As Tia got ready for bed, she blocked all thoughts of Leo from her mind. Or nearly all. But as soon as she turned out the lights and got into bed, it all came flooding back at her. She could feel the lump in her throat as the tears gathered again. Instead of surrendering to it, she pulled out an old trick that Grandma D’Amico had taught her to use after her parents’ divorce—a way to trick your mind into thinking about something else until you fell asleep. She started to count her blessings in alphabetical order.
After tossing and turning all night, Tia didn’t wake up until 7:45. Scrambling to get dressed and a bite to eat, she was just putting her hair into a ponytail when she heard the doorbell ringing. It was barely 8:00, but feeling no need to primp today, she was ready. Since Leo appeared to believe in promptness, she grabbed her sweatshirt and backpack, then hurried out to join him. As she went, she told herself that today was just about work. That was all. She would not let her emotions or her imagination run away with her. If they did, she would do something drastic—like jump into the bay—to make it stop.
“Good morning,” Leo said brightly as she emerged.
“Morning!” She forced a cheery smile as she locked the front door. She figured she’d be doing a lot of fake smiles today. Might as well get used to it.
“Ready to rock and roll?” he asked.
“You bet.” She slipped the spare key into her backpack and looked all around. “Looks like the fog’s gone.”
“Yeah, it’s supposed to be another sunny day.”
“Cool. I can’t wait to see the boat.” She hurried down to the Jeep, opening the passenger door before Leo could do it first. Hopefully she was sending him a clear message—she did not need him to be a gentleman.
“Well, the Pacific Pearl is a real beauty,” he said as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Okay, I guess she’s a beauty in disguise. But she’s a classic. Circa 1958, but completely restored a few decades ago. Roland’s mom wanted to give the Pearl a ‘modern’ update back in the 1980s.” He shook his head in dismay as he backed out of the driveway. “Lots of pink and plum and lavender colors, and this horrible flowery wallpaper. Fortunately, they only covered the surfaces. Most of the original stuff, all that mahogany and brass and teak, is still underneath.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“The one good thing about their restoration is that they completely overhauled the engine room—and they did it right. The Pacific Pearl has guts. She can go.”
“How big is she?”
“Not too big. At least by today’s standards for yachts. Just sixty-two feet. Julie estimates that after it’s opened up inside—she’s taking out all but the one stateroom that’s clear in the back—there should be enough space for tables to accommodate fifty diners. And up to seventy-five if it’s not seated dining.”
“That sounds like a nice number.” Tia nodded. “Not too overwhelming.”
“Yeah, we figure the smallness will be part of the attraction,” he explained. “There are a lot of big dinner yachts already running the bay. But most of them are huge and corporate owned. You feel like you’re on a mini-cruise. The Pearl should feel more intimate, more luxurious. Plus you’ve got that old world classic feeling.”
“With fewer diners, I’m guessing it’s more about quality than quantity, so Julie can probably charge more than those big lines.”
“That’s the plan.”
They continued chatting about the boat as he wound his way down to the marina, and for a few minutes Tia nearly forgot all about her broken heart. It wasn’t until he had parked and they were walking down to the wharf that she noticed how handsome he looked. He was casually dressed in worn khaki shorts and a faded gray T-shirt, and his sandy hair was blowing in the wind. But it was the earnest expression in his ocean blue eyes that got her. As he gazed out over the bay, eagerly taking it all in, she was reminded of the boy who had kissed her ten years ago. Her steely resolve to keep her mind under control was crumbling.
However, she was not about to jump into the bay. Instead, she mentally slapped herself and followed up with a silent scolding. Get over it!
“You okay?” he asked as he led her down one of the docks.
“Yeah, sure.” She shrugged. “Why?”
“You just looked so serious, like something was wrong.” He switched the small duffle bag he was carrying to the other hand as he paused to study her. “Did you hear from Julie lately? Is Roland okay?”
