Masquerade by the Sea

by Traci Hall

  “That’s right,” Jolie said, understanding Kendra’s attitude, but still slightly annoyed. Kendra wasn’t Heath’s mom for heaven’s sake. “We frown on indentured servitude.”

  Cody snickered. “See? All’s good.”

  “We can drop off his things on the way to the airport in the morning,” Kendra finally said.

  “Or he can get them when he gets up,” Jolie suggested. “I will take him to the hotel. This shouldn’t change your plans at all. Enjoy yourselves. It’s your wedding night, and your honeymoon.”

  “But,” Kendra argued.

  “She’s right.” Cody gently ushered his wife from the room, following Jolie. Heath was already snoring as Cody shut the door.

  “About what?” Kendra crossed her arms.

  “We should actually feel better about Heath while we’re gone. I hated thinking he was going to be holed up in that small apartment for the summer. This way he’ll have some fun.”

  “He needs to be careful,” Kendra said, her eyes softening as she looked at Jolie. “Will you make sure he doesn’t do too much? He’ll need a stool at the bar. And his own prescription.”

  Jolie was starting to wonder if she was in over her head. It sounded like babysitting a full grown man. What wouldn’t she do for her business and a happy client? “Sure.”

  She went up the stairs, through the party-goers who were on the last song of the night. A slow one, to cool them down. “You should dance this last dance,” she said, leaving Cody and Kendra on the floor.

  The couple joined the dancers without any argument, as if happy again now that they were in each other’s arms.

  Making her way to the cockpit, Jolie sighed and looked out the window. “Perfectly clear skies. You just can’t predict the weather.”

  Rajah turned into the inlet leading toward Jamison’s marina. Lights from the houses on either side of the canal illuminated the way. “I know you’re worried about the engine, but I swear on my wrenches that it will get us through the summer.”

  She hoped so. That’s when she’d have the money saved to buy a new one. Jolie stood behind Rajah’s chair, watching him skillfully maneuver the yacht into the docking slip. “This was another charter for the books.”

  “A bon voyage?” Rajah asked. Shiny black hair poked from beneath the back of his white cap, brushing his white collar.

  “Despite the storm, I think so.” She rubbed her pearls for luck. “I hired a bartender.” Heath reminded her so much of herself, forced to change by circumstance rather than free will.

  “Nice.” Rajah looked impressed as he turned off the engine. “Nothing like picking from the guests.”

  “Desperate times, desperate measures.” Jolie left the cockpit and walked to the deck. The headlights from the line of taxis she’d previously arranged to bring the revelers back to the hotel were beacons in the night.

  Benedict and the two servers made sure the partiers were handed plastic cups of water and lime slices as they departed. Kendra and Cody were last off the boat.

  Cody hugged her. “Thanks for everything. This was an amazing party. And for giving Heath a job. Although don’t take it personally if he doesn’t stick it out. He’s always picked mountains over the ocean. I used to torture him during Shark Week. Just put his ass in a cab come morning, he’ll be fine.”

  Jolie managed to keep her smile in place. “Congratulations on your wedding. Have a lovely honeymoon.”

  Kendra gave her a curt nod. “The party was great.”

  Nothing else?

  Jolie waited for the warning she was sure was coming by the way Kendra’s pretty eyes narrowed.

  “Take care of him.” Kendra got on her tip-toes to whisper in Jolie’s ear. “Or I just might sue.”

  “For what?” Jolie asked, offended. She’d bent over backward for this woman.

  “Drugging your guests.”

  Cody grunted and shook his head, then dragged Kendra away. “She’s kidding. Let’s go honey. Good night, Jolie.”

  “Want to explain what that was about?” Rajah asked, his inky brow lifted.

  Jolie kept her hands clasped in front of her as she watched them all leave. “Not particularly.”

  Chapter Four

  Jolie, hat and shoes off, stood on the deck of the Masquerade. Instead of customers, it was Benedict she was saying good-bye to.

