Treading Water

by Marie Force

  “Surprise!” The entire staff greeted him, and a huge banner hung on the back wall that said Welcome Home, Jack. They offered hugs as he absorbed the emotional outpouring from his coworkers.

  “Wow,” he said once the uproar had died down. “You really surprised me. Thanks for the warm welcome. It’s great to be back.”

  “Speech!” someone called.

  Cornered, Jack had no idea what to say. “I…ah… Thank you for the overwhelming support this past year and for all you did to help Jamie.” He paused to collect himself. “It was comforting to know you were taking care of HBA so I could take care of my family. I guess today is the first day of the rest of my life. I’m glad to be spending it here.”

  His coworkers’ applause embarrassed him.

  “Welcome back, bud.” Jamie grinned and clapped Jack on the back.

  “Thanks.” The animated group dug into the coffee and bagels on the conference room table. “I’d forgotten how much fun it is to be here.”

  “I need to remind you of all the fun you used to have.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of fun, what’s this I hear about you and Tokyo?”

  “Word travels fast. It’s an office being modeled after one of my dad’s buildings in New York. They asked him to consult, but since he’d rather be playing golf, he sent them to me.”

  “Are you interested?”

  “Sort of. I’ve never been to Japan, so that part intrigues me. But I wasn’t sure the time was right to take on something overseas.”

  “Quinn thinks we need to hire some more hands. Then maybe you could do it.”

  “Even with the hotel?”

  “I don’t see why not. What if we made Quinn our very first vice president and gave her responsibility for managing the office? She’s more or less doing it now. We could make it official and get it off my plate.”

  “That would allow me to be gone for a week or two every now and then if I need to be in Tokyo.” Jamie rubbed his chin and mulled it over. “How much more should we pay her?”

  “Twenty-five thousand?”

  “Done.”

  “Great, I’ll tell her today. Let’s hit up the Crimson for a couple of new grads,” Jack said, referring to their alma mater.

  “I’ll take care of that,” Jamie said as they wandered over to join the party. “I’ll let you know what unfolds with Tokyo. I was waiting until you came back to decide.”

  The rest of the day flew by as Jack consulted on a variety of ongoing projects, participated in the conference call with the Infinity Group’s Chicago headquarters team, and began preliminary planning for the next phase of the hotel project.

  Infinity had chosen HBA’s design over seven other New England firms. In designing the one-hundred-and-fifty-room resort, the challenge had been to create an old-fashioned New England beach “cottage” with all the modern amenities. As part of the first phase of building the hotel, Jack would work with the interior design team to ensure their décor choices brought HBA’s design to life.

  He stood, stretched, and checked the beach, which was almost deserted. Fog hung off the coast, waiting for the sun to give up for the day and reminding him of the dinner date with the girls. He buzzed Quinn and asked her to come in.

  She came through the door a minute later and laughed at the scene on his desk. “I love what you’ve done with the place.” His messiness and her obsessive neatness was a running joke between them. “How’s it going?”

  “I got more done today than I thought I would. I made a list of ideas for the interior designers’ research trip for the last week in August. Do you mind taking it from here and setting up accommodations?”

  “No problem.”

  “None of them have ever been here before, so we’ll send them to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Boston the first week, plus they’ll do a second full week in Newport. Let’s go the bed-and-breakfast route, since we’re aiming for an inn feel with the Newport hotel. Get tickets for a Red Sox game, too. They can’t be in Boston and not go to Fenway.”

  “Them or you?”

  “Them, of course,” he said, smiling.

  “I’ll get on it in the morning.” She scanned his list. “You’re not taking them to Block Island?”

  “Not this time. Nantucket will take care of the ‘resort island’ theme.” After the emotional trip with the girls, he wasn’t ready to go back to Block Island just yet.

  She checked her watch. “You’d better think about wrapping it up. You don’t want to keep your ladies waiting.”

  “There’s one other thing before I go.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Jamie and I would like to offer you a promotion.”

  Her brows knitted with confusion. “What kind of promotion?”

  “How about vice president, in charge of running the office. Are you interested?”

  “That’s always been your thing.”

  “I need to focus on the hotel, and Jamie’s got the Tokyo job brewing.”

  “I’d love to do it, and I appreciate the new title.”

  “Great. Thank you.”

  “I should probably mention that I’m getting married.”

  Startled, Jack said, “Is that so?”

  Her warm, green eyes danced with amusement. “You have been gone a while, Jack. Things have happened.”

  “Who’s the lucky guy?”

  “Brian. You met him a long time ago.”

  “Ah, our friend from Down Under?”

  She smiled. “That’s him. We’re planning a small wedding this fall.”

  He stood to give her a congratulatory hug. “I’m very happy for you. And I’m sure you’ll both be glad to hear your promotion comes with a twenty-five-thousand-dollar raise.”

  She gasped. “Are you serious?”

  Laughing at her reaction, he said, “You’re extremely valuable to us, and you’ve shown us again how much you’re capable of during this past year. We appreciate it, and we want to reward you for it.”

