“Too bad you’re not into dancing.”
“I never said that,” she told him.
His eyes lit up. “You are then?”
“You bet.”
“Come on.” Jake reached for her hand. “You haven’t lived until you’ve danced on a boat. I’ll apologize in advance for my own lack of fancy footwork. Dancing with the Stars isn’t exactly beating down my door these days.”
As it turned out, Jake was a decent dancer. Probably better than Tia, who was so grateful to escape that conversation that she actually started to enjoy herself. Dancing on the sea was surprisingly fun. The cool ocean air and the slowly setting sun, combined with the rocking motion of the boat, was a delightful combination. But after a couple of dances, she noticed Melinda looking their way and suddenly felt a little guilty.
“I’ll bet Melinda would like to dance again,” she told Jake as the song ended.
“You don’t think she can dance with her brother?” Jake teased.
“I’m sure she could, but she might enjoy it more with you.” Tia smiled as she grabbed his hand, leading him back to the table. “Your turn with Fred Astaire,” she told Melinda.
“You girls are gonna wear me out,” Jake said sarcastically. He pointed to Leo. “What’s wrong with you, man? Got a bunion on your big toe or something?”
“Come on,” Melinda told Jake. “A good song is starting.”
Tia felt awkward as she sat back down. No way did she want Leo pressured into taking her out on the dance floor. To avoid this possibility, she decided to keep the conversation stimulated by sharing some of the ideas that she’d started to hatch since they’d come aboard. Fortunately, Leo got into the spirit of it, and the prospect of the two of them hitting the dance floor together seemed to evaporate.
“Beautiful sunset,” Tia said absently.
“Yeah.” Leo looked out on the horizon with interest.
Tia pulled out her phone to take some shots of the sunset through the Golden Gate Bridge. “These are going to be stunning,” she told Leo. “Don’t you want to take some too?”
He laughed. “If you knew how many times I’ve taken shots of that bridge at various times of the day, including about a thousand sunsets, you’d understand.”
“Oh, right.” She pointed at him. “Hey, how about if I get a shot of you with the view behind you—we can send it to Natalie? Might cheer her up.”
“That’s a thoughtful idea.” Leo cooperated by striking some poses as she took a couple of shots. She immediately sent them to Natalie with the caption “Wish you were here.”
“You should let me get some of you,” Leo said. “You could send them to your dad or your family at the restaurant.”
“Thanks.” She handed him her phone.
“We should do a selfie too,” he told her as he stood beside her, holding her phone at arm’s length as she smiled happily.
He handed her phone back, and she took a quick peek at the last photo and was about to put it away when she heard the chime for a text. “Natalie wrote back,” Tia said. “She loves the photo. Says she’s going to frame it for her desk at work.”
“Thanks for doing that.” Leo leaned back with a long sigh. “I actually thought this might be my big chance to get Natalie on a boat.” He shook his head. “I know it sounds kind of crazy, but sometimes I almost get the feeling she doesn’t like boats.”
“Oh.” Tia looked out over the water.
“To be honest, I was worried she might balk at taking a dinner cruise tonight. That’s why I decided to keep it a surprise. But Nat surprised me by announcing she was under the weather without even knowing what was up.”
Now Tia felt guilty . . . and she felt something else too. Remorse? Or maybe just regret. Like she should’ve just stayed out of Leo’s business altogether. She should’ve just let Natalie come along like Leo had planned. Even if poor Nat ended up hanging over the gunwale all night, heaving her guts out into the bay, at least the cat would be out of the bag by now, and Tia would be out of the liar’s loop.
Except that it had seemed so mean to subject Natalie to that kind of torture. Not something a friend did to a friend. Tia knew that Natalie considered her a friend. How would she have reacted when she discovered that Tia had known ahead of time and not warned her? Besides that, Tia had assumed that Natalie would just take her seasickness meds and make the best of it tonight. Feeling torn and confused, Tia stared blankly out toward the dance floor. It seemed there were no easy answers.
