The Billionaire's Yacht

by Nikki Larson

  Thea came to the rescue, turning on the cold water.

  “Hey!” Lucas protested as a putrid black smoke rose to the ceiling. He waved his oven mitt all the more. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m cooling it off,” Thea told him, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s too hot.”

  “I know it’s too hot.” Lucas practically spit out the words. “But now you’re sending all the burnt particles into the air. Did you ever stop to think about that?” His blue eyes bore into her, and his mouth was set in an angry, stern line.

  “What’s all the smoke?” Grunt bellowed, suddenly appearing in the kitchen with all the kids in tow. All four children huddled behind him as if he were their protector, saving them from Thea’s utter foolishness.

  “What happened?” Gwenna piped up.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Lucas said, sounding very composed and professional. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “You sure will,” Grunt said with a raspy chuckle, followed by a cough. “Wooo-eey!”

  “Oh, it’s kicking up your asthma,” an obviously concerned Lucas noted. “Hey, why don’t you guys wait for me in the upper dining room? I’ll get these eggs going and I’ll be right there, as quickly as I can. Thea, could you put on a movie for the kids? Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “Oh, now you’re nice,” Thea said with a scowl.

  What had made him think he could just treat her that way, just because she ran water over a hot frying pan? She remembered a sermon a few Sundays ago in which the pastor said that stressful situations brought out people’s true character.

  Well, if that was Lucas Flaire’s true character, she wanted no part of it.

  “Come on,” she said to the kids as she waved a hand to beckon them. And with that, she huffed off to the formal dining room.

  Chapter 16

  Lucas spent the late morning stewing while cleaning up the mess. It wasn’t completely Thea’s fault, he knew, but he was aggravated all the same. He’d wanted to make her happy with his cooking, and instead, he’d ended up alienating her with his angry words.

  He’d sent her into the city with all the kids so he could focus on all the repairs and cleanup that needed to be done before they cruised to Saint Cathay. He knew they would be a handful for her, even though they had been better behaved as of late, so he told her the best options: the mall, the park, the zoo, a train ride, the children’s museum. She seemed to appreciate the suggestions, somewhat, but she still had an air of superiority around her. He’d created distance between them, and it hadn’t been intentional. But maybe it was for the best. It was never wise for a boss to get involved with his employee. There was always a power gap, always inequality, and no matter how hard they might try to bridge the gap, it was unlikely to work out.

  And he didn’t even know if he wanted it to work out, he thought as he left the kitchen and grabbed his step ladder and tools. She’d made him angry, so quick as she was to snap at him.

  Well, he had to admit, if he were being fair, that she didn’t snap at him until after he’d made some unwise, perhaps rude, comments to her about her personality.

  What was he thinking?

  No one would respond well to that, if they were being real and honest.

  At least she wasn’t the type to stuff her feelings.

  And that thought made him laugh. She was as transparent as glass. And as fragile, too.

  “What’s up, Sonny?” This was Grunt’s pet name for him, periodically, to poke fun at their made-up relationship, father and son. In reality Grunt was of Irish ancestry, while Lucas’ family was from Alabama. They weren’t related at all (unless you go all the way back to Noah, of course).

  Lucas’ parents were the only ones in the family to venture out to California, but all his cousins, aunts, and uncles had remained in the southern state. Having only visited family there, Lucas himself had no southern accent whatsoever. He’d always wondered what would have become of him if he had a southern drawl. Would he have drawn more women to him with it or without it? He smiled just thinking about it. There was no way to know. In any case, since he was connected to Nichole Tiffington, Lucas’ prospects were often scared off.

  “Nothing much, Grunt-pa,” he teased. “Just working my tail off for you as usual.”

  “What have you got left to do?” Mr. Hunt asked. “Seems to me you’re in the home stretch, Stymie.” He reclined in one of his favorite chairs, giving a long sigh while he closed his eyes and listened.

  “I’ve done the oil change, the power wash, the checks of all the windows. I repaired that place where the deck was leaking. Charged the batteries. Checked the propellers and the floatation devices. I painted the railings and the bathrooms. And that’s all in the past few weeks.”

