by Raquel Belle
“Well then, captain, let’s go.” I, likewise, finish my coffee and put it down on the small table in front of us. I jerk my chin in the direction of the controls at the front of the boat, “Take a seat. I’ll just unmoor us.”
By the time I’ve untied the boat from the dock, Cara is already comfortably seated in front of the control panel with the captain’s hat perched jauntily on her head. “You look ready to roll.”
“Oh yeah. Let’s do this. Now, how do you start this thing? This is the gas, right?” She jiggles the lever that accelerates the boat eagerly.
“Yes but...” I give her a grin as I fish the keys out of my pocket and put them into the control panel. “This is step one.”
“Oh,” she grins sheepishly. “Good call.”
“Now if you push that lever forward gently, we should start moving forward.” She puts her hand on the lever and pushes ever so slightly. The boat starts humming gently, the engine vibrating beneath our feet. Cara pauses and looks from side to side, then up at me, with uncertainty.
“What if I hit something?” There’s boats moored all along the dock, including one on either side of us.
“You won’t,” I assure her. “The boat is steered forward right now. You just have to head straight out. And once we’re in the open water, you definitely won’t hit anything.”
“Okay but don’t go anywhere. I need you here to co-pilot.”
“Aye aye, captain.” I watch as she tightens her grip on the lever with one hand, nudging it gently forwards. Her other hand, knuckles white, is gripping the steering wheel. Slowly, carefully, she eases the boat forwards and away from the dock. Within minutes, we’re out on the water and Cara’s face has transformed from a look of nervousness to one of exhilaration.
“I did it!” She glances up at me for a second—a huge smile plastered on her face—before returning her gaze to the water.
“You’re a natural.”
“I think you should take over though,” she says as she slowly pulls the throttle back and brings the boat to a gentle stop.
“Sure.” I slide into the seat as she gets up. When she takes her hands off the wheel, I notice that they’re shaking. “You okay?”
“Yeah, that was crazy! I’ve never done that before. I was just a little nervous.”
“You didn’t show it,” I tell her as I nudge the boat along and pick up the pace, letting a gentle wind wash over us as we zip through the water.
“I hate showing nerves” she says, her voice next to me sounding firm and determined. “I don’t want people to think I’m weak. As a lawyer, I can’t have that.”
“I don’t think anyone would ever accuse you of being weak. Hell, not a lot of women would have had the balls to chew out Paulie like you did.”
“On the day we met, you mean?”
“Yeah. Pretty impressive.” I pause, wondering if I should tell her the truth now—well, not the full truth but one part of it. “Do you believe in fate?” I ask.
She looks startled at the question. “I don’t know. I think there are nice coincidences in life. I’m not sure I’d say they’re because of this otherworldly thing called fate though.” She pauses. “Why? Do you?”
“I never really did but…” I pause. Believing in fate isn’t constructive for business. In my world, you have to make things happen to succeed. You can’t trust that things will work out for you, I think to myself grimly as I squint my eyes against the sunlight glittering off the water.
“Did something happen to make you change your mind?” Her voice cuts into my thoughts.
“Well... I have to tell you something.” I slow the boat down, curving it around gently so that our backs are out to the open water and we have a view of the curving Boston coastline, with the few tall buildings of the city’s seaport district rising in the distance. A couple of sailboats, closer to the shore, dot the water in front of us. But mostly it’s a quiet day…without a lot of traffic. Strange, given the beautiful weather, I think to myself.
“What’s up?” Cara asks.
“That day on the construction site. That wasn’t the first time I saw you.” I turn to face her, looking up at her from my seat standing next to me.
“It wasn’t?” Confusion and uncertainty are written across her face.
“I didn’t realize it when I went to intervene with you and Paulie, but when I saw your face I realized I’d seen you just recently—in New York.” I feel a pang of nerves as I admit this. It’s not like I did anything wrong but I don’t want something like this revelation to chip away at that trust I saw in her eyes earlier today.
