“Okay, I’m doing it. Reserving a table for four,” Melinda announced. “For tonight.”
“Here.” Leo pulled a credit card from his wallet, handing it to Melinda. “Go ahead and secure it with this for now.”
“Thanks.” Melinda sat on the end of the bed as she filled in the information.
“You’re really going to surprise Natalie with this?” Tia asked hesitantly.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “We’ve never done anything like this before. It’ll be fun.”
“But she might need to know more . . . like how to dress. You know, like maybe she should bring a sweater because it could be chilly out on the water.”
“Good idea. I’ll tell her that.”
“All right.” Melinda stood. “It’s a done deal. We’re supposed to be at the dock by 7:00. That’s when they start loading. The boat sails at 7:30 and returns by 10:30. Food and soft drinks and coffee are included, but they tack on tax, tips, and landing fee.”
“Landing fee?” Tia asked Leo.
“Well, they obviously want to get you coming and going.” He chuckled. “Maybe Julie can handle that differently on the Pacific Pearl. I like the idea of including everything in the ticket price. No hidden fees to jack it up.”
“I agree,” Tia said. “People should know the cost up front. Of course, anything from the bar will be separate.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how the other dinner cruises are done.” Leo went back into the main cabin, followed by Melinda.
“This is going to be fun,” Melinda said eagerly.
“Fun and productive.” Tia closed the door to the stateroom.
“I can pick you up if you’d like,” Melinda told Tia. “Probably around 6:45. That should be plenty of time.”
Tia thanked her.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Leo asked his sister. “I mean, besides trying to date Tia?”
“Ha ha.” She poked him in the ribs. “I just came over to see how Tia’s doing and to check on the progress. I wanted to see if my big brother was driving her crazy yet.” She winked at Tia. “Sounds like I got here just in time too.”
“Meaning I’m driving her crazy?” Leo asked.
“If the shoe fits.”
Leo made a disappointed face. “And here I thought I was helping.”
Tia smiled. “You are helping, Leo. I guess I was just getting cranky today. I don’t exactly like people revising my plans. But as it turned out, you were right. I was wrong.”
Leo nudged his sister. “Got to admire a woman who’s willing to admit she was wrong.”
“Yeah, that quality’s even rarer in a guy,” Tia quipped back.
“By the way, I came up here to ask if you want to see how it’s going below,” Leo said to Tia. “I think you’re going to like how spacious the galley is going to be.”
Tia reluctantly followed him below with Melinda trailing behind her, but when she saw the opened-up galley, she was convinced. Leo really had been right. “It looks great,” she told him. “Good call.”
“The Murray brothers are done for the day. I’m just cleaning up.”
“Need any help?” Melinda offered.
Soon all three of them were gathering wood shards into trash bags, sweeping up sawdust, and wiping the woodwork clean. The whole while, Tia was worried about Natalie’s “surprise.” If no one warned her to at least take some Dramamine, she was going to be miserable for three long hours. In all likelihood that would mean they would all be miserable. As soon as they finished the cleanup, Tia hurried to her phone. Instead of texting, to avoid leaving a trail that Leo might discover later, she called Natalie.
“Hey, Tia,” Natalie said cheerfully. “What’s up, girlfriend?”
“I’m giving you a quick heads-up,” she said quietly, just in case Leo was still on board and into eavesdropping.
“What is it?”
Tia quickly filled her in about the dinner cruise plan. “I tried to dissuade Leo. And I told him he should at least give you some warning—”
“Warning? You didn’t tell him about—”
“No, not at all. I simply said he should tell you about the boat, you know, so you could bring a jacket or something. But Leo’s plan is to surprise you.”
“Oh no.”
“I just thought you should know. You can take Dramamine, right?”
“That’s still pretty iffy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
“Sorry. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Just don’t tell Leo I tipped you off.”
“Don’t worry.” Natalie made a nervous laugh. “Isn’t it fun sharing secrets?”
“I guess.” But the truth was, Tia didn’t much like this game.
As Tia took a nice long shower, she tried to decide what was appropriate to wear on a dinner cruise—especially when your “date” was a girl. She suspected that Natalie would show up dressed to the nines as usual. Hopefully she’d be well set with plenty of Dramamine running through her bloodstream. Finally Tia decided to go with comfort, choosing her favorite faded denim skirt and a white shirt topped with a vintage cardigan in a tomato shade of red. Since her hair was still damp, she decided to just go with a loose ponytail tied with a blue bandana. She knew she’d probably look plain and boring next to Natalie and Melinda, but she really didn’t care. This was a spying mission, not a date.
To her surprise it was Leo’s red Jeep she saw parked at the end of the dock when she strolled that way looking for Melinda. Leo got out, waving toward her. “Slight change in plans,” he called.
Tia peered into the passenger side. “Where’s Natalie?”
“She opted out. Seems she has a horrible headache and wanted to spend the evening in.”
“You’re not staying in with her?”
“There’s no refunding tickets with such short notice,” he pointed out. “I’m hungry. Plus this is research, remember?”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, Melinda and Jake will meet us at the dock.”
