Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Russ stepped out onto the aft deck with his phone in hand, the stars spread wide overhead, the water glassy and still. The only sound now was the low hum of the anchor line and the occasional creak of the boat’s rigging settling into the night.
He stared at the contact on his screen for a moment.
Walker, George.
He hadn’t said a word back on the beach. He’d just watched Russ return with Tessa, his face unreadable, then later joined the rest of the crew at the bar tables like nothing had happened.
Russ had nodded once. Walker had turned his back on him.
Now Russ swiped the call button.
The phone rang once. Twice. Then?—
“Yeah,” came the gruff voice. “Callen?”
“Hey, Cap,” Russ said, voice low, keeping his tone respectful. “Sorry to call so late. I figured you were still up.” Walker’s boat was anchored about five-hundred yards away, in the same cove as his.
“I am. These end-of-the-week parties last all night, sometimes. I swear…” A long sigh came over the phone.
A brief pause followed, filled only by the sound of the ocean between them.
“I sent an email to the boss tonight,” Russ said. “Told him everything. That it was me. That I take full responsibility and that the crew had nothing to do with it.”
Walker didn’t answer right away. Russ let the silence stretch, knowing he had to let the older man absorb it.
“I wasn’t planning on breaking protocol,” Russ added. “Didn’t plan on any of it, actually. But it happened. I tried to keep things separate, clean, quiet. Didn’t quite manage.”
Another beat of silence, and then Walker’s voice came through, quieter this time.
“I figured as much.”
Russ leaned against the railing. “She’s not just a fling, George.
I didn’t… I didn’t go looking for this. But I’ve been looking for work in Florida, where she lives.
Where I used to live. Where my family still lives.
” The thoughts stung, making his throat almost close.
He missed them all so much. He missed his old life, even with as good as this one was.
He went on. “I didn’t make promises I couldn’t keep.
But I thought… maybe, if it worked out, I’d go. ”
More silence. But this time, there was something different on the line. Not judgment. Just reflection. “ Well, now your reason for wanting to get back to Florida makes more sense.”
Russ was glad he understood.
“Lonely line of work,” Walker broke the silence again. “Charters. Passengers. Sunsets. Everyone’s on vacation but us.”
Something seemed to catch in Russ’ throat. He nodded to himself. Ran a hand across his jaw. Stared out at the open sea. “Yeah.”
“I met my wife on a boat like this,” Walker continued, voice softening. “Twenty-two years ago. She was a guest. We kept it quiet, did it the right way after. I waited, she waited. Wasn’t easy.”
Russ blinked, his eyes opening wider. “I didn’t know that.”
“No reason you would. Doesn’t go in the company newsletter.” Walker paused. “But I get it. She’s still the light in the dark for me.”
Russ swallowed hard. Waited. “Thanks for not saying anything earlier. I appreciate it. I wanted to handle it the right way.”
“I could see that,” Walker said. “You’re a good captain, Russ. You’ve earned respect. That doesn’t go away just because you fell for someone.”
Russ felt something ease in his chest. Not relief exactly—but something close.
“I gotta ask you something, though,” said Walker.
“Anything.”
“You said all the women on your boat were here with boyfriends or husbands. This gal married?”
Russ blew out a breath, then pinched the bridge of his nose.
That was right—he’d said that. The man must think he was a total piece of garbage.
“No, no, she’s not. And sorry, Walker, I only told you that to throw you off the scent.
Tessa came on the trip alone. All the other women on my boat are spoken for, but she’s single.
” It was what they called a little white lie. Not cool, though. Not cool at all.
“Oh,” said Walker, letting the word linger. “Well, okay, then. That makes me feel a lot better.”
Thank goodness the man had asked the question. He’d hate to think people would’ve thought he was a home-wrecker, on top of being a rule-breaker. He was certain Walker would clear that up on the gossip mill.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen next,” Russ admitted.
“You’ll land on your feet. And hey,” Walker added, tone shifting just slightly—lighter now, “Good luck to you. Florida’s not a bad place to end up, if you can make it happen.”
If only he could. “You’re right. It’s not.”
“Go get some sleep, Captain. You’ve got a long day tomorrow on the water. We all do.”
“Thanks, Walker. I will.”
“Night.”
The call ended. Russ stood still for a long moment, the breeze brushing past him like a whisper.
