Love, Unexpected

Andi was more than a little crabby herself. She frowned at her pouty little girl. “You’d think I was punishing you. I told you, this is a surprise.”

Andi shook her head. A surprise that showed every sign of landing with a thud. The rain had started in the middle of the night. It had let up a little in the last hour or so, but not much. It wasn’t the rain that bothered her. She’d put a couple of umbrellas in the car and they had rain jackets, although Brooke’s barely fit anymore. Andi had already added buying her a new one to her expanding list of things to do.

Brooke squirmed under her seat belt. “I wish my riding camp was starting today.”

“I know you do, sweetie, but it’s not much longer. Right after the Fourth of July. Then you’ll get to ride horses every day.”

When had Brooke started talking about horses and longing for one of her own? Maybe five years ago. She’d already named her horse-to-be. Magic was the first name she picked, and Magic it had stayed. Andi and Miles had agreed to wait until she was twelve before letting her have a horse of her own. By then she’d be old enough to take on the responsibilities of owning a horse, and could earn money doing chores to help pay the boarding fees at one of the nearby stables. Two more years.

“Just think, by the first day of your camp, we’ll be settled in our new place.”

“Did you find us a house like Dad’s?”

Andi shook her head. “Nope.” Naturally, Brooke would compare everything to Miles’s huge new house.

“Then it must be a cottage like Lark’s,” Brooke said confidently.

Keeping the spirit of surprise and intrigue going, Andi shook her head again.

“I know, I know,” Brooke said. “You rented a cool apartment above one of those stores downtown. Maybe on top of the bakery or the ice-cream shop.”

Great, that sounded appealing, even to Andi. “I’m thinking you’ll never guess. But it’s lots of fun.”

Brooke had come home last night full of stories about Sue, the dinosaur at the Field Museum of Natural History. And the bus ride to the zoo? The most exciting ride ever. Who knew public transportation could be so exotic? One day, Brooke announced, she would move to Chicago and live in a building and ride an elevator up to her apartment, where she could see the whole city from her huge windows. Andi hoped her daughter would have everything she dreamed of. It was a nice idea. Maybe that idea would stick, just like Brooke’s desire for a horse had lasted.

Lark’s cottage was only a few blocks from Donovan’s, Andi’s shorthand for Zeke’s store and docks. With Brooke sitting next to her with her forehead wrinkled in thought, only the slap of the windshield wipers broke the silence. Please, please don’t rain all day, she begged the gods of weather. Yesterday, she’d opened hatches and portholes to air out the boat and cut through the stale odor clinging to everything. She’d used her hand vacuum to clear away the first layer of dust and then wiped away the grime stuck on the woodwork in the staterooms. Then she’d finished up her workday by making up both bunks in the second stateroom, Brooke’s room. Satisfied she’d put the boat in suitable living conditions, she’d gone back to the cottage to wait for Miles to drop off Brooke.

Before leaving the cottage this morning, she encouraged Brooke to pack up a few of the wooden and ceramic horses in her collection, hoping the smile she sent Brooke’s way conveyed the air of fun mystery she intended. “There’s a perfect place for them in your new bedroom,” she’d said.

Andi was eager to share her excitement about restoring Drifting Dreamer. She’d explain to Brooke that the two of them would always remember the year they lived on a yacht all summer. It would be their special adventure. She’d tell her that even this run-down boat could be made beautiful again, just like she’d made their house in Green Bay beautiful. Not that Brooke could remember the months stretching to years of hard work that had made that happen.

Andi pulled into a parking place at the Bean Grinder and took Brooke inside with her to pick up coffee, a carton of milk and two blueberry muffins. “We’ll have our treat at our new table.” Or if the rain and wind let up, they could sit under the canopy at the deck table.

Brooke, distracted by all the pastries in the glass case, nodded but said nothing.

It was still drizzling when they parked at Donovan’s. “I’ll take the bag and coffee, you take the milk carton. Put up your hood and follow me.” She tried to keep her voice upbeat and light, but seeing the boat in the rain threatened her good mood, never mind Brooke’s impatience cutting into her positive attitude. Andi winced at the sorry sight of Drifting Dreamer. She didn’t look pretty under a clear sky, but in the rain, she was a real shipwreck.

When they reached the dock, Andi jolted, surprised to see Zeke appear on deck and lift his hand in a greeting. He was dry under the deck canopy.

