6

Blowing her nose, Tia scolded herself for being such a big baby. Normally she wasn’t an overly emotional or dramatic sort of person. She considered herself a realist, pragmatic and practical. If something broke, she would try to fix it. If it couldn’t be fixed, she would move on. In this case, she needed to move on. If not physically, at least emotionally. Lecturing herself on these things, she wandered aimlessly around her aunt and uncle’s beautiful home.

To distract herself from her heartache, she tried to see what had changed in this house since her last visit ten years ago. She had been impressed with the sprawling ranch home back then, but somehow she felt even more impressed now. Perhaps it was because she had a better understanding of money and how hard it was to come by. Things she’d taken for granted as a teen suddenly captured her attention. The original art, old Persian carpets, interesting antiques. The house was a showplace. She knew this water-view home had to be worth more than a million dollars. Probably more like two or three. Kind of mind-blowing when you came from a middle-class family in a small Podunk town. Dad and Uncle Tony sometimes made fun of how Julie had “married up.”

It was no secret that Roland came from an extremely wealthy family. And he’d worked quite successfully as an investment broker. He’d been so successful, in fact, that according to Tia’s dad, Julie had embarked on numerous small business ventures simply to “lose” money. “A tax write-off,” Dad explained to her after she returned from San Francisco wanting to know how Julie could afford to run a fancy clothes boutique without being very concerned over her lack of clientele.

According to Dad, the recent economy had changed some of that for Julie and Roland. Walking through their home, though, it seemed obvious that they were still very well off. Their kitchen, which had been a little dated when Tia had visited before, was completely remodeled. Subzero fridge, commercial-grade gas stove with an oversized hood, two built-in convection ovens, wine fridge, double drawer dishwashers—not to mention fabulous cherry cabinets, granite countertops, and all the trimmings. Judging by appearances, the Sheffields were definitely not hurting. Well, except that Roland was in the hospital, facing life or death surgery in a few days. Money wouldn’t be able to fix that.

Tia stood before the tall stone fireplace, studying a recent photo of Julie and Roland. She knew it was recent because although Julie looked pretty much the same, Roland looked so much older. He still had his beard, but it was completely white now. Tia knew that Roland was fourteen years older than her dad, which meant he was about sixty-five. Meanwhile Julie was barely forty.

Suddenly Tia felt a deep pang of compassion for her aunt and uncle and grabbed up her phone to send a quick text, asking how Roland was doing and if there was anything she could do to help tomorrow. As she hit send, she hoped Julie would ask her to come to the hospital to keep her company or perhaps to do something around the house. Any excuse for not going to the boat with Leo tomorrow. Within minutes, Tia’s phone was ringing with a call from Julie. First she gave the update on Roland. “He’s stabilized, and of course, he thinks because he feels fine, he should come home. What he doesn’t fully appreciate is that without all these machines and blood thinners and whatnot, he would not be alive. But it’s going to be a long weekend. I plan to be here most of the time.”

“Tell him I’m still praying for him,” Tia said. “Send him my love.”

“I’ll do that. And thanks for offering to help,” Julie said. “But the most helpful thing you can do right now is to keep the renovations on the boat moving along. I’ve lined up various workers, but there’s a lot to do before they get there. Maybe it was naïve, but I’d imagined you and I doing it together. Our way to get ourselves familiar with the boat, you know?”

“I’m willing to do whatever you need,” Tia told her.

“Great! I left my boat bag on board.” She explained that her “boat bag” was actually a big blue canvas case where she kept a notebook, samples, and catalogs all pertaining to the boat renovation. “The notebook has a long to-do list right in the front. You’ll see that I’ve made some progress, but if you could start attacking it again, I’d be so grateful, Tia.”

“You got it.”

“The bag is in the stateroom.”

They talked a bit longer, but as they said good-bye, Tia realized that she had no good excuse not to go with Leo tomorrow. Julie needed her help on the boat, and Tia was determined not to let her down. Since it was getting late and tomorrow would be an early day, Tia turned off the house lights and went to the guest room—the same one she’d occupied during her last visit. Judging by the fresh flowers on the dresser next to the neat stack of towels and basket of toiletries, she was in the right room.

