The plan was to tether the little boat alongside the yacht and get Dylan, Stephen and one of the hired hands on board via a rope ladder. It wouldn’t have been possible to board that way if the seaward side of El Loco wasn’t tilted nearly under water. The little rescue boat sat high in the water and wouldn’t run the risk of hitting the submerged rocks so all we had to do was throw some bumpers over the side to cushion us as the waves banged us into El Loco.
I was relieved to see that the fires were all apparently out. That was one less danger for me to think about.
Dylan had made one last ditch attempt to leave me waiting in Corvo, but finally had to admit defeat.
“I am not staying behind,” I had insisted. “I’ve come this far and I won’t be left here to worry all day.”
“Well your cute little body is going to be worn out at the end of this day; I can promise you that Miss Bossy Pants.”
“Sometimes you sound like a little kid.” I’d shot back.
“And sometimes I feel like one.”
He made good on his promise. The work began quickly and I was soon busy stowing the precious art work as safely as possible on my end. There were plenty of life preservers on board that I pressed into service as padding between paintings. I didn’t have to be told to be careful with them. My art professor mom was tsk, tsking in my ear the entire time.
Some of the frames were very heavy. Keeping my balance on the rocking boat was a challenge. I was grateful that Jackson Cruz collected paintings, not sculpture. I was relieved to see the Renoir I had first admired aboard El Loco passed down, apparently unscathed. That one would always be my sentimental favorite.
There were a couple of watercolors that looked like a complete loss but I put them away just as carefully as the others. Soon Dylan handed me a small frame and said, “That’s the last one I can get to. We lost a few under water, but none that were terribly valuable.”
“I’ve got them all tucked away and secured. Are we leaving now?” I wanted to get away from the rocking boat. Every wave that hit the little boat felt like a tsunami. My palms were wet with salt spray and nervous sweat the whole time.
“I’m going to go get my personal stuff. My stateroom is accessible and so is your cabin behind the galley. Where are your documents?”
“Oh, Dylan, it’s not worth it. Let’s just get out of here.”
“It’ll save us the hassle of getting new passports. Plus, I can grab all my credit cards. Just one less thing to worry about.”
I told him where to find my stuff and watched him disappear again over the side. It seemed like forever, but he finally came back to the ladder and descended into the lifeboat.
“See? Now we don’t have to deal with the consulate. I couldn’t retrieve anything for the boys, though. They’ll have to start from scratch.”
I noticed a small collar around Dylan’s wrist. It was rhinestone encrusted pink patent leather. “Lady D.’s?” I asked.
“She never wore it, but she loved to carry it around. She loved anything shiny.”
“Most girls do.”
He twirled the collar around his index finger and looked toward the little beach in the distance. “I still feel like I’ve lost a child. Or my best friend. Or both.”
I put my hand over his and squeezed. “It will hurt for a while. A long time. It took me years to get over Alphonse.”
“Who’s Alphonse?”
“He was the dog I grew up with. We got him when I was four or five and he died right after I left home for the university. I’ll always think that it was partly grieving for me that killed him, not just old age.”
“Just like I feel responsible for Lady D. dying of fright.”
“You can’t blame yourself. For goodness sake, it was a shipwreck. None of that was your fault.”
“Like I told you. I ignored common sense and the law of the sea. We didn’t need to confront that storm. So, yes, it was my fault.”
“I think you’ve paid a pretty hefty price for it,” I told him as we sped away from the wreck. El Loco became smaller and more toy-like in the distance.
“You have no idea. I’m sure the insurance company is going to make the most out of my negligence. I doubt I’ll be seeing much in the way of a settlement.”
I bent to whisper in his ear so that the two men and Stephen didn’t hear. I didn’t know how much of his new circumstance the Captain had been told and the men didn’t need to know squat. “You’re filthy rich, remember?”
He cracked a smile then. “Sometimes I forget,” he whispered back.
We docked just long enough to let the two men off at Corvo and turned toward Flores. I was tired inside and out, the way only stress combined with physical labor can drain you. I rested my head on Dylan’s shoulder. The waves seemed a lot friendlier out of harm’s way and I let them lull me into a peaceful nap.
Mrs. Da Silva greeted us like old friends and managed to find a room for Dylan and I with one big bed. We’d missed the last plane to Ponta Delgado. In the morning we’d start our journey back to Florida but there were still a couple of hours to wander the pretty field of flowers, together this time.
Dylan’s leg still wasn’t up to a great deal of hiking and the salvage operation had cost him. He was making a brave effort not to show it, but I could see that the limp that was almost gone was back. We found a nice flat rock and rested in the midst of thousands of blue hydrangeas as far as the edge of the cliff where their lilac blue ended at the indigo ocean.
“This may be one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen.” I traced his cheek with my finger and looked into his eyes. “All this blue makes your eyes even more brilliant. Have I told you how much I love your eyes?”
“Yes, and it’s kind of ironic that they’re probably the feature I hate most in myself.”
“Why? They’re stunning eyes. I’ve never seen anyone with that kind of blue. It’s like the deep blue in the ocean when the sun shines through.”