  “You will be missed,” Jolie said, looking up at the tall blond. What would she do without his easy-going charm? His cool head in an emergency? Nobody could get the female dancers down from the oak counter like Benedict.

  “With your new boy-toy? Somehow I don’t think so.” Benedict kissed her cheek and she gave him a tight hug.

  “From what I saw, he doesn’t look like a toy. More like a wounded grisly than a teddy bear,” Rajah observed without his usual humor. “Be careful tonight, Captain.” Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt instead of his white uniform, he tossed the car keys in the air and then caught them. “Let’s go, Benedict. Your chariot awaits.”

  “You’re calling your Camry a chariot?” Benedict had changed out of his black ensemble and looked like any other South Floridian in plaid shorts and a blue polo. Rajah and Benedict were complete opposites, but close friends.

  “You want a ride to the airport or not?” Toss, catch.

  “Chariot it is. Bye,” Benedict told her one last time. “Don’t get so used to the new guy that you forget about me.”

  “Never! Don’t have so much fun back home that you forget to come back to work.”

  Rajah waved. “See you day after tomorrow?”

  “Yes.” Jolie crossed her arms loosely at her waist, shivering as a breeze came off the water. She had a birthday party booked and no doubt the teenage girls would want their picture taken with the adorable Rajah. He was an Indian Johnny Depp, with shorter hair.

  “I could come back tonight if you want. Help you with the new guy. We don’t really know him, besides the fact that he can’t hold his vodka.”

  She shooed him forward. “Probably a bad idea with the muscle relaxers. Go. It’s your day off. Trust me. I think Heath will be a good asset, if he decides to stay.”

  Benedict didn’t look certain, but the men left and Jolie turned back inside the Masquerade with a sigh of relief. One charter closer to her goal. The servers she’d hired had done most of the cleanup, so it was really about putting things in place. The dishwasher was running and she gathered the sea foam green table cloths from the tables in the dining room and put them in a basket for the dry cleaners.

  What to do about her new bartender? Jolie went down to his room and peeked in. Heath was on his side, the pillow mashed beneath his cheek, snoring softly. The sight tugged at her heart strings. Leaving him to his dreams, she made a cup of jasmine herbal tea, changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top and returned to the upper deck, barefoot.

  Stretching out on one of the full length lounge chairs, she stared up at the stars, searching for answers. What were the odds of finding Heath, a bartender, just when she needed him?

  Jolie believed in Fate, but sometimes life came down to chance. Luck. The roll of the dice. Her parents had taught her the value and truth of hard work. To live to your potential, your highest destiny, you had to be willing to take some risks. Like taking her Gramps’ fishing charter, turning it into something she liked— hosting happy occasions—and earning a living on the water she loved.

  She blew on her tea to cool it before she sipped. The fragrant floral scent was a familiar one in South Florida; the small white blossoms against the darker green bush popular and easy to grow.

  It made her think of her grandmother. Granny loved everything herbal, Jolie thought with a smile, and had made a lucrative home business selling bath sachets or savory packets for stews. When she’d passed a few years ago, Jolie had discovered about twenty different kinds of teas.

  While her grandfather might be rolling in his grave, Granny would be proud of how Jolie had taken a broken-down fishing charter and turned i
t into something else. Something that fit who she was.

  Granny didn’t like things to go to waste. And she’d been the ultimate hostess, making a stranger feel at home with a smile.

  She raised her mug to the stars. “Love you guys. Miss you.”

  “Who are you talking to? Or am I tripping?”

  Jolie turned toward Heath, who was pale, but coherent. “My grandparents.”

  He made his way out to the deck and carefully balanced in the lounger. “They can say hey to my folks.”

  So sad. Her eyes misted as she remembered those that had gone before her. “I wonder if they hear us.”

  “I really hope there are better things to do when we’re dead than spy on the folks back home.” Heath’s feet were bare now, too. His dress shirt untucked and hanging loose over his black pants.

  “You have a point,” she agreed. “I want champagne and dancing.”

  “Sounds like what you have here.”

