Masquerade by the Sea

by Traci Hall

  We’ll see, she told herself, gathering a tray and putting the leftover strawberries and chocolate cake on two plates. A bottle of white wine, and some brie.

  Kicking off her shoes, she took the tray upstairs, pausing at the second level to look for Heath.

  God, he was gorgeous. The long stretch of his back as lifted the tables and put them in order, the floor clean. He must have sensed she was watching because he turned quickly, his eyes bright in the light of the room.

  “Hey,” she said, lifting the tray. “Come up when you’re done.”

  He nodded his agreement and she continued on to the upper deck, taking a deep breath of salty air.

  She stretched out on the lounge chair and set a low table between hers and the opposite chair. Jolie left the one closest to the door for Heath. She poured herself a glass of wine, and dipped a strawberry into the Sauvignon Blanc before taking a bite.

  Juicy strawberry with the tang of wine burst over her tongue. Life was to be lived in the moment, she heard her granny say from the stars. No use plannin’. She’d tried to map out her future, and it didn’t go according to her lists. Now, she kept her goals a bit more short-sighted.

  Heath, still in his tan khakis and white polo shirt, joined her on the upper deck. “This is nice,” he said.

  “We’re docked.”

  “Yeah.” He sat on the lounger, carefully stretching his left leg out. “You don’t have to tell me.”

  She laughed. “Wine?”

  “Sure.”

  Jolie gave him a glass, not minding when their fingers brushed. In fact, she made note of the warmth traveling through her fingers, down her wrist to her arm, where it landed with a thud in her belly. Oh. Fantastic.

  “What kind of cake is that? I’m a huge chocolate fan.”

  “You are? I figured you for granola and dried berries,” she said, only partially teasing.

  “I’m from Utah, not Colorado.” He turned toward the cake on the plate and swiped a strawberry through the chocolate frosting. “I’ve been known to eat an entire pint of chocolate fudge ice cream at a time.”

  “That I’d like to see.” Jolie watched as he ate the strawberry, delighted by what she saw as an Achilles heel. Chocolate?

  “I’ve shared my weakness,” he said, reaching for another strawberry. “What’s yours?”

  “I like everything,” Jolie said with a laugh.

  “But not to excess,” Heath countered, giving her a slow once-over that made her skin sizzle. “Or you wouldn’t look like you do.”

  “I swim.” Would he join her in the water?

  “I knew it.”

  She smiled. “But mostly it’s just body type. I look like my mom. Granny was thin, but short.”

  “I’m sorry about your,” Heath said, his voice lowering as he looked at her stomach. “That sucks.”

  Jolie closed her eyes and lifted her face toward the sky, letting the ocean breeze dry the tears that sprang from nowhere. “I named her Melody. I like to think of my daughter as a star in the sky. One of the people I talk to at night. She’s got my grandparents looking out after her.”

  He cleared his throat. “That’s beautiful.”

  She slowly opened her eyes, the stars blurry above. “Here’s my weakness. I tend to think with my heart instead of my head and her father swept me off my feet. Champagne, roses. Neither of us expected that night to end in pregnancy. But I was in love, and he, he was along for the ride.”

  Heath handed her a strawberry, the end tipped in chocolate. “When the ride was over, he left?”

  “Couldn’t get out of the amusement park fast enough. I don’t blame him. We were both young.”

  “How long ago?”

  Jolie knew to the last hour when Melody’s spirit fled and patted her heart.

  “Five years, two months. I haven’t been in love since. Not to say I haven’t had lovers, but there is a difference. That free-fall into ecstasy, not caring if there is a net.”

  “I have never felt that,” Heath said. “I don’t think I’d want to.”

  She couldn’t blame him. Would she willingly do it again?

  No. It hurt way too bad. Jolie decided that a retreat was in order and went to bed, alone.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jolie’s alarm went off at six and she woke up in her cozy bed below deck, anxious to be home. Her large family grounded her, supporting her as she spread her wings.