Tessa splashed cool water on her face, then patted it dry with the small towel hanging beside the mirror.
The skin beneath her eyes was still a little puffy, but not terrible.
She leaned in, studying her reflection—barefaced now, with her hair pulled back and her favorite tank top and pajama shorts on.
The cotton clung to her in familiar ways, comforting in the face of everything that was not.
She let out a breath, slow and deep, and braced her hands on the tiny countertop.
Talking to Marin had helped.
It didn’t make the ache disappear, but it gave it somewhere to go. Out of her chest and into words. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed that until the words started tumbling out. Marin hadn’t judged, hadn’t even looked surprised. Just held her—and promised not to say a word.
Tessa closed her eyes.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to say goodbye to him tomorrow. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to look him in the eyes without falling apart. But she’d do it. She had to.
She’d grown this week. That much she knew. She’d faced fears she hadn’t even admitted to herself before this trip—open water, being alone, heartbreak. The breakup with Ethan felt like light years ago. She’d come a long way.
She’d laughed until her cheeks hurt, kissed until her knees went weak, and let someone truly see her for everything she could be—vulnerable, scared, radiant, and joyful.
No, she wouldn’t trade any of it .
Not even to avoid the pain she felt now. Not even close.
She’d never felt this alive. And tonight, she hadn’t gone to the upper deck. It didn’t feel right—not after everything that had happened. And besides, if she’d gone up there and he hadn’t come… it would have broken her in a way she might not have been able to handle.
They’d said what needed to be said. Or at least… most of it.
So, now she would do what he’d admired in her. She’d be brave. She’d let him go with grace. She’d let this trip be beautiful, not tragic. Because she’d remember it forever, and she wanted to look back on it with joy, not just pain.
She took a deep breath, eyes misting.
Then—a soft knock came from her door.
Tessa’s breath caught.
For a second, she stood frozen, heart kicking against her ribs. Then she crossed the small room and opened the door.
Russ stood there, his hair a little windswept, his expression unreadable in the dim hall light.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied, just as quietly.
There was something so vulnerable in his presence, so gentle and tired. Without needing to be asked, he stepped inside as she opened the door wider.
She closed the door behind him, heart still racing.
They sat together on the edge of her bed, shoulders barely touching. Neither of them rushed to speak .
Finally, she broke the silence. “Are you going to be okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s all going to be okay.”
She looked at him, trying to read the truth in his eyes.
He turned slightly toward her, just enough, and she reached out—fingers curling into the soft cotton of his T-shirt.
He pulled her into a hug, arms warm and sure around her.
She held on tightly, breathing him in, memorizing everything—the way he still smelled like salt and coconut, the strength in his chest, the quiet weight of him beside her.
Then their lips met.
Slow. Sad. Beautiful.
It wasn’t rushed or hungry. It was just tender, lingering. A goodbye wrapped in silence. A kiss that said what they hadn’t found the courage to speak.
When they finally pulled apart, Tessa kept her forehead close to his.
“So what are you going to do?” she asked quietly.
Russ exhaled. “I’m going to admit to it. All of it.”
She drew back, eyes meeting his.
“I emailed my boss tonight,” he said. “Told him everything. That it was my fault. That I crossed the line. And I made it clear that Jules and Malik had nothing to do with it.”
Her throat tightened.
“I’m going to see him tomorrow,” he added. “After I drop you all at the airport. Talk to him face to face. But yeah…” He gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry, Tess’. It’s all going to be fine. ”
She didn’t answer, just nodded slowly, and pulled herself closer to him, her arms around his neck, her head on his chest.
If this was the last quiet moment they’d get, she wasn’t going to waste it.
The cabin was dark except for the faintest blue light from the navigation panel across the room. Russ lay on his back, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other resting flat against the sheet, fingers still curled slightly like they remembered holding her hand.
It was three in the morning.
The only sounds were the soft lap of water against the hull and the quiet creak of the rigging settling under night winds. Sounds he’d known for years. Sounds that usually comforted him.
Tonight, they didn’t.
He stared at the ceiling, eyes open in the dark, body too heavy with exhaustion to shift again. His mind wouldn’t shut off.
He hadn’t expected to go to her cabin. He’d told himself their moment on the beach had been enough. That ending it there, quietly, respectfully, was the right call.