As Tia got ready for bed, she blocked all thoughts of Leo from her mind. Or nearly all. But as soon as she turned out the lights and got into bed, it all came flooding back at her. She could feel the lump in her throat as the tears gathered again. Instead of surrendering to it, she pulled out an old trick that Grandma D’Amico had taught her to use after her parents’ divorce—a way to trick your mind into thinking about something else until you fell asleep. She started to count her blessings in alphabetical order.

After tossing and turning all night, Tia didn’t wake up until 7:45. Scrambling to get dressed and a bite to eat, she was just putting her hair into a ponytail when she heard the doorbell ringing. It was barely 8:00, but feeling no need to primp today, she was ready. Since Leo appeared to believe in promptness, she grabbed her sweatshirt and backpack, then hurried out to join him. As she went, she told herself that today was just about work. That was all. She would not let her emotions or her imagination run away with her. If they did, she would do something drastic—like jump into the bay—to make it stop.

“Good morning,” Leo said brightly as she emerged.

“Morning!” She forced a cheery smile as she locked the front door. She figured she’d be doing a lot of fake smiles today. Might as well get used to it.

“Ready to rock and roll?” he asked.

“You bet.” She slipped the spare key into her backpack and looked all around. “Looks like the fog’s gone.”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be another sunny day.”

“Cool. I can’t wait to see the boat.” She hurried down to the Jeep, opening the passenger door before Leo could do it first. Hopefully she was sending him a clear message—she did not need him to be a gentleman.

“Well, the Pacific Pearl is a real beauty,” he said as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Okay, I guess she’s a beauty in disguise. But she’s a classic. Circa 1958, but completely restored a few decades ago. Roland’s mom wanted to give the Pearl a ‘modern’ update back in the 1980s.” He shook his head in dismay as he backed out of the driveway. “Lots of pink and plum and lavender colors, and this horrible flowery wallpaper. Fortunately, they only covered the surfaces. Most of the original stuff, all that mahogany and brass and teak, is still underneath.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“The one good thing about their restoration is that they completely overhauled the engine room—and they did it right. The Pacific Pearl has guts. She can go.”

“How big is she?”

“Not too big. At least by today’s standards for yachts. Just sixty-two feet. Julie estimates that after it’s opened up inside—she’s taking out all but the one stateroom that’s clear in the back—there should be enough space for tables to accommodate fifty diners. And up to seventy-five if it’s not seated dining.”

“That sounds like a nice number.” Tia nodded. “Not too overwhelming.”

“Yeah, we figure the smallness will be part of the attraction,” he explained. “There are a lot of big dinner yachts already running the bay. But most of them are huge and corporate owned. You feel like you’re on a mini-cruise. The Pearl should feel more intimate, more luxurious. Plus you’ve got that old world classic feeling.”

“With fewer diners, I’m guessing it’s more about quality than quantity, so Julie can probably charge more than those big lines.”

“That’s the plan.”

They continued chatting about the boat as he wound his way down to the marina, and for a few minutes Tia nearly forgot all about her broken heart. It wasn’t until he had parked and they were walking down to the wharf that she noticed how handsome he looked. He was casually dressed in worn khaki shorts and a faded gray T-shirt, and his sandy hair was blowing in the wind. But it was the earnest expression in his ocean blue eyes that got her. As he gazed out over the bay, eagerly taking it all in, she was reminded of the boy who had kissed her ten years ago. Her steely resolve to keep her mind under control was crumbling.

However, she was not about to jump into the bay. Instead, she mentally slapped herself and followed up with a silent scolding. Get over it!

“You okay?” he asked as he led her down one of the docks.

“Yeah, sure.” She shrugged. “Why?”

“You just looked so serious, like something was wrong.” He switched the small duffle bag he was carrying to the other hand as he paused to study her. “Did you hear from Julie lately? Is Roland okay?”

She filled him in on what Julie had told her last night. “Mostly I think Roland is getting antsy. Can’t be fun being stuck in the hospital over the weekend.”

“Maybe we should run over and visit him after work today.”

“I would like to see him,” she admitted.

“It’s a date.”

