Meilin glanced at Shan to see a deep frown on his face. “Shan?”
“Look,” Shan said. “Finders keepers. She just went into the drink for this thing. She’s an interior designer who has a place for it to go, a client who will want it.”
“Hey,” the man protested as Meilin put her hand on Shan’s arm.
“It’s okay. I’d be pretty upset if someone tossed something precious of mine overboard. I’d be grateful if a stranger recovered it and gave it back.”
Shan’s darkened gaze turned on her. “But you could have died going after it. Do you know how cold the water is? What if I hadn’t seen you go over? What if you’d drowned?”
“It’s okay, Shan. I can swim, and I was close to the boat. You would have heard me shout out, or I could have gotten myself to the stern and pulled myself out.” A great shiver shuddered through her.
Shan grabbed her shoulders and started rubbing the towel up and down her arms.
“Meilin…”
“Really, Shan.” She spoke over him. “It’s all right. Giving it back is the right thing to do.”
His lips thinned and his brows drew down in a fierce frown. Meilin gazed back at him, her eyes wide open, and she hoped, compelling.
“Look,” the man in the dinghy said, “I’ll pay you a recovery fee. What do you say? Fifty dollars cover it?”
Meilin glanced over and saw him pulling his wallet. “No, no. I don’t need money for it.”
“At least let me pay enough to replace your clothes. Sixty?”
Shan released a huge sigh of disgust. “Put your wallet way.” He took the ball from Meilin’s shaking hands and leaned over the rail enough to hand the float over with care. Meilin had the feeling he wanted to throw it in the water just as the angry wife had. “Take it and go.”
The man clutched the glass ball in his lap and looked at Meilin. “I’m sorry you got dunked going after it, but I’m grateful you rescued it. You’re a designer?”
Meilin nodded.
“Give me your name. My wife wants to redo the bedroom. If you recognized the value of this, I bet you know your stuff.”
“Shan, I have some cards in my bag.”
“I don’t believe this,” he muttered, but headed into the cabin below, coming back a few seconds later with her tote.
Fingers still damp and shaking, she found the cards and pulled out two, with three more spilling into the bottom of the bag. “Here.” She handed them to Shan and indicated he should hand them over. Scowling something fierce, he did.
The man read one card, nodded, and stuck the pair of cards into his shirt pocket. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I mean that.”
“All right, all right,” Shan said, and tugged on his line until the man released it. “We get it. Go. Enjoy.”
He gave Shan a wary look, nodded at Meilin, then tugged on the starter of his outboard, and headed toward the west end of the island, the float secure on his lap.
Meilin stared after him. It was the right thing to do, but to have held that bit of history in her hands, even for a few minutes, left behind a longing. She’d have to check eBay later to confirm her guess, but she’d bet that float could easily go for several hundred dollars.
“Meilin?”
Shan’s sharp tone broke her away from her musings.
“You need to get in a hot shower. Don’t want you getting hypothermia.” Strong hands lifted her by the waist and she set her frozen feet on the warm deck. “If you need help, just say the word.”
That caught her attention fully and she snapped her gaze to his face. Traces of his tension remained, but he also wore a crooked grin. Yeah, he’d probably like to turn this into fun in the shower, but with what she recalled from her inspection of the head, there wasn’t room for two in there.
“I think I can manage.” A deep shiver shook her body. “You’re right. I need to warm up.”
“I’ll make some tea while you shower.”
“That would be great.” She gave him a weak smile, followed him to the hatch where he went down first, then helped her down the steep steps.
Twenty minutes later she emerged from the tiny bathroom dressed in sweat pants she’d had to roll up at the waist and cinch tight. The T-shirt he’d also left for her was several sizes too big. He’d brought her tote down and she dug in it for her sweater. As a fashion statement, well, she missed completely, but it absorbed the little bit of water that dripped from her towel dried hair.
Shan held two steaming mugs. “Let’s go topside. It’s warm in the sun. We’ll get your core temp back to normal soon.
She nodded and followed him up to the cockpit where he’d placed a folded blanket on the bench seat. With the mug of hot tea in her hands, she curled up on the blanket and stared out at the water. Damn, she’d hated to let that little treasure go.
“What possessed you to go after that alone?” Shan asked. At the tense tone in his voice she turned her head to look at him.
“I heard it bump against the boat and went to see what it was. When I saw it was something that didn’t belong in the water here, I got curious. I honestly thought I could reach it.”
Shan shoved a hand through his short hair. “It was a stupid thing to do.”
Meilin stiffened. “Excuse me? Did you just call me stupid?” The icy water had nothing on the frostiness of her tone.
Shan’s eyes bore into her. “I didn’t say you were stupid. I said it was a stupid thing to do. There were so many other ways we could have fished it out.”
“I didn’t want it to get away.”
“Don’t do that again. Next time you think you see something worth salvaging, let me know. I’ll get it for you.”
“I’m not always so clumsy. I could have gotten myself out, and I nearly had it in my hand when you startled me. If you hadn’t shouted at me, I’m sure I would have pulled it in without falling overboard.”
