Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“You did it,” Galvin said as she stepped back. “You won!”
“Yeah, I did.” He had, in more ways than one.
“Mr. Carter, if you could come with me, please.” The official waved him forward. He grabbed Galvin’s hand and tugged her behind him. They were taken to the back of the official’s tent and told to wait there while they finalized the race results. Dune, Tidal and Crew came back there and another round of hugs and congratulatory pats on Sail’s shoulders happened.
“I can’t thank you enough for kicking my ass,” Sail said to Crew. “If you weren’t as good as you are, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“I learned from the best,” Crew said.
The brothers hugged.
“Do you think Lex Danke is going to file a protest?” Sail asked his dad.
“Your race was clean,” Jack said. “Everything fell into place when you needed it to.”
“Yeah.” But the thought was still there. Sail was a nobody on the circuit, whereas Lex Danke was a champion. If the tables were turned, Sail would be pissed and would likely look for any loopholes.
“Congratulations, Sail,” the official said as he returned. “Well done. You’ve put on quite a show this week.”
“Thanks,” Sail shook his hand.
“We’ll start in five minutes.”
Five minutes later, all the winners stood on a makeshift stage. The younger categories went first with the gold group going last.
“In second, returning champion, Lex Danke.”
People clapped as Lex stepped to the podium. He accepted his trophy and check.
“And this year’s champion,” the official said. “Sail Carter.”
This time, everyone erupted into a loud cheer. It seemed word had spread fast that a local had won the regatta. Sail stepped to the podium, shook hands for the photographer, and then lifted the trophy up high.
As he stood there, looking out over the crowd, he knew nothing would be the same ever again.
galvin
. . .
To say the past few months had been a whirlwind of activity for Galvin, would be an understatement. After Sail won the regatta, he competed in two more. Taking second in both. Each time, he had to leave Seaport for two weeks—one week to train and get to know the water where the competition was—and the other week to compete. He offered to pay for Galvin’s expenses so she could go with him, but she declined. The start of law school loomed, and she wanted to make as much money as possible. The first year and first semester were crucial and she wanted to be ready.
Thanksgiving came and went, with her dad flying out to celebrate the holiday with her. She gave him a tour of Seaport, stayed on shore when Jack took his old college friend out on their boat, and spent the day in Boston exploring. They’d all gathered at the Carter’s for Thanksgiving dinner, which was more of a buffet than a sit-down event considering the number of people there. Galvin had lost count of the new names and faces she met. It was like a revolving door of people that day, coming and going until Pearl turned off the porch light.
Now it was December, and she was weeks away from starting law school. Galvin was already a semester behind and was giving serious consideration to going through the summer. However, everything she’d been told about the amount of money she would make by working full-time kept her from enrolling. She’d made a decent chunk of change already and if she could somehow triple it, she’d be foolish not to.
On a Sunday afternoon, with the diner closed, Sail picked Galvin up. He hadn’t told her what they were doing, only that she needed to dress warmly. With Seaport being an island, it was cold. The wind could be a bitch when it wanted to be, and no one liked chilling winter weather.
Dressed in her new winter wear, Galvin headed down the stairs, thankful for Jack who kept them clear of ice. It hadn’t snowed yet, but she suspected it was only a matter of time. She met Sail out front, much to his displeasure. While she wanted to save him time, he didn’t like not going to her door to get her. He wasn’t her uber, but her boyfriend and he told her it was his job to escort her from her door to his car.
“Hey,” he said as he greeted her outside. Sail kissed her right there, on the street, for everyone to see. They’d agreed that some PDA was allowed, just never at the diner, even when she wasn’t working. Galvin felt this doing so in her workplace sent the wrong message, especially to Jack. While she may be in good with the Carter’s, she still respected Jack as her boss.
“Hi,” she said breathlessly when they part. Galvin hoped she’d never get over how Sail made her feel each and every time she saw him. It was like butterflies took up permanent residence in her belly, always fluttering when he was near.