“What’s going on?” Brooke asked.

“Well, this is Drifting Dreamer, our new home. Only for the summer.” Andi stepped aboard, looked behind her and pointed to the deck. “Just take one step and you’ll be aboard.” She nodded to Zeke. “I hear you’ve already met Zeke. He and his dad own the marine supply store and this dock, and now he owns this boat, too. I’m going to help him fix her up.”

Greeting her with a big smile, Zeke said, “Nice to see you again, Brooke. I met you at a party at the yacht club.”

Brooke stared at him, frowning.

Andi turned to Zeke and, keeping her voice low, asked, “Did something happen?”

“When the rain started in the night I got to thinking that I’d seen a couple of signs of leaking, so I came to check it out.”

Andi looked inside. Rolled-up towels were catching water landing on the counter. The source of the steady drip was a row of portholes on the port side. Buckets were catching water coming through cracks in the cabin roof and housing.

“Oh, no,” Andi muttered under her breath.

“I don’t want to live on a leaky old boat,” Brooke said with a quick shrug.

Andi laughed nervously. “I know it doesn’t look so good now, but it will. You’ll see.”

“We can get these leaks taken care of in no time. Before the boat was brought up here, she was covered up with a canvas tarp,” Zeke said with his focus on Brooke. “She’s been out of the water a long time. When that happens, the wood dries out and even the hull takes in water through the seams. But we’ll seal up everything. The place where you’re going to sleep is dry.”

“This isn’t the surprise I had in mind, Brooke.” Andi put her coffee and the bag on the deck table. “But, like Zeke says, the leaks can be fixed right away.” Desperate to sound bright and optimistic, she added, “I didn’t get to tell you the rest of the plan. This summer, I’m going to strip off all this old yellow varnish and sand the wood and make it gleam again. I can do this while we live here. We’ll even eat outside on the deck all the time. Like a picnic every day.”

Zeke nodded, his expression encouraging.

Brooke looked at the milk carton still in her hand. “I don’t care. I don’t want to eat outside. This isn’t a house.”

The rollout of her big surprise had gone so wrong, but Andi struggled to keep her voice steady, even firm, when she spoke. “That’s true, Brooke, but lots of people live on boats just like this. It’s a special kind of adventure. Some people live on motor yachts and sailboats and move from port to port, always exploring something new.”

“You have everything you need here,” Zeke said. “Even a shower and plenty of hot water. And your room has two bunks and a closet.”

“You can have a friend here to spend the night,” Andi said, flashing a grateful look to Zeke. She needed all the help she could get and was quickly running out of ideas. “Let’s go see the inside.”

“My friends are in Green Bay. Remember? We moved.” Her mouth tight, Brooke pivoted halfway around and stared off the stern into the distance. “There’s no one to invite.”

“There’s that little girl, Carrie.” Andi cast a hopeless look at Zeke, immediately regretting her suggestion. It had come to mind only because Carrie’s dad, Jerrod, ran diving trips, and Brooke knew the girl through Lark and her friends.

“Carrie’s six, Mom.”

“I know, I know. But you’ve mentioned her a few times. How nice she is. That’s all.” She turned to watch Zeke, who had gone inside the cabin and was making a show of checking the towels and buckets.

They’d reached an impasse. “We can talk this out later, Brooke. Come over to the table and have your snack.”

“Okay.” Brooke sat in the chair at the table. She yanked at her rain jacket and the snaps let go.

Good idea, Andi thought, as she slipped out of her jacket. They were dry under the canopy and the rain had tapered off to a drizzle, but humidity hung heavy in the air.

“You can take me to Dad’s,” Brooke said, lifting her chin a notch. “I’ll stay with him this summer.”

Her stomach dropped as she nearly shouted words of protest. But she held back her first negative response and closed her eyes. She would not overreact. She wouldn’t yell. But no way would Brooke spend her entire summer with her dad. Given Miles’s schedule, it was impossible, anyway.

She slid into a chair across from Brooke. “You know your dad has to go out of town to give his speeches and work with his clients, honey. He said he was flying out later today, in fact. His schedule isn’t going to change. Besides, your dad and I have always had our own time with you. Now that we’re living close by, it’s going to be even easier to make sure you see him when he’s in town.”

With her jaw set, Brooke said, “Lark won’t mind if I stay there all the time.”

