“You must be Maya.” His voice was raspy and sweet, his large, warm hand wrapped around mine. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m Niko.” He nodded at Dean, the dimple in his chin deepening. “You are a lucky man, my friend.”
“Oh, you flirt. Don’t overwhelm the sweet thing.” The soft trill came from the woman who rose from her bar stool behind him. She had gorgeous, pale blue eyes and long waves of white-blond hair she brushed aside when she grinned at me. “You mustn’t mind Niko. That’s a life on the prowl for you.” Niko wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek before she clasped my fingers with the daintiest hand. “I’m Cassie. It’s so nice to meet you. Dean’s been raving about you.”
Dean’s cheeks instantly reddened, and I suppressed a giggle at seeing this again.
“It’s lovely to meet you both. Dean’s told me tons about you! Are you enjoying your trip?”
“Very much,” Cassie said. She had a gentleness about her, and it was apparent how much Niko adored her with the way he beamed in her direction.
“Sit, sit.” He pulled out the stool beside him, where Dean had previously sat, and indicated I should take the spot. Dean helped me slip off my coat before taking the seat on my other side. When the bartender asked if I’d like anything, Dean read my mind.
“I’m betting something with rum?”
I rested my hand on his thigh. “Maybe a Mai Tai, please? Thank you.”
Niko seemed to approve of our interaction. Cassie leaned forward so I could see her face down the bar too, as Dean laced his fingers with mine.
“So what’ve you all been up to? Catching up?” I asked.
Niko nodded. “Lots of that, checking out old ventures and more. It’s been a long time since we were last here, so Cassandra and I decided to go big this time.”
She said, “We even rented a room for part of it. A fancy one!”
“Wow. Tired of water life?”
“Never,” Niko said. Cassie agreed.
“The ocean is our home. We’ve been everywhere—along the Americas, the Caribbean, around Africa. We spent a fair amount of time in the Indian Ocean not too long ago, for the second time.” Niko folded his arms, his head bobbing alongside her words. “But we figured since we’re here two weeks this time, and San Francisco was our old home, maybe we should touch on land for a formal celebration.”
“Reasonable,” Dean said. “It is almost New Year’s.”
“When we met,” Niko said to me.
“Really?”
“It is. New Year’s Day.” Cassie rubbed Niko’s back. “Here, no less, eleven years ago.”
“At this restaurant?”
“Yes.” Niko’s eyes twinkled, his voice syrupy smooth. “See, Maya, I was alone, trying to sort out what to do with the next year and drinking at this same bar. Suddenly, this gorgeous woman walks in...”
Cassie laughed. “And this handsome man ordered me a drink before proceeding to talk me out of my old life and onto his boat. Talk about a kick off to a new year, huh?”
“That’s sweet.”
Dean jumped in. “That’s Niko for you.”
“How could I not?” Niko took Cassie’s hand and kissed the back of it. “First, she was beautiful. Then she kept talking. Trust me, in ten minutes, you’ll be in love with her, too.”
“Forever the flirt.” Cassie cast me a half smile. “I hope Dean was far smoother than that with you. Niko is smooth, but never subtle.”
“I think Niko taught him well,” I said, squeezing Dean’s hand.
All three of them laughed, and the hostess arrived to let us know our table was ready.
“Shall we?” Niko stood and offered one arm to me and the other to Cassie. Dean snickered when we both took them, and Niko’s chest puffed out as he walked through the restaurant escorting us with Dean right behind. I understood why Dean had latched on to this man in his teens; Niko drew my eyes with this air of utter confidence and vast experience I found sexy and warm. I could imagine a young man wanting to learn from him.
The hostess explained the specials after seating us at a table near the window. We had a spectacular view of the docks there, where over a dozen fishermen unloaded the last of their catch from the day in the dimming, golden red hues of the overcast sky. I sat across from Niko, with Dean on one side and Cassie on the other. The conversation continued while we pored over the menu and ordered when our server returned.
