Her Unexpected Affair (The Robinsons) (15 page)

Jack pulled up a chair on the other side of Drew, a pair of fresh beers in his hand. Drew sucked down the last of the one Oswald had brought him and set aside the empty.

“Your sister is looking very fine tonight, Drew. Did I hear she was staying on campus this summer?”

Glaring at Jack, Drew swiped one of the beers from his hand. Jack barely noticed, his gaze tight on Birdie as she threw back her head and laughed at something one of the neighbors said. One of the middle-aged, male neighbors who was certainly enjoying the view provided by the tight top of Birdie’s dress. Damned horny bastard. He made to sit up, but Oswald’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Both Drew and Jack raised their brows at the declaration.

“But she hates you,” Drew said.

“All the better. I’ll engage the git in conversation, and she’ll stomp off somewhere else. Gets her away from him that much faster.” Glass in hand, Oswald stood, straightened his coat, and headed around the pool.

“Damn.” Jack whispered the word, then softly whistled. “And I thought I had it bad for her. Who is that guy?”

“Oswald? He’s been with the company for about six years. Backed up my dad some when we were going through the hassle after my mom’s death. His uncle is an old school chum of my dad’s. Pretty much grew up with him.”

“Oswald. What a name. Does he ever shorten it?” Jack’s lips twitched as Birdie predictably stormed off at the other man’s approach. The old lecher drooling over her didn’t look happy at the interruption.

“Never. Although Birdie started doing it when we were back there in March. She seems to take particular delight in tormenting him.”

A huge sigh came from Jack. “Damn again. So the attraction goes both ways. Guess that kills my chances.”

Drew laughed. “Unless you were planning on looking for a position in London, you never had a chance. Birdie’s firmly set on the home office. Besides me, Oswald is her competition for the top spot when Dad decides to retire.”

“A candidate who isn’t related? Is that allowed?”

“We’re very pragmatic that way. Must have a clear line of succession in place. Until Birdie popped up and indicated an interest, it was just me and Oswald. And although I have a slight nepotism edge, Oswald has more experience. Total toss-up. And hopefully a decision that won’t need to be made for another twenty years unless the old man decides to retire early.”

“And old Ozzie is besotted with your sister,” Jack mused.

“Hmm, have to think about that. Not sure you’ve got that one right.”

“For someone who is generally people smart, this seems to be a blind spot for you, my friend. Must be the family connection. Too close.” Jack nodded to himself as if he were the greatest sage in all the world. “Trust me on this. Those two will tangle a lot more once Birdie’s in the London office. Might want to suggest sending Oswald off to another office, say India or Spain, for a few years. Otherwise your old man will spend more time playing referee than CEO.”

Drew glanced from where Oswald kept the neighbor in conversation to where Birdie hovered near the patio door with one of her girlfriends, her gaze firmly attached to Oswald’s arse. Fascinating. Jack just might have a point. Didn’t help him with Meilin, but since he had little he could do there, perhaps he should keep an eye on this situation.

Sunday dawned bright, as promised by the weatherman, and Meilin found herself eager to be out on the water. Her only experiences had involved the ferry to Sausalito, a trip to Alcatraz, and a college casino night on a chartered boat. This time she might get to hold the steering wheel, rudder, or whatever they called it.

Shan arrived dressed in white jeans, deck shoes, and a blue T-shirt. All he needed was a captain’s hat.

“I have a picnic basket Mrs. Chan prepared,” he said, before stopping to look her up and down. “You look very cute.”

Without her permission, a blush warmed her cheeks. She’d put on a pair of white capris that went with her blue and white striped boat-neck shirt, white Keds on her feet. Tied to her tote with essentials such as sunglasses, sunscreen, and bottled water, she had a nautical themed scarf to wrap around her hair. So maybe she’d gone slightly overboard, but “cute”? Hardly.

“Have a windbreaker and sweater in that bag?” He snagged a finger on the edge and peeked in.

“I have everything,” she said and laughed at herself. “Probably too much.”

“Let me carry it for you.”

She surrendered the bag, locked her apartment, and followed him down the stairs to his car. It took twenty minutes to reach the marina and another ten to get through the crowds of people out enjoying a beautiful summer day. A smudge of dissipating fog clung to the Golden Gate over the mouth of the bay.

