“My sister really likes you,” Leo said as he drove them to the hospital.
“I like her too.” Tia knew this wasn’t exactly conversation fodder, but she didn’t really care, and for a short spell neither of them spoke at all. Tia pretended to be absorbed with the passing scenery as Leo navigated his way through the city. She was determined not to fall into her previous trap—attempting to fill the empty spaces with precarious conversation. That kind of chatter usually got her in much deeper than she intended to go. She knew better, but it was the way she was wired. Unless she kept her mouth closed, she tended to be an open book. Useless in poker and never very good at keeping secrets either. For whatever reason, Leo seemed to amplify these traits in her. Today she would be on her guard. She would put some boundaries into place.
“You’re being awfully quiet today.” Leo glanced her way. “Everything okay?”
“I hope you’re not still offended at my breaking in on your kitchen disco.”
She made an exasperated sigh. “No, of course not.”
“Oh, good.” He looked her way again. “So you’re really okay? Not mad at me? We’re still friends?”
She gave him her brightest smile. “Of course we’re still friends.”
“Good. So you’re just in a quiet mood?”
She nodded but felt guilty. It was as if she’d trained him to think she was quite the conversationalist and now she was shutting him down. And really, for what reason? She let another minute pass before she decided to speak.
“Did you make a decision about Natalie’s engagement ring?” She knew she was probably foolish to go there again, but the truth was, she was curious.
“No . . . not exactly. Although I did give serious consideration to what you said last night. It makes sense.” He sighed. “The problem is, I really can’t afford a ring like that. And to get it—especially with credit—feels like I’m setting us up for failure, you know? Like making her think she can keep up this lavish lifestyle that just doesn’t match up to what a boat captain earns.”
“That’s a good point. Does Natalie understand that? Does she have a realistic picture of what it will be like, I mean, after the wedding? My church back in Norton offers premarital classes to anyone getting married. My best friend Anna took them with her fiancé last year. I think it helped them a lot. Maybe your church has something like that.”
“Not that I know of, but it sounds like a good idea.”
“I’m no expert, Leo, but it seems like you need to have a realistic idea of what it will be like on your end too. I mean, how do you feel about Natalie being a successful attorney?”
“I’m okay with that.”
“Because some guys resent it when their wives . . . well, you know . . .”
“Make more money?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s something that bothers older people more. Like my parents. It unraveled their marriage. Well, sort of.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story . . . but in a nutshell, my parents worked for the same accounting firm, but my mom got promoted to a managerial position. As it turned out, it wasn’t because she was more qualified, though. It was because she was involved with the boss.”
“That’s not good.”
“No. It was a big fat mess.” She sighed as she remembered how they’d been in the thick of it when she’d come down to San Francisco that summer.
“Are your parents still together? Did they work it out?”
“No. They’ve been divorced for about ten years.”
“That’s too bad. I assume you stayed with your dad since I’ve heard you mention him more than your mom.”
“Yeah. My mom and her new husband moved to Tampa. They had a couple of kids.”
“So you have half siblings?”
She nodded. “But I’ve never met them. My mom and I have pretty much lost touch.”
“Are you mad at her?”
“I was mad at first. But I’ve gotten over that. I realized a long time ago that my lack of forgiveness was hurting me more than it was hurting her. Back then I’m sure I wanted to hurt her . . . for the way she hurt my dad and me.”
“Man, that must’ve been tough.” He turned onto the hospital’s street. “You said ten years ago. Wasn’t that about the same time we went to sailing camp?”
“Yeah. Aunt Julie brought me down here because she’d hoped my parents would work things out.”
“Wow, that was a heavy load for a girl your age. To come down here knowing your parents were about to split up. Maybe that explains why you were so quiet that week, keeping to yourself in the galley most of the time.”
“I suppose I was processing a lot of stuff. Plus I was just plain insecure. Most of the kids on the trip knew each other. I was odd girl out. Of course, I also felt more comfortable in the galley.”
“I remember trying to get time with you that week. Unsuccessfully, I might add.” He pulled into a parking space.
