Defy the World Tomatoes (20 page)

Cold and wet, he had his head down as he headed for the docks and would have run right into Christy Joy had she not stepped out of the way and called his name. She carried a ruffled pink umbrella and smiled as though she were actually glad to see him.

“You shouldn’t be out in this rain,” he blurted.

“Neither should you,” she replied, “but I’m glad I found you. I didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful on Friday, but I was terrified something awful had happened to Twink, and I completely forgot my manners. Will you forgive me?”

Jeremy glanced up at the thick clouds overhead. “Are you saying you came out in the rain just to apologize to me?”

Christy Joy appeared puzzled. “Why is that so difficult to believe? You did me an enormous favor, and I was unforgivably rude, although I do hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Sure, but let’s get out of the rain. We could go back to my boat, or would you rather stop in at one of the tourist traps?”

“Is that the way you regard Defy the World?” she asked.

She looked more hurt than insulted, and Jeremy cursed under his breath. “No, of course not, but you don’t serve coffee either, do you?”

“No, but I prefer tea.”

“I’ve got some, or hot chocolate is good on rainy days.”

“I would absolutely love some hot chocolate.” Christy Joy took his arm and fell in step beside him as they made their way along the docks.

Jeremy took her hand to help her aboard the
Great Escape
and hurried her into the galley. He nodded toward a convenient hook. “Hang up your coat, and I’ll heat the water.”

He’d given them a complete tour of the sleek fishing boat the day they’d gone whale watching, but Christy Joy had been too busy keeping Twink out of mischief to observe as much as she did now. “It must be wonderful to have everything so neatly stowed and yet within an arm’s reach,” she observed.

Jeremy set a measuring cup filled with water in the microwave before he turned toward her. “That’s one way to look at it, I suppose.”

“Is there another?”

Jeremy had never been alone with her, and it took him a long moment to realize she appeared to be completely at ease. He was a jumble of nerves and feared it must show. He shrugged off his coat and hat and ran his hands through his damp hair as he stalled for time and something to say.

“It’s like living in a well-organized closet,” he finally replied, “but not everyone likes things so damn cozy.” The microwave chimed, and he mixed a cup of hot chocolate for her and heated more water for his own.

Christy Joy slid into the bench behind the small built-in table. “Well, obviously you do. Did you grow up on a boat?”

Jeremy chuckled at the thought and shook his head. “No. My dad was killed in Vietnam, and my mom raised me in an apartment in San Diego. So I grew up by the sea and graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy. I wanted to own my own boat rather than remain an officer on a cruise ship and so here I am, sitting out a rainy day waiting for the next charter.”

“Somehow I can’t quite picture you cruising the Caribbean in a fancy white uniform.”

Her tone was playful, and Jeremy couldn’t help but smile. “Well, it’s been a few years, but my uniforms still fit. It’s not a bad life, but I’m happier here.”

“Are you really?” Christy Joy took a sip of her hot chocolate and licked the foam from her lips. “Aren’t you ever lonely?”

Jeremy couldn’t stifle a chuckle. “That all depends. Are you trying to proposition me?”

Christy Joy laughed with him. “It’s awfully tempting, but I really should get back to work.”

“You can’t have much business today.”

“None, actually, but there’s always plenty to do.” The galley had an inviting warmth which made confiding in him easy and, without making a conscious decision, she revealed how disappointed she was that they might soon have to move.

Jeremy was so startled he barely caught himself before he sloshed hot chocolate down the front of his shirt. “I’ve seen Griffin around, but I didn’t realize he was such a
—
”

“Don’t say it.” Christy Joy stood and carried her empty cup to the sink. “Calling him names won’t help anything.”

“Might make you feel better,” Jeremy offered. When she glanced up at him, he longed to lean over and kiss her, but she turned away to get her coat and the moment was lost. “I’ll walk you back to Defy the World.”

“No, stay here where you’re warm and dry,” Christy Joy argued.

“I can get warm and dry later,” Jeremy insisted, and while he felt he’d missed the only chance he might ever have to kiss her, he took her hand as he walked her back to her shop, and she gave his fingers a gentle squeeze as she said good-bye.

Christy Joy shook out her coat and dropped her umbrella into the stand beside the door. She’d called her clerks first thing that morning and told them not to come in, and the shop was so quiet she waited until she reached the register to speak to Mary Beth.

“Captain Linden brews a mean cup of hot chocolate, but you were completely wrong about his being attracted to me.”

Mary Beth made a final computer entry and then swung toward her. “Impossible. The man nearly drools when he comes in here.”

“Maybe the candle fragrances make his mouth water, but we were alone on his boat for fifteen minutes or so, and he was no more than friendly.”

Mary Beth pursed her lips thoughtfully. “That’s a shame. I’d assumed he was just waiting for the right moment to make his move, and now you’re disappointed. I’m sorry, but I still believe he has feelings for you. Maybe he was just so surprised to see you that he couldn’t think straight.”

“Right.” Christy tidied up the ribbons behind the counter and sorted the little gift cards into the proper categories. “I’ll grant you that it’s an intriguing possibility, but I haven’t been on a date in years, so even if Jeremy had asked me out, I would have been too flustered to accept.”

“Then you ought to rehearse that scene in your mind so you’ll be ready with a lucid response when he does get up his courage and asks for a date.”

“Visualize it, you mean?”

“If it works for sports figures, why wouldn’t it work for you?”

“I could probably think of about a million reasons if I put my mind to it, but right now, I’m too worried about the rain. How long do you suppose it can last?”

“I don’t know what the record is for Monarch Bay. Do you want me to call the weather service?”

“No, I’d rather not know. Let’s just keep busy and maybe the time will pass quickly.” It had to, she thought, because it cost far too much money to keep Defy the World open with nary a customer in sight.