Shan blew out a breath she took as frustration, but he held his tongue and stared into the distance for a long moment. “I won’t take the blame for this. We’re just lucky you didn’t get in real trouble. Next time, if there is one, use your head. And don’t contradict me in public.”
It was oh so tempting to apologize to smooth things over. But was what she’d done really so wrong? “I won’t apologize for giving that man back his possession. I hated to give it up, but it was the right thing to do.”
“Rights of salvage made it yours. You found it; you should have kept it.”
“And I would have felt small, mean, and guilty as if I’d stolen it. It meant much more to him than it did to me.”
Shan dumped the remains of his tea into the water. “I tried to back you up and you turned on me today.” He stood and glared down at her. “I tried to be your champion and you effectively chopped my dick off. Don’t do that again.”
Meilin also dumped the contents of her mug over the side of the boat. “Is that what you’re mad about? I dented your male pride? Is it so fragile you can’t set it aside to do the right thing?”
Shan’s scowl deepened more as he clenched his fists at his side. “This is about you respecting me as the man in your life. You’re my lady. I stuck up for you, and you kicked me aside in favor of some poor jerk who lost a fight with his wife. We will not fight, Meilin. Each ship can only have one captain, and in our relationship I’m the captain.”
“I see, and what was that speech yesterday about my opinions mattering?”
“I say what I mean, Meilin. Your opinion matters, but someone has to be in charge of the final decision. Most of the time the matter will most likely go your way. In return I ask you to show respect at all times, particularly in public. If I say or do something you don’t like, we will discuss it later. In private. This is what we’re doing right now. Discussing our difference of opinion in private.”
She wanted nothing more than to fume, but if she ever wanted to go home again, it was up to her to diffuse the situation.
“Fine. But if I see something that needs to be discussed immediately, I will pull you aside then and there to discuss it. I couldn’t let that man go away without his rightful property, which is why it may have seemed I disrespected you in front of him. However, you did not do me the courtesy of discussing it on the side, either. In this case, I rule we both have things to learn about how to communicate with each other.”
For a long, long moment, Shan stared at her in silence before abruptly nodding. “I agree. We’ll both work to be more in tune with each other in future situations that may be similar.”
“That’s all I can ask for. Now, please, I think I’ve had all the sun and sea I can stand for today.”
“Again, I agree. Let’s get you home so you can rest from your swim.”
As Shan turned away to set the return trip in motion, Meilin curled up in the corner of the bench seating at the stern. They didn’t speak another word until Shan pulled into his slip in the marina.
Mostly she chose to forget Shan’s demeaning words. Instead, she wondered what Drew was up to. Was he spending the day with his family or was he already back on campus preparing for his course? Maybe she’d have to touch base with her cousin and get a feel for this year’s class.
As he left her at her apartment door, Shan tried to break the ice by taking her in his arms for a soft, gentle kiss.
“Remember, dinner Wednesday night. The clients we’re meeting with are very important, so please dress appropriately.”
“Of course, Shan. I always do.”
He gave her an odd look, then bent and lightly kissed her cheek. “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
* * * *
Drew answered the front door late Sunday afternoon. Eyes hidden behind dark shades, Oswald stood on the step.
“Come in, man.” Drew stepped back and invited the other man in. “You’re family and don’t need to knock.”
“I’ll always knock, just as I expect you to knock when coming to my flat.” Oswald pulled off his sunglasses and carefully set them on the receiving table in the foyer.
Drew slapped a hand down on Oswald’s oxford cloth covered shoulder. “Only if you keep the door locked.”
“Which I always do. London is nothing more than a great seething cauldron of thieves.”
Drew laughed. “Especially those dressed in suits from Seville Row with handmade custom shoes.”
Rare for Oswald, a wide grin split his face for a moment. “We’re the very worst, mate.”
Birdie, dressed in shorts and a tight tank top, popped out from the back hallway. “What’s so funny? Drew, did you actually make Ozzie laugh?” With a hand to her breast, she gasped dramatically. “It can smile! Who knew?”
Like the morning fog under relentless sunlight, Oswald’s smile faded in an instant. “Courtney.”
Birdie threw up her hands. “The only person in the world to call me by my real name and it has to be Lurch’s brother.” Turning on her heel, she headed through the formal living space toward the backyard. “Mom said dinner is nearly ready.” She stopped at the glass slider door and looked over her shoulder, pinning Oswald with her blue eyes. “You’re late.” Turning again, she threw open the door and swished out to the patio.
“Dinner?” Oswald said, his eyes firmly directed at Birdie’s backside.
Once again he was slapped in the face of Oswald being hot for Birdie. Drew wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It was…weird. He hadn’t wanted to think too much about it the day before when he’d caught Oswald eyeing Bird, but now… As Jack had said, he’d have to think about it more. “Yeah. Dad’s burning more meat. Hamburgers this time, I think.”
“Any idea what this meeting is about?”
Both men followed in Birdie’s wake.
“Not a bloody idea. Old man hasn’t even hinted. Just said we all needed to be here for dinner.” Drew shrugged and let Oswald clear the door first before following and sliding the screen shut.