“Jake?”
He nodded toward the Jeep. “I’ll explain on the way over there.”
As he drove, he told her about inviting Jake after Natalie bailed. “I already paid for a table for four. I called Melinda first, asking if she had some friends to replace Nat and me. She didn’t, so at the last minute I called Jake. Since he was closer to Melinda, he offered to get her. I was closer to the dock here, so I picked you up. Make sense?”
Tia wasn’t sure, but she simply nodded. “Sorry about Natalie.”
He frowned. “Yeah. Me too. She sounded fine when I talked to her earlier today. I guess it just hit her all of a sudden.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s too bad,” he said. “We were supposed to finalize some wedding plans tonight. I wanted to let her know that I’ve decided we’ll have the wedding on the boat after all. She sort of offered that to me as a concession a while back. In exchange she gets to have a big reception wherever she likes. She can invite as many people as she and her family feel is appropriate. But I’m digging in my heels. I want the wedding itself to be small and personal. Anyway, I hoped that we could settle this stuff on the dinner cruise. I thought if she really enjoyed the evening, it might help to solidify the on-board wedding. You know?”
“That makes sense.” Especially if you’re totally oblivious, she thought, and clueless to the fact that your fiancée despises being on the water.
“You seem a little somber tonight.”
“Sorry.” She tried to insert cheer into her voice. “We’ve been so busy with the boat demo. I guess I’m more worn out than I realized.”
“Natalie said you girls had a great time last night.”
“Oh, yeah. That was really sweet of her to have me over. And her apartment is so nice.” Tia felt her voice going flat again. Did they have to keep talking about Natalie?
“Kind of modern for my taste.”
“Yeah.�
�� She looked out the window, trying to think of another topic. “Julie said Roland is coming home this weekend.”
“That’s great. Isn’t that sooner than the doctor had told her?”
“Maybe. But apparently his recovery is moving right along.”
“I’ll bet he can’t wait to get out of there.”
“Julie said he’s getting pretty stir-crazy.”
“Poor Roland. But I’m glad he’s on the mend.”
“I forgot to ask, are the Murray brothers coming tomorrow? I know it’s Saturday, but I thought they might—”
“No, they don’t work on weekends.”
“Can’t blame ’em for that.” She was trying to think of something else to say. Something to keep the conversation streaming along when all she could think of was that Natalie had missed out on tonight because of her seasickness challenges. For some reason that made her feel guilty, like she could’ve said something earlier. But what?
“Oh, yeah,” she said quickly. “Julie mentioned that the guys are coming to install the new propane fire pit tomorrow.”
“Great. I assume it goes in the same spot the old fireplace was in?”
“Right. Out on the foredeck. Just beyond the covered area.”
“That’ll be nice. Does Julie want me there to supervise?”
“No, no, I can do that.” She wished she’d kept her big mouth closed, because the last thing she wanted was Leo hanging around tomorrow. She’d actually been looking forward to having the boat completely to herself.
“Except that the deck is my domain, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“But you’d prefer to handle it yourself?” he asked.
“No, that’s okay. If you feel the need to oversee it, of course you should come. I just figured you might enjoy a day off. I mean, you probably have things to do. You and Natalie might have wedding planning stuff to take care of. Settle on the location. Natalie told me last night that you guys still haven’t settled the whole engagement ring business either.” Tia wanted to kick herself now. Why, oh why, had she gone there again? Probably because she was curious. Curious and stupid. And she would probably get exactly what she deserved too—more pain.
18
Jake and Melinda were waiting on the dock, and to Tia’s relief, they were dressed fairly casually too. Leo, wearing navy slacks and a pale blue dress shirt, looked slightly out of place with the three of them. Tia knew he’d probably dressed like that for Natalie’s sake. He’d left his sports jacket in the Jeep, and as they boarded the boat, he rolled up his shirtsleeves, revealing his tanned forearms.
“This boat’s so much bigger than the Pacific Pearl,” Tia observed as the four of them strolled along the deck, taking it all in. She lowered her voice. “Feels very impersonal to me.”
“I agree,” Melinda said. “But it’s still fun.”
“Looks like that’s a popular spot.” Leo nodded to where a lot of passengers were crowded around a long, curved bar on the foredeck.
They hadn’t been aboard long when the bell rang signaling that the boat was preparing to depart.
“I want to go up to the bow,” Tia said eagerly. “I think it feels more exciting up there.” They all hurried to the front, watching as the boat slowly set out on the water. “What a gorgeous evening,” Tia said as the gentlest breeze caressed her face.
“Looks like it’ll be a good sunset.” Melinda pointed to the clouds on the western horizon.
Before long they were out on the open water, and as much as Tia wanted to stay right there in the bow, she knew this was supposed to be a mission. “I guess we should look around,” she said. “At least I should since I’m here to spy.”
“Spy?” Jake looked confused.
“Checking out the competition,” Tia explained. “The Pacific Pearl will definitely be different than this line, but it’s good to know what we’re up against. You know?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Let’s start sleuthing around,” Melinda said with a mischievous smile.
