Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
As much as she wanted to conclude the captain wasn’t in her home, she wasn’t sure when he left or whether or not they did the deed. Which sort of made her feel like she could’ve missed out on really great sex because despite his unfortunate nickname, from what she could tell, he had a smoking hot body. It was the reason she kept her sunglasses on during the entire boat ride—she didn’t want him to see her ogling him.
Caroline was shameless. All it took was for him to smile at her and she was putty. She rested her fingers against her smile as she distinctly remembered his broad shoulders, tanned and defined from what she assumed were many hours of hard work, whether it be from working out in a gym or simply just from hard labor. Then there was the way one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other in what appeared to be a perpetual playful smirk that had pinpointed her directly in her stomach, causing a tsunami of butterflies to take flight. As for his eyes; sparkling pools of aquamarine, as blue and clear as the very ocean they were sailing on. As cliched as it sounded, she’d very much like to be lost at sea swimming in them sometime soon.
She had every intention of enjoying the tour by taking photos and videos, but once she sat down, there was no way she could move without making a fool out of herself. She felt unsteady on her feet and feared she would slip, and God forbid fall over the edge of the boat. Caroline had seen one too many television shows where something like that happened and now it was at the forefront of her mind.
He kept looking at her!
Of course, that was her opportunity to be sexy and flirt with him, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. The fear she felt kept her cemented to her seat. Even when they came upon the pod of whales, she barely saw them because she was too afraid to get near him.
To make matters worse, he asked her to come hang out with him at a bar frequented by locals, but no, she’d rebuffed him and ended up at the Sea Shanty where they pounced on tourists. The bartender saw her coming a mile away and probably laughed all the way to the bank when she continued to order the overpriced pina coladas.
But they were so good.
This wasn’t how her vacation was supposed to start off. She’d planned to immerse herself and become one with the people of Seaport. She wanted everyone to see her as someone who had staying power and who wasn’t there just for a good time, but for a long time. Now, the self-dubbed most popular man on the island saw her as exactly what she was: a stumbling, drunk tourist.
Caroline finally resigned herself to accept she made a massive blunder the day before and unfortunately for her, there wasn’t a quick fix or a way to erase what had happened. The best she could hope for was that no one remembered her. It was unlikely in such a small town, but she was going to put on a brave face, brush it off, and act like nothing happened.
After she showered, covered herself with sunscreen and dressed for the day, and took enough Tylenol to cure every ailment she had, Caroline made her way into town. The walk from her cottage to the central hub of Seaport was only a few blocks. But those blocks had clothing stores, bakeries, and tourist shops that sold magnets, postcards, and the stuffed toy lobster wearing a shirt with Seaport on it. She planned to visit each store before she left the island.
The cobblestone road leading to town dated back to 1654. It was narrow and one way, and a tourist haven for photos. Everyone wanted a picture of themselves standing in the middle of the road, traffic and people be damned. Pedestrians walked on the road regardless of any cars that wanted to drive by, and jaywalked without a care in the world, gathered on the corners in small groups looking at a map and pointing to their next destination. Take a left down any of the side streets and you’re a block from the water, yacht clubs, and fish markets. Take a right and you’re two blocks from the mansions. The big, beautiful homes from the Gilded Age.
There was a time in her life when Caroline thought she wanted to be a historian or work in preservation. Instead, her parents diverted her attention to investment banking and management. Even though she recently graduated with her bachelors, she still landed a coveted job at Goldman Sachs because of her father. The job wasn’t what she wanted, but the problem was she had no idea what she was meant to do moving forward. Being in the city wasn’t it, though.