  Her parents had an older place with five bedrooms and plenty of pull-out couches. Five kids required a lot of space, and her mom said that she couldn’t have any more kids because they’d run out of bedrooms.

  Her dad liked to joke that they could always add on. He usually topped this with a swat on her mother’s behind.

  Her two youngest siblings were still at home, while her older brother and sister were like her and came home occasionally. Her brother Darnay, 27, was getting his doctorate in marine biology, specifically in the sub tropics, and her older sister, 29, was a flight attendant for private functions. Tandy was the one who convinced Jolie to start thinking corporate, because that is where the money lives.

  Jolie quickly shut the alarm off, hoping not to wake Heath. Maybe if he didn’t know they were moving, he’d sleep right through his fear and wake up docked at home where her mom would be waiting with a mimosa.

  She tossed on white linen shorts and a bikini top, her feet bare, and went to the kitchen. She made a giant cup of coffee and wandered up to the captain’s chair.

  To her surprise, Heath joined her within moments, taking Rajah’s seat. “You’ve got a great view,” he said, his face slightly pale, his profile determined.

  “We haven’t left the marina yet. I was hoping to get there before you woke up,” she said.

  “I didn’t sleep well.”

  She studied the circles under his eyes. “The bed too cramped?”

  “My leg. Muscle spasms. They’re killing me.”

  “My cousin—”

  “It’s too early to argue.” He picked up her coffee and took a drink.

  She started the boat, maneuvering out of the marina toward the inlet leading toward the ocean. “Fair enough.”

  The slight rocking of the water had her bartender looking slightly gray around the mouth. “They say that the trick is to keep your eye on the horizon.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Okay.” She shrugged and leaned her hip against the dash. “Us kids? We were raised on boats, in and out of the ocean. All around the Keys.”

  “What’s a key, specifically?”

  “An island in a series of small islands.” She squeezed her fingers together. “Some are really, really small.”

  “So even though we are going to a house, it will be surrounded by water?”

  She smiled and patted his shoulder. “Yes. So it’s really important for us to get you past this. Or you’ll be miserable for the next three months.”

  He lifted his troubled gaze. “I didn’t bring enough Advil for that.”

  “After you meet Sabina, you might not need it.” Jolie shifted from one foot to the other, more comfortable standing behind the wheel than sitting.

  “I hope so. Are your parents going to be upset that you’re bringing a strange guy home?”

  “First of all, they’re not like that. Second of all, you work for me. Third of all, there’s room if you need some alone time.”

  He held on to the dashboard of the boat as a bigger yacht passed in front of them, causing the Masquerade to sway gently. Heath swallowed so hard she heard it. “Are there brakes on this thing?”

  “Want to take the wheel?” Jolie asked. There wasn’t much to it, and it might make him feel better to be in control. “There’s no pedal, so it won’t hurt your leg.”

  “I’m not mentally there yet.” Heath rubbed his stomach. “I can barely keep this coffee down.”

  “Maybe later then. Standing might help with the horizon thing.”

  He straightened his left leg to the side, remain
ing in his seat. “This isn’t so bad,” he said, as the bridge over the Intracoastal lifted to let the bigger yacht through. The Masquerade wasn’t that tall, but she followed in its wake, wishing she could make the water smooth as glass for Heath.

  “Are you trying to talk yourself into it?” She snuck a glance at him, her heart warming with compassion.

  “Yeah. That obvious?”

  “Maybe if you let go of the dashboard…Your fingers are white. I’m worried you might break a bone. Or my dashboard. She’s an antique.”

  He let go and sat back in the swivel chair.

  “We’re getting out here early.” Jolie breathed in, a yoga breath, then exhaled, hoping Heath might copy her and relax. “The sunrise is gorgeous.” Golden rays swirled with orange streaks over the turquoise blue water. White dapples of light danced along the ocean’s surface as she made her way out of the inlet to the ocean.

  “It’s beautiful over the mountains, too.” He pressed the deep indent between his brows.

  “We don’t got any mountains,” she said. “I’ve seen them plenty though. In the Caribbean. It’s probably not the same?”

  “Not unless they’re covered in snow.”

