Something like that,” Sail muttered as he picked up his straw and started peeling the paper back.

“Did you tell Jack and Pearl you were coming up?”

“Nah, I thought I’d surprise them.”

Penny huffed. “Great surprise. They’re not even in town.”

On the inside, Sail rejoiced. He had more time to figure things out before Jack laid down the law.

“Where are they?”

“New York. They went to meet Caroline’s parents.”

“Who?”

Penny rolled her eyes. “It’s like you don’t talk to your brother.”

He had three. Penny needed to be more specific.

Sail shook his head slightly. “Which brother?”

Penny sighed heavily and adjusted her shoulder bag. “Dune,” she said, as if exasperated by Sail already. “Caroline is Dune’s girlfriend?”

Now that she mentioned it, he faintly remembered Dune saying something about a girlfriend. Sail hadn’t paid much mind to it though, because Dune had a thing for tourists and usually bailed at the end of the season.

“This one stuck around?”

Penny nodded. “He’s in love.” She let out a dreamy sigh. “Dune converted the courtyard to a nightclub for her.”

Sail turned and looked toward the back door, which led to an outside seating area. “And my parents let this happen?”

“We do a hell of a weekend business now. Although, with the season being over and Caroline living in New York, I’m sure Jack will close it for the winter.”

Sail shook his head. “I’m so confused.”

Penny smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, kiddo. Tidal and Crew are home alone, so it’s probably good you’re here to keep them out of trouble.”

“I don’t know about that,” he mumbled as she walked toward the back.

Sail sought Galvin again and stared while his mind processed what Penny had said. He had a slight reprieve before he had to come clean to his father. He wouldn’t tell his parents he was home unless he specifically asked. Sail also couldn’t ask Penny to not say anything, otherwise there could be some suspicion. He’d play it cool as long as possible.

In his musing, he missed a chance to watch Galvin as she walked by. He jerked when his plate slid in front of him. “Can I get you anything else?”

Sail looked up and caught her gaze. “Your number?”

Galvin laughed. “Let me know when you’re ready to check out.” She walked to the back, leaving him there with his mouth hanging open. No one had ever rejected him before.