“I’ll bet you’d like to dance,” Leo said suddenly.
“Oh, no, I was just think—”
But it was too late. Leo was out of his chair and reaching for her hand. Before she could think of a gracious way to decline, he was leading her onto the crowded dance floor, and just like that they were dancing. Thankfully it was a fast song, but it was also coming to a fast end. When it ended, Leo insisted they stick it out for a full-length one this time. Of course, as fate would have it, the next song was a slow, romantic one. Although Tia was about to excuse herself, the words got stuck in her throat as Leo took her in his arms, slowly dancing to the rhythm of the music.
She felt lost. Lost in his arms. Lost at sea. Lost, lost, lost. When he asked her to dance again, she didn’t even bother to argue with herself. Instead, she just gave in. Really, what did it matter?
When a fast song came on and they switched partners so that she could dance with Jake and Leo could dance with his sister, she attempted to convince herself that it was the same as when he’d danced with her. He was simply treating her like his sister and his friend. No big deal. But when they switched back for another slow song—because Melinda said it was creepy to slow dance with her brother—Tia forgot about all that friend and sister nonsense. Because Leo did not feel like a brother to her. Not in the least.
Bittersweet, she thought as they danced the last dance before the boat slowed down for the dock. This was bittersweet in the truest sense of the word. If she were to be completely honest, it was more bitter than it was sweet. It was like showing a child a beautiful birthday cake on her birthday and then saying, “Sorry, it’s not for you.” Bittersweet.
19
On Saturday morning, Tia felt torn. The brave side of her wanted to dig in her heels and stick around while the new fire pit was being installed. After all, the boat was sort of like her home for the time being. She had every right to be here. But the chicken side of her wanted to hightail it out and avoid any more interaction with Leo.
The chicken side won. As soon as she heard Leo calling out “Ahoy!” as he boarded the boat, she grabbed her backpack and hurried out. “See you later,” she called as she went down the recently replaced gangway. Instead of the wobbly board, this one was solid and sound. Quite an improvement.
“Where you going?” Leo asked.
“To welcome Roland home,” she explained. “I’m going to do some cleaning and stuff and fix them a welcome home dinner. Lots to do.” She forced a smile as she unlocked her bike. “Thanks for being here for the fire pit installation.” She hopped on the bike and took off. Free as a bird—well, maybe a chicken.
It was true that she wanted to do something special for Roland and Julie. She’d started hatching the plan early this morning. First she’d ride her bike to Whole Foods and pick up some things. Then she’d slip into the house while Julie was gone to the hospital. She’d do some quick cleaning and sprucing up, and she’d put together another cannelloni with instructions for how to heat it, as well as the things to go with it. Then she’d slip back out before they got home, which Julie was predicting would be around 4:00 in the afternoon.
As it turned out, it was a good thing she got an early start, because everything seemed to take longer than she planned. Then when she texted Julie at the hospital to see how it was going, she discovered that Roland was getting released an hour sooner than expected. She threw herself into high gear and managed to get out of the house at a little past 3:00.
By the time she was ped
aling back to the docks, the fog had already rolled in. She welcomed its coolness. She imagined spending the remainder of her afternoon curled up in the stateroom with a good book. A chance to just relax. Because she felt bone tired. Not to mention grubby and hungry.
To her dismay, Leo’s red Jeep was still in the parking lot. That meant either the fire pit guys weren’t finished yet or he had decided to stick around and work. Well, fine, she thought as she continued on down the dock. She would politely ignore him, go to the stateroom, take a quick shower and change her clothes, and then, since she hadn’t had a chance to do her own grocery shopping to refill her “larder,” which was actually a small cooler and a cupboard, she would sneak off the boat and run down to the Fish Shack for some fish and chips. It seemed like a good plan.
To her relief, a big yellow truck was parked next to the boat. That meant that Leo should still be occupied. As she slipped onto the boat, she spied him on the foredeck with a couple of guys. At least the fire pit was installed and appeared to be running. As much as she wanted to see it up close, she really wanted to avoid Leo today. She felt she owed it to her heart to steer clear of him. Really, how much could a girl take?