  She thought about that a minute and smiled. “Heaven on earth. Guess it means I’m happy where I’m at.”

  “You seem like the type of person who’d be happy anywhere you went. Not much effort required.”

  “Happiness doesn’t count if it just comes naturally?”

  He leaned back and looked up at the sky, deciding, she supposed, not to argue as he settled his hands over his stomach. “This is nice.”

  She went along with the subject change. “Yes.”

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Heath gestured upward. “If you wanted to continue your conversation.”

  What a guy. “I’m good. I was just thinking about Granny.”

  “I never met my grandparents.”

  “On either side?”

  “Nope.”

  “My mother’s grandmother is still alive, in Jamaica. No teeth, but happy as can be. She lives with my cousins by the beach.”

  “So happiness and your love for the water are genetic?”

  “Could be.” She took a small drink. “I never thought about it.”

  “Your family has got to be huge.” He settled back, relaxed. “Makes it hard on the wallet at Christmas.”

  “We draw names. I thought it was just normal. Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins.” She peered over her cup at him. “That icky cousin nobody likes.”

  He smiled.

  She liked to see his smile.

  “So, did I really sign on for the summer?”

  “Yes.” She drew her legs up to the side and faced Heath, her tea cup curled toward her chest. “But you don’t have to stay. Your brother made me promise not to get upset if you quit early. He said you don’t like-”

  “Change,” Heath growled.

  “The water,” she finished, hiding her laughter behind her cup.

  “I’m fine with change,” he said, leaning on his elbow toward her.

  “Okay.” She didn’t want to argue about it. How was she supposed to know different? They’d just met.

  “And I don’t hate the water.”

  “You don’t like it?”

  “Right.” He added a firm nod. “Not a big deal.”

  She hid her smile. “Are you going to tell me why?”

  “I don’t think there needs to be a reason.”

  “I have to call bullshit,” Jolie said. She’d grown up with her toes in the sand and couldn’t fathom a different life. “You must have tipped over in a canoe at camp as a kid or something. Maybe you saw Friday the 13th one too many times?”

  “That’s a scary movie, but no.”

  “Jaws?”

  “Forget it.” He slashed his hand out to the side. Heath’s brown hair was mussed, his shoulders at ease.

  She couldn’t stop a giggle. “Will you tell me if I share my tea?”

  “What’s in it?” Heath peered over as if to see for himself and she got a hint of hotel shampoo, the citrus kind.

  Showing him the partially empty cup, she said, “Jasmine.”

  “That’s it?” He shook his head. “Lame incentive.”

  “Want me to get you a beer?” she asked, setting her cup down. Her tank top strap slipped off of her shoulder and she hiked it up. He had nothing to sleep in, but she had clothes he could borrow from her brothers. Unless he slept au natural?

  “Stay where you are, Captain.” He put his hand up like a traffic cop. “You’re off duty. And I’m not thirsty.”

  “Hungry? A perk of the job is we get to eat the leftovers. Those steak and shrimp kabobs were a good choice, over the rice. Rajah made them with his special teriyaki sauce.”

  That had his attention, she could tell. He straightened like one of her parent’s Schipperkes.

  She got to her feet, her mood light, and picked up the mug. “Come on. How’s your leg?”

  “Feels better,” he said, massaging his left calf. “I wish I could predict when the muscle cramps hit, but it’s random.”

  “Are the stairs going to be okay?”

  “All ten of them?” he joked. He got to his feet, putting his weight equally on both legs before following her down.

  Once she reached the landing, Jolie looked over her shoulder at him, waiting and pointing to the other set leading to the galley. “Seriously. There’s another ten, here.”

  He gave her a stern look that reminded her of the one Kendra gave him. “I can handle it. I’m sorry you saw me as such a wuss earlier.”

  She glided down the last few stairs and laughed. “I thought you were pretty brave, actually. Your leg was so hot. I felt the burn through your pants!” Jolie watched him without letting him know until he reached the bottom step and the linoleum floor. He walked with a bit of a limp toward the waist-high counter separating the sink from the small dining area, connected to the living area, with a love seat, a chaise and a TV.