She filled him in on what Julie had told her last night. “Mostly I think Roland is getting antsy. Can’t be fun being stuck in the hospital over the weekend.”
“Maybe we should run over and visit him after work today.”
“I would like to see him,” she admitted.
“It’s a date.”
She bristled at that word. Did he have to call it a date?
“Well, there she blows.” He pointed to a long white boat occupying half the length of the dock. “The Pacific Pearl.”
She studied the sleek body of the craft. The upper portion, made of gleaming wood, was somewhat boxy—giving it a retro look. But all in all it was absolutely delightful. She wished she had her sketch pad with her because she’d love to sketch it. “I love it!” she exclaimed. “It’s a gorgeous boat.”
“Well, be warned, she looks better on the outside than the inside.”
“She’s such a classic.” Tia sighed. “All those windows—that will probably be great for the diners.”
“Yeah. Julie wants both indoor and outdoor dining, but knowing San Francisco, the indoor dining will probably be the most useful.” He pulled a long plank from behind a Dumpster, leaning it onto the side of the boat like a gangway. He grinned as he reached for her hand. “Come aboard.”
She reluctantly took his hand. Okay, she was partly reluctant and partly rejoicing. But it was the rejoicing part that needed to go jump in the bay. “Thanks,” she said as she made her way up the slightly wobbly gangplank. Once she was on board, she looked around the decks. “It looks like it’s been beautifully maintained,” she said in wonder. “I thought Julie said it needed work.”
“The exterior’s in excellent shape,” he agreed.
“What kind of wood is this?” She ran her hand over the glossy exterior wall of the cabin. “It’s so rich looking.”
“Most of the exterior wood is teak,” he said as he unlocked the cabin door.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Brace yourself.” He grinned as he opened the door. “Welcome to the eighties.”
She stepped into the main cabin, grimacing at the pastel upholstery, floral print wallpaper, whitewashed wood cabinets, and plum shag carpeting that was sun-bleached in places. “Ugh, this is really bad.”
He pointed to a section of wood that had been stripped of the whitewashing and restored to its original rich red-brown tone. “Fortunately, the mahogany can be brought back.”
“That’s good.”
“But most of these interior walls are going to be removed.” He opened a door on the back wall, leading her down a dark, narrow hallway. “The berths and stateroom are back here. But most of this will all be opened up to accommodate seating. That’s why Julie decided to wait on the wood refinishing. Wait until the footprint is done.”
“Makes sense.” Tia peeked into one of the berths, surprised to see that it was almost as big as the bedroom she’d had at her dad’s house. But it could have slept four passengers with two sets of bunk beds. The next berth was a bit larger with two twin-sized beds and some nice built-ins.
“This must be the stateroom,” she said when she came to a door at the end of the hall.
“Yep. It’s the only space that Julie plans to pretty much leave as is.”
She opened the door to reveal a fairly large room with a queen-sized bed and lots of handsome built-ins. Unlike the main cabin, this room had its original wood, and other than the flowery bedspread, it was fairly nautical looking. “This is actually quite nice.”
“Yeah. Not sure how
it missed the eighties makeover, but lucky that it did.”
“For sure.” She spotted the canvas bag on a dresser. “That must be Julie’s boat bag. I’m supposed to start working on her to-do list.”
“Great. So you’re all set then?”
“I guess so.”
“I’ll either be working on some things outside on deck, or in the engine room, or in the cockpit. If you need me, just go outside and holler—or ring the bell by the door and I’ll hear you.”
She thanked him and, relieved to be alone, opened one of the portholes to let some fresh air into the musty stateroom. The bedspread reminded her of an old woman’s overgrown flower garden. Roland’s mother obviously had a penchant for these colors and prints, but seeing the original woodwork and untouched built-in cabinets gave her hope.
