Spring Break Secret by Holly Rayner
Tom
Tom had been on pins and needles waiting for Louisa to get back to him about the trip. When she finally did, he was elated to hear that she had worked out some time off and that her parents were happy to look after Rei while she was gone.
Someday, Tom hoped, Rei would be able to join them on trips like this. Maybe once she was a little older, he could teach her how to sail, just like he’d learned as a kid. He would take her all around the world and show her all the incredible places he’d been able to travel—but she wouldn’t be expected to take notes or attend business meetings with him. Instead, they’d eat local delicacies, visit museums, and take in the sights together, as father and daughter.
But that dream was a long way off, Tom knew. Louisa still didn’t fully trust him, even though she had agreed to join him for this trip, and he couldn’t blame her. He wanted to win her over, to help her see how genuine his feelings were for her, but he knew you couldn’t rush something like this. All Tom could do was be patient and do his best to show her a great time on board the boat.
The sailboat, named the Sunray Venus, was an exquisite specimen, with a single mast and a polished wood interior with plenty of room for two people to stay comfortable on board. Tom had gotten to the boat a day earlier than their trip was actually scheduled to begin, intending to get everything ready for Louisa. He knew she didn’t have that many opportunities for rest and vacation, and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
Tom already knew how to sail, having learned as a boy from one of his father’s best friends. He’d done a number of sailing trips like this, mostly with Nick and his other friends, but this one felt extra important.
When Louisa arrived at the docks the next day, Tom couldn’t help but bask in the image of her, a light sundress fluttering around her knees, a big sun hat on her head, and one suitcase rolling along behind her.
“Let me get that for you,” Tom said, hauling the suitcase onto the sailboat’s deck before reaching a hand out to help her climb aboard. “Welcome to the Sunray Venus,” he said, throwing his arms wide to show off the ship.
“Sunray Venus!” Louisa exclaimed. “That’s one of my favorite seashells!”
Tom hadn’t even realized that the boat’s name was taken from a seashell, and he listened raptly as Louisa told him about the shell and the animal that lived inside. They were native to the area, she explained, and as a kid she’d liked to collect the shells.
“I’m going to take it as a good omen that the boat is named after your favorite seashell, then,” Tom said, tucking her suitcase below deck as he made to unfurl the sail. “Ready to get going?”
“Aye, aye, captain!” Louisa gave a playful salute and Tom hauled the line down, getting the sailboat going as they headed out of the marina and into the open seas.
“My plan for today,” Tom explained once they were all set on course and he could tie the sail off and relax a bit, “is to get out into the open seas by nightfall. That way we can see tons of stars, and maybe even the Milky Way, once we’re away from all the lights on the shore.”
“Ooh, that sounds awesome!” Louisa was perched up on the rail, looking out over the water, her hair tossing around her face in the wind. “I’ve never slept out on the ocean before.”
“Really?” Tom was surprised, given how much of Louisa’s life was spent in, on, and around the sea.
“Yep. All the boats I’ve been on aren’t really something you’d want to sleep on—just little things to zip around checking on wildlife and collecting samples, things like that.”
Tom remembered the rusty old motor boats he’d seen parked outside the conservation center. If that was Louisa’s only experience of being out on the water in a boat, it stood to reason that she wouldn’t want to sleep there.
“Well, there’s a room all ready for you below deck,” Tom said, “but if you want to sleep out under the stars, I could rig up a hammock for you here.”
Now it was Louisa’s turn for an astonished “Really!?”
“Yep. No problem.”
After a light dinner of grilled shrimp and broccolini, Tom pulled the hammock’s netting from its storage point, stretching it out across the boat’s hull. Louisa hopped in, excited, as Tom rummaged around for the actual sleeping pad, pillow, and blankets that would turn it into a bed.
Once everything was set up, Louisa was tucked in tight, gazing up at the sky.
“Aren’t you cold?” Louisa asked. “It’s always so chilly out here on the water.”
“I’m all right,” Tom shrugged, but Louisa looked unconvinced.
“Come on, get under this blanket with me.” She tossed back the corner, inviting Tom into the snuggly little cocoon of the hammock.
“All right, all right.” Soon Tom was nestled beside Louisa, the hammock swaying gently. The night was cloudless and the moon was only a thin sliver, letting the stars sparkle as brightly as ever.
Louisa knew some of the constellations, and Tom remembered a few more from his trips as a boy. Together, they pointed out the shapes they knew, then made up new ones, laughing at the escalating absurdity of each other’s astronomical creations.
“How do you know it’s Mr. Leatherback, specifically, and not just any sea turtle?” Tom asked after Louisa insisted that a particular cluster of stars looked just like the mascot and inhabitant back at the conservation center.
“I can just tell,” Louisa said. “It’s got his eyes.”
Tom snorted. “Whatever you say, Squid.”
Tom worried that Louisa might protest his use of the nickname—after all, it was something personal, almost intimate, something her family and other loved ones used. But she didn’t say anything, just snuggled in closer and yawned. “I do say, indeed.”
The slow rocking of the boat was lulling them both to sleep, and Tom laid beside Louisa until she was breathing deeply, fast asleep. Not wanting to be presumptuous, Tom slipped out of the hammock, careful not to disturb Louisa, and made his way to his little quarters below deck.