Once she’d finished scribbling down our entrees of crab, steak, lobster and halibut, I turned to Cassie. “So what did you do before you met Niko?”
“I was a teacher. Started in elementary school, mostly fifth and sixth grades, then spent eight years in a middle school before heading back. They were much too squirmy! I was in South San Francisco for most of those years and I loved it. Children are wonderful.”
“That’s funny. My best friend, Selby, is an elementary school teacher, too.”
“We teachers are everywhere! What grades for her?”
“Mostly third. Sometimes she swaps in for second.”
Cassie cooed. “Oh, they’re sweet little darlings then. I’d do it all over again if I wasn’t traveling everywhere with Niko.” He’d taken her hand during our conversation, and he curled his fingers around hers on the tabletop. I marveled at the way he watched her. His eyes glistened as she spoke, like she was his siren and he’d succumbed to her song for life.
“Do you have any kids of your own?” I asked.
“I do. Two with my ex-husband, plus four grandchildren!”
“Wow.”
She jutted out her chin, a proud mama while she told me more, and Niko interjected comments on a few of the relatives as she did.
Dean asked, “Are you still visiting them often?”
“Not as much these days, since we’ve been floating around. They’re in Arizona, though we did get out there, what, two years ago?” Niko lifted his head at her question. “We’d docked in San Diego. That’s our next stop on this trip—Niko is tremendous with children. He has one of his own too, but unfortunately he hasn’t much seen him.”
Niko’s eyes darkened slightly. “Kole. He’s quite a bit older than Cassandra’s kids and a little older than Dean. We’re sadly not all that close.”
A look passed between them. I got the sense that Dean and Niko had talked about this many times over the years, and it was Dean who changed the subject.
“Tell Maya about Cuba, Niko.”
“Yes! Oh my God, you’ve been there too? Please, tell me about Cuba. I’ve dreamed of going there.”
Cassie pressed her hand on my forearm. “He makes it sound so romantic.”
“Because it is romantic. There’s something in the air over there, some sort of dust they must sprinkle around...” Intrigued, I leaned in as Niko described their trip, both because of the cadence of his throaty, low voice and the plethora of details he shared. He spoke of nights of dancing, drinking and wandering around moonlit corridors against a backdrop of Cuban rhythms. After the server delivered our food, our conversation flowed into more travel stories. I’d spent my entire life in Alameda. Other than occasional trips to see my parents in Seattle or on the East Coast before that, and one trip with Selby to Hawaii several years prior, my own adventures hadn’t taken me far.
Dean said, “Maya and I are heading to Monterey in a couple of weeks.”
“We are.” I slipped my hand in his. Under the multicolored pendant lights shining around the restaurant, his eyes shone.
“A getaway?” Niko said.
“For Maya’s birthday.”
Cassie finished chewing one of the last bites of her lobster. “It’s beautiful there. Have you been?”
“Long ago, but never for a romantic weekend.” So far, Dean and I hadn’t talked much of our plans beyond dinner upon arrival for my a
ctual birthday. Mostly, it was a retreat meant to take a break from it all.
Niko sipped his vodka and eyed Dean. “Make sure you take her out at least a little. No holing up in the hotel room, my boy.”
It was me who said, “Hey, no promises.”
Both Cassie and Niko laughed. When Dean winked at me, Cassie said, “I like her, Dean. She’s sassy.”
Niko cocked his head toward Dean. “You have always liked a challenge.”
“Has he?” I asked.
“I think so,” Cassie said.
Niko patted Dean’s shoulder. “But it’s wonderful to see you happy again.”
I raised an eyebrow. The subtle working of Dean’s jaw was set off by the affectionate smile he sent my way.
Happy again?
Had Dean been unhappy?
Our server jerked my attention away with abrupt offers of dessert and after-dinner cocktails. All four of us had empty plates, which her accompanying busser gathered after Niko said, “No dessert for me. But port would be perfect.”
