her arm with his and practically pulling him off the patio.
“Hold on, hold on, I’ve got to get the coolers.”
John retrieved two wheeled ice chests, one filled with drinks, the other filled with food. He pulled them both with ease behind him.
“Char, lead the way.”
Char held her shoulders back and strutted a bit like a peacock. They walked almost single file to the yacht club parking lot, and then they stopped to let John take the lead. He dropped one cooler off at the edge of the dock, and then pulled the other behind and walked almost to the end. John stopped in front of a sixty-foot yacht.
Darcy gaped at it and froze in place for a moment. She’d never been on a private boat before, let alone one with multiple levels.
“Come on,” John called over to her. “I’ll help you aboard.”
Darcy nodded and walked to the edge of the dock, unsure what to do. She watched Char remove her shoes, grab hold of John’s hand and climb into the boat. Char waved Darcy over, like an old pro. Darcy carefully slipped out of her shoes, grabbed hold of John’s hand, and let him pull her into the boat.
“Thanks,” Darcy replied a bit shyly.
“Come on, we can go up front,” Char suggested.
Darcy followed Char to the side of the boat and watched as her friend hoisted herself on to the edge of the boat and carefully navigated her way around to the front. Darcy had given up on gymnastics as a girl after a brush with the balance beam and wasn’t looking forward to attempting anything like it again. But surprisingly, she felt comfortable after a few steps. She opened her mouth to tell Char, when her friend stopped abruptly in front of her.
“Hey, keep it moving,” Darcy ribbed.
Char turned to look at Darcy with a face white as a sheet.
“What?” Darcy asked.
Char tried to form her thoughts into words, but before she could, Darcy looked past her friend and saw. Ben and a girl, wearing, quite simply, the skimpiest bikini she could find, asleep on two cushions surrounded by cans of cheap beer.
“Should we tell John?” Darcy asked, unsure what to make of the scene or how to act.
She didn’t feel jealous, exactly. Looking at the girl, Darcy did not wish herself in that girl’s shoes. She liked her craft beer and her butt covered, thank you very much. If anything, Darcy’s stomach sunk with disappointment. Maybe even with what she’d voiced to Char, she had been holding out hope that Ben wasn’t what she’d said. Maybe she’d said those things to Char just so her friend could tell her the truth. In one unguarded moment, she took in the full measure of him.
Okay? Char mouthed.
Darcy nodded.
“Hey girls, do you think you could help me? I can’t find Ben,” John called out from above in the cockpit.
“Oh wait, never mind, found him,” John said a moment later when he looked down.
John sounded the horn and the sleeping companions came awake with a start.
“What the—” Ben began as he sat upright without care for the half-naked woman draped over him. He pushed her off him roughly, coming out of what must have been a deep sleep.
“Hey,” she called out.
“Sorry, sorry,” Ben apologized, rubbing his eyes before turning to see who had sounded the horn.
Ben found three people, all with their arms crossed but with very different expressions. Charlotte looked pissed and John frustrated. But Darcy—surprisingly—had to stifle a laugh. Darcy figured she could be mad or she could have a good night. And she wanted to have a good night.
“Oh, hi, is it time?” Ben asked without the hint of embarrassment.
He pushed himself up to a seated position and ran a hand through his hair. Shirtless, his rippled chest and taut stomach on full display, he made no move to find his T-shirt or stand. Darcy’s tongue darted out across her dry lips. At the sound of knocking, she turned to Charlotte. Her best friend glared at Ben and tapped her foot.
“Ben come on,” John called from the dock.
“If you’ll
“Hold on, hold on, I’ve got to get the coolers.”
John retrieved two wheeled ice chests, one filled with drinks, the other filled with food. He pulled them both with ease behind him.
“Char, lead the way.”
Char held her shoulders back and strutted a bit like a peacock. They walked almost single file to the yacht club parking lot, and then they stopped to let John take the lead. He dropped one cooler off at the edge of the dock, and then pulled the other behind and walked almost to the end. John stopped in front of a sixty-foot yacht.
Darcy gaped at it and froze in place for a moment. She’d never been on a private boat before, let alone one with multiple levels.
“Come on,” John called over to her. “I’ll help you aboard.”
Darcy nodded and walked to the edge of the dock, unsure what to do. She watched Char remove her shoes, grab hold of John’s hand and climb into the boat. Char waved Darcy over, like an old pro. Darcy carefully slipped out of her shoes, grabbed hold of John’s hand, and let him pull her into the boat.
“Thanks,” Darcy replied a bit shyly.
“Come on, we can go up front,” Char suggested.
Darcy followed Char to the side of the boat and watched as her friend hoisted herself on to the edge of the boat and carefully navigated her way around to the front. Darcy had given up on gymnastics as a girl after a brush with the balance beam and wasn’t looking forward to attempting anything like it again. But surprisingly, she felt comfortable after a few steps. She opened her mouth to tell Char, when her friend stopped abruptly in front of her.
“Hey, keep it moving,” Darcy ribbed.
Char turned to look at Darcy with a face white as a sheet.
“What?” Darcy asked.
Char tried to form her thoughts into words, but before she could, Darcy looked past her friend and saw. Ben and a girl, wearing, quite simply, the skimpiest bikini she could find, asleep on two cushions surrounded by cans of cheap beer.
“Should we tell John?” Darcy asked, unsure what to make of the scene or how to act.
She didn’t feel jealous, exactly. Looking at the girl, Darcy did not wish herself in that girl’s shoes. She liked her craft beer and her butt covered, thank you very much. If anything, Darcy’s stomach sunk with disappointment. Maybe even with what she’d voiced to Char, she had been holding out hope that Ben wasn’t what she’d said. Maybe she’d said those things to Char just so her friend could tell her the truth. In one unguarded moment, she took in the full measure of him.
Okay? Char mouthed.
Darcy nodded.
“Hey girls, do you think you could help me? I can’t find Ben,” John called out from above in the cockpit.
“Oh wait, never mind, found him,” John said a moment later when he looked down.
John sounded the horn and the sleeping companions came awake with a start.
“What the—” Ben began as he sat upright without care for the half-naked woman draped over him. He pushed her off him roughly, coming out of what must have been a deep sleep.
“Hey,” she called out.
“Sorry, sorry,” Ben apologized, rubbing his eyes before turning to see who had sounded the horn.
Ben found three people, all with their arms crossed but with very different expressions. Charlotte looked pissed and John frustrated. But Darcy—surprisingly—had to stifle a laugh. Darcy figured she could be mad or she could have a good night. And she wanted to have a good night.
“Oh, hi, is it time?” Ben asked without the hint of embarrassment.
He pushed himself up to a seated position and ran a hand through his hair. Shirtless, his rippled chest and taut stomach on full display, he made no move to find his T-shirt or stand. Darcy’s tongue darted out across her dry lips. At the sound of knocking, she turned to Charlotte. Her best friend glared at Ben and tapped her foot.
“Ben come on,” John called from the dock.
“If you’ll
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