  She flung her arms around him. “Thank you, Jack! I love working for you guys, and I appreciate your vote of confidence.”

  “We couldn’t run this place without you,” he said as another thought occurred to him. “If you want Haven Hill for the wedding, it’s all yours.”

  “Oh my God! That’d be fantastic!”

  “It’s nothing.” Jack shrugged. “Just let me know the date, and I’ll tell the family it’s yours that weekend.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Brian about all of this. I’m so glad you’re back. It just wasn’t the same without you.”

  “Get out of here. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She hurried away as Jamie came in through the door that connected their offices.

  “Who lit a fire under her?”

  Jack dropped files into his briefcase and turned off his computer. “I told her about the promotion and the raise. Did you know she’s getting married?”

  “I’ve heard some talk about that. Brian’s a nice guy. They’ve been out on the boat a few times.”

  “It’s funny how life went on without me. I feel like everything stopped fourteen months ago.” He paused and shook it off, not wanting the negative thoughts to intrude on the best day he’d had in longer than he could remember. “I offered her Haven Hill for the wedding.”

  “That’s really nice of you.”

  “So I had a really interesting chat with Infinity’s chief designer today. Andrea Walsh?”

  “She goes by Andi,” Jamie said. “Wait ’til you meet her. Amazingly talented.”

  “She seemed really sharp on the phone. She’s got some great ideas. They’re looking forward to the visit.”

  “You’re sure you’re up to handling so much right out of the gate?”

  “It’ll be good to think about something other than my own problems for a change.”

  “How’re things going with the girls?”

  “Much better. They seem to have accepted that their old
man is in charge and paying attention. I’ll tell you, though. Their social lives exhaust me. I need a color-coded spreadsheet to track their comings and goings. I have no idea how Clare managed to make it look so easy.”

  “She was one hell of a mother,” Jamie said.

  “That she was, and now they have me. The sorry substitute.”

  “When they’re all grown up with kids of their own, they’ll remember what you did for them, and they’ll appreciate it.”

  Jack eyed him skeptically as they walked to the parking lot together. “You sure about that, oh wise one?”

  “Positive.”

  “Day one went better than I thought it would. Thanks again for the party.”

  “We’re glad to have you back. Say hi to the girls for me.”

  “Will do. See ya.”

  Jack unlocked his silver BMW convertible, got in, and sat for a long time before he could make himself move. Clare won’t be there. “But the girls will be,” he said as he started the car and drove home to them.

  Part II

  Freestyle: Using a swimming stroke of one’s choice instead of a specified style.

  Chapter 4

  On the last Sunday in August, Jack rode the airport escalator and wondered how he would pick out Andrea Walsh from the crowd arriving on the Chicago flight. As he approached the top, he spotted a gorgeous brunette with long curls walking toward him. Based on Jamie’s description, Jack realized it was her. Well, that was easier than expected.

  When her brown eyes scanned the crowd and connected with his, her stunning smile left him staggered as he was hit with an odd sense of recognition. Had they met before? Not that he could recall.

  “Andrea?”

  “Hi, Jack.” She shifted her briefcase so she could shake hands with him. “Please call me Andi. Thanks so much for meeting me.”

  “No problem.” He took her bag and ushered her down the escalator to retrieve her luggage. “You picked a great day to arrive. Rhode Island at her finest.”

  “The view from the air was amazing.”

  “I never get tired of it.”

  “I’m sorry to drag you away from your family on a day like this,” she said as they arrived at the baggage area.

  “I blocked two weeks for your team’s visit, so they understand. They might join us later to go sailing if you’re interested.”

  “I’d love to.”

  When she glanced up to find him studying her, her cheeks heated with color. “What?”

  “I keep feeling like I’ve met you before, but I’m sure I haven’t. You seem so familiar.”

  “I think I’d remember you,” she said and then quickly looked away as if embarrassed by her frank reply.

  “Hmmm,” he said, flustered. He grabbed her two bags off the carousel and led her to the door.

  She put on a pair of Jackie O-style sunglasses and followed him to his car. “Oh, a convertible! Can we take the top down?”

  “Sure,” he said, relieved that the awkward moment at the carousel had passed.

  She gathered up her long hair into a ponytail for the ride.

  “I enjoyed your colleagues,” he said once they were heading south on Interstate 95. He had accompanied her team to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket before sending them on their own to Boston. They were due back in Newport late the next day.

  “That’s nice to hear.”

  “Your coworker Michael is quite the character,” Jack said, grinning.

  “He sure is, but he knows his stuff, so I put up with his eccentricities. I hope he didn’t drive you crazy.”

  “Nah, he kept me laughing. They had me out until one in the morning, and then they were up at seven, ready to hit the streets again. I haven’t done anything like that in years, and it’s official: I’m getting far too old for it. I was dead the next day.”

  “You have to say no to them. They know better than to ask me, but I’m sure they took full advantage of you.”

  He laughed and stole a glance at her. She had her face tipped into the warm sun, and he was struck once again by how stunning she was. Jamie had failed to mention that. Jack wondered if the oversight had been intentional.

