Tia hadn’t been exaggerating when she told Leo how much she liked the freedom of riding a bike. It felt so right to go zipping down the street, the cool air whooshing past her. She was in her element. And despite feeling gloomy about cutting some ties with Leo, she felt very nearly happy.
She locked her bike to the Dumpster, which appeared to have been recently emptied, then pulled out the makeshift gangplank and made her way onto the boat. Fishing the key from her backpack pocket, she let herself into the main cabin and looked around. Even stripped of the hideous wallpaper and carpet and furnishings, it still looked somewhat dismal. But what she really wanted to look into was the stateroom. Julie had given her the green light to tear into it, and that was just what she planned to do.
She’d poked around the room a bit last week, enough to discover there was stuff that needed to go. Musty old linens and clothes and personal items that had been left behind in the cabinets and drawers. Nothing of value or importance as far as she could see. She was eager to clear it all out. She grabbed up a couple of trash bags and started to fill them. As always, she was careful to separate what might be reusable to donate to a thrift shop and what truly was destined for the landfill.
By 5:30, she had removed everything except the mattress, a few cleaning supplies, and a couple rolls of toilet paper. Because the mattress appeared to be in good condition, she went ahead and pulled out a set of white queen-sized sheets and blue lightweight blanket she’d found in the cupboard and neatly made the bed. Feeling pleased with herself, she decided to try it out. Not bad. She told herself as she stood up and straightened it again that it might be a nice place to sneak in a quick nap during a long day of work on the boat.
Satisfied that her work for now was done, she took the bulging trash bags out, and after tossing a couple in the Dumpster, she left the recyclable one on a covered area of the deck. Still not ready to leave, she retrieved her backpack from the cabin and locked the door, then settled down in one of the wooden deck chairs, situating it to look out over the boat-filled docks. She pulled out her sketch pad and pencils, and after gazing at the peaceful scene for several minutes, she started to sketch.
Feeling inspired, she worked quickly for nearly an hour. Noticing how the light was changing and worried she’d soon be in shadows, she paused to take some photos on her phone, then returned to her sketch.
Nearly two hours had passed when she finally stood and stretched. If she wanted to make it home in daylight, it was time to leave. But for a moment, she considered just spending the night here. Why not sleep in the stateroom? That way she’d be ready to get back to work in the morning. Except that she was hungry. She was just about to close her sketch pad when she heard a loud clunking sound on the starboard side. Curious to see if something had collided with the boat, she hurried over to peer down the side.
“Leo!” she exclaimed when she recognized the occupant of a small rowboat. “What on earth are you doing down there?”
He grinned up at her. “Same question back at you.” He tied his boat to a ladder that was suspended from the Pacific Pearl and quickly scampered up.
“Is that your boat?”
“One of them.” He hopped onto the deck.
“One of them?”
“Yeah. This is my exercise boat. Manpowered.” He scratched his head. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
She explained about cleaning out the stateroom, pointing to the trash bag still on deck. “It felt good to get it done.”
“Nice work.” He picked up her still opened sketch pad, studying it closely. “Did you do this?”
She shrugged. “Yeah . . . I mean, who else would’ve done it? I’m the only one here. Or I was.”
“This is really good, Tia.”
“Oh, well, it’s okay. More like exercise.” She smiled. “Like your little boat.”
He looked at her with a curious expression. “For someone who calls herself ‘simple,’ you’re not.”
She frowned. “No, I actually am simple. As in, I like simplicity. I prefer a simple lifestyle. Uncomplicated, you know?”
He laid her sketch pad down and nodded.
“I told you what I was doing here,” she said. “How about you?”
“Oh, I like to pop over sometimes. You know, after being away for a day. Just to be sure everything’s okay.”
“But you came by rowboat?” She peered out toward the foggy bay. “From where exactly?”
“From my house.”
“You rowed from your house?”
He chuckled.
“Seriously?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“No, I believe you. I just can’t quite wrap my head around it.” Did Leo really have a bayside home? If so, he was obviously wealthier than she realized. That would be a good thing where Natalie was concerned. Perhaps he could afford that big diamond after all. “You live on the waterfront?” She could feel herself fishing.
“You could say that.”
She remembered some waterfront condos she’d noticed on her bike ride down here. That was probably where he lived. Not that they looked inexpensive. As far as she knew, nothing was inexpensive in this area.