“Where?” She asks, her eyes full of wonder.
“At a bar. Edgar’s. You were there with some friends.”
A smile is slowly growing on her face, her eyes sparkling, and I feel myself loosen up. I go on, “You were laughing. That’s why you caught my attention at first.”
“I remember that night. We were celebrating a friend’s engagement.”
“Yeah. You all looked really happy. That was the first thing I noticed.” I stand up, towering over Cara, who cranes her head back and holds my gaze. “And then I noticed your eyes.” I bring one hand to the side of her face and lean down to kiss her, feeling her give herself sweetly up to me.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” She asks, pulling back with a smile.
“I don’t know. I thought I’d just get to know you. And the better I’ve gotten to know you...” I pause, feeling foolish. What am I about to say?
“The more it feels like fate?” She finishes the thought for me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she talks.
“Yeah.” I bring my hands around her waist and pull her closer. “Fate or…something like that.”
“I like that,” she says, in a soft voice. She raises herself up on her tiptoes and plants another sweet kiss on me. That boat is bobbing up and down on the water and we press against each other for support, our lips locked. With the gentle sway of the boat, the scent of sea air, and a slight breeze, the moment is perfect—until the sun on my face gives way to shadow.
“What the—” Cara pulls back suddenly, wiping away a drop of water on her forehead.
“Fuck.” I let the word drop before Cara can get any further. Turning around, away from the shoreline where the boat is pointed, I see the sky behind us over the open water has suddenly darkened. I’m such an idiot. Usually I check the weather before heading out but I didn’t today. Sudden storms are a regular occurrence in late summer. This explains why there were so few boats on the water.
“Is it dangerous?” Cara asks, her eyes growing big as she surveys the dark clouds gaining on us.
“No way,” I assure her, trying to look optimistic even though the raindrops are falling thicker and faster…thunder can be heard rolling in the distance. “But I’ll get us back if you don’t mind giving up the wheel, captain.” I give her a reassuring smile.
“It’s all yours.”
I sit down and seize the controls, smoothly starting the boat and picking up speed, ignoring the rain and wind now whipping my face.
“You want to go below deck and stay dry?” I raise my voice to be heard over the wind.
“No, I’ll stay up here with you.”
My heart warms. We’re already almost to the dock, arriving to the shoreline as if with the storm. I start to slow down the boat and turn it smoothly around so I can back into the designated spot. As I do, I catch a glimpse of Cara, standing next to me, drenched wet and shivering—but still by my side. It only takes me a few minutes to get the boat in to place and tie it up. Then I hurriedly usher Cara below deck ahead of me for some cover.
“You okay?” I ask her, gasping as I come down after she does.
“I’m fine.” She’s standing in a pool of water, shivering slightly. I can see the goose bumps on her skin. But her eyes are shining and that trust is still there, maybe even deeper than before. “Thanks for bringing us in safely.”
“Of course.” I walk towards h
er, wrap her up in my arms, and hold her against my chest tightly. I can feel her heart racing. She was clearly more afraid than she would let on. I give her a squeeze as I bury my face in her wet hair, taking in her scent, still lingering despite the rain shower. “Anytime, Cara. Anytime.”
“I had an amazing time today,” she murmurs, her voice slightly muffled in my chest.
“Good. I hope I can show you more good times.” I mean what I say. I want to see more of this Cara—carefree, letting loose, laughing, not worried about family obligations or work stress.
“I’m glad you left that note at the hotel for me yesterday.”
“I’m glad you came. You know, I would have called but we actually never exchanged numbers.”
“True.” She giggles softly into my chest and then pulls back to look up at me. A thin mist of water, I’m not sure if it’s tears or rain, coats her eyelashes.
“So, do you think I can have it now?” I ask her.
In response, she just lets out one of those huge, adorable laughs. I cut it short—but only because I’m dying to kiss her again.