  “So, what’s left?” Gregory Hunt asked him once again.

  “I have to tighten a few bolts, do a thorough check of the boiler room.” He winked at the old man, but Grunt still had his eyes closed.

  “Boiler room, my foot,” Grunt responded, giving Lucas sly grin which made him laugh.

  “Ah, you’re listening,” Lucas said as he sat down next to his boss to enjoy an ice-cold lemonade. “So, how have you been?” he asked him. Grunt was getting older and more feeble by the day it seemed, and his asthma was bothering him often.

  “Oh, I can’t complain,” Old Man Grunt said diplomatically, meeting Lucas’ gaze with tender eyes. “I’m missing my wife these days, I’ll tell you that. Her smile, her gentle ways, her doting affections.” He looked away, off into the distance, staring out at ocean waters.

  Lucas knew Grunt’s love for young Nichole Tiffington was real, though some might not understand. Their age difference and Grunt’s wealth were suspect. But Lucas saw them together, how they laughed and joked and loved each other’s company. “Hey, I’m sorry,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “You know I would have changed things if I could have.” His thoughts went back to the night it all happened, when he heard the terrible news of her plane crashing into the Pacific Ocean. Engine failure, they’d said. If only Lucas had accompanied her that night, he wouldn’t feel so darned guilty.

  “Ah, wasn’t your fault,” Grunt said in his gravelly voice. “You had to go to your mother’s funeral. There’s no faulting you for that. I don’t blame you.” His gray eyes were open now, and full of sincerity as he reached for Lucas’ hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t blame you, son. I mean that.”

  Lucas’ eyes teared up at the unexpected display of raw emotion. “I appreciate that, sir.” He knew he’d had no other options than to let the other bodyguard, Wesley Gravis, accompany Nichole on that night, but he still regretted the outcome greatly. There was nothing he could have done, he was certain, but somehow, he still felt responsible.

  His mother had been fighting cancer for over five years, and when she succumbed to it, no one could have been surprised. Still, it was a shock to Lucas. He somehow thought his parents would live forever. They seemed invincible to him. Funny how one’s childhood seems like it will continue on forever, and how impatient a person can be to grow up, only to find that, fifteen-plus years later, nothing is the same anymore. How that happened exactly was a mystery for sure. A hard life lesson, as well.

  “I’m sure you do miss her,” Lucas said, squeezing his lips together tight so as to gather his emotions, to keep them from running away with him. He wished he and Grunt could talk about something more lighthearted, but the tone for the afternoon was already set, and now Grunt was snoring in his chair.

  Chapter 17

  The zoo had seemed like the best of her options. The Bonita Mesa Zoo was one of the best zoos in the country, with steep hills that Thea loved. She didn’t mind exercise, and she loved being outdoors. The hard part was toting along four small kids who wanted to run off after everything they saw.

  “Miss Thea, look, over here!” Harley was jumping up and down, frantically motioning toward one of the displays.

  Thea looked and saw the sign on the building to thei
r right: Reptile Oasis. “Ah, no,” she said, quickly grabbing Harley’s hand as she pushed Hutch in the stroller. “Get back on here,” she said, pointing to the ride-on step in the back of the stroller.

  Harley pulled away from her and crossed his arms in front of him as he gave a rude huff. His face contorted in an angry pout.

  Thea felt her blood pressure rise and she stopped in her tracks, causing both Lily and Gwenna, who were following too closely, to bump into her. She grasped one of Harley’s elbows. “We are not going to have this today, sir,” she said firmly. She hated the snakes, and she was not going in there. She needed good things in her brain–not slithering, slimy animals. “We are going to see the lions,” she announced.

  “Yay, lions!” Lily shouted happily. “I love the lions.” There was a skip in her step as she showed the way.

  “Not that way,” Thea called out after her.

  Lily stopped but her arms swirled wildly in circles, as if it was all she could do to stay in one place.

  The kids were free here, or so they thought. They were used to the confines of the yacht, though it was spacious, for a boat. It was going to be quite the challenge, Thea could see, to keep them reined in. She’d have to set the limits now. “Come here,” she instructed, “all of you.”