“You’re such a beautiful boat,” she said as she retrieved Julie’s canvas boat bag. “I’m glad you’re going to get some help.” She emptied the bag onto the queen-sized bed. She admired the various samples for fabric and paint and wood stain and all sorts of things. There were also catalogs of hardware and fixtures and furnishings and kitchenware. Many of the pages were flagged with Post-its. Julie had clearly been doing her homework.
The more Tia studied the contents of the boat bag, the more she understood where Julie was headed. Her vision for the boat’s interior was classic. The color scheme was simple. A crisp, clean off-white and nautical blue, offset with the rich mahogany and golden brown cork floors. There were even some hand-drawn blueprints for the boat’s decks. The main cabin area was all opened up with spaces for tables, pretty much like Leo had described, but she was actually starting to envision it now.
The to-do list started with lots of hands-on tasks like removing wallpaper, carpeting, and furnishings. Tia had seen a fair number of home remodeling shows and suspected this would be considered a gut job. She wondered what the kitchen (aka the galley) was like. That was the area that really interested her. Since she hadn’t seen any sign of it on this portion of the boat, she suspected it was on the other side of the cabin, or even on a lower deck.
She left her backpack and sweatshirt in the stateroom and set out to do some more exploring, taking the notebook with her. It was fun having the place to herself—or nearly so, because she could hear some thumping and bumping going on somewhere on the boat. She assumed it was Leo, but it was possible that other workers were there too.
She eventually found a steep ladder that led to a small galley beneath the main cabin. After a quick inventory, it was obvious that the galley would be a gut job too. No way could the four-burner propane stove produce quality cuisine for fifty to seventy-five diners. She poked around some more, discovering some storage areas as well as what must’ve been berths for crew members. If it was all taken out, the kitchen easily could be expanded. She would recommend that a dumbwaiter be installed too.
Since she hadn’t seen any drawings of this in the blueprints, she decided to make a rough sketch of her own, trying to design what she felt would be an efficient commercial galley within a relatively small space. It was a challenge, but after several failed attempts, she thought she was getting closer. It was at least a jumping-off place. She would show it to Julie when they went to visit this afternoon.
Another thing Julie would need to address was the restrooms—or “heads,” as they were called on a boat. Julie had probably already considered this, but just the same, Tia made notes and suggestions.
Finally, after she felt fully familiar with the interior spaces, she was curious to see what the outside decks were like. How many diners could be accommodated out there? Stepping out, she was impressed again with how handsome the exterior part of this boat was. It would look classy and elegant cutting through the bay. Not to mention romantic. It had that kind of old Hollywood appeal. And with a few strings of white lights in the right places, perhaps some festive lanterns, it would be a fabulous place for an anniversary party or even a small wedding.
As she stood there in the bowsprit, her mind sprinted ahead, and she was suddenly imagining her own wedding. It came rushing at her so quickly that she couldn’t stop it. Or perhaps she didn’t want to. She saw herself in a lovely but simple white dress, and she was barefoot, with her long hair flowing freely on her shoulders and a sea breeze gently blowing over her sun-warmed skin. Beside her stood her handsome groom, and together they faced the minister, who was leaning against the bowsprit railing. Meanwhile, the sky on the horizon was painted with the most beautiful sunset colors. And standing behind them were only their closest family and friends. After the ceremony, they would dine on a fabulous catered seafood dinner.
“What’s up?”
Tia spun around in the bowsprit to see Leo curiously watching her. “Nothing,” she said quickly, stepping down from the bowsprit. “I was just getting a feel for the boat. Imagining how we might run strings of white lights around this banister. When the weather is fair enough, the diners could eat outside.” She pointed to the wide deck area. “I think we could probably get four or five small tables out here. That would seat about twenty diners. Not bad.”
He nodded with a thoughtful expression. “Sounds like you’ve really been giving this some consideration.”
“I have,” she said as she pushed past him. “And now I’m going to go strip some wallpaper.”
“Need any help?”