“Thanks for the nice image, but they’re just like my mother’s. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see her staring back at me.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No. Locked up somewhere. Tight, I hope.”
“But if she’s in an institution, wouldn’t someone have to look after the bills?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. But I suppose so.”
“Didn’t Spencer mention anything about that to you?”
“It didn’t come up. He seemed most concerned about me bailing out on the empire. He wanted me to stay and run the show.”
“Well, you’re probably going to have to find out. About your mother, I mean.”
“Why are you so concerned about my mother? Here we are, on a beautiful field of flowers with blue skies and the sea and you want to talk about the hell-bitch that spawned me?”
“You brought her up. I guess I’m just concerned.”
“Pick something else to be concerned about.”
“But Dylan, she’s your mother.”
“Not anymore.”
“That’s ridiculous. She’s the only mother you’ve got and from what you told me and from what I’ve read, she’s one sick puppy.”
“Please. She ceased to be my mother a dozen years ago. I don’t care where she is or what condition she’s in.”
“I read that with treatment, patients can recover.”
“Patients might be able to recover; victims not so much.”
“But knowing where she is and more importantly how she is might give you some closure.”
“Stop it, Rene! Closure. I hate that word. There’s no such thing. My childhood is one big open wound.”
“But I saw how happy it made you when you and your father sort of reconnected. You wanted him in your life whether you admit it or not.”
“I’ll admit it. I let my guard down, allowed myself to hope and then the bastard died on me.”
“I don’t think he had a heart attack to spite you.”
“No, but h
e sure set me up in a crappy position. You have to admit it takes a pretty mean soul to write that kind of will.”
“I can’t pretend to know his reasons.”
“That’s because reason has nothing to do with it.”
“But he must have had them. No one would just arbitrarily forbid the reunion of his two children.” It was a truly bizarre caveat. I was burning with curiosity as to why Jackson Cruz would do such a thing.
“Well he did forbid it. Cleverly, too. Whatever my father may or may not have known about me, he knew I adored my little sister. He knew I wouldn’t jeopardize her fortune even if I would have gladly thrown mine away to find her again.” He stood up in frustration. “Why do you persist in believing that all people are inherently good? People are shallow, they deceive, they’re selfish, they’re . . .”
“Gee,” I said sarcastically, “I’m so glad to be part of the human race you’re so fond of.”
“You know I didn’t mean you.”
“I hope so.”
He pulled me to my feet and hugged me close to him. I could smell the day—sea, sweat and diesel all faintly making their presence known. He smelled manly. And he felt manly—all hard and muscled against my body. And yet, there were little scared boy elements to him that baffled me so.
“I love you, Rene. You’re the best thing that ever happened in my life. I think you saved my life in more than one way.”
“I love you, too, Dylan. That’s why I want to see you find peace.”
“Thanks for not saying ‘closure’ again.” He smiled. “I know it was on the tip of your tongue.”
I appreciated his way of lightening up a heavy conversation. I tended to drill on and on, deeper and deeper. It was something I knew I’d have to work on, especially with Dylan. “I promise I’ll never use the word again unless I’m referring to a zipper.”
“I do understand what you’re trying to do. And, maybe when the dust settles, I’ll come around to your way of thinking. Right now, I just can’t.”
“I know how hard it is. But I also know that family seems to be one of the things that weigh on you the heaviest.”
“You’ve admitted to having a few family devils yourself.”
“True. But compared to yours they seem trivial. Yes, I had pushy parents. Yes, I think I disappointed them. But I always knew how much they loved me and they knew the same about me. And truthfully, just knowing your story has put my little dramas in perspective. I’m going to be a lot more grateful for mom and dad from now on.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
God, I hadn’t even thought about that. Would he find my parents stodgy and dull? Uptight and rigid? And what would my parents think about him? They loved Jake. I mean they really loved him. My mother told me that she thought I made the biggest mistake of my life breaking up with good old Jake.
When I told her that Jake was boring she had given me a motherly lecture on the virtues of having a stable husband. Apparently Jake reminded her of a younger version of my father. I found it sad at the time to think that my parents had such a tedious life together.
And now I was going to bring home a guy who was heart-stoppingly handsome, world-wise and rich beyond belief. Things could get a little weird.
Chapter 18—Dylan
I really was looking forward to meeting the professors Waters. It would be another first for me. Meeting The Parents. I had never given the first thought to whether or not my former flings even had parents. It was as if they had materialized fully grown from who knows where and taken their turns in my shallow life. It didn’t occur to me to wonder about their childhoods or families. I never cared enough to be curious.
This woman made me feel different. Just as I wanted to know every nook and cranny of her body and make it my own, I wanted to know everything inside her head. It seemed perfectly normal to want to meet her family, see where she grew up or where she went to school. The things that made her the person she was were worth knowing.
“So,” I asked, “do you think your Mom and Dad are going to like me?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure.”
“Whoa. Your honesty can be hard on the ego.”