Wednesday morning, Darcy didn’t even consider dressing in bright colors. She pulled on an old pair of Levi’s, a black turtleneck and a gray cable knit sweater. Without pausing for breakfast, she yanked on her rain boots and raincoat and left for the short walk to work.

Christy Joy was already in the shop making coffee and, while they hadn’t discussed anything other than the miserable weather since last Friday, Darcy went on inside. “I called the kids before they left for school this morning and told them not to come in this afternoon. There will be nothing for them to do other than bail water, and I sure hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Christy Joy handed her a cup of coffee. “So do I, but it’s raining too hard to walk Twink to school. She’s upstairs watching cartoons, and later she can work on the new coloring books I’d saved for a rainy day.

“I just didn’t expect this much rain, and the water is about to slosh over the curb out front. I wish we’d gotten some sandbags when we had the chance.”

“I got them,” Darcy replied. She leaned against the counter, cradled her cup in her hands and inhaled the coffee’s rich vanilla scent. “If George makes it in, I’ll have him help me move what stock we can away from the street. Then we’ll place the sandbags across the front of the shop.”

Christy Joy poured cream into her own coffee and stirred it slowly. “Let’s hope that’s enough. We haven’t made fifty dollars in the last two days. We probably won’t make a dime today, and if the shop floods
—
”

Darcy pushed away from the counter. “Then we’ll have a big mess to clean up, but I’ll get on those sandbags right now. Why don’t you clear everything off the floor at the front?”

Christy Joy raked her lower lip through her teeth. “We don’t have insurance to replace damaged stock, much less damage to the building. Do you suppose Griffin does?”

“I don’t want to count on him for anything.”

“What’s going on with you two? We haven’t talked since, well, since last week.”

Darcy didn’t want to use last Friday’s awful fright as a reference point either and just shrugged. “Let’s worry about Griffin later. Right now, we’ve got problems enough with the rain.”

She took a last drink of coffee, pulled up the hood on her raincoat and went out into the nursery to fetch the sandbags. They were piled in a wheelbarrow, but it was too heavy for her to either push or pull. She grabbed the topmost bag, headed through the nursery and carried it around to build a makeshift dam in front of the shop’s door.

The chilly rain had dampened her clear through by the time she’d shoved the third bag into place. She turned to gauge the progress of the water along the curb and saw a hazy figure approaching. She stepped under the awning and waited for him to pass.

Jeremy stopped when he reached her. “It looks like the storm drains are getting clogged with debris. I thought you might need some help.”

Darcy wished the same thought had entered Griffin’s mind, but she managed a bright if slippery smile for Jeremy. “I sure could. Would you mind carrying sandbags?”

“Not at all. Just tell me where they are and I’ll stack them for you. That way one of us can stay dry.”

“No, I don’t mind working. It’s better than just wringing my hands.” She led him to the wheelbarrow, which Jeremy promptly wheeled out front. They completed the low wall in a matter of minutes, but Darcy kept glancing out toward the street.

“Water’s pouring off the mountain as fast as it falls from the sky,” she moved in close to confide. “This corner lot is terrific for business, but with water coming at us along the front and down the side, we may be in for a very long day.”

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about the shop sinking out from under us,” Jeremy teased, “and I’m used to getting wet.”

“You’re also a very good sport.” They surveyed the nursery stock, and began moving plants in five gallon cans away from the front. Darcy went into the pottery shed to grab a broom and found water running across the floor. The structure had been designed to provide shade rather than security, and it was no wonder rain was seeping under the wall from the side street, but the sight was still unnerving.

Jeremy came up behind her and looked over her shoulder. “That doesn’t look good,” he said.

“No, but maybe we can use plastic bags of potting soil as sandbags and divert the water away from the shed. Let’s give it a try, at least.”

“Good plan.”

Jeremy reloaded the wheelbarrow, then pushed the ten and twenty-five pound bags around to the sidewalk. It took them awhile to stack the bags at the proper angle to deflect the water, but they were satisfied they had done some good. Ready for a break, Darcy led the way inside the shop.

“George just called,” Christy announced. “His street’s flooded, so he can’t come in. Mary Beth won’t be here either. It’s nice to see you, though, Jeremy. The coffee’s fresh, so help yourself to some. I need to run upstairs for a minute to check on Twink.”

“Thanks. Take your time.” Jeremy shrugged off his coat, looked around for a place to hang it, then draped it over a stool near the counter. Water dripped off the cuffs and hem to form a soggy puddle on the tile floor. “Now I need a mop. Do you have one handy?”

“Let it go,” Darcy replied. “Has it ever rained hard enough for the buildings along Embarcadero to wash away?”

“Not that I know of, but I’ve only been here a couple of years.”

“That’s reassuring.” Darcy poured them each a cup of coffee, but before she could raise hers to her lips, Christy Joy came running down the stairs.

“There’s water pouring in through the roof upstairs. Fortunately, the leak’s right above the bathtub, but what if that whole side of the roof gives way?”

“We need a tarp,” Jeremy suggested. “Don’t you have some out in the nursery?”

“Yes,” Darcy responded, “but I won’t have you crawling around on our roof in the rain.”

Jeremy chuckled at her rebuke. “If it weren’t raining, there would be no need to get up on the roof.”

“No, Darcy’s right,” Christy Joy agreed. “We’ll have to call Griffin and let him send someone over to fix the roof.”

It wasn’t a call Darcy was eager to make, but she reached for the telephone and punched in his private number. He answered on the third ring, and just hearing his voice made her knees weak. She leaned into the counter for support and, fighting for a business-like tone, she provided a brief description of the problem.

“I’ll be right there,” he answered.

“No, wait. You shouldn’t drive down the mountain in all this rain. The road will be awash in mud and rocks and
—
”