Chapter Seventeen
Cara
After spending an entire day with Jason, uninterrupted by the stress of potential discovery, my mind is not focused on the wedding at hand. My brain keeps drifting to images of Jason’s face, looking at me as he said those words…I hope I can show you more good times. Words that were loaded with the promise of a future.
“So did you discuss seeing him when you’re back in New York?” Beth’s voice, disembodied, comes from the phone. We’re on a group FaceTime. I’ve called on my trusted friends for emotional support. My head is a chaotic mess.
“I still can’t believe you got to spend the night on a boat,” Jazz adds.
“Seriously! I can’t believe you got to spend the entire night on a boat and didn’t snag at least one photo of you living the glamorous life,” Grace speaks up.
“Yeah, we thought you were just going to be doing boring maid of honor duties and here you are, jet setting on yachts!” Beth says with a giggle.
“It wasn’t a yacht,” I protest but I can’t help smiling. “But it was the perfect day. But now I can’t think about that. I have to focus on this bachelorette party.”
“Yay!” Grace squeals while Jazz lets out a groan and Beth, always inquisitive, asks, “Do you think there’ll be strippers?”
“Oh god,” I sit down hard on the couch in my hotel suite, where I’m taking a quiet day for myself to mentally prepare for the party night ahead of me. “I hope not.”
“I guess it’s just harmless fun,” Jazz shrugs.
“I know, I suppose I’m just distracted by everything with Jason and not really in the mood for a crazy night out.”
“I’m sure it will be fun,” Beth assures me.
“So wait, can we get back to the guy? Have you seen him since the day on the boat?” Jazz cuts in.
“Well, no, I haven’t seen him…”
“But you’ve talked to him?”
“Well, he asked for my number on the boat.” I feel a shy smile spread across my face as the girls teasingly whoop and coo with glee.
“Cara and Jason sittin’ in a tree…” Grace starts the old kids’ rhyme.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” Jazz picks it up.
“First comes love, then comes marriage…” Beth goes on.
Then all three shout in unison, “Then comes baby in the baby carriage!”
“You guys are terrible,” I tell them, looking at their faces—displayed in split screen on my phone—all broken down in giggles. I’m laughing so hard my sides are aching though. This kind of goofy silliness was exactly what I was calling on them for. “But thanks for that laugh. I needed it.” I add, as we all calm down.
“Are you still stressed out about Laura finding out?” Beth asks, regaining her composure as well.
“I don’t know. I mean, the wedding is just a couple days away. Tonight is the bachelorette party so there’s no danger there. Jason will be off with the guys at the bachelor party and we won’t see each other. Then I just have to get through Saturday, which I’ll be spending helping Laura with last-minute errands…and then Sunday is the big wedding day.”
“You’re almost home free,” Grace says with a smile. “And then you can reunite with Jason in New York. You know, I feel almost sure I’ve seen the name ‘Jason Levine’ on some paperwork the last week I was working at Nick’s office. I didn’t get to finish anything but I think he’s probably a client by now. I’d snoop but Penny is doing really well as his new assistant now so I try to stay out of her way.”
“Oh.” I hesitate. “Well, the family all say he’s doing great in construction, maybe he was coming to Nick for advice on starting up a business? Anyway, we didn’t discuss any of that other stuff though…any of the future stuff. So I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”
“He’s clearly crazy about you, Cara. Have more faith in yourself.”
“He did send flowers to my hotel room today. And a note.”
“Ohhh, show us!” Grace demands.
I stand up and walk over to the bedside table, where a huge bouquet of pink roses—replacing the bouquet of red roses, which had withered away—is standing. I angle my phone so the girls can see.
“Gorgeous,” Beth says.
“And what did the note say?” Jazz asks.
“That’s a secret,” I tell them, turning the phone back to face me and giving them a wink.
“Fine, fine. Well, look I have to go. Nick is waiting. We’re going out for dinner.”
“Aw, date night with the fiancé.”
“Yep.” Grace flashes a happy smile.
“I have to go too,” I follow up. “The male strippers are waiting.”
“Have fun!”