“But I’ll mind, Brooke,” she blurted. She paused to let that sink in. She’d hold her ground. For herself, but also to head off problems with Brooke’s stepmom. Brooke had it wrong. Lark would mind. She had a son and a writing business to run. “This is a new experience for us, sweetie, just like your riding camp will be different and exciting. You need to give the boat a chance. I have a feeling you’ll like it.”

Brooke shook her head. “No, I won’t.” She took a big bite of her muffin and refused to meet Andi’s gaze.

Andi saw no choice but to ignore Brooke’s response. “Well, then, you finish up your muffin. I’ll show you the rest of the boat.” Andi picked up her coffee and muffin.

Going below, Zeke flashed a sympathetic look, prompting Andi to mouth the words, It will be okay.

“I hung around because I wanted to explain a few things about the leaks,” Zeke said, his voice conversational. “Fortunately, the staterooms are okay. It’s here in the galley and main saloon where the water’s coming in.”

Andi noted Zeke’s raised voice and his emphasis on saloon wasn’t lost on Brooke, whose face had taken on a look of curiosity.

Andi suppressed a smile. It would take a little more work to coax a question out of Brooke.

Keeping her voice casual, Andi led Zeke into Brooke’s stateroom and patted the shelf. “I was thinking the horse collection could go here.”

“Good place for it,” Zeke said agreeably.

“I plan to start the exterior work on good weather days, the cooler the better,” Andi said. “The rails can wait, but I can fill the cracks in the cabin house and start bringing that wood back. Both inside and out, I’ll take the doors off the lockers and work on them away from the boat. Easier that way.”

“Sounds good. There’s plenty of room in our workshop, which doubles as a storage shed, but I’ll get that cleaned out. We can store your supplies and tools there, too,” Zeke said. “You can start whenever you want.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brooke staring into the cabin, the unopened carton of milk still in her hand. Andi opened a heavy wooden door, exposing the empty shelves of the counter-size refrigerator. “If you don’t want your milk now, you can put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.”

“That’s a refrigerator?” Brooke asked.

Andi nodded.

“It’s kinda small.”

“The grocery store is right down the street. We’ll shop a little more often. That’s what people who live on boats do.”

“Back in the old days, boats like this didn’t have refrigerators,” Zeke said. “They used to put blocks of ice inside of lockers like this. They called them ice chests.”

Andi smiled at Zeke, noticing how his warm eyes communicated understanding. “Want to split my blueberry muffin?” she asked him. No harm in providing another subject to chat about.

“Uh, sure,” he said.

Andi picked up the muffin off the table and put it on top of the refrigerator before using her fingers to split it more or less in half. “Help yourself.”

“Nothing quite like a Bean Grinder muffin,” Zeke said, breaking off a chunk and popping it in his mouth. “My dad and I go there for something almost every day.”

“That place is one of the best things about living in Two Moon Bay.” She kept her hands busy and periodically glanced at Zeke, who continued playing along with her game of slowly introducing the different features of the boat, taking a side trip only to extol the Bean Grinder.

The sound of a dog barking in the background got Zeke’s attention. “Teddy,” he said, frowning. “My dad must have brought him down.” He went out to the deck.

Andi followed and laughed when she saw Teddy dash to the boat, dragging his leash. An older man, presumably Art, followed behind and tried to catch up to the fast dog. Zeke hurried off the boat and onto the dock and caught the dog by the collar in the grass. “Hey, Teddy, slow down.”

“Is that your dog?” Brooke called out.

“He is, and he gets excited when he sees kids.”

“Why?” Brooke went to the rail on the stern to watch the dog, the whole back half of him in motion, not just his wildly wagging tail.

Andi joined her, smiling to herself. Teddy the goodwill ambassador. Maybe he’d save the day. Her spirits soared when she noted the rain had completely stopped. The dripping below would stop, too.

“We don’t know why he’s drawn to kids, Brooke,” Zeke said, “but he’s always been that way.”

Was that true? Andi wondered. Or was Zeke saying that to get Brooke’s attention? Watching the dog jump around, obviously more excited than usual, she thought maybe Teddy really was a kids’ kind of dog.

“My dad and I figure he gets bored with us. He wants more active companions,” Zeke said, hanging on to the leash as Art got closer. “Right, Dad?”

