I smiled and handed Luke a cup of coffee. “Your wish is my command.”
“Oh, really?” Luke wagged his eyebrows meaningfully. I knew what that meant. Luke felt a burning desire.
For the sea.
“Yes, really. Let’s eat and get to the slip in Patchogue. We haven’t taken Phoenix out for a long time.”
“I know,” Luke said. “Security doesn’t like the idea of us going out without some kind of backup. I told Frank that it was highly unlikely that Blaine or Eric will chase us around the Island in a speedboat. I think we can do it safely now. We’ve heard and seen nothing out of order. Hopefully, Blaine has given up his dreams of vengeance.”
I shrugged, not quite as optimistic as Luke.
Blaine had very little left in his life now that he was waiting for his trial. My father said that made Blaine more dangerous, not less. Our only hope was that Blaine found someone else to dominate and would leave me and Luke and Leif alone. Blaine was still a threat and was the primary reason Luke kept the security firm on the payroll. I had almost become used to having so much security around me, but there were moments when it still shocked me. I hoped Blaine had just given up, deciding that there were better victims to find and abuse. He’d already done enough damage - to Candace and to my nerves and reputation.
“We have to live our lives,” Luke said. “I’m keeping security in place, but I think we can safely take the Phoenix out for a run without worrying too much. If Frank insists, he can rent a boat from the local yacht club and follow us around the island.”
I nodded. “Let’s get breakfast and then go. I can’t wait to get out on the water.”
“Me, too,” Luke said, smiling. I saw the fatigue evaporate in his eyes at the thought of sailing and knew it was the right decision.
With that, we grabbed our things and left the room for the restaurant and breakfast.
We had the whole day ahead of us, and I intended to enjoy every minute of my time with Luke.