She bristled at that word. Did he have to call it a date?

“Well, there she blows.” He pointed to a long white boat occupying half the length of the dock. “The Pacific Pearl.”

She studied the sleek body of the craft. The upper portion, made of gleaming wood, was somewhat boxy—giving it a retro look. But all in all it was absolutely delightful. She wished she had her sketch pad with her because she’d love to sketch it. “I love it!” she exclaimed. “It’s a gorgeous boat.”

“Well, be warned, she looks better on the outside than the inside.”

“She’s such a classic.” Tia sighed. “All those windows—that will probably be great for the diners.”

“Yeah. Julie wants both indoor and outdoor dining, but knowing San Francisco, the indoor dining will probably be the most useful.” He pulled a long plank from behind a Dumpster, leaning it onto the side of the boat like a gangway. He grinned as he reached for her hand. “Come aboard.”

She reluctantly took his hand. Okay, she was partly reluctant and partly rejoicing. But it was the rejoicing part that needed to go jump in the bay. “Thanks,” she said as she made her way up the slightly wobbly gangplank. Once she was on board, she looked around the decks. “It looks like it’s been beautifully maintained,” she said in wonder. “I thought Julie said it needed work.”

“The exterior’s in excellent shape,” he agreed.

“What kind of wood is this?” She ran her hand over the glossy exterior wall of the cabin. “It’s so rich looking.”

“Most of the exterior wood is teak,” he said as he unlocked the cabin door.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Brace yourself.” He grinned as he opened the door. “Welcome to the eighties.”

She stepped into the main cabin, grimacing at the pastel upholstery, floral print wallpaper, whitewashed wood cabinets, and plum shag carpeting that was sun-bleached in places. “Ugh, this is really bad.”

He pointed to a section of wood that had been stripped of the whitewashing and restored to its original rich red-brown tone. “Fortunately, the mahogany can be brought back.”

“That’s good.”

“But most of these interior walls are going to be removed.” He opened a door on the back wall, leading her down a dark, narrow hallway. “The berths and stateroom are back here. But most of this will all be opened up to accommodate seating. That’s why Julie decided to wait on the wood refinishing. Wait until the footprint is done.”

“Makes sense.” Tia peeked into one of the berths, surprised to see that it was almost as big as the bedroom she’d had at her dad’s house. But it could have slept four passengers with two sets of bunk beds. The next berth was a bit larger with two twin-sized beds and some nice built-ins.

“This must be the stateroom,” she said when she came to a door at the end of the hall.

“Yep. It’s the only space that Julie plans to pretty much leave as is.”

She opened the door to reveal a fairly large room with a queen-sized bed and lots of handsome built-ins. Unlike the main cabin, this room had its original wood, and other than the flowery bedspread, it was fairly nautical looking. “This is actually quite nice.”

“Yeah. Not sure how it missed the eighties makeover, but lucky that it did.”

“For sure.” She spotted the canvas bag on a dresser. “That must be Julie’s boat bag. I’m supposed to start working on her to-do list.”

“Great. So you’re all set then?”

“I guess so.”

“I’ll either be working on some things outside on deck, or in the engine room, or in the cockpit. If you need me, just go outside and holler—or ring the bell by the door and I’ll hear you.”

She thanked him and, relieved to be alone, opened one of the portholes to let some fresh air into the musty stateroom. The bedspread reminded her of an old woman’s overgrown flower garden. Roland’s mother obviously had a penchant for these colors and prints, but seeing the original woodwork and untouched built-in cabinets gave her hope.

“You’re such a beautiful boat,” she said as she retrieved Julie’s canvas boat bag. “I’m glad you’re going to get some help.” She emptied the bag onto the queen-sized bed. She admired the various samples for fabric and paint and wood stain and all sorts of things. There were also catalogs of hardware and fixtures and furnishings and kitchenware. Many of the pages were flagged with Post-its. Julie had clearly been doing her homework.

The more Tia studied the contents of the boat bag, the more she understood where Julie was headed. Her vision for the boat’s interior was classic. The color scheme was simple. A crisp, clean off-white and nautical blue, offset with the rich mahogany and golden brown cork floors. There were even some hand-drawn blueprints for the boat’s decks. The main cabin area was all opened up with spaces for tables, pretty much like Leo had described, but she was actually starting to envision it now.

