But he should have known better than to hope for everything to go well. He’d had problems aboard even before departure, and the problems had followed him to land as well. The flat tire had been bad luck, further aggravated by a lack of the special tire brand they needed at the three garages they’d called at, and the long, long wait for a new rental car to arrive.
Matias sighed and rolled his shoulders. He turned to Vanessa, slumped against her seat and breathing softly in her sleep, her expression relaxed and pleasing. Her hair had since fallen out of its bun and curled around her cheeks and neck. Despite her wearing the oversized sun hat all day, her nose had pinked a little brighter than the rest of her face. She probably wouldn’t like it, but the rosy tone looked good on her.
Vanessa’s words about her family situation still swirled in his mind; he was unable to let go of them easily. He had so many questions. So many he wanted to ask her. And why wasn’t she asking any to her grandfather? There had to be more at stake than just general confusion on her part. Between a dead mother, a father who’d kept vital secrets, and a grandfather who wanted her only for what she could give him, the whole situation was bizarre. He understood how everything affected Vanessa’s willingness to delve into her past. She was afraid and unwilling to find out what she needed, but her fear kept her from getting the answers that could help her move on.
He nudged her. “Vanessa, we’re here.” When she didn’t move, he touched her arm again. “Come on, Vanessa, wake up. We need to go aboard.”
She opened her eyes and sat up slowly. “Matias,” she said in a low voice.
The little way she said his name—with a Z sound at the end instead of the Portuguese pronunciation—was how he liked to hear it.
He waited a few minutes for her to orient herself. “Hey there. Did you have a nice nap?” he teased.
“I was supposed to keep you company, not fall asleep.” She brushed the stray hair away. “Is that the ship ahead?”
She exited the car, and he came around to meet her. “It took a while, but we made it.”
“It wasn’t so bad, was it? I actually enjoyed myself,” Vanessa said, her eyes still on the ship. “I know you were worried because we missed the visit to the palace and the second car took forever to arrive, but it was a fun day.” She paused for a moment, then added. “With you. I had fun with you.”
“You’re right. It was a fun day.” Maybe his plans hadn’t worked out, but being with her had made everything better. “Thanks for being a good sport about everything.”
Her eyebrows rose in a mischievous expression, and she bumped his elbow. “You’re just glad I didn’t throw a fit. Since I’m a spoiled brat and all that.” She held her hat by the brim and walked off ahead of him.
That was not what he’d thought of her, but the right words didn’t come to him.
When he didn’t follow her, she turned around. “Come on, Captain, let’s get you back to your ship.”
Miguel waited for them at the gangway. “Welcome back, Captain.”
“Thanks, Miguel. It’s good to be back.”
“Miss Clark.” Miguel nodded in her direction.
“Hi, Miguel. Did you miss us?” she asked in a playful tone.
“I’m just glad to see you both aboard safe and sound.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Matias said.
A few passengers sat in the lounge, but the ship was otherwise quiet at the late hour. Relieved, Matias followed Vanessa to the reception area, where they stopped before parting ways. Her cabin was down the hall to the bow side and his was two decks lower, almost exactly below.
“Thanks for taking me ashore, Matias,” she said.
“You’re welcome.” He cringed inside. After everything that went wrong, she still thanked him. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to see the gardens at the palace.”
She shrugged with a small smile, then waved at him before walking down the hall.
“Vanessa,” he called after her. “Do yourself a favor and sleep in tomorrow.”
She cocked her head. “But then I’d miss the sunrise with you.”
Vanessa stretched in bed and yawned. Through the partly drawn curtains, the pale light of the early sun fell on the carpeted floor. Her cabin faced the port side with a view of the small town of Pinhão. She hadn’t seen much of it last night, having arrived after dark and after an uncomfortable nap in the small car. Although the trip hadn’t lived up to their expectations, the company had made up for the lack of activities and Matias had proved himself to be both entertaining and a great listener. She hadn’t planned to tell him so much about her past and the reasons for the strained relationship with Grandfather, but at least now he knew where she came from.
When she turned to check the time on the bedside table clock, a white piece of paper on the floor by the door drew her attention. Vanessa rose and picked up a square envelope with her name written on the front in straight block letters. Inside was a card in the ship’s stationery, the company logo preceding a short message:
Vanessa,
Please meet me at the reception desk at eleven a.m.
Dress in comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes, and bring your sun hat and sunscreen. We’ll be taking a trip into the past.
M.R.
A note from the captain about a trip into the past. She didn’t like to look into the past; it didn’t usually bring good things. Hopefully he meant there was a visit to some historical place planned for the excursion ashore today, and not another talk where she spilled her family secrets.
Vanessa stood for a minute, appreciating the strong handwriting, decidedly masculine and confident. She touched the smooth paper and traced the signature, then brought the letter to her nose and smelled it. When she caught her reflection on the mirror behind the door, Vanessa pulled the card away and shoved it inside the drawer on the bedside table. What was she doing, hoping to get a whiff of Matias’s cologne? Pathetic. Before she fell to the urge to do it again, Vanessa opened the closet and picked a floral dress to wear for breakfast, then entered the bathroom for a quick shower.
