“So you really think teenagers will enjoy a harbor cruise?” Meg was asking.
Trace put a fist to her hip. “You mean sittin’ around being fed while someone else does the carting around? Yep, I think it’s a great idea.”
Priscilla nodded her agreement. “Oh, darling, yes. I think they’ll love it. And I’ve already spoken with Chef and he’s planning foods he thinks they’ll enjoy.”
Liddy picked up her phone and made some notes. “I’d better check on that. His idea of teen-friendly food might be tuna without the tartare.”
Meg laughed. “Or lamb with extra mint jelly.”
Priscilla laughed lightly. “Not to worry. We don’t know how exotic their tastes are so I’ve asked him to stick with sandwiches and chips.”
“And some of those fresh-baked brownies, I hope,” Trace added.
Priscilla nodded. “I’ll make sure to tuck an extra one in your box, Trace. I’m so glad you’ve agreed to come along as a chaperone.”
Trace stared at Priscilla, blinking rapidly. “I-I’m super happy you’ll have me. I can’t wait!”
Sophia breezed into the early morning meeting looking as if she’d fallen out of a magazine. Her hair hung loose and fresh at her shoulders, her yellow sundress showing off her tanned skin. “Good morning, ladies.” She set a basket of scones on the table. “I tried a new recipe I hope you will like—cranberry-tangerine.”
Her gift was met with a crescendo of oohs.
“Some people have a gift,” Liddy said, biting into a scone. She pointed at Sophia. “You are just one of those people. Whip up a scone? Sure. Throw together a beautiful dress? Why not?”
Sophia smiled. “You are embarrassing me.”
Meg broke off a piece of the decadent bread and popped it into her mouth. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, Sophia. This is heavenly. I’m so glad we’re related now.”
“Speaking of family,” Liddy said, throwing her gaze Priscilla’s way. “Have you heard from Wade about the, you know, deal?”
“Family?” Trace interrupted, pursed her lips, and looked from Liddy to Priscilla and back again. “Is there something you haven’t told me yet, Priscilla?”
Heat crawled up Priscilla’s neck. She and Wade had spent considerable time together over the past few weeks, but they had not discussed anything ... permanent. She wasn’t sure if they ever would. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Liddy. But”—she held up her forefinger—“I know that he hopes to hear something soon. Perhaps even today.”
Meg sighed. “Good. Looking forward to seeing less stress on that man’s face.”
“And more support for the center soon, hopefully,” Liddy added.
“Yes,” said Priscilla. “Hopefully.”
By the time the first two groups of teens arrived at the dock, Priscilla had forgotten all about the incident in the harbor several weeks prior. Well, almost. She waited to greet the campers beside a stack of life vests—though their captain had already told her they would not be required to wear them on the boat.
The girls bounded up to her with Amber leading the way. From behind, some of the boys dawdled, their hands in their pockets, their eyes guarded, while others seemed to jostle their way along, elbowing each other and becoming distracted by the other boats, the sea, and anything else that flew, splashed, or dove.
As the kids climbed aboard, Priscilla handed them each a life vest “just in case.” Trace was waiting on board clad in tan shorts, a windbreaker, and a visor advertising Sea Glass Inn. Priscilla cracked a smile when she caught sight of the whistle hanging around Trace’s neck.
Joaquin, one of the younger boys in Wade’s Money Smart class, dawdled behind. Priscilla held a life vest out to him. “Welcome, aboard.”
The boy glanced at the vest, his hands in his pockets. His stance was stiff and unfriendly, but in his eyes Priscilla saw fear. She put the vest back onto the pile and instead gestured for him to join her. She smiled. “Let me show you around. Would that be okay?”
He nodded, his eyes snapping left to right, as if surveying his surroundings.
While the rest of the kids were finding the perfect spot to sit, Priscilla led Joaquin inside the boat’s cabin and up some steps where the captain was preparing to depart.
“Captain Alex, I have someone for you to meet. This is Joaquin.”
Captain Alex was a burly man with curly black hair, a thick beard, and a kind smile. He reached out a hand. “Greetings, Joaquin!”
Joaquin shook the captain’s hand wordlessly.