“Picture perfect,” Shan said.

“So it seems.” Meilin nodded toward the multitudes of amateur and professional photographers lining the path and lawns where kite flyers demonstrated their skill with huge kites in all shapes, then followed him onto the dock.

Shan stepped on board his sailboat with the picnic basket, then held a hand for her and her tote.

“What kind of boat is this?” She settled her bag on a built-in bench at the stern. The cockpit, she supposed.

“A thirty-seven foot Hunter 376. She’s about twenty years old, but in great shape.”

“Looks nearly new.”

Shan grinned at her praise. “I grew up learning to sail her on weekends with my dad. He sometimes still takes her out, but mostly he’s passed her on to me. She’s a legacy worth great care.”

“How did she get the name Zhen Tao? It’s very pretty. Precious Peach?”

“Or Precious Long Life. My father and mother named her. I like it, so I chose not to re-christen her.”

The sails, the electronics… It all looked so complicated she wasn’t sure how she could help him. “Show me what to do.”

Shan opened the hatch to the cabin below. “The boat is rigged so I can sail her solo. Why don’t you stow the lunch in the galley and I’ll get us out of the marina?”

“All right.”

Stowing the picnic was easy, so she slathered on another layer of sunscreen and had a look around. Two staterooms. The one at the back even had a full bathroom, albeit cramped, including a shower. Handy if one needed to rinse off. When she felt the boat begin to move she tied the scarf around her head and went back up to the cockpit.

Up top she found Shan at the helm confidently guiding the boat out of the marina, mirrored sunglasses covering his eyes.

“Take a seat. We’ll be on the bay in a few moments.”

She was more than happy to sit at the stern, behind him and to the left a bit. The cry of seagulls blended with the shouts of greeting from other boaters. This close to shore the smell of boat fuel blended with fish. She hoped beyond the air would be fresher with the tang of salt.

Once on the open water, Meilin watched half in fear and half in amazement as Shan raised the sail and the boat picked up speed, all while avoiding collisions with the many other boats already out on the water.

Shan looked over his shoulder and caught the look on her face. Smiling, he reached back with his hand. “Come. It’s not so scary from here.”

Hoping he was right, she took his hand and found herself standing between him and the helm, his arms around her, his hands over hers on the wheel.

“This should help you feel more in control.” He spoke close to her ear, and she wasn’t sure if it was the breath from him or the salted breeze blowing past her ear that made her shiver. Shan took it as an opportunity to press closer to her back.

He was right about one thing, she wasn’t nearly as frightened of the water and their course once she had a much clearer view of the water ahead.

“We’ll head for the lee side of Angel Island. We can drop anchor there for our picnic.”

Meilin nodded. The wind in her face, the sun sparkling off the water, and the warmth of Shan against her back all combined for a unique experience. At once exhilarated and a little nervous, she clung to the wheel and lifted her face to the sun.

He didn’t quite take advantage, but his hands did slide to her waist, and his head dipped to her neck. “You’re in total control now.”

Her pulse jumped. Anticipation? Excitement? A touch of fear? She could barely breathe, much less interpret her body’s reaction and if it related to steering the boat or Shan being so close.

She shrugged, hoping to dislodge him, and chuckled a little to cover her mixed up reactions. “Don’t do that to me, Shan. I don’t want to wreck your beautiful boat.”

He laughed softly beside her ear. “I’m keeping an eye out. You won’t wreck us.”

Although he assured her they weren’t traveling with great speed, it seemed to her they were flying. She learned to duck when the boom came around as they tacked back and forth, Shan behind her explaining why they made each turn.

Each time Meilin lost her footing, Shan was there to catch her.

“Are you playing or do you really have no sea legs?” he teased, righting her once again.

Meilin laughed, slightly embarrassed. “I have no balance on moving surfaces. I don’t have the girly gene that makes me feign falling into men’s arms.”

Shan hugged her closer from behind. “I don’t mind. We’ll have to come out here more often.”

“I’m afraid I’m hopeless. I was the girl who fell over during ballet class.”