  Jolie laughed softly, keeping the shore in sight so that Heath could focus on the hotels instead of the water. He didn’t seem like he was in the mood for chit-chat, so she kept her commentary to herself.

  Maybe fifteen minutes went by before his body relaxed enough to move with the bob and dip of the cruiser on the water, rather than tense with each skip over a wave. She reached for her cup, enjoying the sound of the spray against the hull, but all that remained were a few grounds. Brat.

  “You’re doing great. But can I bug you to bring us back some more coffee? Being as you drank mine.”

  He put his hand over his stomach. “I thought it was going to be bad, but it’s all right. It’s settling. Sure, I can go get some more.”

  Heath came back within minutes, two mugs steaming and two water bottles sticking out of his pockets.

  “Just in time! We’re passing by Miami. Fun place to party.” Miami was famous for its nude beach and party scene. Naked ladies, naked men. Lots of drinking and expensive cars. It wasn’t her thing—she’d rather dance on the yacht beneath the stars.

  “I’ve heard about South Beach.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “There’s more to it than boobs,” she said, laughing and taking a mug. Jolie could’ve sat, but she preferred to stretch her legs rather than sit. “The food is great, Cuban. Mojo sauce and plantains. Roasted pork.”

  “I’m not ready to talk food yet.” Heath put his cup on the deck in favor of opening a water bottle. He took a sip and occasionally looked out across the ocean, away from shore.

  What would she do if she was afraid of something physical? She hoped she’d have the guts to tackle it head on, just like he was doing. Her fears were more of the emotional kind, which she supposed were crippling in a different way. They spent some time in companionable silence.

  “Tell me about you and Cody growing up.” She swept her gaze out over the water, alert for other boats or hazards as she crossed toward the Gulf side. “Were you always the moody brother?”

  Heath’s dark hair ruffled in the wind. Jolie had opened the windows around the bridge so they could get a breeze. “If you’re asking if Cody was a freaking cheerleader, the answer is yeah. He can’t help it. He takes after our mom’s side of the family. Short and sweet.”

  Jolie laughed at the description. While Cody was shorter than Heath, he was still a respectable five foot ten, and he was a happy guy, she didn’t see him with pom-poms. “And did the teacher send home notes about you?”

  He finally smiled. “Maybe. Our parents believed in time-out, and I spent a lot of time in The Chair.”

  “Like the rack?” She had a hard time imagining anybody forcing Heath to do anything against his will, even at ten.

  “Not an actual torture device, no, but it felt like one.” He smiled, squinting against the rising sun and brighter rays. “Stuck in the house while the rest of the neighborhood played in the street right in front of the big window. It was cruel.”

  “But it didn’t stop you from misbehaving.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue against her teeth. Heath’s intensity mattered on the mountain—man against nature. She dropped her gaze to his left leg. Sometimes nature won anyway.

  “No.” He finished his water. “What about you?”

  “Middle kid.” She shrugged. “I was teacher’s pet just about always.”

  He sat on edge, his eye on the other boats around them. Fishing boats, mostly, this early in the day. “No surprise there.”

  “Hey, I worked hard at it. Valedictorian older brother, wild-child older sister. I’m smart, but nowhere near the brain power of Darnay. And nowhere near the liver power of Tandy. I had to be sweet.”

  “So it was a tactical move?” Heath said.

  Jolie burst out laughing. “All the way!”

  “And there are two more younger than you?”

  “Yes. Nesta is the baby, at the ripe old age 22, then Roscoe, who is more like Cody in temperament—easy going. Nesta won’t be told no.” She lifted her coffee, automatically balancing on deck as a bigger swell rocked the yacht. “Not that Daddy tried too hard. He comes from a long line of wealthy White Jamaicans, and my mom is the racy black girl from the wrong side of the Rio.”

  “The river?” Heath asked. “Instead of train tracks. I didn’t realize that stuff mattered anymore.”

