Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Sail, I don’t have the things to put a tree up, let alone decorate one.”
“You do now,” he said as he shut the car off. “Everything’s in the trunk. Come on, we need to go pick a tree. It’s our first Christmas together. We need a tree.”
It took them about twenty minutes to find the perfect tree. Being that she lived in a studio, she couldn’t have a very tall or bushy one. They’d reached for the same tree, at the same time and both deemed it to be their first tree.
Sail paid and strapped it to the top of his car. The entire drive back to her apartment, she angled her head to look at it through the side mirror, afraid it was going to fly off and hit the car behind them.
Thankfully, they arrived back at her place, the tree safe and sound. While Sail took the tree upstairs, Galvin carried all the Christmas décor Sail had bought for their first tree, and while he set the tree up in the stand, Galvin ordered them takeout from Sail’s favorite pizza place.
They got to work, decorating the tree. Sail had bought string lights, bulb ornaments and gave Galvin a special one to commemorate her first Christmas in Seaport. After they ate pizza and Christmasfied her studio, they sat back, turned the lights off and enjoyed the twinkle.
“It’s amazing how something so simple as holiday decorations can change your outlook on the holiday.”
Sail kissed her temple. “You’re going to have an amazing Christmas, Galvin.”
“I know,” she said as she snuggled into him. “But this, right here, is more than I could’ve ever asked for.”
“I know what you mean.”
By the time Christmas Eve rolled around, Galvin was beside herself with anxiety. While the invitation to the Carter’s had long been extended, she worried about imposing during family time. Figuring Jack and Pearl would want to spend most of their time with their boys, so when Sail said he fully intended to stay at her apartment the night before, she didn’t know what to think. The last thing she wanted was for Pearl to be mad at her.
“Your mom is going to think I’m some . . . I don’t even know the right word,” Galvin said to Sail.
He laughed and pulled her toward him, kissing her lightly. “Believe me, Pearl is just fine. Regardless, I told her we’d wake up here and then head over. My brothers take their sweet time getting out of bed.”
“If you say so.”
“I do,” Sail said as he led her to the couch. “Besides, I want you to open your gift here.”
She sat down and gave him a horrified look. Sail rolled his eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, dirty girl.” He winked, as if he needed the extra to send her mind into overdrive. “It’s something private, between us, and I don’t need anyone bugging me about it.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“Not even close,” he told. Before he sat, he took the box out from under the tree he’d put there after they decorated. She’d since added her gift to him there as well.
“Grab yours to,” she told him before he sat down.
Sail carried his to the couch. He set Galvin’s box on her lap. It was lightweight and wrapped perfectly.
“Should we open them at the same time?”
“We could, but then we’d miss each other’s expressions. How about we flip to see who goes first?”
Galvin agreed. Sail took a quarter out of his pocket and told Galvin to call heads or tails.
“Heads.”
“It’s tails.”
“You go first,” she said, excitement filling her.
Sail slid his hand under the open piece in the back and pushed his hand through until he had to turn the gift over. When all was said and done, he held a frame on his lap. Galvin had taken the photos of him published after his win, along with the frontpage news article, and had them framed. The gold plate at the bottom read:
sail
. . .
Sail Carter
Safe Sea ILCA Regatta
Champion
“Galvin, this is . . . wow!”
“I got the idea when all these amazing photos had been posted online. I reached out, with the help of Crew, to the organizers and asked if we could have the files. They sent them all. I picked my favorite six,” she told him. “You can have the rest of the pictures. There are some really great shots.”
Aside from pictures of Sail with the trophy, there were two photos of him on his boat, one of him where his body was almost prone to the water. It was the first time Galvin really got to see what Sail could do on the water. Watching from the shore was only an iota. Seeing the shots the photographer captured had been eye opening.
“This is amazing. I’m just in awe.”
“You’re pretty talented,” she said. “Margaux put this together for me.”