Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
By the time Jules had shown her to cabin four—small but sleek, with blond wood paneling and a compact porthole window—Tessa was sure that everything was going to be fine. Even if her suitcase took up half of the standing room the tiny cabin had to offer.
Sure, she had brought twice as many swimsuits as she would probably wear, but she was here. The sea was sparkling. The fruit water was refreshing. And she wasn’t actually wishing she had a boyfriend in tow, which felt like a win.
A knock on her cabin door was followed by the unmistakable squeal of her friend Marin.
“Birthday girl!” Marin burst in, already in a linen coverup. “Tell me you brought that sun hat that makes you look like a glamorous movie star.”
Tessa laughed. “It’s crushed in my tote, probably ruined.”
“Well, the humidity out here will do us the favor of steaming it. Wear it. ”
Behind Marin came Jenna—always the voice of reason—holding a small tote with one hand and a tropical cocktail in the other.
“You know you’re going to wear SPF seventy and a rash guard the whole time, right?” Jenna teased, but Tessa knew it was all in good fun.
“SPF seventy-five,” Tessa corrected. “Let’s not pretend I tan. I’m a marshmallow with opinions. How are your rooms?”
Jenna smiled. “Perfect.”
Tessa worked at a marketing agency with Jenna and had introduced her to Marin and the others. Avery and Jenna had gone to college together. And Marin worked with Nate at her last job, in public relations. The group of girls—and guys—had quickly taken Tessa into the fold.
Avery arrived last, pausing to peek into Tessa’s room.
“Oh wow, this is cute. Looks just like ours,” she said, then caught sight of the bed that stretched from wall to wall in the room, and her smile faltered. “You okay being solo?”
Tessa nodded, adjusting a throw pillow to avoid answering right away. She glanced inside the tiny bathroom attached to her room. “Absolutely. I’ll have plenty of space to lay out all my skincare products and not bother anyone.”
They meant well; she knew that, and it was hard to know what to say to the only girl without a date in a situation like this.
She gazed out the porthole for a moment. But what a romantic escape this would have been. It was such a shame to be here alone.
She straightened her shoulders. She did not need a guy. Not even at the ripening old age of thirty. She sighed heavily.
Marin leaned against the doorway. “It’s not forever. Just eight glorious days. And you’re going to have the best birthday ever. I promise.”
Tessa blinked. “We all are.”
Marin’s eyebrows popped. “Yes, but yours is in a few days.”
Tessa was somewhere between sorry to be reminded that she was hitting the big 3-0 and giddy to be celebrating it here. “We’re celebrating all of us, though. Not just me.”
“I know,” said Marin, and Tessa thought she heard a twinge of pity in her voice. Were they going to feel sorry for her all week?
She steeled herself. “Guys, just because I’m here alone doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.”
Marin studied her face unapologetically. Her best friend generally knew what she was thinking just by looking at her. “First of all, you are not alone. You’ve got all of us.” She went on in her matter-of-fact tone. “And second, okay, then. Onward and forward.”
It was as simple as that. “Exactly,” said Tessa. “Onward and forward. This week is going to be fantastic.”
Marin’s brow rose, and she lowered her voice with a grin. “Hey, our captain sure looks like he knows his way around a sail, doesn’t he? Maybe he’s single? ”
Was she serious right now? Tessa grinned, although she couldn’t pretend the thought hadn’t crossed her mind.
“Don’t even go there,” she protested, rolling her eyes.
“He’s the captain, Marin. I’m not throwing myself at the only person capable of keeping us afloat this week.
” She felt her cheeks flush just the same.
What did Marin know about being single anymore, anyway? She and Kyle were blissful newlyweds who’d dated for three years prior.
“Shame,” Marin said with a smirk. “You could start a whole new trend: rebound-on-the-reef.”
Tessa shot her a look.
From the main deck came the sound of laughter. Male voices. The guys had clearly settled in. Tessa breathed a sigh of relief for the distraction.
“Let’s go,” Jenna said, peeking her head back into Tessa’s room. “We’re doing drinks before dinner. You’re not hiding in here like a honeymoon widow.”
Tessa’s mouth fell open. One hand flew to her hips. “As if…” she muttered, following them out.
In the open-air galley above deck, the guys were already relaxed—beers in hand, cracking jokes, sleeves rolled up in the bright midday sunlight.
Jenna’s fiancé, Drew, was showing Marin’s husband, Kyle, a waterproof camera he’d bought for the trip.
