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“We can?” His breathless voice made my body tighten.
“We have the table for the night. We can have as many courses and as many drinks as we like, and you can spend all the time you want looking out at the beautiful water.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
He took a bite of one of the silver dollar-sized crab cakes drizzled with mango sauce. “These are incredible.”
The pure joy on his face made my heart skip a beat. “I’ve never had anything here I didn’t like, but you’re right, these are delightful.”
Laurie took a sip of his mai tai and glanced around the dining room, then back at me. “I’m not used to eating in a place like this. I feel like I’m going to do something wrong or say the wrong thing.”
“Do whatever you want. It’s fine. You’re with me and no one would dare say a thing.”
“I’m sure you know all the etiquette rules, so it’s fine for you, but….”
I slid a hand over his. “You don’t know anyone here besides me, and I’m not going to judge you. If it makes you more comfortable, just ask me if you’re unsure.”
“I feel so out of place.”
“You belong here as much as I do. You’re with me, and you don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll take care of it all. Remember, tonight is for you.”
Laurie sipped his cocktail again, and I shifted to look out the window. I pointed to some of the yachts we could see. “I have one very similar to the second one from the right.”
His eyes widened. “Wow, that one’s enormous.”
“She’s a really good size. I’d love to take you out on her someday.”
“I’ve never even been on a boat other than a little paddle boat at a park and one failed attempt with a canoe.”
There were so many experiences I wanted to give him. “You absolutely deserve to experience real sailing.”
“I would like to know what that feels like, but you don’t need to go to any more trouble for me.”
“It’s no trouble. I love sailing. Looking out over the ocean makes me feel so free. I can easily adjust our flights home.”
“What?”
“I’ll get us new tickets, and we can fly to Nassau where my yacht is docked. We’ll take her around for a few days, put her in at my slip in Miami, and fly home from there.”
“You’re absolutely serious, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.”
I watched as he looked longingly at the yachts in the harbor. “I’m going make the arrangements right now, or rather I’ll contact someone who will make them for me.”
He ate another of the delicious crab cakes while I made a call to set the plans in motion.
Was I really taking him on my yacht, extending the trip? What would happen then? Eventually, the vacation had to end.
He would stay with me. One way or another that was going to be how this ended. There weren’t any other acceptable options. Fuck, I sounded like Miles.
I helped Laurie choose an entrée. He couldn’t decide between the lobster tail and the mahi-mahi. I made the decision easy by ordering both and saying we could share them.
After we’d had a chance to try everything, I asked, “If you could move anywhere you wanted to after this, where would it be?”
Laurie shrugged. “I haven’t even really thought about it. All I thought about for so long was getting as far away from Tommy as I could. It didn’t matter where I went. I would have gone anywhere I could find a job and support myself as long as I was safe.”
