NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

I sat down at my computer and reached for my Bluetooth earbuds before dialing the office. The call was quick, but informative. The CEO had finally gotten the results of several studies he’d initiated to test the adoptability of the electronic paper tech, and he wanted to discuss it with me.

When I changed into my trunks and went back upstairs, I found Cal, Lucas, and Mia giggling over something on the giant lounger in the bow.

“You three sound like you’re having fun,” I said, propping my hip against the deck railing. It was another gorgeous day with the sun shining in a deep blue sky and almost no clouds in sight. Every time the boat dipped down into a swell, a light mist of seawater landed on my arms. It reminded me of the months I’d spent on the ship earlier this year. Every day after lunch, I’d come out here to doze in the sun and enjoy the combination of warm breeze and salty air. It was therapeutic.

Cal’s eyes were full of laughter when he looked up at me. It was a relief to see him relaxed and happy, and I wondered if I’d been imagining the awkwardness earlier.

“Mia just convinced Lucas to tell me the Mr. Pickles story. I have to say, I’m impressed.”

I groaned and shot my brother a look of betrayal. “How could you?”

He laughed and covered his eyes. “It’s too good. You knew we’d have to tell him at some point, right?”

Cal reached out a hand to pull me closer. I took a seat on the edge of the chaise by his hip.

“I didn’t know you had a green thumb,” he teased. “Tell me more.”

“It was one crop of cucumbers,” I muttered. “An assignment for school, I think.”

“One very special crop,” Cal corrected. “So special that you became friends with your very first creation.”

I sniffed and looked down my nose at him. “Until you’ve had the kind of relationship I had with Mr. Pickles, I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

Freya came up to the bow to hook the mooring buoy, and, as expected, Cal scurried off the chaise to help her. I noticed he was wearing a pair of longer swim trunks today, and they hugged his ass as beautifully as everything else he wore. He also had on a long-sleeved rash guard which made me silently happy since I’d forced it on him for a snorkeling day like today. I would have hated to see his back sunburned from a long snorkel.

The rest of us lounged on the chaise enjoying the view. Freya teased Cal and mock-bossed him around. He impersonated a pirate’s mate and had everyone laughing within minutes.

Once they had the ship secure to the mooring ball, Cal turned to me and clapped his hands. “You coming snorkeling with us?”

I pictured a morning spent lazily paddling through the crystal-blue water holding hands with Cal Wilde and searching for exotic marine wildlife. There was no other answer besides “Absolutely.”

With Freya helping unload snorkeling gear from a storage locker and Nat acting as Boss of the Sunscreen, four of us were ready to jump in within minutes.

The water was the perfect temperature, and we took our time swimming over toward the caves. Vin had offered to take us closer in the tender, but there weren’t many other boats there, and it was nice to get some exercise with a longer swim.

Cal was a strong swimmer like Jin, so the two of them pulled ahead fairly quickly. Nat stayed back with me at a more sedate pace, and I enjoyed keeping my mask pointed down to search for rays and barracuda. Before we reached the mouth of the caves, Nat pulled up and tapped me on the shoulder.

“You should invest in him,” she said.

I thought about the call scheduled for that afternoon with the tech company. “I am. I have a call this afternoon with the management team.”

“No. I mean Cal. The sailing thing he wants to do.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “I barely know him.”

“So, do your due diligence like you would normally. Only invest if it passes your rigorous tests.”

My investment portfolio was full of pharma, environmental tech, and software companies. A kids’ camp was hardly an appropriate addition to my roster. “You’re imagining something that isn’t there, Nat. He’s with us this week on the ship, that’s all.”

“Why can’t there be more? He’s a good guy. We can at least be friends and support him. So maybe you don’t invest. Maybe instead you hook him up with someone else who can.” She seemed to stop and think about it. “Hm… maybe I can.”

“Stop,” I urged. “Do you remember telling me not to hand over control of JAC to you because you were too quick to make snap decisions without thinking things through?”

She nodded enthusiastically.