  “Oh yeah, but thank God that group gets smaller and smaller with time. My mom’s parents supported them when they got married, helping them, teaching my dad how to fish. Build boats. Dad’s parents came around eventually. I mean, my mom is amazing. They had to love her.”

  “Are they still in Jamaica?”

  “My dad’s parents? Yes. They live in a gated community on the mountain with a view of the ocean.” She gestured toward the wide expanse of blue. “And despite what their friends might think, an entire wall is dedicated to pictures of their grandkids. My mom says that’s another small step toward breaking down prejudice.”

  Raised in the Keys with Cubans and other Jamaicans, surrounded by family, Jolie hadn’t really felt the sting of judgment.

  “Your mom sounds cool,” Heath said, turning toward her and ignoring the sparkling surface around them. He rested his fingertips against her forearm and her skin tingled. “Like you.” Heath folded his hand over his right knee. “Your Granny and Gramps moved to the Keys with your parents?”

  “You got it.” Jolie headed south, knowing the route without the GPS, but checking it to be sure she was on track. Waterways could change with the tide, unlike a highway. “We are one big, mostly happy, family.”

  Heath’s family had shrunk and Cody was moving. Jolie couldn’t imagine being alone like that. She glanced at him, following his gaze. “That’s Seven Mile Bridge, it’s been in lots of movies. It means that we’re thirty minutes away, barring other boaters, from a hot breakfast. Cudjoe Key. I texted Mom before we left.”

  He winced at the word breakfast, then pulled his phone from his front pocket and read the time. “I can’t believe two hours has gone by.” He shook his head and put his phone on the dashboard. “How long would it take if we had driven from the marina?”

  “Four hours. Stuck in traffic.”

  He seemed appreciative of the time saved, but didn’t say anything. She noticed that he was less tense around the shoulders, more willing to move in his seat.

  How to make him really see what she did? The beauty of the bay? “It doesn’t matter how often I make the trip, it’s always different.” She slowed around a corner of a tiny mangrove island. “This is where I sometimes see manatees.”

  “What’s a manatee?”

  Jolie kept to the no wake area, looking for one to show Heath. “Some people call it a water cow, but basically it’s an underwater baked potato. Totally harmless.”

  He picked up his
phone and did a quick search, then he grinned. “Got one on Wikipedia. These are kinda ugly.”

  “Hey,” Jolie said, defensive even as she laughingly admitted, “they probably wouldn’t win a beauty contest, but I’ve watched a mama with her babies, and they are so gentle.”

  Heath chuckled. “Still bigger than me. I’ll stay in the boat.”

  They were making progress, she thought. At least he didn’t want to be on land. She gestured to a marker in the water as she came around the mangroves, and then tapped her GPS. “Instead of roads, we have channels we follow. You have to watch for the signs, but also for water hazards, like a stalled boat.”

  Heath stood, reading the coordinates. She inhaled, her senses identifying the soft pine of his cologne. “My GPS isn’t this fancy. Yours has a lot more numbers.”

  “That’s a chart plotter navigational tool,” Jolie explained, doing her best not to lean against him. “I can’t even imagine what life must have been like when you had to navigate by the stars in the sky, or the position of the sun.”

  “Rolling out a paper map. Last time I read one of those I was a Boy Scout.” His hand brushed against her lower back, making her very aware of her low slung linen shorts and bikini top.

  “You were a Boy Scout?” Jolie smiled at the image of young Heath in a blue uniform making a fire from kindling, or carving a car to race against the other troop members. “Darnay did that for a while.”

  “Yeah. Cody made Eagle Scout. I quit in high school. Discovered skiing.” He shifted, resting his weight on his right side, standing at her back.

  “And girls?” She glanced at him, wishing she hadn’t said that.

  Heath’s slow smile made her stomach jump. “Girls. Women. Definitely more exciting than Scouts.” He stared into her eyes and she forced herself to pull her gaze free and focus on the water. God, he was sexy. His features were strong, his skin rugged. And yet his injury made him vulnerable, allowing her to peek beyond his masculine façade.

  “How are you feeling?” Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat.

  “You’re an excellent captain. I feel surprising comfortable.”