She made it to the stateroom without being noticed. Despite being ravenous, she decided to take her time showering and dressing. Hopefully Leo would be long gone by the time she emerged. Eventually, though, her hunger got the best of her and she ventured out.
She peeked out the main cabin windows to see that the yellow truck was gone. It seemed quiet out on deck. Feeling assured she was alone, she slipped out, locked the main cabin door, and was just heading for the gangway when she heard Leo calling out.
“Hey Leo, I’m just on my—”
“Come check it out,” he said cheerfully.
She reluctantly went over, ready to make a polite excuse, but something about those dancing orange flames and Leo’s welcoming smile made her swallow her words. Instead, she found herself warming her hands by the flickering fire.
“The fire pit looks really nice,” she said quietly. “Such a great idea.”
“Yeah. Perfect for those less than sunny days that are so common in these parts.”
“I’ll bet you could roast hot dogs on this,” she said.
“For sure. The guys even left a metal rack that fits on top.” He pointed to a large flat cardboard box. “They said you can cook on it.” He chuckled. “But probably not enough for fifty guests.”
“Probably not.” Her stomach rumbled noisily.
“Sounds like someone’s hungry.”
She gave a weak smile. “Actually, I was just about to run down to the Fish Shack.”
“Great idea. Mind if I join you? I’m starving.”
She shrugged. “Sure, but I’m going right now.”
“Me too.”
“Do you need to turn that off?”
“The guys said to let it run for an hour to ‘season’ it.”
“Oh. Is it okay to leave it unsupervised?” She nodded toward the bay. “It feels like a breeze is kicking up. It won’t catch the boat on fire, will it?”
“I know. You stay here and keep an eye on things, and I’ll run and get our food. We can eat by the fire.”
She agreed, telling him what to get her and handing him her money. He started to refuse, but she gave him a stern look, and to her relief, he didn’t argue. “I’ll be as quick as I can.” Relieved to be away from him for a few minutes, she pulled a deck chair up to the fire and sat down facing the bay.
She sighed as she leaned back. Really, she couldn’t think of a better place to be right now. Even if she did have to share it with Leo. Besides, she reminded herself, they were just friends. She needed to beat that into her brain. Just friends. She decided that when he returned, she would play the role of a friend. She would ask him how Natalie was doing and whether they’d agreed on a wedding date . . . or location . . . or settled on a ring.
Okay, she knew that her questions were dual-purposed. First of all, she was simply curious—as any friend would be. Second, she wanted to put him on the spot a little. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she felt he deserved to be put on the spot. Because unless it was her imagination, Leo was dragging his feet. And if he was dragging his feet, perhaps he needed to talk about it with someone.
By the time Leo returned with two bags of scrumptious-smelling fish and chips, Tia was ready for him. Instead of jumping right in, she focused on her food and small talk. As they were finishing up, she tossed out her first question.
“How is Natalie doing today? Did her headache go away?”
“Yeah. She just called an hour ago. She sounds fine.”
“Oh, that’s good. Are you guys going to get together to solidify your wedding plans?”
“Natalie’s parents are having us for dinner tonight.” He made a slight grimace.
Tia pointed at the big chunk of fish in his hand. “And you’re eating that now? How will you be hungry in a couple hours?”
“You’ve never tasted Natalie’s mom’s cooking, have you?”
Tia laughed. Apparently it was a case of like mother, like daughter.
“But the purpose of this dinner isn’t food,” he confessed. “I’m pretty sure Nat’s mom wants us to nail down a date. Apparently she’s found several reception venues that are available in August.”
“August . . . That’s not far off.” As Tia bit into a fry, she gazed at the bay and reminded herself she was talking to her friend . . . not her crush.
“I know. For some reason Nat is not backing down. She’s determined to be married this summer.”
“And you’re good with that?” Tia turned to look at him.
