Saving Simon (Tarnished Saints Series Book 5) (21 page)

She needed to know what was bothering him, and the only way she would ever find out, was to agree to go on the race with him.

“All right, let’s go,” she said quickly before she changed her mind, and released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“Thanks, Pippa,” he said and kissed her atop the head. “You won’t regret this.”

As Simon helped her board the boat she already felt as if she regretted it. She just prayed she wouldn’t fall overboard or that they wouldn’t lose the race. Because if Simon had to give up the Bosun’s Whistle that meant so much to him to his brother who didn’t care about it at all, she had a feeling there was going to be one hell of a fight breaking out between brothers once they got back to shore.

* * *

Simon kept one eye on Piper donned in her life vest sitting there looking petrified gripping on to the sides of the boat, and the other eye on his brother’s boat as they left the shore.

The race consisted of sailing down to the other end of the lake, around the ‘no wake’ buoy and then back. The first one to make it to Daniel sitting in a rowboat on the finish line was the winner.

“We can do this,” he said to Thad who was standing on the bow of the boat. Piper sat in the middle just outside of the door leading to the cabin, and Simon manned the till.

“They’re coming up on starboard fast,” Thad reported.

“Damn it,” said Simon looking up to the sky as the sun disappeared and thunder was heard in the distance. “Better watch it, Thad, they’re trying to steal our wind.”

“Gotcha,” he answered.

“Ready to tack,” said Simon, and Thad jumped down into the boat to help him.

“Coming about,” Thad called out as he released the boom and the sail started to swing to the opposite direction. Simon glanced over and saw Piper still sitting ramrod straight and realized she didn’t understand what was going on.

“Pippa, get down,” he said, and she looked up just in time to see the boom coming right at her. She lowered her upper body to her knees and held her hands over her head. “It’s clear now, sweetheart, you can get back up,” he told her.

“What just happened?” she asked.

“We have to tack back and forth in order to sail into the wind,” Thad explained.

“When you hear us say ‘coming about,’ then duck down,” Simon told her.

“Maybe it would have been better if you two told me all this before I got on board.”

“You’re doing fine, sweetheart. Just relax,” Simon said, trying to calm her.

A bolt of lightning slashed across the sky just then and he saw Piper jump in her seat when she heard the crash of thunder that immediately followed. The sky opened up and rain poured down.

“I want to go back, Simon, I’m scared,” she cried out and he realized now it was a lot to ask of her to come with, especially when he knew it was going to start storming before they finished the race. She’d gone through a traumatic experience falling off the cruise ship in a storm and he couldn’t blame her that she was frightened now since they were in the same situation once again, and this time on a much smaller vessel.

“Damn,” he said as the Catalina cruised by them, stealing their wind and taking the lead.

“Yo ho ho, brother,” called out Zeb as they sailed right past. Nate didn’t even look at him and Cat sat there and waggled her fingers to Piper as they zipped by, but Piper didn’t let go of the side of the boat to wave back.

“They’re passing us up,” Piper said. “They’re going to win.”

“Not yet they aren’t, don’t worry. I’ve yet to pull out my secret weapon,” Simon said with a slight smile knowing the Catalina didn’t have a spinnaker on it but his boat did. He’d made sure to check yesterday when he was preparing his boat for the race that everything was in working order.

Zeb’s boat made it to the buoy first and was around it and already coming back by the time Simon got to the half-way marker.

“Get that whistle ready for me,” called out Zeb as they rode past.

“Don’t get my new Rolex wet,” Simon called back, thinking how surprised his brother was going to be once he pulled up the spinnaker on the way back and overtook him before he knew what happened.

It was raining harder now, and Piper looked miserable and he felt horrible for even asking her to come with.

“We’re almost done,” he told her, and next when he glanced over he saw her teeth chattering. “Hold the till for a second,” he told Thad, and they quickly changed places. He made his way over to Piper and took off his Skipper’s cap and placed it on her head. “This’ll help keep you dry,” he told her.

“Simon, I’m so cold and wet and I feel sick. I want to go underneath into the cabin.”

“No, honey. If you go down there you’ll only feel sicker. It’s best to stay out here in the fresh air.” He noticed the gooseflesh on her arms and quickly unbuttoned his shirt and took it off and put it around her for added warmth. Her eyes rose up and settled on his chest and he wasn’t sure if it was from the cool breeze or by the way she was staring at his body that made his nipples go erect.

“A little cold there brother?” asked Thad, and Simon looked over to see his brother holding back a smile. He obviously knew there was a sexual attraction between him and Piper and now Simon couldn’t deny it.

“Let’s get this race over with,” he said, noticing the tears in Piper’s eyes now. He knew she’d only done this for him, and he’d have to thank her properly later once he’d won the race.

The winds were getting stronger and the boat tilted sideways so much that the sail was almost touching the water. Piper cried out in fear and Simon helped her move to the high side of the boat before he made his way to the bow to pull out his secret weapon. Zeb was a good distance in front of them now, but just as soon as Simon raised the spinnaker sail, they’d shoot by him so fast he’d probably shit in his pants.

“Simon, you’re crazy,” said Thad from the back of the boat. “It’s too windy and dangerous to put up the spinnaker. Just forget it.”

“Never,” he said, realizing it was a big risk, but it was also one he had to take right now. “Hold on, Pippa,” he said, quickly taking down the jib and putting the spinnaker into place. The large sail went up beautifully and caught the wind, filling up with air, showing off its colored striped sail that was twice the size of the main.

“All right then. Let’s give them a dose of their own medicine,” said Simon and chuckled inwardly, not able to wait to see the look on Zeb’s face as soon as they blew past them and crossed the finish line first. That Rolex was as good as his.