She’d missed the early breakfast in the lounge, and the dining room was full of passengers already seated and others piling their plates at the buffet. The cruise director stood at the far end of the room with a clipboard in her hands, talking to Miguel and another female crew member. Vanessa looked around the room twice but didn’t see Matias and guessed he must be at the bridge.
Someone touched her arm and Vanessa turned to find Agnes Grantham’s smiling face.
“Vanessa, how are you, dear? I didn’t see you yesterday.”
Mr. Grantham excused himself and exited the room toward the hallway.
Vanessa smiled at the older lady. “How are you, Agnes?”
“Are you joining us for the excursion today?”
Vanessa hesitated. Matias hadn’t told her to keep their trips a secret, but they didn’t want others to know why she needed a sort of bodyguard to accompany her ashore.
Mrs. Grantham winked at her. “I see that you already have other plans. Have a fun day! And don’t forget the barbecue tonight,” she added over her shoulder.
She left with a wave before Vanessa had the chance to reply. Had Agnes seen Vanessa and Matias return from their trip? It was possible that the passengers whose cabins faced the port side had witnessed their arrival last night.
After breakfast, Vanessa returned to her cabin. The bed had been made, the bathroom cleaned, and the towels changed. There wasn’t much to do, and she still had some time before meeting Matias. She sat on the side of the bed and looked around the beautifully decorated cabin.
She missed the busyness of her life in Osawatomie, Kansas, her days filled with purpose and a job to do, her weekends working for the county emergency response team. Dad lived in Kansas City, where she’d grown up, and even though the relationship had been strained between them the past couple of years, they talked on the phone weekly and met for lunch once or twice a month.
He
r group of friends from college was still in contact, pushing Vanessa to date more often. She’d sworn off dating for a while after Jason, the fireman. Better alone than in bad company, she’d told her friends, but they insisted she keep trying. What would they say if they knew of her day trips with Captain Matias Romano? She hadn’t updated her Facebook page since the first day of the trip and didn’t feel the need to now.
Here, what she knew as normal was suspended, out of routine. Vacations were supposed to be a time away from the ordinary, a time of discovery and learning, or fun and relaxation. But this trip to Portugal was fraught with tension, with Dad’s texts and calls coming in more often than she’d like and Grandfather’s plans always in the back of her mind. She’d refused his proposal, and she kept her return plane ticket next to her passport. But after the ship returned to port at the end of the trip, she still had one more week in Porto, and she didn’t know what Grandfather and Grandmother had planned for her last days in the country. Whatever the case, she was not ready for a confrontation with him, and she’d rather not see the rest of the family again.
Out on the dock, the tour buses honked. Vanessa stood from the bed and parted the curtains, opening the sliding doors to the balcony to watch the passengers board. As fun as it looked, she was looking forward to taking a private excursion with Matias instead of going in the buses with the others.
Her heart sped up at the thought of their time together and she bit her lip as a half smile bloomed there.
Today would go well.
*
“Is that where we’re going?” Vanessa asked. Her voice pitched higher with excitement, and she cleared her throat to disguise it.
A medieval-looking village with round turrets and other buildings perched on a hill a few short miles down the road. She leaned forward to get a better view.
Matias glanced at her from behind the wheel and nodded with a smile. “It’s great, isn’t it?” He turned off the engine and set the parking break. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared inside the front door of a roadside building.
Vanessa exited the car as well and held her smartphone to take a picture of their destination. When she turned around, she chuckled lightly at Matias’s choice of car for today.
“I saw that,” Matias said as he came out of the café with a large basket in his hands. “I told you earlier, I know this beige Ford Escort is not as exciting as the red Volkswagen convertible we had yesterday, but at least the tires are the most common everywhere and we won’t be stranded if we have another flat.” He opened the trunk and stowed the basket inside.
Vanessa stepped closer to him to take a peek, unable to hold back her curiosity. “Is that a picnic basket?”
Matias locked the trunk and grinned at her. “What if I say yes?”
She grinned back, her heart beating a little faster, as he led her to the passenger seat, then went around the front to his side.
An outdoor picnic. At a medieval village.
Her hands shook a little, and she laced her fingers on her lap. “Promise not to laugh if I tell you something.” For a moment, she regretted the statement. It was a silly dream from her childhood.
Matias pulled back into the road. “What is it? I promise not to laugh,” he added in response to her silence.
Vanessa inhaled a quick breath and looked on ahead, unable to see Matias watch her every now and then while he drove. “When I was a little girl I always wanted to have a picnic under a tree overlooking a castle.” In her young mind, the castle from her imagination resembled the Cinderella one from Disney World, but the medieval village at the end of the road was much better.
His expression relaxed in a wide smile. “For the record, I’m not laughing, I’m smiling.” He turned on the blinker and exited the main road.
“What are you doing?” Her smile vanished. “I thought we were going to see the castle ruins.”
“We’ll get there, but I’m hungry.” He glanced at her, the smile still on his face. “I think I’d like to have a picnic first. Besides, the tour buses are still at Castelo Rodrigo, and I’d rather not meet any of the passengers there. They’ll be leaving to the restaurant soon.”
