Lost and Found

by Danielle Steel

  “Hi, I’m Bert English.”

  “Thank you for the crab.” She smiled at him warmly after they shook hands. “It looks fantastic.”

  “I’m glad you like it. I can’t get Milagra to eat it. She hates fish.”

  “Did you get it in town?”

  He laughed at the question. “No, I got it on my boat, from my traps. I’m a fisherman. We’re fishing crab late this year because we got a late start to the season in December. It took us a month this year to set the prices.” Maddie was faintly surprised to hear it, but nothing surprised her in Milagra’s world. He had brought a bottle of wine and set it down on the table. Along with his size and coloring, Maddie noticed that he was considerably older than her daughter, and closer to her own age. He looked to be in his late forties, a good fifteen years older than her daughter. But he looked like a gentle person. He sat down on the couch and chatted with Maddie about her trip. He was intrigued to hear that she had driven out from New York. He was intelligent and well-spoken and had read all of Milagra’s books. She sat quietly on the floor at his feet stroking one of the dogs while he and Maddie talked, and Maddie tried to figure out his role in her daughter’s life. With anyone else, she would have assumed he was a boyfriend, but with Milagra one never knew. Maddie asked him about fishing in the local waters, and he mentioned that his son was a fisherman in Alaska. By the time they sat down to dinner, Maddie liked him. And halfway through the bottle of wine, they were friends. And by then she had no doubt that he was in love with her daughter. But Milagra said and did nothing to clarify his role in her life. As always she was mysterious and impossible to read, and one couldn’t assume anything with her.

  “I’d be happy to take you out on my boat sometime,” he offered as they shared the delicious crab dinner, and Milagra ate lentils and kale.

  “I’d love that,” Maddie said in response to his invitation. “Could I take pictures?”

  “Sure. It would be fun. What about tomorrow?”

  “Would you come?” Maddie asked Milagra, but she shook her head vigorously.

  “I still get seasick, and the water is rough around here.”

  “What about you?” Bert asked with a look of concern as he glanced at Maddie.

  “I never get seasick. What time do you go out?”

  “Five o’clock in the morning.”

  “Tell me where to go and I’ll be there.” She smiled at him.

  They talked for a while after dinner, and Maddie really liked him. Before he left, he told her where to meet him on the dock in Fort Bragg the next day. Maddie looked at her daughter in amazement when he was gone.

  “What a terrific man,” she said, and meant it. “And he’s crazy about you. How long have you known him?” Milagra was silent for a long time and looked at her mother with wide eyes.

  “Do you really like him, Mom?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “I was afraid you’d hate him. We’ve been together for eight years.” Maddie looked stunned by her daughter’s confession.

  “Does he live with you?”

  She shook her head.

  “He stays here when I’m not writing. I can’t have anyone in the house when I write.”

  “I think he’s a terrific guy.”

  “I was afraid he wasn’t fancy enough for you. That’s why I never let you come out.” There were tears in her eyes as she said it, and she put her arms around her mother, and Maddie held her tight.

  “He doesn’t have to be fancy for me, Millie. He just has to be real, and good to you. How old is he, by the way?”

  “That’s the other thing I was worried about. He’s forty-eight. He’s been really upset that he’s never met you. He wanted to meet you this time. I wasn’t sure. He’s very smart.”

  “I can tell,” Maddie said comfortably, feeling close to her younger daughter for the first time in years. She had finally let her in and shared something about her life. It was a first.

  “Are you really going to go out on the boat?”

  “Yes, I am. It sounds like fun.” And she could get some great pictures.

  Milagra seemed happier than Maddie had ever seen her, and as though a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “I’m so happy you like him. He’s such a good person.”

  “I can see that,” Maddie said as she continued to hold Milagra in her arms. “Do you think you’ll marry him?”

  “He wants to. I don’t think we need to. He makes a good living with his boat. I don’t want kids. I don’t think I could handle marriage. Too much pressure. Too many expectations. I just want to write, he says that’s fine with him. And he has a son. He’s twenty-five.” He was only eight years younger than Milagra. “He got divorced when his son was two. His wife hated being married to a fisherman.”

  “You might change your mind about having kids one day,” or maybe not. “And now I have an important question to ask you.” Milagra looked instantly worried. “Do you have an alarm clock?”

  Milagra laughed at the question. “Yes, I do.” They went upstairs together to find it. Maddie had already cleaned up the kitchen, and they met again in their nightgowns when Milagra came to sit on Maddie’s bed. She had already put two of her cameras in a waterproof case, ready to grab in the morning. “Thank you for liking him, Mom.”

  “He’s not hard to like, and if he makes you happy, that’s all I want for you.” They had already stood the test of time, after eight years, and Milagra looked peaceful as she kissed her mother good night.

  * * *

  —

  The alarm went off at four-fifteen the next morning. Maddie got up and dressed quietly. She had sneakers with her, and she could wear one on the boat with her cast. Milagra had told her to take a warm jacket out of the closet, which she did. Bert had rain gear on the boat. And at five o’clock sharp she was on the dock facing Noyo Harbor, and he walked down to greet her and gave her a bear hug. He was impressed that she’d made it, and he escorted her to the boat.

