We landed a couple of hours later at SeaTac and taxied to the private terminal. I tried to make an argument for a hotel, but Jimmy wouldn’t hear of it. We walked to the pick-up curb where I’d met with Jimmy when I’d flown in for Summer, when I’d been here last.
“You’re not still thinking of running off to a hotel.” He carried my suitcase in one hand and held my hand in his other. “I won’t make you stay with Mona up at Hill House.”
I looked up at him confused. Hill House was the home Jimmy’s family had in Seattle. It was usually where he stayed when he came into town.
“I’m not staying at a hotel, and I’m not checked in at the haunted mansion. What do you suggest, then?”
“That’s nice, Rain.” He tried to scowl but he couldn’t hide the smile.
“Where do you have in mind?”
“Your place.”
“What are you talking about, Jimmy?” I didn’t have a place here.
He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t answer. Instead he pulled me into one of the black cars waiting by the curb and we drove off.
Recognizing the scratchy jazz station I leaned forward, tapped on the glass divider between us and the driver, and when it came down I waved at Stern through the rear view mirror.
“Good to see you again, Ms. Cruz.” He grinned.
“Where are we going?”
Stern gave me a, ‘yeah, right,’ look and the divider went back up.
“You didn’t think he’d spill the beans, did you?”
My heart ached when we drove past Pike Place Market and headed toward the marina. Jimmy and I got out, and he walked us to the ferry. I started to get curious. He bought tickets to Bainbridge and my stomach started to get queasy. We’d just made the last run to the island. The ferry was almost empty, and we got the good seats in the back by the huge windows.
“Where are we going?”
“You know, you’d be a lot less anxious if you didn’t sit around imagining all kinds of disastrous outcomes to our little trip.” Jimmy handed me a hot chocolate from the snack bar. He sat down in a vinyl chair that looked out at the receding Seattle lights.
“I don’t know what that means, Jimmy.” I was starting to panic now. “You know I hate surprises.”
“You just don’t have experience with good ones.” He took a sip of his cocoa and looked out of the big cold window. A shadow of sadness crossed his face.
We disembarked, and the cool night mist floated as we walked up the winding path from the ferry docks to the main village. Jimmy slipped his arm around my waist. His face lit up with the vapor lights every few yards and I could see there was trouble brewing. My whole body quivered with anxiety. I didn’t know what I was doing here.
Jimmy talked about what Mona had said about Autumn. He showed me the picture on his phone and a pang of sadness rang through me because I would probably never see this beautiful baby in real life. I was so caught up in the details of Parker’s family and Mona’s attempt to ingratiate herself with them that I didn’t notice we had walked to the island’s private marina.
“Jimmy…” My heart raced. His family’s boat was here. He knew what I had done. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know why…”
“I had it fixed, Rain. This isn’t about your, uh, renovations to the boat.” Jimmy put his finger to my mouth.
“What are we doing here, Jimmy?” I stood there shaking. I didn’t understand.
“Just trust me, Rain. Can you do that for just a few minutes?” His arm slipped around my waist again and he led me toward the slip.
I could hardly breathe. “I’ll pay.” I squeaked. “I’ll make it right, I promise.”
“Do you see the name of this boat?” Jimmy spoke softly.
The letters swept across the stern in a beautiful silver script.
My One and Only.
“This is your place, Rain. This is your boat.”
“What?”
“This boat was supposed to be a wedding present,” he said quietly. His gaze searched mine intently. “From me.”
“That…magnificent craft…was for me?”
“Is for you.” Jimmy put a silver key chain with a single key in the palm of my hand. He closed my fingers around the key and kissed my knuckles.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I didn’t deserve this man, at all. He’d had this made four years ago and still believing in us, had kept it pristine until he could give it to me.
I would have set it on fire and dumped the remains on his lawn were our roles reversed. I didn’t have the caliber of heart that Jimmy had.
He watched my face expectantly.
I crumbled and cried and couldn’t get a word out.
“You don’t have to keep it. It doesn’t mean I expect that everything…”
“No,” I gasped through my tears and pulled on his sleeve. “I love it, Jimmy. I absolutely love it.”
He relaxed, but he still looked worried.
“You like it?”
“Oh, Jimmy. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”
“There isn’t anything like it in the world, Rain. Like you, its one of a kind.”
“What?”
“I designed it for you. You were always talking about growing up around all these boats that your dad worked on and how you weren’t allowed…”
I didn’t let him finish. I leapt at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He met my kiss with all the fire and fury and feeling that we’d almost lost forever.
****
When I was able to speak again, we climbed aboard. The broken lamps and picture frames were replaced with new ones. The pillow I’d cried on was gone. A new set of blue silk pillows nestled against the back of the couch.
This was too much to take in, too much to think about. The boat, a wedding present, was not rightfully mine. We were slipping back to years ago, without fixing what had gone wrong.
There was one bedroom, one bed.
His hand slid over mine and I looked at him. Jimmy’s face was calm, assured. His gray eyes held mine. “We won’t make the same mistakes this time, Rain.” He knelt in front of me and kissed the tip of my nose. A heartrending look flitted across his face. “I won’t make the same mistakes. I won’t lead us wrong again.”
I believed him.