“You’re not curious about my house?” He had a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
She picked up her sketchpad and pencils, slipping them into her backpack. “Sure, I’m curious.”
“I can show it to you if you’d like. It’s only a short boat ride away.”
She looked out over the bay with the fog steadily creeping in. “You won’t get lost in this fog?”
“Oh, this is nothing. Besides, I have my GPS.”
The idea of taking a rowboat ride was actually rather appealing. And yet . . . what about her resolve? “I, uh, I have my bike here. And it’ll be dark in an hour. I should probably go—”
“Come on,” he urged. “Besides, I want to show you something.”
“What?” She studied him, trying to determine his true motives. But it seemed like he wanted nothing beyond good honest friendship. And remembering his generous support with her and Julie today, what right did she have to judge him?
“I’ve been working on that coffee table we rescued last week. It’s looking pretty good.”
“Okay,” she said suddenly. “If you’re sure it’s just a few minutes away from here.”
“Yeah. If I row fast.” Just like that, she was sitting in the bow of his rowboat, watching as he put his shoulders into the oars, rapidly cutting through the water.
“Do you feel like you’ve been kidnapped?” he asked.
“Sort of,” she admitted.
“Arr, matey, I’m hauling you off to me pirate ship,” he said in a good pirate voice. “Where I’ll shackle you to me galley. And there you will cook for me scallywag chums.”
She laughed as she unzipped her backpack, pulling out her hoodie sweatshirt to fend off the damp air. Leo seemed to be steering the rowboat toward the houseboat section of the bay. Tia studied the varied and interesting architecture of the floating homes coming into view. “Don’t tell me you live on a houseboat,” she said as he continued on into this area.
“Something wrong with that?”
“Of course not. But it’s just not fair. You get to be a boat captain and live on a houseboat too? I’m getting seriously jealous.”
He laughed. “Sorry about that.”
“Really, you live on a houseboat?” She stared up at a tall white multistory houseboat with lots of windows and a big brown dog watching them from an upper deck.
“I do.”
“Wow. Being a boat captain must pay better than I imagined.”
He laughed. “No, I’m sure you imagined it about right.”
“These homes are gorgeous,” she said as he continued rowing past well-maintained and interesting structures. No two were alike. Unless she was mistaken, they were not inexpensive either. She even pulled out her phone, snapping a few pics and hoping that none of the homeowners minded. It was so picturesque. She could imagine doing a watercolor of this.
“Here we are.” He slid his boat beside a modest houseboat. It was single story, covered in weathered cedar shingles, with fresh white trim framing the numerous windows. Very attractive. Everything looked spick-and-span and inviting. He tied the rowboat to the small dock and gave her a hand as she stepped out. “Home sweet home,” he declared.
“Very nice.” She nodded with approval as he led her past a couple of white Adirondack chairs and up to a door painted in glossy royal blue paint. “Well-maintained too.”
“You should’ve seen it a few years ago. Back when my grandmother let me start living here.” He slipped his key into the door. “It was in serious need of help.”
“It’s your grandmother’s house?”
“It was then. But she passed on a few years ago.” He opened the door, waving her inside. “She left it to me.”
Tia entered the surprisingly open space. “Wow, this is nice, Leo.” With one quick glance, she took in the hardwood floors, the windows that looked out onto the bay, a small stone fireplace with a woodstove insert, and a kitchen with creamy white cabinets and some sort of stone countertop. “It’s really lovely.”
“Thank you.” Leo pointed to a wall that was painted in a very pale aquatic blue. “Remember I told you about removing wallpaper? All of these walls were covered in big bold stripes.”
She suddenly noticed the round coffee table in front of a tan corduroy couch. “Wow, this looks great. You got the whitewash off.” She went over to touch the rich, dark surface.
“Yeah. All it took was a stripping product and some steel wool, along with a lot of elbow grease. The good news was that the whitewash came off without ruining the original finish. They must’ve used spar varnish back when it was made, because it was pretty tough. I’ll apply one more finish coat and call it good.”
“It looks perfect in here.” She shook her head in wonder. “Aren’t you glad you salvaged it?”
“For sure.” He pointed at her. “You should get some credit. You’re the one who spotted it.”