“Where do we start?” Tia asked.
“How about if I pretend to give you guys a tour of the boat?” Leo offered.
“Perfect.” Tia nodded. “Lead on.”
“They have a DJ,” Jake pointed out as they walked across the foredeck. “And a dance floor.”
“Dancing might be a challenge if the water is rough,” Melinda said.
“Might be a good excuse for stepping on toes,” Jake added.
“I think live music would be nicer,” Tia told them. “I mean, on the Pearl. I wonder if we could reserve a corner of the restaurant for live music.”
“What about piano?” Melinda suggested. “I really love piano music in a restaurant.”
“A grand piano would eat a lot of space,” Tia told her.
“Why couldn’t you have an upright?” Jake suggested.
“Maybe so.” Tia made a mental note to mention this to Julie.
They wandered all around the boat, allowing Leo to play the tour guide as he pointed out the highlights, even taking them to the bridge where they met the captain. Of course, no one confessed the real reason they were so interested. Tia was enjoying the tour simply for the fun of it too. She just happened to love boats.
“I’m hungry,” Melinda declared after they finished a complete round of the boat.
“Me too,” Jake told her. “Show me the grub.”
As the four of them waited to be seated at a table, Tia critiqued the quality of their customer service. If she were grading them, they wouldn’t get more than a C- so far. Not only were their uniforms unimpressive, but their expressions revealed that they would rather be someplace else. And the dining room was disappointing as well. Instead of feeling like an elegant night out, this place felt more like a diner or cafeteria.
“Impressed?” Leo asked her with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Not much.”
“Me neither.”
“But it’s encouraging,” she quietly admitted. “Makes me believe that what we offer will be unique enough to draw a following.”
“I know.”
“Taking notes?” Melinda asked Tia.
Tia pointed to her forehead. “In here.”
Eventually they were seated at a table in the center of the dining room, well away from windows. After they assured their waiter that they did not want to order alcohol, something he seemed insistent that they reconsider, they were handed some dog-eared menus with a limited “small plate” selection.
“How about if we all order something different?” Melinda suggested. “That way Tia can get a good idea of what she’ll be up against.”
“So far, I can’t imagine that Tia couldn’t bury this chef,” Leo said quietly. “This menu is pretty sad.”
“I can’t believe it cost so much,” Melinda added. “Of course, that’s probably mostly for the boat ride.”
“I was going for the roast beef plate,” Jake told them. “Sounds like there might be more food involved.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Leo admitted.
“You guys get what you want,” Tia said. “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s going on in the kitchen.”
“You mean galley?” Leo said.
“Yeah.” She looked across the room to the small windows. “I almost forgot we were on a boat.”
After a disappointing dinner, everyone agreed the dining room was stuffy and noisy. They decided to go outside for some air and to enjoy the view and music.
“Anyone want to dance?” Melinda asked hopefully.
“Sure,” Jake told her, but then he looked uneasy, glancing at Tia as if she might feel left out.
“You guys go for it,” she told them. “I just want to enjoy the view.” She looked out to the glowing city skyline, painted in shades of gold by the last rays of the sun. She pulled out her phone and took some quick pictures.
“Should we snag that table?” Leo pointed to a spot that was vacating.
“Care for something to drink?” he asked as they sat down.
“I wouldn’t mind an Arnold Palmer,” she told him as she took some shots of the Golden Gate Bridge with the peach-colored clouds behind it.
His brow creased in a confused way.
“That’s basically just lemonade and iced tea,” she explained. “No alcohol.”
“Oh, right.” He nodded. “Sounds good. Two Arnolds coming right up.”
After a couple of dances, Melinda and Jake got soft drinks, then came over to join them at the table. “I just overheard something interesting,” Melinda told Tia.
“What’s that?”
“Apparently this particular boat isn’t known for having the best dinner cruises.”
“I think we already figured that one out,” Leo said.
“No, what I mean is that this is more of a party boat.”
Tia glanced over to where the bar was still crowded. “That makes sense.”
“If you want a more elegant meal, you choose one of the other boats. Apparently it’s spelled out on their website if you look more carefully.” She glanced at her brother. “Sorry about that.”
“That’s probably why it wasn’t that hard to book a table for four,” Tia said.
“Guess we’ll have to do this all over again,” Jake teased.
“Maybe I’ll just study their website,” Tia told them.
“But being on this boat gives me an idea,” Melinda told Leo. “What if you have the wedding on the Pacific Pearl, like you want, but you have the reception on one of these boats? I heard you can reserve the whole boat if you get the right day. I’m sure it’d be a small fortune, but Natalie’s parents might be willing.”
“That would be fun,” Leo told her. “We could probably rig up a railed gangway to allow the wedding party to go from the Pearl to the bigger ship.”
“You think Natalie would go for it?” Melinda asked.
Tia turned away, pretending to watch the dancers, but she really just didn’t want anyone to see her face—to read her hopeless expression. She glanced at Jake. “Seemed like you had a pretty good time out there on the dance floor.”
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