"Yep," he said, snuggling deeper into the bed. "In just a minute."
"Okay," I said. I practically whistled as I went back to the bathtub.
Of course, he never joined me. A few moments after I got into the bath, I could hear him snoring. I let him sleep while I stretched out in the tub and played with the bubbles. Between the sex and the hot water, my sore muscles were finally loosening.
After my bath, I found the fluffy robe that he had set out for me by the tub. I tiptoed into the bedroom, hoping to catch him sleeping. Sure enough, Robbie was completely under the covers and passed out.
I got under the blanket next to him. "Robbie," I breathed softly.
No response.
"Robbie..." I whispered again, poking him.
He groaned, then pulled the covers over his face.
"Robbie," I said, sounding like an annoying ten-year-old.
"What?" he said, his voice cracking. I laughed. He sounded just like he had when we were kids.
"What do we do if the engine overheats?" I asked.
Robbie groaned. "Get out the oars and row."
I laughed, then snuggled up next to him. He threw his arm over me and was back to sleep in no time.
His breathing was rhythmic and soothing. Combined with the soft patter of rain on the window, it made a beautiful melody that I knew would guide me to a luxurious sleep. I cuddled deeper into him, soaking up his warmth and confidence. I knew that we were as ready for the race as we could be. We were ready for anything that life might throw our way because we were together. At that moment, I was completely content.
Chapter 16
I stepped into the Chicago Yacht Club, feeling a nervous exhilaration rippling through my body. I was here. I was finally, actually here. Robbie guided me gently inside, the two of us heading for the pre-race skippers' meeting. We were to go over the sailing instructions one last time, any potential weather hazards, and any clarifications needed on the rules and regulations of the Invitational. I usually hated these boring meetings, but because this was the Champion of Champions Invitational, I was actually excited to attend.
Robbie pulled out a chair in front of a prettily decorated table near the windows. The meeting wasn't supposed to start for a few minutes yet, so I stared out through the glass at the view. Chicago's skyline rose in the distance, the gray and metallic buildings looking over the undulating waters of Lake Michigan. Yachts of all sizes bobbed gently in the early morning waters, the sun had started its journey into the day and turned the sky into a brilliant scarlet. Thin, hair-like clouds hung from the dimming stars, the wind nipping at the bright red leaves on the trees.
Red skies at night, sailors delight. Red skies at morning, sailors take warning. The old nursery rhyme chanted in my head as Robbie and I sat waiting. The weather report on the news the night before had said a storm was moving in. Robbie had waved it away as nothing more than a windy day, but the red skies gave me pause. I knew it would certainly be discussed.
I glanced over at Robbie and he smiled. I still couldn't believe this was real. This was my dream race, the race that could make my career, and if I did well, get me more sponsors than I would know what to do with. If I did well at this race, then it wouldn't matter that I had missed a season. I would be set to race next summer, and the Olympic trials would be mine for the taking. Robbie was the best thing that could have happened to me. Not only had he gotten my beautiful boat to the lake; he was sailing with me.
I sipped gingerly at my hot coffee, relishing the flavor in my mouth. One of the perks to dating a billionaire was that not only did we fly in on a private jet the night before, we also stayed in the penthouse suite at one of the fanciest hotels in Chicago. I had never slept on a bed that nice, and the coffee in the morning tasted as if it had been picked in Columbia just hours before. Granted, I hadn't slept much, but that was more because I was too excited than because of the quality of the bed. Now that we were up and moving, I was glad for the coffee. I wasn't usually into the finer things in life, but good coffee was something I could definitely get used to.
The nanny just made breakfast. Real breakfast. I want to keep her forever. My phone chirped as the message from Grace came in. I stifled a giggle and showed the message to Robbie.
"I told you she was good," he said, a smug grin illuminating his face. I wanted to kiss him. He had hired a professional nanny to come and help Grace out while I was away. I had met the woman just before Robbie and I got on the plane, and she was the closest thing to a real-life Mary Poppins I had ever met, down to the British accent. Avery was absolutely in love with her from the moment they had met, and insisted on learning how to speak "princess" from her. I was almost sad that I wasn't there to witness it.
"If I could have everyone's attention," a deep voice said from a podium on the edge of the room. It looked as though a wedding had been held in the building the night before, and we were using the tables and chairs. Given how beautiful the building and the view were, it seemed a perfect place for a wedding. I shook my head, clearing out thoughts of weddings. I needed to pay attention.
"Excellent. First off, I'm so glad you are all here. As you know, this is the last race of the season and pits the best sailors of the summer against one another. Congratulations on making it to the elite competition." The man paused and glanced around the room. He was a large man with a wide barrel chest and a thick, black beard.
"First, the details of the race. You will all start here in Chicago and sail to Mackinac Island. The race course is approximately 333 miles and typically takes forty to sixty hours to complete. The record time is less than twenty-four hours." He continued on about how it was a double-handed mixed gender race, but I was more interested in the weather report.
"Now, some of you have already spoken to me this morning, but weather reports call for deteriorating conditions. High winds and an early winter storm are predicted to hit the lake sometime this afternoon. Despite this, it's tradition to race on this weekend, and we're not changing that." The black-bearded man looked around the room.
A sailing team from another table stood and left the room. They were obviously quitting the race due to the mention of weather. The speaker watched them go. "Weather conditions will be difficult for this race, but the committee has deemed it safe enough to race."
I looked over at Robbie, but he sat confidently in his chair, arms crossed as he took in the information. I didn't like storms. As a sailor, I had learned to deal with them, but that didn't mean that I enjoyed them. The most frightening storm I had ever been in was the one I had sailed single-handed into and gotten caught. It was the storm that killed my parents. There had been storms after that, but never one that frighte
ned me as much.
The speaker continued at that point, going over the race course and the rules. These were all things that Robbie and I had gone over before and were, for the most part, fairly standard. I had followed this race every year, and because of that, I knew the course like the back of my hand. I felt like I could sail the entire thing blindfolded.