She wanted to yell, “No, I don’t need any of your help!” Instead she just turned and glared. “Don’t you have work to do in the engine room or something?”
“I already told Julie I’d help with the wallpaper stripping.”
“Oh.”
“Do you even know how to strip wallpaper?” he challenged.
She shrugged. “How hard can it be?”
He chuckled. “That just shows that you don’t know what you don’t know. As it so happens, I’ve stripped lots of it from my grandmother’s house. So I’m experienced.”
“Then I guess I should be grateful for your help.” She made a stiff smile.
“Cool. I’ll grab some tools and be there in a minute.”
As she went inside, she knew it was hopeless. Trying to control her feelings toward Leo was like trying to control the tide. She stared out the window into the shimmering blue bay. Maybe it really was time to jump overboard.
7
As it turned out, removing wallpaper wasn’t as easy as she had expected. Fortunately, Leo had all the right tools. Together they steamed and scraped, and by 1:00, one exterior wall of the main cabin was free from the flowery paper.
Leo paused from scrubbing the leftover paste from the wood. “I think it’s coming back,” he said as he rinsed his sponge in water.
“Very nice.” She ran her hand over the rich, warm brown mahogany.
“I don’t think it needs to be refinished.” He used a rag to dry the wood panel, rubbing it until it shone. “I’m guessing they used spar varnish.”
“What’s that?”
“Spar varnish is a boat’s best friend. Well, if the boat has a lot of wood. Spar varnish is impervious to water. That’s why the exterior wood looks so good. Roland’s dad must’ve had someone give it a fresh coat not too many years ago.” He peered more closely at the wall. “This might need another coat too. To really brighten it up and protect it.”
“You seem to know a lot about restoring boats,” she said as she compacted the shreds of wallpaper into the trash bag.
“I’ve worked on a few.”
“You really do love boats, don’t you?” She picked up the trash bag, hoisting it over her shoulder to take out to the Dumpster.
“Pretty much.” He made a lopsided grin. “My parents think it’s something I’ll outgrow in time, but I really don’t think so.”
“I don’t see why you should outgrow it,” she said as she opened the cabin door. “My uncle is always saying that if you love what you do for a living, it’s not really work.”
“Is that how you feel about cooking?”
&nb
sp; “Absolutely.” She nodded as she went outside, stepping around some of the smaller furnishings that they’d moved out to the deck. As she carefully made her way down the wobbly gangplank, she had to admit that Leo was fun to work with. Not only was he knowledgeable and a hard worker, he was good at conversation too. Still, as she tossed the bag into the Dumpster, she felt aggravated. It would be a whole lot easier on her heart if he was a bossy grump.
“You hungry?” Leo asked as he came out onto the deck.
“Now that you mention it.”
“There’s a little place within walking distance. It’s called the Fish Shack, and that pretty much describes it. But their fish and chips are killer.”
“Sounds good to me.” She pointed at the furnishings on the deck. “What do we do with all this stuff?”
“We can set it on the dock with a ‘free’ sign to see if anyone wants to do some salvaging. But we need to have it out of here by the end of the day.”
“Maybe we should move it to the dock before we leave,” she suggested.
He looked skeptical. “It’ll take both of us to get some of those bulky pieces off the boat. You think you’re up for that?”
“Sure.” She picked up a small pink ottoman, carrying it to the gangplank. “I’m stronger than I look.” Of course, as she walked down the wobbly board, she didn’t feel as confident as she sounded. Fortunately, she did not fall in.
Together they worked to get all the pieces onto the dock. “It looks like a yard sale,” she said as she taped the “free” sign onto a coffee table.
“An eighties yard sale.” He put on his sunglasses and rubbed his stomach. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“I hear those fish and chips calling my name.”
“I hope I didn’t get your hopes too high,” he said as they strolled down the dock in the afternoon sunshine. “I’m not really a connoisseur of fine cuisine.”
“I’m so hungry, I’m not sure I care.”
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