They sauntered over to the table where Randi waited as his dad set down a platter of cheeseburgers that didn’t look burned. The man was improving at cooking over open flame. Bottles of wine and beer were already in place, as were a multitude of condiments and what looked like potato and macaroni salad left over from the party the day before.
“Looks great,” Oswald said as he took a chair opposite from Birdie.
“Help yourself, everyone,” Randi said and passed a basket of buns to Drew.
Dinner was filled with small talk, a rehashing of the previous day, and vague plans for a trip to Napa Valley and other wine regions. Drew held up his part, but mostly let it flow over and around him. Tonight he’d go back to the Palo Alto apartment with his sister and tomorrow begin his immersion program. The little experience he’d had at the mercy of Jack made him a bit nervous. And the fact that Meilin sometimes taught there, and knew the instructor, had him wondering if he’d see her there. According to the course paperwork, he’d have damn little time for seeking her out. Although, he did have her phone number…
“What do you think, Drew?”
He looked at his father. “Excuse me, sir. I missed the discussion.”
His dad chuckled. “We were wondering if you might be able to get away for a day next weekend and join us.”
“Not really sure. The class outline looks quite ambitious. I might get a free night every now and again, but I gather Sundays will be pretty much as intense as the rest of the week. It’s been designated homework day. A chance to catch up on anything we don’t pick up during the week.”
“Ah.” His dad picked up a glass of deep red wine. “I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.”
A glance at the table showed Drew they’d pretty much decimated the food. An inelegant belch confirmed it. “Pardon me. Good meal, Mum.” The grin he gave her was as cheeky as he could make it.
Randi had an expression of half resignation, half affection on her face. “If that belch was any indication, then I guess so. Want to wait a bit on dessert?”
Oswald let out a small groan beside him while Birdie was more dramatic about hers. “I’m set, Mrs. Robinson. Great meal.”
Drew held back his laugh when Birdie wrinkled her nose at Oswald. Although she didn’t say it out loud, Drew knew exactly what she was thinking—brown-noser. Since he knew far more about Oswald than she did, he kept his comments to himself. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure he didn’t know the whole of Oswald’s background. Just that he was a good bloke to have around.
“Oswald,” Randi said in a low voice. Almost a growl. “What’s it going to take to get you to call me by my name? A man your age calling me Mrs. Robinson… Well, it just doesn’t feel right.”
Oswald set one of his rare grins free. “Since you’re the wife of my boss, a man I call Mr. Robinson in the office, I guess there’s not much you can do to change my mind.”
Across the table, Birdie’s mouth dropped open. Evidently she’d never seen Oswald’s full megawatt smile. And judging by Randi’s slight flush, neither had she.
“Oh bloody hell,” Drew’s dad muttered. “Stow it, Attenborough. That killer grin of yours has put more women than I can count in a state of vapors. I like you better when you’re scowling.”
At that Drew laughed, long, loud, and held his stomach. It was true. Oswald rarely smiled, mostly because when he did he found a line of women a city block long drooling after him. It was attention the very private man hated. Come to think of it, part of the reason Oswald was good at self defense was that very smile had earned him unwanted attention at school too.
Drew made an effort to catch his breath while Randi and Birdie stood to begin clearing the table, both women a little flustered, both stealing little glimpses of Oswald, who’d lost the smile.
Dad merely shook his head and stood to help with the clearing. But he had one last word for Oswald. “Better do as she says and call her Randi. Otherwise the words Mrs. Robinson coming out of your pretty face will put
bad ideas in her head.”
Oswald choked out a barely audible, and wholly horrified, “Yes, sir.”
Drew took pity on his friend as his dad walked away. “We’d better grab the rest, then go pin the old man down as to this super secret meeting. Wonder if we’ll need our decoder rings.”
“Probably one of us will need body armor if Courtney doesn’t like what she hears.”
“Oh? You have an idea of what’s coming?”
“Not a bloody clue, but something tells me I won’t like it.”
In the kitchen they set everything on the island. Randi handed them each a damp rag. “Please wipe everything down.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Drew gave her a cheeky grin, then danced out of the way of her swat.
When they came back, the food was put away and Randi was putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. “Anyone want coffee?” she asked.
“If you’re making some, I’ll have a cup,” Drew said. “But if no one else is having any, don’t bother.”
“Now shoo. Into the family room, everyone. I’ll be along in a minute.”
Dad was already in the sturdy rocking chair, Birdie curled up in her corner at the far end of the long, curved sofa. Almost feeling like a kid called into the Headmaster’s office, Drew settled himself a cushion width from his sister. Oswald sat beyond the curve, as far from Birdie as he could get. Was the man truly afraid of Bird? A question to ponder another time as Randi wandered in, rubbing lotion into her hands. Dad waved her over and pulled her down on his lap.
“I suppose you’re all wondering why we called you here,” Dad started.
“You could say that.” Drew folded his arms across his chest. Otherwise he’d be tempted to tweak Birdie’s toes and then the serious mood would be upset. Dad wouldn’t appreciate it.
“Well, Randi and I have been talking, and now all the weddings are over, we want to make some plans.”
Her Unexpected Affair (The Robinsons) Page 13