“Don’t get into any trouble!”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
Their chorus of voices leaves me smiling as I end the call, feeling relaxed and happier than I did just thirty minutes ago. Even from afar, these girls know how to get my spirits up and calm me down. Although my time with Jason on the boat was amazing, it’s also left a small knot of panic in my stomach. For one thing, it’s now going to be harder than ever to play it cool and keep our hands off of each other for the rest of this wedding weekend. And then there’s the other thing, that tiny question about the future that leaves me slightly anxious. He seems confident that he wants to see me when we return to New York, but sometimes it’s hard to know where people really stand until that moment arrives—until we’re both back in the city, living our everyday lives. Can the magic we had on the boat be recaptured in the day-to-day hubbub of gritty New York?
There’s no time to dwell on it now. I glance at my phone. It’s 7:00 p.m.
Laura and the rest of the girls in the bridal party are supposed to swing by the hotel to pick me up at 8:00. I need to get moving. I shed the fluffy white robe I’m wearing and slip into a black miniskirt and a loose-fitting camisole. Laura specifically said she wanted us all to get in party mode and get glam tonight, so I add a pair of strappy black heels and a pair of sparkly, silver, dangly earrings.
I look at myself in the mirror and feel myself blush slightly. This is way more leg than I’d usually show. I decide to put my hair up into a high ponytail, showing off the earrings—which end just at my jawline—and lending a more casual air to the entire ensemble. I snap a quick selfie and send it to Beth with the words “too much?”
“For a bachelorette party?! Perfect.” She has a good point. I shake off my insecurities, grab a small black clutch bag and throw in my hotel key, wallet and phone, and prepare to head out the door. Before I do, I stop to bury my face in the delicate pink roses. Just as he did with the bouquet of red roses, Jason had the thorns of these painstakingly removed. I smile as I snap off one tiny rosebud and place it carefully in my clutch. I glance at the note he sent—which simply reads “Thanks for being my captain.” It’s nothing scandalous but sort of cheesy and I
was embarrassed to tell the girls. I take a deep breath, mentally steeling myself for a wild, girls’ night out…and head downstairs to the lobby.
When I exit the hotel, I’m greeted by the honking of a horn. Turning, I see a black stretch limo cruising up. It pulls to a stop and seconds later Laura’s head comes popping out of the sunroof. She’s got a full face of makeup on—bright red lips and smoky dark eyes—and her blonde hair is perfectly blown out. She’s wearing a gold sequin-covered strappy dress.
“Get in, sis! We’ve got a party to get to!” Laura calls gaily. From inside the limo, I can hear the faint sounds of music and female laughter.
The car has stopped and a solemn driver—wearing a full black chauffeur suit, including a little hat and white gloves—gets out and comes around to the other side of the huge car to open the door for me. He’s an older man, probably in his fifties, and he seems completely unfazed by the crazy girls screeching in the back of the limo.
“Miss.” He gives a slight bow as he ushers me into the car. I guess he’s seen it all, I think to myself with a grin.
“Hey ladies.” I climb into the limo and take a look around. Black seats line the back and one side, and a glitzy disco ball hangs in the middle of the car—I almost bonk my head on it as I settle in. Melissa, Marissa, and Kirsten are already inside. Melissa is dressed in a red bandage number that is leaving pretty much nothing to the imagination, while Kirsten is wearing a sequined miniskirt and black tank top, and Marissa is wearing sequined shorts and a sheer blouse. All of this quickly reassures me that there was no need to worry about my outfit being “too much.”
“Cara! You look fabulous,” Marissa squeals, gesticulating with her hand at my outfit and spilling some champagne from the glass she’s holding all in one go.
“So do you! All of you,” I say, squashing to fit next to Laura, who has seated herself right beside me. “You look fantastic, sis. Amazing dress.” I give her a squeeze.
“Want a drink?” Kirsten is opening a tiny door under one of the limo seats. With a start, I realize it’s a small refrigerator—and it’s packed with booze. It’s going to be a hell of a night.