  She was startled by how modern and sophisticated it was. He had state-of-the-art equipment and a crew of four experienced fishermen. It was a serious operation, not some slapdash local deal. There was nothing amateurish or old-fashioned about it.

  “I take the boat up to Alaska once every year, just to keep my hand in and fish with my son. The fishing’s pretty tame around here.” She could see that his boat was up to more challenging waters. She took her camera out when two of the deckhands slipped the ropes from the pilings that held them and Bert turned on the engines, and a few minutes later they took off. Maddie quietly tucked herself into corners and disappeared into the woodwork as she shot almost continuously. Her cast didn’t hamper her at all, she didn’t let it. She got fantastic photographs of Bert and his crew doing their job and working hard all day. The crab season was going to end in a month, but Bert said the catch was still plentiful every day.

  They stopped and ate at lunchtime. Bert prepared a delicious meal for Maddie and his crew. The sea got rough after that, with waves that came over the bow. They worked harder then, and had a good catch that day and a fresh load of crab from their traps that would go to the city and bring high prices. He ran a very lucrative business, and as they rode the waves into port at the end of the day, Bert sat down next to Maddie with a smile.

  “Well, Maddie, how did you like it?”

  “I loved it.”

  “You work hard with that camera. You didn’t stop shooting all day.” He had noticed her out of the corner of his eye even when he was busy.

  “You work hard with your crew.” She was vastly impressed by what she’d seen, and by him. He was a man, and a pro, and she liked everything about him. They truly were friends now.

  “Are you all right about my being with Milagra?” he asked, worried.

  “Very much so,” she said, and he looked pleased.


  “You don’t mind that I’m older?” Maddie shook her head. “I don’t know why she was afraid to tell you for so long. She should give you more credit than that.”

  “Kids never do that,” she said with a wry smile. “They think they know their parents, but they don’t.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay about us.” He was as relieved as Milagra had been the night before. “I hope we can be friends.”

  “We already are,” she said quietly as they docked and his crew tied up the boat. And then they went home to Milagra, who had worked on her outline all day and was pleased with it.

  “Erghhh, you both smell like fish.” She wrinkled her nose at them.

  “I’ll go home and take a shower,” Bert said with a grin. He usually went home and cleaned up before he saw her after a day’s work. “And then I’m taking you both out to dinner to celebrate.”

  “What are we celebrating?” Milagra looked puzzled.

  “Us, your mom visiting. Everything. And we had a good catch today. Your mom brought us luck. She took about a thousand pictures of me today.” He looked pleased and embarrassed all at once.

  “I’ll send them to you,” Maddie promised him, and went upstairs to bathe. It had been a fantastic day, and she knew she didn’t have to worry about her daughter anymore. She was in good hands. Bert English was a fine man. The best. He reminded her of Andy in a way. It hadn’t worked for her, but it did for Milagra, and that was all that mattered now. They were perfect for each other, in every way. He was just what she needed to ground her and protect her. Maddie couldn’t wait to go through the pictures she’d taken of him. And as unusual as she might be, Milagra had found just the right man for her. It warmed Maddie’s heart.

  Chapter 12

  Maddie’s three days in Mendocino were the best of her trip. She and Milagra spent time together, talked or just sat in the same room while Milagra made notes on her outline. And they walked on the beach with her dogs. Bert joined them at night for dinner. He cooked one night and was a superb cook. They had a good time, laughing and telling stories. Maddie had loved the day she spent on the boat with him, and everything about him for Milagra.

  She hated to leave, and Milagra promised to have her back soon. And this time, there were no secrets. Maddie and Milagra hugged each other fiercely the morning she left, and Bert had come to say goodbye and put her bags in the car for her. He put an arm around Milagra as Maddie got in the car and looked at them. They were everything she had wanted to be with Andy, and couldn’t. Milagra had done what Maddie wasn’t able to do, embrace a simple life where she and the man she loved could build their dreams together, far from the life Milagra had had growing up. There was nothing about her old life that Milagra missed, which wouldn’t have been true for Maddie if she’d given up New York for Wyoming. Milagra was much better suited to the life she had now in Mendocino.

  Maddie kissed Milagra one last time through the car window and then slowly drove away as they waved, standing next to each other. Maddie headed back to San Francisco thinking of the days they had just shared. She knew she was leaving her daughter in good hands. She wanted to call William when she knew her cellphone would work again, but first she wanted to call Ben. She had driven a good distance by the time she reached him in Hawaii. They were having breakfast when she called.

  “Everything okay, Mom?” He sounded worried for a minute.

  “I had a fantastic time with Millie.”

  “Telling ghost stories?” Milagra had no common ground with him or her older sister, but Maddie realized now how little they knew her. So many of their assumptions about her were wrong. She was far more capable than they thought her. Maddie had always hoped Milagra would meet the right man, who would appreciate her, and she had.

  “No, I spent the last three days with her and the man she’s been in love with for eight years, whom none of us knew about. He’s a great guy.”

  “Wow, there’s a news flash. Eight years? What’s he like? Another writer?”