“Oh, right,” she said sarcastically.
“It’s true.”
“As I recall, you were being pursued by every girl on the boat,” Tia said as she reached for the picnic basket.
“Even if that were true, do you think that was my fault?” Leo got out the cooler as well as her ukulele case.
“Of course it was your fault,” she teased. “You were so charming that the girls simply couldn’t resist you.”
He laughed. “Those were girls I’d known most of my life. We were just comfortable with each other. No big deal.”
“Hey, why wasn’t Natalie at that camp?”
“She was.”
Tia blinked. “She was?”
“You don’t remember the tall, awkward, skinny girl with braces and zits and mousy brown hair?”
Tia did remember a girl like that. In fact, she’d even felt sorry for her. She had liked that Leo was as nice to her as he was to the other girls. “Yeah, I do remember her, but not her name.”
“She went by Nattie back then.”
“No way!” Tia stared at him. “That was your Natalie?”
“Yep!” He laughed as they went into the hospital.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Well, then just ask her.”
“That’s crazy.” Tia shook her head. “Does Natalie remember me from that camp?”
“She didn’t at first. But I told her about you and then she got it.”
“You told her about me?” Tia glanced nervously at him. “What did you tell her?”
“Just that you were the cook.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”
“Oh.” She nodded, feeling both relieved and curious. Why didn’t he tell Natalie about the kiss? Was he embarrassed? But as they got into the elevator with several others, she knew this was neither the time nor the place for such questions. In fact, there probably never would be a time or place.
“Something smells good,” a middle-aged man said as the elevator went up.
“It’s cannelloni.” Leo pointed to the basket. “She made it.”
“Well, if it’s as good as it smells, you kids should open a restaurant.”
“That’s exactly what we’re doing.” Leo quickly explained about dinner cruises on the Pacific Pearl. “Hopefully we’ll start running them by midsummer.” The doors opened on their floor. “Look for our website,” he called as they exited.
“We have a website?” Tia asked.
“We will.”
“You’re quite the PR man,” Tia said as they went down the hallway.
“Thanks. I do what I can.”
Tia knocked lightly on Roland’s door. “Room service,” she called out as she cracked it open. “Sunday dinner for Mr. Sheffield.”
“Just in time too.” Julie waved them in. “Roland was starting to gnaw on the sheets.”
Tia laughed as she unwrapped the cannelloni and took it to Roland’s bed.
“Oh, my.” He took a long, slow whiff. “I must’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“Oh, Roland,” Julie scolded as she opened the basket. “Please don’t joke like that.”
“Sorry, honey.” He made an apologetic smile. “But what’re we waiting for? Let’s eat!”
While Julie set up the food on a side table, Tia laid a red-and-white checked tablecloth on Roland’s bed table. She set out his silverware, a wine glass (which she planned to fill with sparkling cider), and the small vase of flowers.
“Very nice.” He rubbed his hands together. “But where’s the food?”
“Here you go.” Julie set a salad plate before him.
“Ah, now that’s a salad.” Roland picked up his fork.
“How about if we ask a blessing first?” Julie suggested. She looked at Leo. “Care to do the honors?”
“Glad to.” They all bowed their heads as Leo said a simple blessing over the food as well as over Roland’s surgery the next day.
“Amen,” they all said together.
“Let’s eat.” Roland dove into his salad as the others filled their own salad plates.
“This is fun,” Roland said as Tia filled his wine glass and set a generous slice of bread by his salad plate. “I should come to the hospital more often.”
“Oh, Roland.” Julie shook her head.
Before long, Tia began dishing out the cannelloni, putting the first plate in front of her uncle. “Ah, this is what I’m talking about,” he said gratefully.
She refreshed his sparkling cider and added another slice of bread. “I just hope it’s not too much.” She suddenly felt concerned.
“Don’t worry,” Julie assured her. “He’s only going to have chicken broth and Jell-O for dinner.”
“Unless I sneak another portion of this under my pillow,” he teased.
“You need to save room for dessert,” Tia warned him.
