17

The Indian food was surprisingly good, but Tia was glad when they were done and relieved to be dropped back at the boat. Although she sensed Leo was right—Natalie really did need some girlfriends—Tia was not planning to sign on for the task. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Natalie, because she actually did. It wasn’t that she couldn’t relate to Natalie either, because in some ways she could. Oh, not when it came to things like money and fashion and citified style. But underneath it all Natalie seemed like a kind person with a good heart. She was extremely intelligent, and it was obvious that she cared greatly about her job and her clients. And she cared about Leo. Tia lost count of how many times Natalie referred to Leo as her best friend. In Natalie’s eyes, Leo was a real-life hero.

Therein lay the problem: Leo. Being good friends with Natalie would make Tia’s relationship with Leo even more precarious, and she just couldn’t afford that right now. As she put away the clothes that she’d picked up from Julie and Roland’s—thanks to Natalie—she was just grateful that the evening with Leo’s fiancée was over and done. For the next invitation, if there was one, Tia would have to come up with a really good excuse to decline.

Tia wasn’t oblivious either. She knew that part of Natalie’s plan in having Tia over tonight had been to ensure that “mum was the word” in regard to her seasickness secret.

“To be honest,” Tia had begun as she was getting dropped off, “I’m trying to keep things strictly business between Leo and me. We’re co-workers, and I feel it’s important to be professional. For the sake of the business. So, really, we don’t talk about much besides work. You know?” Okay, she knew that wasn’t exactly how it had gone down in the past, but it was what she wanted in the future.

“You’re probably right. Friendships in the workplace can be problematic.” Natalie had placed her hand on Tia’s shoulder. “But you can still be friends with me.”

Tia had simply nodded and, gathering up her things, thanked Natalie for an enjoyable evening, despite how confused and conflicted she felt now. Still, she reminded herself as she got ready for bed, this was not her problem. Not really.

Friday was similar to Thursday with more demolition, this time on the lower level, and lots of noise. Once again, Leo was on hand to help. Although the Murray brothers seemed appreciative, Tia couldn’t help but think Leo was overstepping his bounds. Especially when he started suggesting a change in the floor plan for the galley.

“I just thought it made sense,” he told Tia as they were “discussing” this with Jack Murray.

“I have to agree with him,” Jack said.

“That’s fine, but I’m the chef,” Tia reminded them. “I had reasons for drawing it out the way I did.”

“I get that,” Leo told her, “but you can at least listen to what I’m thinking.”

“Look.” Jack pointed to where Leo had sketched in pencil over her floor plan. “You’d actually gain more space if you relocated the heads to this side.”

Tia took in a deep breath and stared down at the revision. “Okay, you guys might be right. I was trying to save money by keeping the plumbing for the bathrooms in the same place.”

“It’s not as big a deal as you think,” Jack assured her. “For the little extra it will cost, it’ll be worth it.”

“See,” Leo continued, “it makes a little holding area right here. You know, in case the heads are all occupied and it’s standing room only.”

Tia nodded. “Yeah, I was a little concerned over the lack of facility. I mean, I’ve seen restaurants with fewer toilets, but being that we’re out on the water . . . well, it could get awkward.”

“Especially if the waves got rough and people got seasick,” Jack added.

Tia glanced at Leo.

“Anyone who gets seasick needs to hang on deck,” he said. “They can ralph over the gunwale.” The guys laughed.

“Okay,” Tia conceded. “I’m fine with it. Let me check with Julie over the additional expense.” As she left them, she knew her aunt would agree. Really, the revision made perfect sense. Maybe she was just jealous she hadn’t thought of it herself. Or else she was simply aggravated that Leo seemed to have no sense of boundaries.

After a quick chat with Julie, Tia texted Leo from the stateroom, giving him the go-ahead. It was just easier that way. Then she went back to menu planning. Her goal was to come up with a selection of menus that would be rotated, giving the feeling that every day was a completely new menu. That would streamline shopping and storage as well. Even though she’d never cooked on a boat before, she had a strong feeling that the restaurant would be more successful if she kept the menu simple but elegant.

She was just finishing up a menu when someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was Leo as usual, she opened it with a slightly irritated expression. Couldn’t he just let her be for a change? But to her surprise it was Leo’s sister, Melinda.

“Sorry,” Melinda said. “Am I disturbing you?”

Tia smiled. “No, I thought it was your brother.”

Melinda laughed. “Yeah, he can be a pest sometimes.”

“We were arguing over some blueprint changes earlier. I was probably still feeling grumpy about it.” Tia opened the door wider. “Come on in if you want. It’s not exactly roomy in here, but—”

“I really didn’t want to interrupt your work.” Melinda picked up one of the menus. “Mmm, this looks good.”

“You’d like that?”

“Are you kidding?” Melinda continued skimming. “I’m getting hungry already.”

“I’ve been trying to keep most of the selections on the lighter side, but I want to offer some hearty fare too. I’m not really sure what people feel like eating on a boat.”

“Have you looked into what the other dinner cruises offer?”