  Harley was farther back, having staked his ground the moment Thea said no to seeing the snakes. She could have insisted he take the few steps to join the rest of them, but it was easier to return to him and have Lily and Gwenna follow.

  Once she had all of them assembled, she used her presence and silence to get their attention. “Now,” she said, giving each one a hard stare, “I need you all to listen to me. We have to be careful and stick together here at the zoo.”

  “Otherwise the animals might eat us?” Harley asked innocently.

  “No,” Thea said with a smile, though it was tempting to tell him otherwise, just to keep him in line. She considered it, for more than a second. “The animals won’t eat you. They are in their enclosures, in their areas which have obstacles, like walls or windows or ditches they cannot cross.” She struggled to use words the kids would understand. “We have to be careful because you can get lost,” she added. Just the mention of that made a flutter of panic rise up in her stomach.

  “And Aunt Galina might kidnap us, right?” Lily asked. She was the storyteller in the family, and had quite the imagination.

  “Oh, heavens, no,” Thea said, hoping that scenario was purely fiction. Nichole’s older sister Galina was threatening to adopt the kids but she had no authority to do so. “Aunt Galina is not going to kidnap you. I’m going to keep you safe. But I can’t do that unless you stay by me. So I want you to stay within five steps of me at all times. You understand?” While they nodded, she continued: “I want you to keep looking at me while we are walking. You can hold my hand or each other’s hands but mostly you just need to know where I am so you can stay close. If you run off, I may lose you in the crowd and I may never find you again.” Her eyes widened at the thought, and she let them see her fear so they would know she cared.

  “And you don’t want that, right?” Harley said with a touch of trepidation.

  Perhaps he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to get lost or not, seeing how he was behaving.

  “Well, maybe,” Thea teased him.

  His chocolate brown eyes widened and his mouth dropped open at that comment.

  Thea laughed. She grabbed both of his shoulders and shook him playfully, then got down to his level and looked him in the eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she assured him. “But that’s why you need to stay close. Understand?”

  He nodded rapidly, his face serious.

  “Okay,” she said, letting go. “And I choose the places we are going to go and the animals we are going to see, okay?”

  The children nodded, but she could see sadness in their eyes.

  “But I’ll let each one of you choose one animal to see,” she added, happy to be giving them a choice. “Lily, you want to see the lions, right?”

  Lily nodded and wiggled happily at being the center of attention for the moment.

  “And Gwenna, what do you want to see?”

  “The bears,” she replied.

  “Polar bears?” Thea asked. She couldn’t remember any brown or grizzly bears here, but it was possible there were some exhibits here for them, somewhere.

  Gwenna nodded and agreed, “Polar bears, and koalas.”

  “Okay,” Thea said, not sure if that counted as one animal or two. “We can do that.”

  “Harley,” she said, turning her attention to the rambunctious four-year-old, “if you can’t see the snakes, what animal do you want to see?”

  He scrunched up his face in thought. “Giraffes!” He said finally.

  The giraffes were all the way on the other side of the park, but seeing them should be doable, Thea decided. Though they were housed at the top of a very steep hill….

  “What about Hutch?” Harley asked, ruffling his little brother’s hair. “Whatchu want to see, Hutch?” he asked, putting his face close and peering into his brother’s eyes. “Crocodiles? You wanna see crocodiles, like Captain Hook?”

  Hutch paused for only a moment, then shook his head in an exuberant yes. He loved the story of Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and often clicked his tongue in an imitation of the clock ticking as Hook tried to escape.

  There. Now the boundaries were set and Thea could relax a bit. If only she could remember the way to the lions.

  Chapter 18

  When Thea and the kids got back to the yacht, Lucas was more than happy to see them. After his solemn moments with a melancholy Grunt, he had a hard time lightening up, though he cranked up his music, rode his stationary bike, and pumped some weights. Then he kept busy with his handyman work, but it was lonely with no one around to talk to, seeing how Grunt was sound asleep.

  Lucas hated this about himself, hated that he needed anyone at all.