Avery’s longtime boyfriend, Nate, leaned against the rail, arms crossed, soaking it all in like he’d already slipped into vacation mode.
Tessa breathed in the salty sea air and poured herself a splash of champagne. She smiled as the conversation flowed .
She loved these people, even though she’d only known them for about two years. Loved how they teased each other and shared sunscreen and still argued over who cheated during game night six months ago.
But there was an extra glass on the table where Ethan’s would’ve been. A chair that no one pulled out.
She swallowed and said nothing.
Then Captain Russ reappeared—quiet, composed, but somehow commanding the room, anyway.
“Afternoon, everyone,” he said, placing a hand casually on the back of one of the chairs.
“We’ll be shoving off within the hour. If anyone gets motion sick, now’s the time for a patch or a pill.
Dinner will be served on deck. Any questions, talk to me or Jules.
Malik’s our other crew member—he’s your guy if you need gear or have questions about the water toys. ”
“Water toys?” Kyle asked with interest.
“Snorkel sets, paddleboards, fins, kayaks, tubes,” Russ clarified.
Tessa’s stomach twisted again. She’d have to pretend not to be worried about any of that. But how?
“Oh, and,” Russ added, his eyes flicking briefly toward her, “you’ve already found your cabins, but if you need to make changes, let me know tonight.”
Tessa smiled politely but looked away. She didn’t want anyone pointing out the obvious again—that she had a cabin all to herself, like some sort of sad cruise-ship statistic.
The chatter resumed, then Russ’s voice came again, directed to her more quietly this time.
“Miss Reed? ”
She turned, trying not to startle. “It’s Tessa. Please.”
He smiled. “Tessa, then. I stocked your cabin with ginger chews and electrolytes,” he said. “Just in case the first night on the water gets a little rocky.”
“Oh,” she said, surprised. “Thank you.” Was it written all over her face that she’d never been sailing before? “That was very thoughtful of you.” She was able to see his eyes now, with the sunglasses off. Yes, just like she’d guessed. A dazzling set of pale blues.
He gave a small nod. “We take care of our guests.”
He moved on, offering a quick smile to Jenna and then Kyle and a question to Malik, who’d emerged with a tray of appetizers.
Tessa watched the captain go, unsure whether she felt slightly better—or significantly more unsteady.
Russ braced a hand on the winch as the anchor chain rattled out, the final length slipping into the dark water with a heavy thunk. The boat settled with a gentle sway, the cove cradling them in near silence—just the hush of the wind in the palms onshore and the occasional clink of rigging.
“Nice spot,” Jules said, stepping up beside him. She handed him a coil of line, neatly looped. “Can’t believe how quiet it is out here.”
Russ nodded, grinning. “That’s the point.”
Jules smiled.
Malik jogged by with a stack of plates from the deck table. “I give it a nine out of ten. No bugs, no boats, and the stars are already showing off.”
Russ allowed a faint grin, but his mind wasn’t fully there. He scanned the deck one more time out of habit, then turned his eyes briefly toward the aft seating area, where the guests were lingering with their drinks.
Five years was a long time to be away. From home, his parents, his brother and sister, and the niece and nephew he’d never even met.
And Tessa was still sitting there—legs tucked beneath her, sipping something bright and citrusy. She was laughing at whatever the guy in the Red Sox hat said—Drew, wasn’t it? But Russ noted the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Something about her seemed slightly adrift.
She didn’t seem like she’d be a problem, not at all. If anything, she’d been polite, maybe a little guarded. But she also hadn’t clung to the group the way some solo travelers did. She was content to hang back, observe, find her own rhythm.
He’d noticed her earlier, of course—who wouldn’t? Pretty, dark hair, eyes that said a lot more about her than what she let on.
That flowery sundress she wore didn’t hurt either.
But it was more than that. There was a kind of quiet curiosity about her, like she was trying to make sense of everything at once—the boat, the ocean, maybe even her circumstances, which was probably understandable, considering she was supposed to have shared a cabin on this trip with a guy named Ethan, who’d apparently canceled a couple of weeks ago .
A quick call to his boss at the office in Raiatea had confirmed it. The staff had somehow failed to update the manifest. That was all. Lucky for Ethan, all he’d lost was his deposit plus one night’s stay. But it was no matter to Russ. One fewer passenger made his job easier.
Russ rolled his shoulders and turned back toward the forward lines. Best not to dwell on any of the guest’s issues, anyway. He had enough on his plate—the week’s busy schedule, the tides, the wind, the email that still hadn’t come.
Jules called out, “You want me to double-check the galley before I shut it down?”