“Dessert?” His eyes lit up. “Dare I hope that it’s what I think it is?”
She stifled a smile. “Well, you used to like my tiramisu . . .”
“Ah!” He sighed. “What a wonderful last supper.”
“Last supper indeed,” Julie scolded. “That is not funny, Roland.”
“Well, last supper before surgery,” he said as he used a crust of bread to wipe marinara sauce from his plate.
“I can’t remember the last time I had such a delicious meal,” Leo said as he went for a second helping of cannelloni. “Thanks for letting me crash your party, Roland.”
“Glad you could come,” Roland told him.
“The last time I tasted Tia’s cooking, it was good, but not this good.”
“What do you mean the last time?” Julie asked.
“Oh, didn’t Tia tell you that we went to sailing camp together about ten years ago?”
“You went to that camp?” Julie looked surprised. “So you two already knew each other?”
“Yeah.” Leo exchanged glances with Tia. “Tia spend most of her time in the galley, but her efforts were appreciated.”
“You never told me you knew Leo.” Julie shook a finger at Tia.
“Well, I guess it never really came up.” To distract them, Tia lifted the tiramisu from the picnic basket, removing the plastic lid and presenting it to her uncle. “How about this?”
“You are an angel,” he told her. “But we really need an espresso to go with it.”
“You’re right,” Tia said, “but I didn’t think of that.”
“I’ll run to the Starbucks kiosk downstairs,” Leo offered. “Four espressos coming up.”
After Leo left, Julie turned to Tia. “You and Leo at sailing camp together? That is so interesting.”
“Interesting?” Tia feigned ignorance as she cut into the tiramisu.
Roland started chuckling. “Your aunt thought she was going to play cupid,” he told Tia.
“What?”
“But her plans got squelched,” Roland lowered his voice, “when she learned that Leo and Natalie got engaged.”
“Oh, Roland.” Julie frowned at him. “Really!”
“You know it’s true, sweetie.” He poked Tia as she removed his empty dinner plate. “You should’ve heard your aunt complaining all morning long. Going on about her spoiled plans and bad timing.”
“Oh, Julie.” Tia gave her a dismal look. “I hope you never say anything like that to Leo.”
“Of course not.” Julie rinsed a plate in the sink. “I’m not an idiot.”
“I’m sure you’re happy for Leo and Natalie.” Tia carefully set a square of tiramisu on a dessert plate, putting a sprig of mint beside it.
“Yes, yes.” Julie set a rinsed plate aside. “I’m sure they’ll be perfectly happy together.” She shook a finger at Tia. “But I can’t believe you never told me that you already knew Leo. I didn’t think we kept secrets from each other, dear niece.”
“I, uh, I just didn’t think it was important.” Tia turned her attention back to dishing out the dessert. She still remembered how she’d very nearly told Julie about Leo after sailing camp ended. How close she’d come to blurting out her excitement over her first kiss. But so much had been going on at the time. It had been the end of summer, and Tia’s flight home had been the next morning. There just hadn’t been time.
“Here comes the espresso express,” Leo announced as he entered the room with the coffee carrier in hand.
“That was quick.” Tia tossed warning glances at Julie and Roland. Hopefully they would have the good sense to put the kibosh on the previous conversation.
“There was no line at Starbucks.” He set the coffees next to the tiramisu.
“Perfect timing.” Tia set a dessert plate in front of Roland, and Leo followed her with a coffee.
“Perfetto.” Roland beamed at them as he picked up his fork.
The room got quiet, except for compliments to the chef, as they all enjoyed the chilled dessert. Tia glanced nervously at Leo, wondering if he had any idea what his boss had hoped to hatch with her invitation for Tia to come to San Francisco. Was that the only reason Julie had asked her to come down here? No, that was ridiculous. Julie had asked her here because she knew Tia was a good chef. At least Tia hoped so. Still, it was unsettling to think that Julie had hoped to make a match between Leo and Tia. It was time for Tia to start distancing herself from Leo. Not a moment too soon.