And then she and Matias could go to the village and avoid meeting the excursion. “Sounds perfect to me.”
After a few turns, he took a secondary road until they came to a clearing on one side and a row of sparse olive trees on the other. Matias parked at the mouth of the clearing and handed her a blanket while he carried the basket. They took a foot path on the beaten dirt until they reached a large olive tree. Vanessa spread the blanket in the shade and sat down near the corner.
A high sun cast the shadows straight down on them. Vanessa adjusted her sun hat and breathed a contented sigh. The scent of summer clung to the air, heavy with sun-baked earth and half-dried grass. In the wild bushes, the rustle of insect wings buzzing between the tiny yellow flowers played the background soundtrack to a landscape largely untouched by the passage of time and the interference of man. Nary a breeze whispered through the dark leaves and ripe fruit in the wide branches above, and it was hard to believe the river flowed to the north, less than thirty minutes away. Beside her, Matias removed the items from the basket.
He handed her a water bottle. “A tree, a picnic, and a castle on the hill.” He leaned back against the tree trunk and crossed his ankles. “Will this do?”
“It will do very well.” She turned from watching the view and looked at him. “Thank you.”
“Much better than staying on the side of the road with a flat tire, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Thanks for renting a boring car, Matias.”
He chuckled. “My pleasure.” He passed a plate to her. “Help yourself, please.”
When her phone rang, Vanessa suppressed a groan. She reached in her pocket, took it out, and turned it off. “Sorry about that. I forgot to turn it off.”
“Do you need to take the call?”
“No, it’s just Dad. I can talk to him later.” She’d send him a text when they returned to the ship.
“Are you sure? He’s calling from the United States, right?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She gestured at the picnic. “So what do we have here?”
“Just a small sample of local foods.” Matias pointed at each item. “White and dark artisan bread, traditional smoked ham, cured cheese and fresh cheese from sheep’s milk, red grapes, black and green olives, fresh black figs, peach jam, and raw honey.”
“My goodness, you call this a small sample? You went all out. And then you expect me to hike to that village on the hill after all this?”
“You’ll need your strength,” he said to her in between bites.
“I’ll need a stroller to carry me around.”
“No, I’m pretty sure you’ll have to push me,” he said in a teasing tone.
Vanessa pointed at a fig. “What do these taste like? I’ve had Fig Newtons but not real figs.”
Matias picked a fig and peeled back the skin halfway. “Yes, these are real figs.” He handed it to her. “Emphasis on real. Fig Newtons are definitely not figs. They’re more like sorry excuses.”
Vanessa took a tentative bite. “The flavor is mild, but it has so many little seeds.”
“You eat the whole fig, Vanessa.” He popped one in his mouth. “You don’t even need to peel it back, but some people don’t like the skin. The ancient Greeks considered figs to be the food of the gods, you know.”
She reached for a piece of bread and a slice of meat. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Matias reached for another fig. “When I was a kid, all the family would go help at my grandparents’ farm at this time of year. The boy cousins had the job of climbing the fig trees and the girl cousins were supposed to catch the figs that didn’t make it to the baskets, but us boys would just stay up there and eat the fruit instead.”
His lips curved in a smile, and the playful memory brought out the boy in him. Vanessa could almost see the child he’d
been then. “I bet you were one of the instigators.”
He chuckled. “Every chance I got. I wasn’t the oldest, but I sure knew how to get us all in trouble.”
“And when did you change your wayward ways?” Some time along the way, he’d grown into a responsible adult.
His expression faltered, but he caught himself and smiled wanly, sadness replacing his easy manner.
“My mother had cancer when I was thirteen,” he said after a pause.
“I’m sorry, Matias. Is she okay now?”
“She is, but it was a hard year for my family. It taught me to sober up and be someone my parents could count on.” His voice was wistful. “Even my cousins learned to dial back, and we began to express ourselves with more worthwhile activities. At least for a while.” He smiled. “I took my first job on a boat when I was fourteen.”
The experience of his mother’s illness had shaped him. “Your parents didn’t oppose?”
He shrugged. “Boats are what the family does. My father and all his brothers and other extended family. The only difference is they do fishing or small merchandise and I ended up in a cruise ship instead.”
In a way, her Portuguese family was similar, with Grandfather’s fleet and a few of the cousins taking jobs in the ships and the hospitality business. Grandmother had remarked about who did what, but Vanessa couldn’t remember the details. “So all the men in your family take to the river and the women don’t mind?”
Matias plucked a blade of dry grass and twirled it between his fingers. “I think they’re used to it by now. I certainly have never heard anyone complaining.”
“Maybe they complain behind the mens’ backs and you just don’t know it.” All that time away didn’t sit right with her. “And you say that because you’re not married.”
He paused to consider. “Would you mind being married to someone who worked in the river?” His expression wasn’t completely serious but his eyes locked on her.
The question surprised her. It bordered on intimate, and she didn’t know what to reply.
Meet Me At Sunrise (Destined for Love: Europe) Page 7