“I never would have known by the way you walk and dance. But no worries. We’re almost where we want to be, and then we’ll sit and enjoy lunch.”

Shan’s hands over hers on the helm, the boat rounded the island and slipped into calmer waters with three other sail boats spread out, seemingly with the same idea as they. With a button, Shan lowered the mainsail, and with another dropped an anchor, bringing their boat to a gentle stop.

“There. Now we can sit down and enjoy the sun and breeze.” Shan turned her in his arms and brushed a stray strand of hair back under her scarf. “Getting a little sun on your nose.” He stroked a finger over her cheek.

Meilin stared into his dark eyes and wondered. He genuinely seemed to be fond of her. “Hey, how about we grab that lunch and eat up here?”

Shan grinned. “You get the food; I’ll put up the Bimini for some shade.”

In the cabin she repacked the basket with the items she’d put in the fridge. Cheeses, cold cuts, pre-cut fruit, and sliced vegetables for sandwiches. She also found a bottle of chardonnay and plastic wine cups.

Shan poked his head through the hatch from above. “Need help?” He extended a hand down. “Hand me the basket.”

She lifted it from the bottom, he swung it up and out of the way, then reached back to lend her a hand, since one held plates and utensils.

Lunch was pleasant sitting side by side as Shan told her stories of sailing trips past. One included helping a friend sail a boat from San Francisco down the coast to Marina Del Rey.

“We were young, stupid, and full of ourselves. Thankfully we had a couple retired Coast Guard guys on board. They talked some sense into us when we were absolutely convinced the compass was lying to us.” He tossed back his second glass of wine.

“I don’t know much about sailing equipment, but how can a compass lie?” Meilin tilted her head, trying to figure it out.

“Exactly.” Shan winked at her. “A compass will never lie. But on the night watch with fog all around, it’s easy to get confused.”

They sat in companionable silence for a while, the boat rocking gently on the water. Meilin watched the seagulls flying, kids playing on the beach, and a man in a small boat with an outboard seemed to search for something in the water.

Shan sighed and stood. “I’ll take the stuff down. Be back in a few minutes.”

“All right.” It was quite nice just sitting, feeling a little drowsy after a good lunch. A glass and a half of wine didn’t hurt, either. Wonder if Shan would consider staying here a couple hours so she could lie down and have a little nap. With her busy schedule, lazy afternoons were very rare. The sun, the salty breeze, and the gentle rocking of the boat all were working to send her off to the land of Nod. Below, she could track Shan’s movement in the cabin. In contrast to the quiet sounds, a gentle bumping sound came from the starboard side of the water line.

Curious, she stirred herself to stand and lean over the railing, thinking she’d see a piece of driftwood. What she didn’t expect to see was a large glass float wrapped with hemp rope. A Japanese fishing float that looked quite old and very out of place. How the heck had it gotten out here?

She gingerly walked the side of the boat until she stood over the float. It had to be a good eight inches in diameter. Something someone would use in a nautical setting as decoration. As far as she knew, no one actually used them for fishing in these waters.

Hoping to reach it, she kneeled in the narrow space between the cabin roof and the railing. No, she’d have to lie down on her stomach.

Stretched on the white fiberglass surface, she eased her top half over the side, one hand on the railing above her head. The float was just barely out of her reach, but if the waves cooperated…and raised the float just a little… She was almost there… She let go of the top rail and grasped the railing pole down where it was attached to the deck.

Another inch and she’d have it, she was sure.

So focused on the float, she didn’t hear Shan come topside.

“Meilin! What are you doing?” he yelled, startling her enough she slipped right over the side and into the icy water.

Meilin came up spluttering and spitting out seawater, but she had a hand on the float. That was no small triumph in her mind.

“Meilin!” Shan shouted from the boat above her. “What in the world…? Can you swim?”

Coughing too much to speak, she nodded. Didn’t help that the water was so cold her limbs were stiffening up.

A life ring landed in the water beside her. “Grab that,” Shan ordered. “I’ll pull you around to the swim step.

Without letting go of the precious glass float, she wrapped an arm around the solid form of the flotation ring. Salt water stung her eyes even as her coughing eased up. Chattering teeth took over.