He gestured toward a woman wearing garb similar to his. “And this is my First Mate, Maria.”
“Welcome, Joaquin,” Maria said.
Priscilla held the captain’s gaze, gesturing slightly toward the boy. Captain Alex gave her a brief nod and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You’re going to be our Junior Captain today. The views are amazing up here—you’ll be astounded!” He swung his gaze back to Joaquin. “How does that sound?”
Joaquin seemed to think about this. He swiped a tongue across his teeth and nodded. “Yeah. Cool.”
As Priscilla made her way back to the main deck, relief flowed through her. Inside the cabin, the girls clumped together near a window, talking over each other. Outside, several of the boys hung over the side until Trace shooed them off the rails.
The captain called everyone out onto the deck, then gave them all a brief rundown of the rules before pushing the boat away from the dock. The captain moved slowly through the harbor and spoke through a loudspeaker to call out egrets, herons, and pelicans that hovered above the water. He also told them to watch for sea lions and bat rays that sometimes swam close to the surface.
A small sea lion poked through the water on the starboard side. “Hey,” one of the boys said, “isn’t that the fish that knocked you over, Priscilla?”
“He was that little?” Staci said.
Another boy said, “That little thing? I could’ve won him arm wrestlin’!”
“That’s cuz sea lions don’t have arms!” Mari said.
The first boy cracked up, which fed into a frenzy of laughter, most of it directed at Priscilla. She leaned against the railing, her arms over the side, her own laughter filling her ears. The rush of air against her skin lifted her spirit further. So much peace out here on the water, with these kids. Priscilla could honestly say, she’d found so much of what she had been searching for.
Though the time had barely dipped into the afternoon, camp day number one was already going well. Wade was waiting for them as they disembarked and Priscilla tried to gauge his expression for any sign that his New York sale was no longer in jeopardy.
Unfortunately, his face was still a mask.
He kissed her swiftly, then turned to the group of boys who had straggled off the boat. “Ready for a swim?”
And ... they were off.
Liddy held up a clipboard. “Okay, ladies. We’ll be meeting Priscilla and her crew in the spa soon for some fun downtime. Let’s go back to your suite and change clothes, shall we?”
After the girls had disappeared, Priscilla wandered up to the salon. Katrina laughed when she saw her. “You look beat! Here”—she patted the top of an empty salon chair—“sit.”
Priscilla collapsed into the chair with a high-pitched sigh. “Feels good to get off of my feet for a few minutes.”
“Girl, don’t give me that—you usually work in heels.”
“Yes, but I don’t chase teenagers around in them.”
“True.” Katrina called out to a woman across the room. “Frankie, we need a shoulder massage over here—stat!”
Just as she was beginning to feel a sense of revival through her nerves and muscles from the massage, Priscilla’s phone rang.
“Don’t answer that.” Frankie pressed her thumbs harder into Priscilla’s shoulders.
She let it go, but it started up again. Priscilla reached for her phone, concerned it might be her social worker. “Hello?”
“Priscilla? Oh good, it’s you! This is Laura. Have you seen Wade?”
She sat up abruptly. “He’s in the pool right now. Is it urgent?”
“You better believe it is. I must find him immediately. Will you have him call me?”
“Of course.” She stood, looking for her shoes. “I’ll go out to the pool and have him call you from there.”
Priscilla dashed out to the pool, slowing as she approached. If she could, she would have stood and watched him from the shadows a little longer. Wade was sitting on the edge of the pool, shirtless, his legs dangling over the side. He appeared to be refereeing a water volleyball match, his muscles flexing in response to the game’s activity.
Her knees weakened, as did the rest of her. Priscilla caught her breath, keenly aware of the message she had to deliver, and regretting how doing so would disrupt the idyllic picture she was walking into.
Wade’s face lit up when he first caught sight of her, but that high-wattage smile dimmed when she said, “Laura wants you to call her. She says it’s urgent.”
He looked at her for a beat then turned toward the lifeguard tower. He put his thumb and forefinger into his mouth and caught the guard’s attention with a whistle. “Take over for me, will you?”
Before he left, Wade cupped Priscilla’s chin and kissed her soundly. Then he left in a hurry.