Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
I remember smiling at her like I got it, but really, I was just thinking about her and Dad. I was trying to understand how she put up with a man who could be so cold sometimes. It helped me make sense of them. It helped me see their love in the soft moments I witnessed them share and I realized that Mom didn’t need a man who doted on her or showed up with big, grand gestures — she just needed Dad.
But I couldn’t really relate.
Not until I lost Finn.
I understood her fully now.
Except where her love for Dad survived and kept her thriving, my love for Finn survived and killed me, little by little, day by day — even still.
And it wasn’t even real to him.
“Maybe he did love you,” Leah said. “Maybe there’s more to the story.”
I offered her a small smile, patting her leg before I stood. “Well, if there was, he had his chance to tell me and didn’t. He just… left. Left yachting, left the Med, left me.” I shrugged. “And now he’s back, with Gisella, so maybe it’s just that I wasn’t what he wanted in the long run.”
Leah frowned, reaching out to squeeze my wrist. “I’m sorry. It must be kind of weird, being back in close quarters with him.” She winced. “Oh, God. That was so cheesy. I bet the producers will love that line.”
I chuckled, but her comment made my gaze flick up to the blue light of the camera rolling in the corner of the cabin. “It’s fine. We’re all adults. And what Finn and I had is in the past.”
My stomach roiled with the lie.
“Well, I’m here if you ever need to talk about any of it. Or if you want to, like, print out a picture of him and throw darts at it.”
Palmer called over the radio that we were set to head to the beach and set up, and I smiled at Leah, nodding my thanks.
“Get some rest,” I told her. “I don’t need to talk about my ex, but I do need my stew to feel better.”
“On it,” she said with a salute, and then she crawled back under the covers.
Five minutes later, I was in the tender with the guys headed toward the beach, the salty wind in my hair and one of the cameras pointed right at me. Between the growl of the engine, the slap of waves against the hull, and the occasional holler from Palmer as he steered us toward shore, it was too loud to hear anything.
And my thoughts were the loudest of all.
Finn’s voice echoed, over and over, the words looping like a broken record: No one in the world knows you like I do.
Each repetition peeled back another layer, revealing memory after memory I’d tried to bury. His hands in my hair. His laugh in my ear. His whispered promises in the dark. And then, silence — the space he left behind when he walked away.
My chest tightened, breath shallow as I clenched the edge of the cooler between my knees and forced myself to focus. There was work to be done, a picnic to set, a show to run. But no matter how much I tried to drown him out, his voice cut through — softer than the wind, sharper than the salt in the air.
No one in the world knows you like I do.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the sting behind them, the truth of it sinking in like an anchor.
He was right.
And I hated it.
CHARTER CONFESSIONAL
CLOSE QUARTERS
SEASON 4, EPISODE 3
CHARTER 2
CAMERON DUNN: DECKHAND
PRODUCER
Charter two under your belt! How are you feeling?
CAMERON
Like a bloody pack mule after a week in the Highlands.
PRODUCER
Tell us about beach picnics. Are they common on yachts?
CAMERON
Aye, beach picnics are a right pain in the arse. First, you’ve got to find a beach in the first place, which is a nightmare, because these guests all want something ‘exclusive’ — white sand, crystal-clear water, nae a soul in sight. Then, you’ve got to haul every bit of furniture and food over like we’re setting up a five-star restaurant in the middle of the feckin’ jungle. After that, serve them, cater to their every whim, break it all down again, and then drag it all back to the boat just in time to do more work.
Cameron shakes head.
CAMERON
It’s never fun for the crew. But if you pull it off right, it can mean a hefty tip.
PRODUCER
How do you think this one went?
CAMERON
It was about perfect, wudn’t it? The food was spot on, the beach was a stunner, and service was smooth as a fresh pint of Tennent’s Lager. Not much more you could ask for.
PRODUCER
Did the guests seem happy? And what did you think about them?
CAMERON
This was one of those charters you thank God for. The guests were sound — proper nice, easygoing, and up for a laugh. I had a blast with them on that beach, and you could see they were loving every second of it. Of course… they weren’t the only ones, were they?