“My parents have pretty rigid expectations. You are way outside of their comfort zone. Not that it matters. I’m way past letting them control my life.”
“But it does matter. I want them to like me.”
“That’s sweet. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”
We walked toward the inn and I couldn’t help but wonder what possessed the architect to build such a bland modern building in the midst of such a charming setting. The whole thing was at odds with everything else in and around it. Mrs. Da Silva couldn’t be more earthy and charming, the view was just magnificent and the food was homey and comforting.
“You know,” I remarked, “this place really is quite ugly. Don’t you wonder what was going through the developer’s mind?”
“It’s actually one of a small chain. I looked it up. They’re built with European tour groups in mind. Almost all rooms are double twins. Usually, this kind of hotel would have nothing but buffets. Typical budget travel.”
“You sure are handy with the research. Gotta watch my step around you, inspector.”
“What are your hotels like? You’ve told me next to nothing about the empire you’ve just inherited. I mean, I know the name, but that’s about it.”
“You haven’t run it through your ‘I looked it up’ machine?”
“Haven’t had time. But I will.”
“I’m sure you will. And when you do, you’ll discover there are twenty-seven jewels in our crown.”
She whistled her appreciation.
“That’s probably why I’m slightly overwhelmed. I’ve been avoiding thinking about it.”
“That’s a lot of rooms and a lot of places.”
“Right now, there’s only one room and one place I’m concerned about.” I glanced at the hotel. “It may be ugly, but it’s our ugly for the night. We’ve done our duties and there’s nothing else left for us but to eat, drink and make love in our ugly room.”
She wisely took my hand and asked no more difficult questions. I was learning something about Rene. Much as I loved her, she had a terrible penchant for digging at me. She had an instinct for my sensitive spots and an unerring way of finding my unfinished business, which she took it upon herself to settle. It was natural for her to be curious, but at times it bordered on prying.
A man’s got to have a cave, if only in his head. I hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to respect my boundaries. She’d poked the bear several times. This time I didn’t have to roar so maybe she was learning. I thought again how my inexperience left me baffled. Did all women behave this way? Did loving someone mean that nothing was off limits no matter how raw or painful?
I was facing some difficult decisions. When the time was right I fully intended to discuss my possibilities with respect to the hotels. I had some ideas percolating in my head but I’m the kind of man who likes to completely think things through before putting thoughts into words. It seemed Rene was more prone to ‘talking it out’. Maybe it was simply the difference between the sexes. My relationships prior to Rene hadn’t been long on subtlety.
If that was the worst thing I would discover about her, I was a very lucky man. I pulled her a little closer and counted my blessings. It was pretty hard to accept how happy I was just hours after saying good-bye to the beloved boat that I’d called home for several years.
Stephen and I had discussed trying a more extensive salvage, but both agreed that with the engines a total loss and huge holes in the hull, El Loco was probably not worth what it would cost to try to save her. As it was, I was certainly going to have to deal with Portuguese authorities regarding the sinking of a two-hundred plus foot boat in the pristine waters of the Azores. I hoped that she’d slip quietly off the rocks sooner rather than later. More time above the water kept her on the radar and opened up th
e possibility of me having to tow the wreckage out to sea. Once she sank completely, it would be almost impossible to raise her.
We shared dinner and a bottle of wine on the terrace and spared ourselves the rather gray and sterile dining room. The sky was clear and the air was warm. The candles flickered in their wind-proof lanterns and bathed us both in a cozy glimmer. Once again, I was taken by the way Rene’s honeyed beauty came to life in different kinds of light. In sunshine, she sparkled. In moon glow she had the aura of a cool fall day. The candles cast sepia tones all around the halo of her hair and her eyes were cat-like—knowing and wise.
We sat in a world defined by three small flames. Even the sounds of the dining room and the distant sea became muffled by our isolation. Once in a while she’d move and the diamonds at her breasts would catch the velvety illumination from the lamps. The fire that shot from the gems seemed alive against her skin.
The spell of the night wrapped around us and we were ready to wrap around each other. The short walk to our room and the uncomfortable waiting bed was silent. The bed didn’t matter to me, all I wanted was to be entwined with Rene. I wanted to sleep the kind of sleep that I’d only recently discovered in her arms.
We gave each other wine laced kisses that demanded nothing. Sleepy blue nodded into sleepy amber and we drifted into dreamless sleep. Desire was there, but desire could wait. Skin to skin was the perfect antidote to a taxing and melancholy day.
“Dylan wake up!”
I gasped as I escaped into the blessed reality of a dark room and Rene’s naked form beside me.
“You were having a nightmare.” Rene held my head against her breasts and even she was heaving with breathlessness. “You scared me. I had to wake you.”
“I’m sorry.” I hated that I awakened her. We both needed a good night’s rest.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. Can you remember what it was that was chasing you?”
“Chasing me?”
“Yes, you were literally running in the bed. You kicked me twice.”
I sat up. “Did I hurt you?”
“Nothing major,” she smiled. “But I might have a bruised shin tomorrow.”
Tempest Tossed: A Love Unexpected Novel Page 28