“Yep. Teddy sort of wandered into our lives. Maybe he had kid friends in his puppyhood and now he wishes we had a girl like you around.” Art came closer to the stern. “I’m Art. You must be the one Teddy’s been waiting for. What’s your name?”

“Brooke.” She stared at the dog. He was still jumping and straining to get free. “Are you sure the dog—Teddy—likes kids?”

“Sit, Teddy, sit,” Zeke ordered. “He’s just all worked up now. He didn’t know company was coming today.”

Andi watched as the dog obeyed and sat, but his tail thumped on the dock. Seeing Teddy get this excited over Brooke, Andi couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive herself. Zeke was holding him back, though.

“He’ll settle down in a minute,” Zeke said, as if reading her mind.

Andi waved to Art. “I’m Andi. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”

Smiling, Art said, “It’s nice to see this place looking alive.” He elbowed Zeke. “It gets kind of dull around here with just the two of us.”

Andi could have planted a big kiss on Art’s cheek. In spite of herself, Brooke was focused on the dog and Art. Distractions, Andi thought. Maybe the initial knee-jerk negativity would soften.

“Mind if I come aboard and have a look around?” Art asked. “Zeke has had all the fun out here getting her ready for you. I’ve been so busy in the store I haven’t had but one quick peek inside.”

“Of course.” Andi swept her arm in a welcoming gesture. “Come aboard.”

Zeke stayed behind with the dog, and Brooke stood still and kept her eyes on Teddy, while Andi led Art into the cabin.

“Zeke is bringing me supplies to help fix the leaks,” she said. “Brooke and I will move aboard in a couple of days, and provided we don’t get more rain, I ought to be able to fill the cracks on the cabin top.”

Art nodded. “Zeke will get that done for you. Right away. We don’t want you and Brooke living with towels and buckets all over the place.” He opened some locker doors in the galley, nodded in approval and then looked into the bigger stateroom in the stern. “She was built to be a luxury yacht. That much is clear.”

Andi heard Teddy on the deck and Zeke’s voice warning him not to jump. “Sounds like Brooke and Teddy are being introduced.”

Art grinned. “He’s a good little critter all around. As soon as he showed up, I knew that unless his owners claimed him, ol’ Teddy would know he’d found himself a couple of suckers to give him a new home.”

“Oh, yeah, I can tell he’s been such a burden,” Andi teased.

Art’s brown eyes were full of fun. “Ah, you’re on to us already.”

Looking out to the deck, Andi could see Brooke had crouched down next to the sitting dog and was petting him, starting at the top of his head and running her hand all the way down his furry back. “You’re a cute dog, Teddy,” she said. “Lots of my friends in Green Bay have dogs, so I’m used to them. As long as they don’t jump on me.”

Zeke stood nearby keeping an eye on Brooke and Teddy. Art continued looking around—opened notched drawers, checked hinges and hardware on the lockers. Andi took her own inventory of all the hardware and wood she’d remove, repair and restore. The storage behind the curved seat at the table had sliding doors that dragged in their tracks when Art tried to open them.

“These can all be taken out,” Art said. “A little sanding will get ’em riding in the grooves.”

“That’s the plan,” she said, feeling lighter now that she was engaged in talking about her work plan—her strategy to make real progress. Maybe the worst was over? At least Brooke could see they wouldn’t be isolated on the waterfront. They’d even have a dog coming around to say hello.

With Zeke staying with him, Teddy came down into the cabin and began his rounds sniffing in the corners and disappearing into the cabin in the bow. Brooke’s room, Andi thought. Pretending she hadn’t noticed, Andi turned her attention to sliding some locker doors back and forth with Art to see what they’d need. She didn’t comment when Brooke followed Teddy.

Andi soon heard Brooke’s voice coming from the cabin. “What are you smelling, Teddy? Something good?”

Zeke caught her eye and they connected as if she’d known him for years. Art kept at his project of opening every one of the dozens of storage drawers and cabinets, exclaiming over the space.

“Zeke? Art?” Brooke called out. “Is it okay if Teddy sits on the bunk? He jumped up here.”

Zeke held out his hand to his dad to keep him from blurting an answer. Instead, he said, “It’s your cabin, Brooke. It’s up to you and your mom.”

“It’s fine with me,” Andi said.

“Okay,” Brooke called out. “You can stay, Teddy.”