Simon made his way back to the cockpit, holding on to the lines of the sail rather than to cleat them, as he wanted to be in total control of this win. He stared intently at his brother’s boat as they got closer. He worked the spinnaker sail with both hands, holding on tightly, because one slip of concentration and the wind could take the sail and hourglass it, and then they’d be shit out of luck.

“Why does Simon look like that?” he heard Piper ask Thad.

“Oh, that’s just his pirate face,” Thad explained. “He gets that Old Man and the Sea look about him when he’s on a boat with the wind blowing in his face. Don’t even try to talk to him when he’s like that cuz he won’t even hear you.”

“I hear you both just fine,” he growled, “so don’t think I don’t know what the hell is happening on my own boat. Now get ready to smile everyone, cuz we’re about to show Zeb why lawyers should stay in the courtroom and off the water.”

“Hey, loser,” yelled Thad as they breezed past the Catalina. Simon just laughed and nodded his head at them. Nate looked over from the other boat and scowled, and Zeb yelled out a few curse words that weren’t suitable for a lady to hear. If he hadn’t had all he could do holding both hands on the sail lines to keep it from getting twisted, he would have reached out and covered Piper’s ears.

“You didn’t say anything about using spinnakers,” Zeb called out.

“It doesn’t matter, Zeb, you wouldn’t know how to use it anyway,” Simon called back as they left the other boat in their wake.

“Simon, I feel sick,” he heard her Piper say.

“Just hang in their, honey, we’re in the home stretch now.” He looked up ahead and squinted through the rain to see Daniel sitting in the rowboat, holding a long pole with a red flag on one end and a white one on the other. He would wave the white one in the air if Simon won, and use the red one to tell everyone on shore if Zeb came in first, should they cross the finish line at the same time.

“I’m going underneath,” she said. “This is too dangerous out here in the storm.”

“No, just stay put,” he warned her. “Thad, I got the till. Go up to the bow and get ready to help take down the spinnaker as soon as we cross the finish line. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

“Gotcha,” Thad said, waiting until Simon stood over the till, putting it between his knees to control it while he continued to use both hands to direct the sail lines. Simon knew the Catalina was too far back to win now. There was no way in hell they’d ever catch up. In a few minutes, Simon would be the winner. He chuckled thinking how mad Zeb would be, and how much he was going to enjoy wearing his new Rolex and flaunting it in Zeb’s face.

“I can’t take this anymore. I’m sorry, but I’m going inside the cabin before I puke.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Piper stand up in the boat just as Thad was making his way to the bow. It was the worst possible moment for her to do something like this, and when she shifted her weight to the other side of the boat slightly they tilted horribly and she grabbed on to the door of the cabin to steady herself.

With his concentration broken and the shift of balance, the boat was set off course and he saw the boom swinging right toward them.

“Shit!” he cried out. “Watch out, she’s gonna jibe!” He tried to warn Piper, but she just stood there staring at him like a deer in the headlights. He had a split second to decide what to do, and since her safety won over anything, he dropped the lines and reached out and grabbed her and pushed her to the floor of the boat just as the boom sliced over their heads with tremendous force.

“What the hell!” he heard Thad cry out, and the boat veered far off course as the spinnaker tangled and wound around itself making an hourglass shape and twisted around in senseless circles.

He got to his feet and grabbed the lines and the till but it was too damned late. Thad jumped down from the bow trying to help him, but there was nothing they could do to remedy this situation. They’d had such a lead and were a hair’s breadth away from winning, but now they slowed so fast they were more or less dead in the water.

Sure enough, the Catalina shot by them and he just grimaced as Zeb tipped his hat and headed for the finish line. Hoots and hollers went up and Daniel waved the red flag atop the pole from the rowboat as they crossed the finish, announcing to everyone that Zeb had won.

Simon let out a pent-up roar and slammed his palm down atop the hatch with a loud bang. “God dammit!” he shouted. “This can’t be happening. We were supposed to win. We were about to win.”

Then he looked down at Piper lying on the floor of the boat in a few inches of water, crying and he felt even worse. What had he done by insisting she come with? Now, because of her, he’d lost a sailboat race to a lawyer. In a few minutes he was going to be greeted with a mocking crowd and invasive TV cameras back on shore that would let the world know that Simon Zealot Taylor was nothing but a loser.

He knew he was never going to be able to show his face again in public. This whole thing was aggravating and horrifying to him. He had never lost a sailing race to anyone before in his entire life. Until today. He released another frustrated breath and dragged a hand over his wet hair and then turned back to Piper, still lying there at his feet.

“Are you all right, Pippa?” he asked, reaching out a hand and helping her up.

She didn’t answer, just looked at him like she was scared of him now, and this didn’t sit well with him at all. The shiny whistle around her neck swung from the chain and tears dripped down her cheeks as she pushed away from him and darted inside the cabin. That’s when he realized he’d not only lost the race and his pride today, but he’d also lost something that meant the world to him when he’d displayed his little anger problem. And this time, he wasn’t thinking about the damned whistle.

Chapter 17

Piper stayed inside the boat’s cabin crying until they got to the dock, and didn’t come out until Simon came to get her.

“Come on, sweetheart. We need to get you into something dry and out of this damned weather.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she said, pushing past him and letting Thad help her get off the boat.

“Thad, get the boys to help you with the sails,” she heard Simon say, and then as she hurried down the pier, she heard Simon coming after her.

“Pippa, wait up, I want to talk to you.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said, stopping when she saw the crowd of people headed toward them. The brunt of the storm was gone now, and it was still drizzling, but that didn’t stop everyone from rushing out of the marina and right toward them.