6. Galvin

galvin

. . .

G alvin sat on the park bench, watching people walk by. Somehow, she lucked out when her day off fell on one of the most beautiful days Seaport had, weather wise. It was a crisp seventy, with a light breeze coming off the bay. Every time the wind blew, she closed her eyes and soaked everything in. Coming to Seaport had been the right decision. At the rate she was saving, she’d be able to go to law school comfortably, and without stress. Well, the only stress would be studying and her grades, but she’d tackle those when it was time.

The path in front of her led in different directions, but they were all along the water and had a massive iron rope cascading from one granite pole to another. Boats milled around, some idle in their slips with their motors running, while others moved in and out of the marina.

Groups of people disembarked from a travel bus and headed right to the public restroom. The women instantly creating a line along the brick wall. The men lingered, pointing at sights, and looking at maps spread between two or three of them.

People rode their bikes along the sidewalk, while others speedwalked, weaving in and out of the tourists. It surprised Galvin that the visitors actually tried to pet the dogs who walked with their owners, interrupting the walker’s cadence. She shook her head when she witnessed one tourist all but accost a jogger in order to pet the dog. Dogs were cute and the urge to give them all the pets was something she experienced daily, except people needed to be mindful of the owner and what they were doing.

She inhaled the salty air, finding she enjoyed sitting here versus being on the beach. Although she loved the way the sand felt after baking in the sun all day long. Galvin hated the rancid odor of the seaweed when it washed ashore. Still, she wouldn’t give up her current location or living status for anything. Having access to the beach any day of the week was a luxury she never knew she wanted until she had it.

After being in town for a few weeks now, and waiting on a handful of the same locals, she felt like she belonged. They said hi to her when they saw her at the store or when she was out exploring, and they greeted her with a smile while she worked, even if they didn’t have her as their server. Galvin fit in and she loved the close-knit community.

With her eyes closed, she leaned back and absorbed the warmth from the sun. Her plan was to sit there for a few more minutes, and then head to the library. There was a list of books she wanted to check out, and it was one of the places on her list she had left to visit.

In a simultaneous motion, she startled and opened her eyes when she felt a presence sit down next to her. At first, she wondered who in the hell would sit next to a stranger on a park bench, and then she regretted the notion because what if someone needed to rest? But no, it wasn’t someone who needed to take a break from walking—it was Sail, the guy who claimed he was the son’s owner, which Galvin hadn’t been able to confirm with Penny because she’d forgotten.

“What are you doing?” Her question had some bite to it.

Sail smiled at her. It wasn’t one of those creepy, I’m a serial killer type of smiles, but then again, Galvin never met a serial killer, so she wasn’t sure what kind of smile they had. Still, something told her Sail was safe despite her body and mind battling against each other. Oddly, she felt an attraction to him, and she likened him to being a shiny new toy. But her mind put up a block. She didn’t have the time or patience for any type of romance. Especially with the owner’s son. Those types of relationships never ended well.

“I saw you sitting here.”

“And thought you’d sit down?”

Rude much, Galvin?

“Sorry, that was rude.”

“No, I get it,” Sail said as he stretched his long lean and very tan legs out in front of him. He wore stylish sneakers with what she assumed were no show socks, with dark blue dress shorts and a cream polo styled shirt.

“Are you going to work?”

Sail shook his head and then motioned toward the dock. “I’m about to take the boat out. Wanna go?”

“Uh, no.” Galvin shook her head. “Does that line work on women?”

He laughed and shrugged. “In my defense, people know me around here, so they wouldn’t think twice if I asked.”

There was a niggling sensation in the back of her mind, reminding her she’d heard his name mentioned with sailing or boating. Not that she knew the difference. Or maybe it was with rowing? Galvin wasn’t sure, but she knew it had to do with him and the water, which she thought was irony since his name was Sail.

And then it came to her.

“Wait, you’re the captain dude, right? The one who has some weird nickname?” She snapped her fingers, trying to remember what she’d heard the other say about . . . “Blue balls!”

Sail’s expression morphed from happy-go-lucky to utter horror. His eyes widened to the point Galvin thought they were going to pop out of socket.

Maybe she had the nickname wrong?

“Is that not your nickname?”

“Hell no,” he said, having to swallow in between words. “Why? Wh-what?”

“Are you okay?”

Sail let out a strangled breath, combined with a jumble of incoherent words. “Who told you that?”

Galvin shrugged. “Pretty sure someone at the diner mentioned it. Honestly, I’m not really sure. I wasn’t paying attention.”

He stared at her.

Was he dumbfounded she hadn’t listened clearly?

People talked a lot in the diner. If she listened fully, she’d have too many voices running through her head and wouldn’t be able to keep anything straight.

They stared at each other. It was like one of those who would blink first type of competitions, only neither of them agreed to take part. Doing so gave Galvin unsolicited minutes to really take Sail in, every inch of his flustered look. He dressed nice, especially for someone who was going to go play on a boat. Clearly, he didn’t care if he got wet or fell in.

Sail had the brightest blue eyes she’d ever seen and wondered if that was why his parents gave him the name they had. His darker hair was the perfect contrast to his eyes and seemed to go well with his tanned skin. Now that she’d studied him, he looked a lot like his father, Jack. Galvin could easily see the resemblance.

What she liked best was that he looked like the type of guy she imagined herself with when she started law school. Her friends would dub Sail as posh or even snobbish. But to her, he was class and attitude. He had the appearance of the type of guy she wanted to be with although she didn’t know him yet.