  “I’m surprised at how much room is on this boat.” He pointed toward the stackable washer and dryer. “Was that made special?”

  “Compact laundry, boat-sized dishwasher. The amenities of home, shrunk down.” Jolie opened the white refrigerator that could have been from 1980, complete with the rectangle freezer on top. “Rice, too?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t really eat much earlier. Can I help?”

  “I’ve got it.” She wet a towel and wiped down the counter.

  “I guess I should get to know my way around. Was Benedict serious about cooking?”

  “You can say no anytime. I won’t hold it against you if you change your mind.” She dished out two plates of food and stuck them in the microwave to reheat. “How about a bottle of water?”

  “Sounds good.” He beat her to the microwave as it dinged and opened the door, taking out the steaming steak and shrimp. “Where do you want to sit?”

  Jolie pointed to a round kitchen table against the wall. Below deck, there was no view, but she’d hung up dried herbs and framed pictures her mother had painted.

  “Did you do these?” Heath asked, setting the plates down beneath her favorite one of a pelican on the end of a pier, fish half in and half out of its mouth.

  “I wish. Can’t draw, though. My mom’s really good, but she didn’t pass any of it onto me.” Fact was, she hated to stay in the lines.

  “I can’t draw either. Or paint. The only thing I was ever really good at was skiing.” Heath’s voice held the tiniest remnant of regret.

  Jolie sat down opposite him. “At least you got to be really good at something. I like my boat, and my business, but anybody who wanted to could do it. Nothing special.”

  He opened the water bottle and took a drink. “Disagree. You have to make people happy, smooth things over when things go sour.”

  “True.” She forked some rice to her mouth, chewed and swallowed. How much did he remember about her confrontation with Kendra? “Your new sister-in-law has me on probation.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” He didn’t look very sorry. Proud, maybe. “Kendra is protective.”

  “I appreciate that.” Jolie shook her empty fork at him. “Just don’t fall
overboard, okay?”

  He finished his mouthful of shrimp and winced. “I don’t even want to think about that. There are sharks down there.”

  “Is that what you’re afraid of?” Growing up in the Keys she was used to sharks. “Nurse sharks and lemons won’t do much, if you don’t provoke them. Bonnetheads are practically harmless.” She wouldn’t tell him about the bull sharks or hammerheads that liked to wait for other fish under the Seven Mile Bridge.

  “I’m not afraid of anything.” He concentrated on his meal.

  Rather than challenge that particular statement, Jolie smooshed the last piece of rice with her fork and slid it in her mouth. “I hadn’t realized I was so hungry,” she said, pushing her plate away. She glanced at the clock. “It’s after 2 already. How are you feeling?”

  “Still good. You don’t have to baby me. I can pull my weight, despite what you’ve seen.”

  She put two fingers up in a sign for peace. “Okay! But I don’t want you doing too much and I don’t know what your physical limitations are.”

  “None. Well, I’ll be cleared to drive next week, doctor said. Guess it don’t matter.” He tugged at his left pant leg. “How will I get around?”

  “I told Kendra I’d take you to the hotel tomorr-today-and get your stuff. You probably have a ton of questions.” Jolie picked up her napkin. She was impressed that he wasn’t running for the hills. But then again, he hadn’t been on the boat during the day, when the view of the wide ocean was best. Hell. Wasn’t in the bag yet.

  “I do.” Heath liked watching the way she twisted the ends of her napkin into pointy unicorn horns. As if she couldn’t just sit still without doing something with her hands. “Have questions.”

  “Go ahead.” Jolie dropped the napkin and flipped her hand, palm open in invitation. “I’m all yours.”

  “Now?” He felt put on the spot. “Honestly? I don’t know what I should be asking.” Heath absently massaged his leg behind the knee.

  She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Let me give you the run down. The Masquerade is a party charter. I inherited the boat just over a year ago, and made a few changes.”

  “Like the pink fur and disco ball.”