“Mind if I check out your kitchen?” she asked. “I kinda have a thing for kitchens.”
“Not at all. I’m afraid it’s pretty modest.”
She went over to look more closely. He had a decent-looking propane stove and good-sized fridge. He even had a dishwasher. “I wouldn’t call this modest,” she said. “It’s well laid out and quite functional looking.”
“Thanks. The cabinets were already here. They were painted in what I can only describe as electric blue. I decided to go with white to brighten it up in here.”
“They look great.” She ran her hand over the pale gray countertop. “Is this quartz?”
“Yep.”
“Well, as a cook, I approve of your kitchen. Natalie should be perfectly at home here.”
He nodded with an uncertain look. “You really think so?”
“Of course. The whole place is delightful, Leo. Inside and out. You’ve done a beautiful job and it’s a wonderful place to live.” She pointed out the window. “And that’s a million-dollar view. Well, when the fog’s not so thick. I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t love living here after you guys are married.”
“She’s only been here a couple of times,” he admitted. “It’s been sort of weird . . . She never wants to stay long. It’s almost like she doesn’t like it. Or else it just makes her uncomfortable.”
Suddenly Tia felt uncomfortable too. Not that she planned to show it. That would almost be like admitting she was still into him. “Maybe it’s being in a bachelor’s house.” She made a nervous laugh. “I mean, that probably sounds silly. But I was raised that way. Since you guys were dating and all, maybe it was just awkward, you know?”
He seemed to get this. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense.”
“Anyway, thanks for showing your houseboat to me. And the coffee table too. But we should go.” She peered out into the gray mist, which seemed to be getting thicker by the minute. “Wow, it’s turning into pea soup out there.”
“Yeah. I think I better take you back in the Jeep.”
She looked around the great room one last time, trying to soak it all in, wanting to memorize this sweet space. Mostly because she felt fairly certain she wouldn’t be back here anytime soon. Unless it was to visit Natalie and Leo—after they were married. To help her to accept this difficult image, she tried to envision Natalie standing in the kitchen right now. She pictured her looking lovely as usual, but wearing a chef’s apron and stirring a steaming pot of fisherman’s stew. Leo would be standing nearby, tossing a salad. Yes, the happy newlyweds . . . that helped some.
“It’s a really special house,” she said as they were leaving. “You should feel very thankful.”
“I do.” He locked the door. “I was always close to my grandparents. But it’s not like I’m their only grandchild. I started helping out around here after my grandfather died, when I was a young teenager. I got the use of my grandfather’s rowboat, and I’d help my grandmother with tasks that were too much for her. Stuff like painting or cleaning or easy repairs. To be honest, it was partly because I loved her and partly because I loved being here on the water.”
“I’m sure she appreciated it.” She took in each houseboat they passed as they walked the long dock. Some of them were tiny and funky, and others looked like mansions.
“Definitely. But she got too old to keep it up and moved into a retirement place. She invited me to come live here, just to maintain it in exchange for rent. That was a no-brainer for me. I’d work on it whenever I had spare time—painting, reroofing, repairing, whatever. And I’d bring my grandmother out here every so often, just to enjoy it. She loved seeing what I’d done. I figured she planned to sell it. But when she died, I found out that she’d left it to me.” He led her to where the Jeep was parked.
“Lucky you.”
“Well, yeah. Except there was a little hitch in her will.” He unlocked the Jeep and they both got in. “My grandmother said the houseboat was mine as long as I lived there. But if I moved out, it was to be sold and the proceeds split evenly between her six grandchildren.”
“Interesting.”
“I think that’s fair.”
“How did your sister and cousins feel about it?”
“There was some squabbling at first. Fortunately, she’d left them all a little something. But the houseboat was her biggest asset.”
“Well, she obviously knew you loved it,” Tia said as he drove. “It must’ve made her happy to think you’d have it and to know that you’d care for it. I think that’s nice.”
As he drove back to the dock, Tia realized that she’d blown it again. Despite her resolve to distance herself, to establish firm boundaries, she’d fallen for his charms again. She’d allowed him to talk her into a boat ride and a visit to his lovely houseboat home.
She sternly reminded herself that it was the home he would share with Natalie after they got married. She retrieved the image she’d created earlier: Leo and Natalie in the kitchen, living happily ever after.