“I did peek around online. The most popular line seems to serve more small plates, and that’s why I started wondering if I should offer a lighter selection.”

“You should probably go on a spying mission.” Melinda set the menu down.

“That’s a great idea.” Tia wondered why she hadn’t thought of this sooner.

“If you need a date, I’m game.” Melinda pulled out her phone. “In fact, I’ll do a quick search on it right now.”

“We’d probably have to book it well in advance.”

“Maybe . . . but remember this is a big line. I doubt they run it full every night.”

“That’s true.” Tia knew from crunching numbers that the Pacific Pearl would have to be at least half full to make any profit.

“Wow, there’s availability tonight,” Melinda told her.

“Cool.” Tia nodded eagerly. “I’m in. This will be a great way to see what the competition is up to.”

“Count me in.”

“Count you in where?” Leo poked his head around the door.

“Tia and I are going on a date tonight,” Melinda told him.

“A date?” Leo looked confused.

“On a dinner cruise. We’re going to spy and—”

“I want to go too.” He pushed the door fully open. “You can’t leave me out.”

“Yeah, you and Nat should come along.” Melinda held up her phone. “We can reserve a table for four if we do it right now.”

“All right.” Leo’s enthusiasm seemed slightly diminished.

“You guys want me to book it?” Melinda looked from Tia to Leo.

“I do.” Tia gave Leo an uncomfortable glance. “But maybe you should check with Natalie first.”

“Nah. She already informed me she wanted to go out tonight. This will make for a good surprise.”

Tia had to bite her tongue. He had no idea just what sort of surprise it would really be if Natalie didn’t take a solid dose of Dramamine first.

“Okay, I’m doing it. Reserving a table for four,” Melinda announced. “For tonight.”

“Here.” Leo pulled a credit card from his wallet, handing it to Melinda. “Go ahead and secure it with this for now.”

“Thanks.” Melinda sat on the end of the bed as she filled in the information.

“You’re really going to surprise Natalie with this?” Tia asked hesitantly.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “We’ve never done anything like this before. It’ll be fun.”

“But she might need to know more . . . like how to dress. You know, like maybe she should bring a sweater because it could be chilly out on the water.”

“Good idea. I’ll tell her that.”

“All right.” Melinda stood. “It’s a done deal. We’re supposed to be at the dock by 7:00. That’s when they start loading. The boat sails at 7:30 and returns by 10:30. Food and soft drinks and coffee are included, but they tack on tax, tips, and landing fee.”

“Landing fee?” Tia asked Leo.

“Well, they obviously want to get you coming and going.” He chuckled. “Maybe Julie can handle that differently on the Pacific Pearl. I like the idea of including everything in the ticket price. No hidden fees to jack it up.”

“I agree,” Tia said. “People should know the cost up front. Of course, anything from the bar will be separate.”

“It’ll be interesting to see how the other dinner cruises are done.” Leo went back into the main cabin, followed by Melinda.

“This is going to be fun,” Melinda said eagerly.

“Fun and productive.” Tia closed the door to the stateroom.

“I can pick you up if you’d like,” Melinda told Tia. “Probably around 6:45. That should be plenty of time.”

Tia thanked her.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Leo asked his sister. “I mean, besides trying to date Tia?”

“Ha ha.” She poked him in the ribs. “I just came over to see how Tia’s doing and to check on the progress. I wanted to see if my big brother was driving her crazy yet.” She winked at Tia. “Sounds like I got here just in time too.”

“Meaning I’m driving her crazy?” Leo asked.

“If the shoe fits.”

Leo made a disappointed face. “And here I thought I was helping.”

Tia smiled. “You are helping, Leo. I guess I was just getting cranky today. I don’t exactly like people revising my plans. But as it turned out, you were right. I was wrong.”

Leo nudged his sister. “Got to admire a woman who’s willing to admit she was wrong.”

“Yeah, that quality’s even rarer in a guy,” Tia quipped back.

“By the way, I came up here to ask if you want to see how it’s going below,” Leo said to Tia. “I think you’re going to like how spacious the galley is going to be.”

Tia reluctantly followed him below with Melinda trailing behind her, but when she saw the opened-up galley, she was convinced. Leo really had been right. “It looks great,” she told him. “Good call.”

“The Murray brothers are done for the day. I’m just cleaning up.”

“Need any help?” Melinda offered.

Soon all three of them were gathering wood shards into trash bags, sweeping up sawdust, and wiping the woodwork clean. The whole while, Tia was worried about Natalie’s “surprise.” If no one warned her to at least take some Dramamine, she was going to be miserable for three long hours. In all likelihood that would mean they would all be miserable. As soon as they finished the cleanup, Tia hurried to her phone. Instead of texting, to avoid leaving a trail that Leo might discover later, she called Natalie.

“Hey, Tia,” Natalie said cheerfully. “What’s up, girlfriend?”

“I’m giving you a quick heads-up,” she said quietly, just in case Leo was still on board and into eavesdropping.

“What is it?”