Leo didn’t answer as he slowly chewed.
“Sorry,” Tia backpedaled. “I’m probably being too nosy.”
“It’s okay.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “That’s a good question. Probably the kind of question Nat’s parents want to ask.”
“You’re still planning to have the wedding on the boat?” she asked.
He nodded firmly. “That’s what I want.”
“And Natalie?”
He frowned. “She’s agreed to it . . . but reluctantly.”
Tia knew she was on shaky ground now. To attempt to dissuade him from a boat wedding could tip her hand. Besides, Natalie could always drug herself with Dramamine. To change the direction of the conversation, she asked about the ring.
“Yeah, I still need to figure that one out.” He shook his head. “I know you said that a girl should love her engagement ring. And I get that. But shouldn’t a guy like it too?”
She considered this. “That seems fair enough.”
He wadded up his bag with a frustrated expression. “I just don’t think weddings are meant for the guys.”
She chuckled. “It probably seems that way.”
“I’m half tempted to just throw up my hands . . .” He held up his hands as if someone was holding a gun on him.
“What do you mean?” Tia was almost afraid to ask—afraid to hope. Was he having second thoughts about marrying Natalie? Did she really want to be the one to make him admit it?
“I don’t know.” He lowered his hands. “I guess it would be easier to just let them do it how they want. They tell me when and where and I’ll show up. You know?”
Her spirits sank. “Yeah. I know.”
He looked at his watch. “Well, that’s been about an hour. Guess I can turn it off now.”
“Great.” She tried to sound cheerful as she stood. “I want to see how it works so I can turn it off and on too.”
He bent down to show her the mechanism, turning off the flame and then the pilot light. “Simple.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“Thanks for listening to me.” He looked into her eyes. “It helps to talk about these things. With someone who’s uninvolved, you know?”
“Sure.” She nodded stupidly as the word uninvolved kept reverberating through her head. “That makes sense.”
Despite her earlier longing for solitude, she now felt sad and lonely watching him leave. Still, she knew she’d gotten just what she deserved. She kicked her toe at the stone fire pit. People who play with fire should expect to get burned.
The next week felt like a three-ring circus on the Pacific Pearl. Craftsmen that Julie had scheduled weeks ago started to arrive. Electricians, painters, plumbers, carpenters, floor installers, cabinetmakers, and so on—some showing up when they had promised, and some showing up when they liked. It was Tia’s job to make sure the workmen didn’t step on each others’ toes as well as to ensure they got their tasks done.
Although Leo was usually on hand to help, it seemed their paths were crossing much less than usual. Probably because they were both so busy, but possibly because they were both avoiding each other. Tia suspected that their last personal conversation, when she had grilled him about his wedding plans with Natalie, had left him cold. She had probably crossed some invisible line. But for that, she was grateful.
At the end of each day, after the workers and Leo were gone, Tia would walk around and take pictures of everything and send them to Julie. A little later, she’d call her aunt to discuss the day’s accomplishments and go over tomorrow’s work schedule.
Another project that was taking off was the creation of the Pacific Pearl website. Although Melinda was responsible for building the site and taking photos, she called Tia in the middle of the week for help with food photos.
“I could use stock photos, but wouldn’t it be cool if the website had pics of real food that you actually prepared, served on the same kind of plates and things that you plan to use on the Pacific Pearl?”
“This is a pretty busy week,” Tia told her. “The galley isn’t even close to being ready for cooking yet, and the dining room tables aren’t scheduled to arrive for another week.” She remembered the boxes she’d stored along one wall of her stateroom. “Although the monogrammed plates and linens just got here yesterday.”
“I knew your kitchen wasn’t ready yet, but I figured you could come over here to cook at my parents’ house. Then we could set up a table and cover it with your dishes and linens and flowers or candles or whatever. We could set it outside for really good light, and take some really enticing food photos. The shots would only have the tablecloth in the background, so no one would know they weren’t taken on the boat.”
All Summer Long Page 17