“You’re talking about my brother.” The words sputtered through Sail’s gritted teeth. “I am nothing like Dune.”

The realization washed over Galvin. “Ah,” she said, regarding her innocent mistake.

“Ah? What does that even mean?”

“It means . . .” Galvin stopped talking when she realized she didn’t actually have an answer for Sail. Wasn’t “ah” just one of those words people used when they had nothing clever to say?

“Huh.” Sail grunted.

“You grunted.”

“So?”

“So,” she said, with a hint of snark and sass. “Do you always grunt your responses?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Why?”

Sail looked at her with his eyebrow lifted. Was this banter? Flirting? Galvin wanted to flirt with him but knew doing so would only lead to trouble. There was only one rule when dating: stay away from your boss’s son.

Well, for Galvin, there were more rules. Another she’d add to the list: don’t do it. Law school was far more important than having someone to cuddle with at night.

“I—I don’t know,” Sail finally said. “It’s a guy thing, maybe.”

“Do your brothers do it?”

“Have you met my brothers?”

Galvin shook her head.

“Really? Tidal, Crew, and Dune haven’t been into the diner?” Sail scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Why? Is it mandatory for you and your brothers to frequent the places your parents own?”

“Yes.” Sail sighed. “Okay, maybe not, but why wouldn’t we? We get to eat for free.”

“Not the other night.” Galvin pointed out. “I charged you.” It hit her then that he might tell his dad. “Am I going to lose my job because you didn’t tell me you were Jack’s son?”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Galvin stood. Her blood pressure rising faster than her breathing could regulate. “You’re going to get me fired.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You most certainly are! I need this job.”

Sail stood, towering over her as he looked down. He gripped the sides of her shoulders and gave her a little shake. His hands were firm. Strong even, but his fingers didn’t dig into her flesh. She felt oddly at peace being this close to him.

“Listen, I will not get you into trouble. The reason I didn’t say anything in the diner is because as soon as I saw you, I felt an attraction. Honestly, I figured you knew who I was because I was under the assumption my brothers had been in. We all look alike. There is no mistaking a Carter boy. When you didn’t fall at my feet, I turned the charm on.”

“That was you flirting?”

Sail exaggerated his eye roll. “Fine, I’m out of practice.”

“I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not.”

“Probably isn’t,” he said as he dropped his hands. “Listen, I’m already in enough trouble with my dad—whenever he gets back—I’m not looking to take you down with me.”

“I appreciate that.” Galvin sat down again. Some of the unease dissipating.

“I’m sorry.” Sail sat next to her. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine.”

“I hate that word.”

Galvin laughed. “I think most men do, but in this case, things are really fine. I’m over it.”

“That’s good. Maybe you want to reconsider the boat ride?” he asked with a wink.

The wink caught her completely off-guard. Her swaying legs faltered in rhythm, and she had to stop and restart. She swallowed hard and shook her head because words failed her. He closed one eye. What was the big stinking deal?

Because a smirk accompanied the wink. And if she was looking for trouble, he’d be the right kind of trouble.

“I’m really a keep my feet on the land kind of gal,” she said meekly. The truth was, she had every intention of taking advantage of one of the tours.

Where there would be other people.

She wouldn’t be alone with Sail.

No, being alone would be incredibly unsmart of her.

He eyed her suspiciously. “Did you tell me where you’re from?”

“No, and I’m not sure you asked.”

“This is me asking.”

“I’m from California.”

“Ah,” he said, laughing. “What brings you to New England? Specifically, Seaport?”

“Well,” she paused and took a deep inhale. “I moved out here to go to law school, but I need to save some money first so I don’t struggle, which is how I ended up in Seaport.”

“And my dad had a now hiring sign in the window?”

“Not exactly. Our fathers went to college together. When I said I was moving out here, my dad emailed your dad, who then offered me the job.”

Sail nodded. “Sounds like something my dad would do.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Do you like it here?”

Galvin smiled and nodded. “I love it. I thought I would miss the heat from home, but I don’t. Waking up to this view.” She pointed toward the water. “The sunrise and sunset are so vivid. I feel like I’ve only read about them in books. To see them in person is magical.”

“You sure I can’t take you out on the boat?”

“For what purpose?”

“Because seeing the sunset away from the harbor and town lights, away from the traffic, is a sight to behold.”

He piqued Galvin’s interest, but she shook her head. “We just met.”

Sail nodded. “Technically we met before, at the diner, but I get it.” He stood and stretched. The hem of his shirt rose, giving Galvin an opportunity to ogle the fine line running along the inside of his hip. She’d only seen models in magazines who had a defined V. Her mouth watered, forcing her to swallow.

“I’ll see you around, Galvin.”

When?

“Oh, yeah. Okay. Have a fun time out on the water,” she stammered and racked her brain to find a way to keep him sitting there next to her.

Her mind failed her.

He saluted her and walked toward the marina, where he bro hugged the guy standing at The Blue Lobster Adventures kiosk. She watched as Sail chatted with the employee and then made his way down the metal ramp, where she lost sight of him.

Against her better judgment, Galvin sat there until his boat left.

If she wasn’t mistaken, Sail waved at her.

Sheepishly, she waved back and then dropped her hand before someone noticed her waving.

The one thing she told herself she wouldn’t do when she arrived in Seaport was get involved with anyone.

When she met Sail, she added she wouldn’t get involved with the owner’s son.

She never said anything about being attracted to anyone.

Including the owner’s son.