“Yes! I love port,” I said. I glanced at Dean while he and Cassie ordered some as well, pondering what Niko meant about Dean being unhappy. I’d have to tuck this new morsel of information aside to ask about at some point. Once our server left, Cassie excused herself for the ladies’ room and Niko rose, the picture of genteel. After she walked from the table, he took his seat and brushed a hand over his gray sweater, then homed in on Dean to inquire on work.
Dean perked up as he spoke of the complexes he’d picked up in San Francisco and Berkeley. “And I’ve got a call from a potential client in L.A. this week, too.” Niko issued an approving grunt at this before Dean said, “The only piece that’s somewhat bland is the admin component, but I think I still enjoy even that.”
“I’m not surprised. You were good with those things.”
Dean peered at me. “When we worked together, I did most of the admin end.”
“Did you?”
“He did,” Niko said, rapping his knuckles on the table. “He was the silent partner, to start. But even once he began taking things over, I never let him stop doing the paperwork.”
Dean chuckled. “Well, thank God Dylan is way better at it. I’ll be handing that part over to him as soon as he’s ready. He’s a walking calculator. All the data work is so fast for him!”
Niko nodded. “Dylan likes the firm?”
“He does.” Dean acknowledged the server when she dropped off our drinks, and we thanked her before he continued. “I have him running a project over in Sausalito. It’s another mansion up in the hills we’re getting close to finishing.”
“Is this Dylan?” Cassie had returned. She sat back in her seat and propped her chin on her fist to listen.
Dean focused on her, too. “Yes. He’s a natural.”
Cassie lifted her glass. “Dean’s brothers are quite successful boys, considering how rough they had it growing up. Have you met them?”
“I did.” I folded my hands on the tabletop. “I went over for Christmas Eve.”
“Ah...” Cassie’s face brightened when she surveyed Dean. “You had her meet the family? That’s fantastic.”
Dean breathed out a “yes” and I chuckled, since it seemed everyone Dean knew was surprised by this. His sexy smile lightened the mood, though, and Niko raised his glass toward me.
“To Maya.”
“Oh, no. To you two. Happy almost anniversary.”
“Yes. Happy anniversary,” Dean said.
We touched glasses and sipped at the port before the conversation shifted to their plans for the rest of the trip. They were shopping and had hopes to visit old date spots, and after sharing this with a sweet smile on her face, Cassie drew her torso up. “New Year’s Eve, we’re sailing the bay. Actually...” She glanced at Niko, who seemed to read her mind with a lift of his finger. “Would you both like to join us?”
“Really?” I asked.
“Of course. We’d talked about a few hours under the stars, but reeling it in before midnight. Interested?”
Dean said, “What do you think? We could head back to my place after.”
Our plans had been straightforward—me, spending the night at Dean’s and drinking champagne on the patio together. This sounded so fun, I couldn’t resist. “I’d love to if you’re up for it.”
“Sure.”
“I’ve never been sailing.”
“Never?” Niko said, incredulous.
“I mean, I did prom on a ferry boat, but otherwise, no. Dean and I have talked about it, but we haven’t gone yet.”
“Then we must,” Cassie said.
“I can’t wait!”
Dean weaved his fingers with mine. Between the light buzz I had going and the warmth around the table, I felt comfortable, happy. Dean struck me as at peace with them there, and over the end of our drinks, we continued right on talking. I didn’t realize it was well past eleven until I checked my phone in a brief jaunt to the restroom, when I returned to the table with the sad news.
“I’m having so much fun, you guys, but I’ve got to get up early for work tomorrow.”
“Oh no! We’ve kept you up much too late!” Cassie said.
I waved her off. “No, no. It’s fine. I’m sorry to have to leave, but I’m happy I’ll get to see you both again Thursday. This has been spectacular.”