Tia quickly filled her in about the dinner cruise plan. “I tried to dissuade Leo. And I told him he should at least give you some warning—”

“Warning? You didn’t tell him about—”

“No, not at all. I simply said he should tell you about the boat, you know, so you could bring a jacket or something. But Leo’s plan is to surprise you.”

“Oh no.”

“I just thought you should know. You can take Dramamine, right?”

“That’s still pretty iffy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

“Sorry. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Just don’t tell Leo I tipped you off.”

“Don’t worry.” Natalie made a nervous laugh. “Isn’t it fun sharing secrets?”

“I guess.” But the truth was, Tia didn’t much like this game.

As Tia took a nice long shower, she tried to decide what was appropriate to wear on a dinner cruise—especially when your “date” was a girl. She suspected that Natalie would show up dressed to the nines as usual. Hopefully she’d be well set with plenty of Dramamine running through her bloodstream. Finally Tia decided to go with comfort, choosing her favorite faded denim skirt and a white shirt topped with a vintage cardigan in a tomato shade of red. Since her hair was still damp, she decided to just go with a loose ponytail tied with a blue bandana. She knew she’d probably look plain and boring next to Natalie and Melinda, but she really didn’t care. This was a spying mission, not a date.

To her surprise it was Leo’s red Jeep she saw parked at the end of the dock when she strolled that way looking for Melinda. Leo got out, waving toward her. “Slight change in plans,” he called.

Tia peered into the passenger side. “Where’s Natalie?”

“She opted out. Seems she has a horrible headache and wanted to spend the evening in.”

“You’re not staying in with her?”

“There’s no refunding tickets with such short notice,” he pointed out. “I’m hungry. Plus this is research, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, Melinda and Jake will meet us at the dock.”

“Jake?”

He nodded toward the Jeep. “I’ll explain on the way over there.”

As he drove, he told her about inviting Jake after Natalie bailed. “I already paid for a table for four. I called Melinda first, asking if she had some friends to replace Nat and me. She didn’t, so at the last minute I called Jake. Since he was closer to Melinda, he offered to get her. I was closer to the dock here, so I picked you up. Make sense?”

Tia wasn’t sure, but she simply nodded. “Sorry about Natalie.”

He frowned. “Yeah. Me too. She sounded fine when I talked to her earlier today. I guess it just hit her all of a sudden.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s too bad,” he said. “We were supposed to finalize some wedding plans tonight. I wanted to let her know that I’ve decided we’ll have the wedding on the boat after all. She sort of offered that to me as a concession a while back. In exchange she gets to have a big reception wherever she likes. She can invite as many people as she and her family feel is appropriate. But I’m digging in my heels. I want the wedding itself to be small and personal. Anyway, I hoped that we could settle this stuff on the dinner cruise. I thought if she really enjoyed the evening, it might help to solidify the on-board wedding. You know?”

“That makes sense.” Especially if you’re totally oblivious, she thought, and clueless to the fact that your fiancée despises being on the water.

“You seem a little somber tonight.”

“Sorry.” She tried to insert cheer into her voice. “We’ve been so busy with the boat demo. I guess I’m more worn out than I realized.”

“Natalie said you girls had a great time last night.”

“Oh, yeah. That was really sweet of her to have me over. And her apartment is so nice.” Tia felt her voice going flat again. Did they have to keep talking about Natalie?

“Kind of modern for my taste.”

“Yeah.” She looked out the window, trying to think of another topic. “Julie said Roland is coming home this weekend.”

“That’s great. Isn’t that sooner than the doctor had told her?”

“Maybe. But apparently his recovery is moving right along.”

“I’ll bet he can’t wait to get out of there.”

“Julie said he’s getting pretty stir-crazy.”

“Poor Roland. But I’m glad he’s on the mend.”

“I forgot to ask, are the Murray brothers coming tomorrow? I know it’s Saturday, but I thought they might—”

“No, they don’t work on weekends.”

“Can’t blame ’em for that.” She was trying to think of something else to say. Something to keep the conversation streaming along when all she could think of was that Natalie had missed out on tonight because of her seasickness challenges. For some reason that made her feel guilty, like she could’ve said something earlier. But what?

“Oh, yeah,” she said quickly. “Julie mentioned that the guys are coming to install the new propane fire pit tomorrow.”

“Great. I assume it goes in the same spot the old fireplace was in?”

“Right. Out on the foredeck. Just beyond the covered area.”

“That’ll be nice. Does Julie want me there to supervise?”

“No, no, I can do that.” She wished she’d kept her big mouth closed, because the last thing she wanted was Leo hanging around tomorrow. She’d actually been looking forward to having the boat completely to herself.

“Except that the deck is my domain, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“But you’d prefer to handle it yourself?” he asked.

“No, that’s okay. If you feel the need to oversee it, of course you should come. I just figured you might enjoy a day off. I mean, you probably have things to do. You and Natalie might have wedding planning stuff to take care of. Settle on the location. Natalie told me last night that you guys still haven’t settled the whole engagement ring business either.” Tia wanted to kick herself now. Why, oh why, had she gone there again? Probably because she was curious. Curious and stupid. And she would probably get exactly what she deserved too—more pain.