Louisa picked up her iPad and opened it to her presentation notes, then outlined her plan for a Coast Guard–sponsored regatta. A full day on and around the water. The thought of it turned her stomach. Would she ever want to go back in the ocean again? She’d been reminded how brutal and angry it could be.

“The goal is to stack the whole day with activities people will want to participate in. There will be a number of races for serious sailors, as well as a few geared toward young sailors. The entire day will be an opportunity to get you in front of people. We can teach them about water safety, show them what to do if they find themselves in a precarious situation at sea, give tours of the base, that sort of thing.”

“How is that going to make money?” a very young-looking guardsman asked.

“Well, that’s the fun part,” she replied. “There will be an entry fee for anyone who wants to sail, of course, and we’ll have business sponsorships, but what we’re most excited about—and what we think will be the biggest draw—is our ‘Race with a Coastie’ event.”

A mix of reactions from the men in the room.

“Race with a Coastie?” someone asked.

“We’re going to do an auction night,” Louisa said, her confidence dwindling, but doing a decent job of faking excitement.

“So you’re going to auction us off?” a guy in the front row asked.

“Basically, yes,” she said.

“Cool,” the guy said with a grin.

“People in the community will get the chance to bid on you, for lack of a better word,” she said. “The highest bidder wins a chance to race with you on the day of the regatta. The auction will be a completely separate affair. Once the teams are formed, you’ll need to have a couple of practices with your teammate, and then the day of the race, it’s every team for themselves.”

The men began chattering, and Louisa’s nerves started to settle. Then she glanced at Cody and wondered if he was being paid to stand guard at the back of the room. He looked like a bouncer outside a bar, for crying out loud.

The other guardsmen seemed to like the idea, so Louisa let them talk for a minute while she drew in a deep breath and tried to avoid Cody’s gaze. He was watching her now—she could feel it—and it sent electric impulses to every nerve ending in her body. She turned away and took a drink of water.

“What’s the money going to go for?” someone asked.

Louisa set her water bottle down and turned around. Her eyes shot to Cody’s—he likely knew this was a touchy subject for the men in that room. Still, his expression remained unchanged.