“It has,” Niko said. He stood and helped Cassie up before she gave me a close hug. After Niko followed her with his own bearlike hug and we pulled apart, Dean stood.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.
“No, silly. You’re in the middle of hanging out. Stay.”
Niko frowned. “We’ll be fine without him. Dean can walk you.” The concern on their faces was chivalrous, but I shook my head.
“You can walk me to the door. How’s that? I’m not going to disrupt the rest of your evening together.”
Neither Dean nor Niko liked this, based on the scrunches of their foreheads, but Cassie said, “See you on deck, Maya. Great to meet you.”
“You too.”
She and Niko stood by while Dean lifted my coat off the back of my chair and helped it onto my shoulders. The sound of the restaurant had dulled as the night went on, though the murmur of people at the bar could be heard when we slowed by the hostess’s podium.
“That was delightful,” I said.
“It was.” Dean fondled the lapels of my coat. “I wish you’d let me walk you—”
“Oh my God. I’m fine,” I said, grasping his hands. I squeezed his fingers and tugged him close for a kiss, which he reciprocated with a heavy press of his lips. I smiled and pulled away. “Don’t be weird. You have guests, and I’m only two blocks away. I’ll be okay. Promise. I’ll see you New Year’s Eve!”
Dean pinched his lips together, fastening the top button of my coat that I’d missed. “You’re okay to drive?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Sassy.” He pecked my lips, then gave me that heady look of his I loved—but heavier than I was used to this time. The course of his hands down my sides to rest at my hips made it easy not to mind. “Text me when you’re home?”
“I will. You have fun, okay? Thanks for sharing this with me.”
“Of course.” Dean tucked his hands in his pockets. Under the dim lights of the restaurant foyer, his eyes were dark while he watched me step outside. I shook my head and waved, then took off down the street. His push to walk me to my car had come on strong, and I wouldn’t get near enough sleep for work tomorrow, but I had a smile on my face as I walked.
Sailing with Niko and Cassie, followed by cuddling up back at Dean’s place for New Year’s Eve?
Yes, please.
Chapter Nine
Just after nine on New Year’s E
ve, the sky overhead was black save for the twinkle of stars and a speckling of navigational lights. Together, their brightness highlighted a stretch of open water all the way out and under the shimmering lights that lined the Bay Bridge, and I closed my eyes to breathe in the whoosh of San Francisco air against my cheeks.
“Like it?” Cassie said.
“Love it.” It was hard to compare the experience to anything I’d done before, but it might well have registered as one of the biggest highs of my life. Under the layers of blankets Niko had pulled out as the night grew colder and mistier, I sipped my drink alongside Cassie on one of the deck couches, reveling in the view.
“Now you see why they do, too.” Cassie unfolded an arm from over her life vest and pointed back at Dean and Niko, who stood several feet behind us at the stern of Niko’s impressive 35-foot cruising yacht. The two of them had been content to bond over one of the dual helms at the back, occasionally joining us girls while we’d immersed ourselves in conversation. “I swear they could be related, don’t you think?”
“Totally.”
“I’m always so happy they found each other. Both of them. Niko was as lucky to find Dean as he was to find him.”
“That’s something I haven’t heard much about. Dean has told me pieces, but I feel like you must know more?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve watched them, a lot. And I know Niko. He was a solitary man before he met Dean. His ex-wife, Sara—she wasn’t happy. But neither was he. They weren’t a good fit for a lot of reasons, and when Sara left, I think he knew he needed a change. He wanted his son back. I wish he’d been able to know Kole better.”
Booze had freed both Cassie’s and my tongues, allowing our conversation to be open and easy. I peeked back at Niko while Cassie sipped her wine. Like Dean, Niko watched the big expanse of ocean in a quiet pose. Dean had mentioned Niko missing Kole one of the times we’d talked about him, but I hadn’t heard anything of Sara. “Did she take Kole with her?”
The Discipline Page 10
