Sail (Wake #2) by M. Mabie Read Free Book Online Page B

The crazy part was, I didn’t feel so out of control about any of it. We were talking more than we ever had and calling whenever we wanted.
    No hiding. No waiting.
    What Aly said couldn’t be further from how I felt. She didn’t know Blake and she was only trying to cause trouble. I didn’t see Blake as a cheater. She was with me. The things we’d both done were because we couldn’t fight the pull bringing us together. Over and over. And talking to her as much as I was only confirmed that.
    Having the open line of communication made me feel less crazy. It was a revelation going to sleep and not worrying about what she was doing. Not thinking about her next to somebody else while she slept. It was fucked up. With some of that tension and stress gone, it allowed me to think a whole lot clearer about how dead-on she’d been about doing this the right way. The right way meant being honest and not rushing, impulsively making decisions that affected more than just our lives.
    But sitting in my office, after everyone else had left for the day, I just craved to be with her for the first time where we could relax a little. I wondered if our relationship would be different.
    I mean, she wasn’t divorced yet. Yet. But she had an appointment with her family’s lawyer next week after he got back from a business trip. Things were moving forward. I could feel it.
    But I needed her. I wanted her. I wanted just the two of us to get away. Find a page we could be on together and go from there.
    The only thing was convincing her to go. “I need to make her an offer she can’t refuse,” I thought in my best Godfather inner voice. I was, after all, a godfather.
     
    Me: I have a present for you.
    Honeybee: If it’s another picture of a guy with a micro-penis again, I’m going to be very disappointed.
    Me: No. It’s better. It’s a real present.
    Honeybee: What is it? I want it. I hope it’s a one-way ticket to somewhere tropical and they have fruity drinks with umbrellas.
     
    Fuck yeah. It couldn’t have gone any better. It was like selling water in the desert.
     
    Me: What if it was?
    Honeybee: When do we leave? Ha. Ha.
     
    But it wasn’t a joke. I was ready to buy tickets and confirm reservations somewhere precisely like that.
     
    Me: When could you leave?
    Honeybee: Don’t tease.
    Me: Are you at your parents’ house yet?
    Honeybee: No. I haven’t even left work. I’m finishing up the last revisions on a revamped menu, and then I’m heading out.
    Me: Anyone there with you?
     
    It was impulsive, and I could’ve found a much better price had I used a travel agent. I’d become pretty good at arrangements given how much I traveled. I could book a hotel, flight, and car in ten minutes—if push came to shove. I’d figured out the location of the first picture that caught my eye and found the nearest resort. Costa Rica.
     
    Honeybee: Just a few chefs in the kitchen, but I’m at my desk.
     
    I dialed her number without hesitation. This was happening.
    “So when can you leave?” I asked instead of saying hello when she picked up.
    “What’s today? Tuesday? I could leave Thursday.” Blake laughed. She wasn’t going to fight me at all. Hallelujah. Then she added, “I have to send this off in the morning. Then I have a phone conference to confirm some transition dates. I think we’re going to the house tomorrow night for my stuff.”
    “Can you really take off work?” I inquired. Her bosses were great. I think they were a lot like Marc had been before I bought into Bay Brewing, with respect to time off. If your shit was done, have at it.
    “Yeah, I’ve got plenty of time. Would I be able to check my email?”
    First I thought about telling her no, but then I figured saying yes would buy me a few extra days. So, I caved. Surprisingly, we were full of fucking compromises.
    “Sure, whatever you want,” I assured her.
    “Where are we going?” Finally, a card I could hold.
    “I’m not telling you yet. I’ll