Sailor greeted Ella before sliding onto the stool next to Maileah. “Great waves this morning. You should come out sometime.”
“I’m hardly in your league,” Maileah said, feeling her grandmother’s eyes on her. “You’re a real bigshot.”
Sailor ran a hand through his damp hair. “Aw, I don’t know about that. I just do what I like. Some friends and I are taking out a couple of catamarans on Saturday. Want to come with us?”
Maileah’s heart leapt at the idea of gliding over the waves, but then she remembered the promise she’d just made. “I’d love that, but you’re too late. Todd invited me to a cooking class at the Majestic.”
Sailor looked at her as if waiting for the punch line. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shook her head. “I know how that sounds, but I’m sure it will be fun.”
“We need to get you out more,” he said, chuckling. “Cooking class or catamarans. Come on, Maileah. This isn’t hard.”
Ella suppressed a smile as she listened and sipped her coffee.
Maileah shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I promised.”
“Then we’ll go another time,” he said.
Jo served their orders. The three of them chatted with other locals as they ate.
When it was time to go, Maileah turned to Sailor. “See you around.”
“Call me if you need another chaperone,” he said, grinning.
“I don’t think I’ll need your services for a while,” she said. “Todd’s a good guy.”
The smile slipped from Sailor’s face. “Are you saying he’s the one?”
“Why, they’ve only just met,” Ella interjected, turning to Maileah. “Anything could happen, isn’t that right, dear?”
“I guess so.” Maileah felt a little awkward, wondering what Sailor thought of her, but quickly told herself what others thought no longer mattered.
As they left, Maileah waved at Jo, who had been watching the exchange with Sailor. A twinge of regret filled her; she loved being out on the water. But she shook it off, reminding herself of her goals. She walked with her grandmother to Ella’s golf runabout.
When they reached the small vehicle, Ella said, “While I’m impressed with the effort you’re putting into dating—and Todd sounds like a nice young man—have you considered you might have your actions out of order?”
Maileah frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ella touched her arm. “Focus on yourself first. Find work that you’re passionate about and become self-supporting. You’ll be in a much better place to make relationship decisions then.”
Once again, Maileah knew her grandmother’s advice was sound, but the pressure to get all aspects of her life in order was overwhelming. “I often feel like I’m running out of time.”
“Oh, my dear. You have more time than you think. Don’t rush into anything because you think you should.”
Maileah hugged her grandmother tightly. “Thanks, Nana. For everything.”
For the rest of the day, Maileah devoted herself to work. She finished another task for Junie’s website.
She also worked on a plan for marketing services, listing her skills and what she could contribute to business owners. Junie and Knox had gone out, so she barely saw them and didn’t have a chance to speak to her sister.
That night, as Maileah lay in bed, she told herself she was looking forward to seeing Todd again. He was kind and stable, precisely what she needed.
Yet, as she drifted off to sleep, it wasn’t visions of a cooking class that filled her dreams, but the open ocean and the freedom of a catamaran cutting through the waves, its sails full of wind.
The following day, Maileah woke with the realization that while she was excited to see Todd, she dreaded the cooking class. She had lived on take-out and restaurant food in Seattle. Her culinary skills were virtually non-existent.
What if they were asked to make something beyond a salad? The thought of embarrassing herself in front of Todd and a group of strangers made her stomach churn.