  “No, he’s a commercial fisherman and a good one. He’s fifteen years older and just what she needed. He’s a real person. I think you’ll like him. You should come up to see her sometime. You’re her brother, Ben, you should get to know her, for both your sakes. And Bert is terrific. She’s been hiding him for all these years.”

  “You’re full of surprises, Mom.”

  “No, she is. I just wanted you to know how well it went.”

  “I’m glad.” He was happy for her, he knew even better now how much she worried about all of them, especially Milagra, who had seemed like a lost soul for so long. One by one, she was finding her children, and getting to know them better as adults. And in his case, her grandchildren. They had shortchanged Maddie for so many years. He still felt bad about it.

  “Well, finish your breakfast and kiss everyone for me. I just wanted to check in and tell you about the visit with Milagra, it was terrific.” And very unexpected.

  They hung up and she called William next. He was working in Big Sur and sounded distracted when he answered, then became alert the minute he realized it was Maddie.

  “I’m on my way back from Mendocino,” she told him.

  “How was it?”

  “Amazing. My children are full of surprises. My daughter has been hiding a boyfriend for eight years. He’s a great guy. He’s a fisherman up here, and he’s perfect for her, simple but also complex, uncomplicated and loving. He adores her.”

  “You sound happy, Maddie.”

  “I am. I just wanted to let you know I’m on the way back to the city. I’ll be there in about two hours.”

  “I’ll be there roughly an hour after you get there. Are we still on for a day in Napa tomorrow?”

  “Why not? My desk in New York can wait another day.” She hadn’t called Penny yet, but there were no messages or texts when she turned her phone on, so Penny obviously had things under control.

  “I’m glad to hear it.” He was relieved when she told him. He had already booked a reservation for dinner that night at a new restaurant he’d heard about, just in case she called him. It was supposed to be elegant but unpretentious, with great food. “I’m staying at The Fairmont too. I’ll call you as soon as I get in.”

  She got a text a few minutes later, thought it would be from Penny, and was surprised when it wasn’t. It was from Sean. “They’re here! Madison Andrea Wyatt and Julie Nicole Wyatt, 8 lbs, 2 oz and 8 lbs, 9 oz. Everyone doing fine. Love, Sean.” They’d had their twins, and used her name as he said they would, and Andy’s. She wanted to send them a gift when she got back to New York.

  The rest of the drive into the city was easy, and she got there sooner than she expected. She checked in to a room, washed her face, and brushed her hair while she waited for William. She wasn’t sure why she was seeing him, except that she liked him. They lived on opposite coasts, and once she started traveling for work again, she wouldn’t stop. This was the longest break she’d ever taken, and she probably wouldn’t do it again for years. She was spending the last two days of it with him because he’d asked her to. She knew she couldn’t let herself get too deeply involved with someone she’d never see. But she was still under the spell of the vacation atmosphere she had indulged in for the past three weeks.

  She sent Milagra an email, telling her how much she had enjoyed her visit and loved meeting Bert, and that she had had a terrific time going fishing with him, and being with them both. It had been their best visit ever.

  William got there while she was watching the news on TV, and he called her from his room. He was on another floor, but it was fun being at the same hotel. She hung up and they met in the lobby a few minutes later. He gave her a hug as soon as he saw her and noticed that she looked happy and rested. As usual, she was wearing one shoe and the familiar cast, now autographed by her grandchildren. She couldn’t wait to get rid of it. She was sure her
ankle was fine now.

  “Do you want to go for a walk?” he suggested. They went to the Marina and walked along the bay, watching the boats, and she told him about her day on Bert’s boat.

  “That sounds fantastic,” William said enthusiastically.

  “It was.”

  “Did your daughter go?”

  Maddie shook her head. “She gets seasick. But it gave me a chance to get to know him. I think you’d like him a lot.”

  “I’m sure I would,” he said, smiling down at Maddie. He had thought of her incessantly for the past three days. He couldn’t get her out of his head. “You’ve bewitched me, Madison Allen,” he accused her.

  “No one’s ever said that to me before.” She smiled at him.

  “Well, I am. What am I going to do when you go back to New York? I like knowing you’re here, nearby, where I can get in my car and drive to see you in a few hours.”

  “You’ll do whatever you did before we met,” she said smugly, as they sat on a bench to rest for a while.

  “Oh, you mean write, do research, answer emails from my agent and publisher, and despair of ever meeting anyone like you? You’re not an ordinary woman, you know. Believe me, I tried. I was single for a long time before I got married, and I’ve been divorced for eight years. You’re unique, Maddie. I can’t bear the thought of going back to mediocrity after meeting you.” It was very flattering, but she didn’t know what to do with it.

  “We live three thousand miles apart and I travel all the time, to some pretty awful places, or remote anyway. If we fall in love, we’ll never see each other,” she said practically.

  “I can meet you in your awful places, Maddie. That’s not a valid excuse for cowardice,” he said and she laughed. She wasn’t cowardly about other things, but she had been about romance for a long time.

  “I’ve been divorced for a lot longer than you have. Thirty-three years, and I haven’t found the right combination yet.”

  “I suspect you didn’t want to. Maybe that’s changed,” he said hopefully.