  “So what’s our plan for today?” she asked.

  “I thought we’d drop your bags at the hotel and then run by HBA where I’ve set aside an office for you. After that, I’ll take you to see the site.”

  “I appreciate the office space. I hate working in hotel rooms.”

  “So do I.” They crested the hill that led to the Jamestown Bridge. “This is where the view gets spectacular.”

  Andi took it all in. “I thought Lake Michigan was pretty, but this is something else. Do people live on all the islands?”

  “Some of the larger ones are inhabited. We’re heading onto an island up ahead known as Conanicut Island. Locals call it Jamestown.” They crossed the first of two bridges. “Newport is also on an island, called Aquidneck.”

  “I saw this one from the air,” she said of the Newport Bridge.

  “You’ll have a great view of Newport in a minute. If you look to the right when we get to the top, you might be able to see Block Island on the horizon.”

  “Yet another island?”

  “Popular spot about twenty miles from here.” A stab of pain cut through him when he thought of being there with the girls.

  “I’ve never seen so many boats!”

  “The City by the Sea is the sailing capital of the world, and I guess you can see why from up here.” He pointed out the Naval War College on the north side of the bridge, and told her about the navy’s long history in Newport.

  “You could be a tour guide. Are you from here?”

  He shook his head. “I’m what’s known as a carpetbagger. According the locals, you can’t be ‘from’ Newport unless you’re born inside the city limits. I’m originally from Connecticut.”

  “What brought you here?”

  “Jamie and I came here when we were in graduate school and fell in love with the place. We both love to sail, so when we started HBA, we decided to locate it here. On a day like this, you can see why.”

  “I wouldn’t get anything done if I lived here.”

  “We take a lot of half days in the summer,” he said. “Have you lived long in Chicago?”

  “All my life except for college in New York. I guess I’m pretty boring, but I love the city. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  After she checked into her downtown Newport hotel, he drove her through the city. She marveled at the rows of colonial homes, cobblestone streets, and gas-powered lantern streetlights. The streets teemed with tourists as they poured in and out of restaurants, shops, and bars.

  On the way to the office, he drove past the crowded town beach and merry-go-round. In HBA’s parking lot, he walked around to open her door.

  “Another amazing view,” she said when they reached his office. “I have a great view of the lake from my office, but I hardly notice it anymore. You can’t help but notice yours. And I love this building.”

  “This was our first collaboration. We’d worked for the same company but not on any projects together. The way this place came together boosted our confidence about going out on our own.”

  “Where were you before?”

  “We did seven years with Neil Booth in Boston.”

  Andi’s eyes widened. “The Neil Booth?”

  “The one and only. He’s Jamie’s father.”

  “Oh my God, of course! I didn’t make the connection, and Jamie never mentioned it.”

  “He doesn’t make a big production about it, so don’t let on I told you,” Jack said, smiling.

  She wandered over to look at his framed degrees on the wall. “Well, look at you: Berkeley, Harvard, and a Roman numeral. John Joseph Harrington the third. Very impressive.”

  Sadness descended upon him when he remembered Clare teasing him about being a Harvard graduate. “Yes, terribly impressive,” he forced himself to say, “and that’s
the only place in my world you’ll ever see that Roman numeral. Let me show you to your office. Then we’ll grab some lunch and head out to the site.”

  “Sounds great, John the third,” she teased, smiling at his playful scowl.

  After lunch and a tour of the Infinity site, Jack flipped open his cell phone. “Let me check with Jamie about sailing and at home to see who wants to come along.”

  “I need to call home, too.”

  He pulled into a gourmet deli to pick up the picnic dinner he had ordered.

  “Tell him I love him,” Andi was saying when Jack returned to the car.

  “Who’s the lucky guy?” Jack asked after she ended the call.

  “My son. He’s five and sound asleep at the moment.”

  “I love that age,” he said wistfully as he drove to the marina. “They’re still so cute and funny. Teenagers can be anything but cute or funny. Although I’m lucky—mine aren’t as bad as some.”

  “I’m sure they aren’t.”

  Her cell phone rang as they arrived at the marina.

  “Sorry, I have to take this. It’s my deputy director calling from Juneau.” She rolled her eyes. “Lots of issues out there.”

  “Take your time. I’ll unload the car and come back for you.”

  While Andi took her call, Jack walked down the dock with an armload of bags. He unlocked the large navy blue sailboat he and Jamie had named Blueprint. When he was greeted by a blast of heat from the cabin, he opened the hatches to let in the cool sea breeze.

  Glancing up at the parking lot, he saw Andi laughing and talking with animated hands. God, she’s beautiful. An ache formed in his gut that he was startled to recognize as desire. It’d been so long, he’d almost forgotten the sensation of wanting a woman. Acknowledging that he’d been attracted to her from the first moment he saw her, Jack felt as if he was awakening from a long slumber and had to remind himself not to stare as he watched her.

  A few minutes later, she strolled down the dock to join him. “I like the name of the boat. Very clever.”

  “Thanks. Come aboard. The others will be here soon.” He offered her a hand. “What can I get you to drink?”