The to-do list started with lots of hands-on tasks like removing wallpaper, carpeting, and furnishings. Tia had seen a fair number of home remodeling shows and suspected this would be considered a gut job. She wondered what the kitchen (aka the galley) was like. That was the area that really interested her. Since she hadn’t seen any sign of it on this portion of the boat, she suspected it was on the other side of the cabin, or even on a lower deck.

She left her backpack and sweatshirt in the stateroom and set out to do some more exploring, taking the notebook with her. It was fun having the place to herself—or nearly so, because she could hear some thumping and bumping going on somewhere on the boat. She assumed it was Leo, but it was possible that other workers were there too.

She eventually found a steep ladder that led to a small galley beneath the main cabin. After a quick inventory, it was obvious that the galley would be a gut job too. No way could the four-burner propane stove produce quality cuisine for fifty to seventy-five diners. She poked around some more, discovering some storage areas as well as what must’ve been berths for crew members. If it was all taken out, the kitchen easily could be expanded. She would recommend that a dumbwaiter be installed too.

Since she hadn’t seen any drawings of this in the blueprints, she decided to make a rough sketch of her own, trying to design what she felt would be an efficient commercial galley within a relatively small space. It was a challenge, but after several failed attempts, she thought she was getting closer. It was at least a jumping-off place. She would show it to Julie when they went to visit this afternoon.

Another thing Julie would need to address was the restrooms—or “heads,” as they were called on a boat. Julie had probably already considered this, but just the same, Tia made notes and suggestions.

Finally, after she felt fully familiar with the interior spaces, she was curious to see what the outside decks were like. How many diners could be accommodated out there? Stepping out, she was impressed again with how handsome the exterior part of this boat was. It would look classy and elegant cutting through the bay. Not to mention romantic. It had that kind of old Hollywood appeal. And with a few strings of white lights in the right places, perhaps some festive lanterns, it would be a fabulous place for an anniversary party or even a small wedding.

As she stood there in the bowsprit, her mind sprinted ahead, and she was suddenly imagining her own wedding. It came rushing at her so quickly that she couldn’t stop it. Or perhaps she didn’t want to. She saw herself in a lovely but simple white dress, and she was barefoot, with her long hair flowing freely on her shoulders and a sea breeze gently blowing over her sun-warmed skin. Beside her stood her handsome groom, and together they faced the minister, who was leaning against the bowsprit railing. Meanwhile, the sky on the horizon was painted with the most beautiful sunset colors. And standing behind them were only their closest family and friends. After the ceremony, they would dine on a fabulous catered seafood dinner.

“What’s up?”

Tia spun around in the bowsprit to see Leo curiously watching her. “Nothing,” she said quickly, stepping down from the bowsprit. “I was just getting a feel for the boat. Imagining how we might run strings of white lights around this banister. When the weather is fair enough, the diners could eat outside.” She pointed to the wide deck area. “I think we could probably get four or five small tables out here. That would seat about twenty diners. Not bad.”

He nodded with a thoughtful expression. “Sounds like you’ve really been giving this some consideration.”

“I have,” she said as she pushed past him. “And now I’m going to go strip some wallpaper.”

“Need any help?”

She wanted to yell, “No, I don’t need any of your help!” Instead she just turned and glared. “Don’t you have work to do in the engine room or something?”

“I already told Julie I’d help with the wallpaper stripping.”

“Oh.”

“Do you even know how to strip wallpaper?” he challenged.

She shrugged. “How hard can it be?”

He chuckled. “That just shows that you don’t know what you don’t know. As it so happens, I’ve stripped lots of it from my grandmother’s house. So I’m experienced.”

“Then I guess I should be grateful for your help.” She made a stiff smile.

“Cool. I’ll grab some tools and be there in a minute.”

As she went inside, she knew it was hopeless. Trying to control her feelings toward Leo was like trying to control the tide. She stared out the window into the shimmering blue bay. Maybe it really was time to jump overboard.