Putting her palms flat on the dining table, Andi rested her weight on them and exhaled as if she’d been holding her breath for hours. Relieved at last, Andi picked up her coffee and pulled off a piece of the muffin, moist with blueberries. She could savor it now.

“It’s just like that dog to make himself at home,” Art said, chuckling. “Right, Zeke?”

Andi quickly ate her half of the muffin in silence, while Zeke checked the towels and Art poked around in the lockers.

Suddenly, Art smacked his hands together. “Uh-oh, I just remembered. I’ve got to get back and finish repacking up all that foul-weather gear that got dumped at our front door.”

Zeke spun around. “What? That shipment that came in yesterday was our new rain jackets and boots and pants.”

“Nah, it was the wrong kind,” Art said, swatting the air. “We’d never order the stuff that’s in those boxes.”

Zeke gave Andi a pointed look. “I’ll come with you, Dad. We can get it all sorted out.”

“Did you say rain gear?” Andi asked, hoping her instincts were right and she was following Zeke’s lead.

Nodding, Zeke said, “It’s a new brand we’re trying out. The first order arrived yesterday.”

“I was just thinking that Brooke needs a raincoat. For the summer. She outgrew her old one.”

“We have some in children’s sizes.” Zeke followed Art to the deck and off the boat.

“Why don’t I get Brooke and we’ll be right along,” Andi suggested. “We’ll bring Teddy with us.”

Although clearly distracted, Zeke said, “Okay, that’s good.”

Sensing something was going on between Art and Zeke she didn’t understand, Andi went back inside the cabin to get Brooke and the dog. Wow, in a split second, the atmosphere had changed. Or, more to the point, Zeke’s mood had changed. Worry had changed his eyes, darkened his expression. Over raincoats?

* * *

THE RACK ZEKE had cleared for the new rain gear stood empty. Only the old hanging display held the same brand of heavy—some called it stiff and uncomfortable—rain jackets and pants they’d sold for years. “There’s nothing wrong with the old foul-weather gear, Dad,” Zeke said, keeping his hand on top of the pile of new jackets, “but we need to offer the lighter-weight type. I’ve done the research. People like it. Not everyone needs to be dressed for a gale, not when they’re out for an afternoon in their runabout.”

Agitated, Art slapped the side of the box. “Did you see the price on those pieces? They might be lightweight, but that doesn’t make them any good. Could be just the opposite.”

Zeke made his case about quality and customers asking for the newer gear. “You and I talked about this before I put the order in.”

Such a small thing, but it was the kind of incident that triggered Zeke’s growing fear about his dad. They’d been over and over the need to update merchandise, including a line of upscale marine clothing perfect for the cold, damp Midwest days. “Remember what we talked about, Dad. It’s not only about what the customers need, it’s about what they want, what they ask for.”

“Maybe so, but I don’t remember ordering any of this,” Art said, his voice rising with every word. “Our regular rain gear has served this store and our customers for over fifty years.”

Back to where they started. If he didn’t stop it in its tracks, they’d repeat the whole circle of thought. He didn’t like strong-arming his dad about decisions affecting the store, but Zeke found himself forced into it more and more. The squeak of the screen door opening came as a relief. Andi and Brooke might distract Dad and put the brakes on the argument. Teddy came in so fast, he slid across the floor. “Well, Teddy, you’re having the best day ever,” Zeke said. Like I was...until now.

“We hear you have rain jackets here. Did we come to the right place?” Andi’s tone was so cheery it hurt. She was nobody’s fool. She’d read the situation well enough to know something wasn’t quite right.

He watched her study the piles of yellow raincoats. Maybe later, he’d have a chance to pull her aside and tell her what he’d uncovered about Drifting Dreamer. It wasn’t all that much, but it was something.

“We stick with the standard yellow,” Art said to Brooke. “Any other color and you’ll look like a landlubber.”

Brooke giggled. At times like this, when his dad was funny and entertaining, it seemed a shame he’d never had a grandchild to dote on. But the next minute, his dad’s face seemed to cloud over. Befuddled, he turned to Zeke. “So, what were you saying? You want me to box all this up?”

Zeke lifted a handful of folded jackets out of the carton. “Nope, we’re going to stack some and hang up the rest.” His arms loaded with jackets, Zeke went across the store and put them on a display table.