  He figured it was just a fact of life, that he needed someone around. It is not good for man to be alone, he seemed to recall from somewhere. It must be a Bible verse, he thought, about Adam needing Eve or something like that. It was a vague memory, but his mom used to take him and his sister, Stephanie, to church on occasion, when his father allowed it, which wasn’t frequently, or when his father slept late due to a rough night of drinking and they’d sneak out quietly so as not to disturb him and ruin everything.

  It was hard to even let himself recall those days, but now that Grunt had started talking about his past, Lucas was stuck on his.

  His mind was going back over everything that bothered him, from his dad being an alcoholic, to his school days when he was bullied, to his dating life which was always ruined the moment the women found out he was connected to Nichole Tiffington. But what could he do? It was his lot in life, he guessed, to be striving after riches and never getting the girl.

  “Hi, we’re back,” Thea said breezily as she set the bags down on the countertop. The kids ran in, as though the long day hadn’t tired them out in the least.

  Darn, and Lucas was hoping for a little alone-time with Thea, just to reconnect.

  Seeing the disappointment on Lucas’ face, Thea apologized. “Sorry, they slept in the car.” She poured a glass of iced tea and took a long drink. “I guess they got re-energized.” She poured each one of the kids a glass of Gatorade, to replenish their electrolytes after being out in the sun all day and exerting themselves.

  “I guess so,” Lucas acknowledged flatly, taking the seat on the stool next to her and glancing at the time. “Did they eat dinner?” he asked. Because, if not, he’d whip something up. Maybe heat up the leftover lasagna, or fix scrambled eggs–though that would only remind Thea to be angry at him all over again. No eggs. He didn’t want to trigger a bad memory. Maybe they’d all just have grilled cheese or quesadillas.

  “Yes, I fed them Panda Express,” Thea said. “They loved the orange chicken and rice. They, like, devo
ured it.”

  Her smile was like sunshine, and Lucas couldn’t quit looking at her.

  “Kids,” he announced. “I know you’ve all had a long day, so you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to put on a movie for you in the TV room.”

  “Yay!” Harley said, jumping up and down. “And popcorn?”

  “And popcorn,” Lucas said happily.

  “And candy?” Lily asked timidly.

  “Candy?” Lucas repeated. “What on earth do you want candy for? It doesn’t go with popcorn anyway.” He was trying to spoil them, but they didn’t appreciate it. Instead, they were pushing the limits and trying his patience, already.

  “That’s okay,” Gwenna said, patting Lucas’ arm. “We don’t need candy and popcorn.” Being the oldest, she was always the peacemaker. “That wouldn’t even taste good.” She turned to Lily, and said gently, “It wouldn’t taste good, Lily.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Lily replied.

  “Thanks, Gwenna,” Lucas said, feeling the pressure lighten. Though it was rather humiliating to be patted by a seven-year-old. He’d take anything he could get at this point.

  “Isn’t that so nice of your daddy to make you popcorn and let you watch a movie?” Thea praised him in front of the kids, which–cheesy as it was–still made him feel like the hero.

  “Thanks, Daddy,” Gwenna said, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Daddio,” Lily teased him, as she wiggled around shyly in front of him.

  Lucas reached out and ruffled her hair.

  “Dad, Dad, Dad!” Harley yelled, pumping his fist in the air. “Our dad is the best!”

  Lucas laughed, caught up in the moment as they showered praise on him. He could get used to this. “Okay, guys, everybody get into your pajamas and I’ll start the movie. Mary Poppins or Peter Pan?”

  “Peter Pan!” three of them shouted.

  “Peaduhr Pan!” shouted Hutch a few beats late, which made everyone laugh.

  Once the kids got settled into watching the movie, their sleepiness kicked in once again. Gwenna had her arm around Lily, and they were sitting together on the couch, with Gwenna’s feet up on the ottoman and Lily leaning on her sister. Harley sat in the recliner, and Hutch simply passed out on his back on the plush shag rug, his hands beneath his head with his cute little elbows sticking out. He looked much older in that position, like some cool California surfer dude, Lucas thought with a smile.