CHAPTER FIVE

Saturday morning, Angelina woke up early and did her usual four-mile walk, hoping to work off some of her nervous energy.

She should have never agreed to this consultation on Will's boat. But Krista's words - You need to have some fun before you dry up completely - had been playing in her head like a broken record.

After her shower, she stood in her closet wondering what the heck she should wear. Nothing seemed appropriate. Frustrated, as the clock ticked closer to 9 am, she put on her favorite jeans and a white scoop neck t-shirt. Figuring it might be cold or windy out on the bay, she also pulled out a red sweatshirt and a jacket. Topping off the whole outfit with red tennis shoes, she looked in the mirror and declared herself ready to sail.

She was midway through plaiting her hair into a French braid when her doorbell rang. Quickly finishing the braid and slipping a covered rubber-band around the end, she yelled, “Coming.”

When she opened the door, she had to steady herself. Will looked more gorgeous than ever in his khaki shorts, Giant’s t-shirt, and baseball cap.

“Good morning,” she said as she locked the door behind her. Don’t drool all over him, she chided herself. But when she saw his car she blurted out, “Mustang convertibles are my favorite car.”

“You’d be surprised how many women complain that it’s not a BMW or a Jaguar.”

“What kind of women have you been driving around?” she said, cocking her head slightly to one side.

“The wrong ones, I guess.”

She directed him to Krista’s condo, which was a couple of blocks away. They knocked on the door and heard her friend call out, “It’s open. Come in and I’ll be ready in just a second.”

As far as Angelina was concerned, Krista rode a very fine line between Feng Shui greatness and disaster. Her decorating style consisted of sharp lines and ultra modern furniture in varying shades of cream and gray. Angelina had often told Krista that if she ever felt ready to settle down with the man of her dreams, she should soften the sharpness inside her house. But since Krista didn’t seem interested in limiting herself to only one man, Angelina let it be.

Krista flounced out through the doorway and made a Madonna-esque pose for them. “Am I gorgeous or what?” She pirouetted in a slow circle in white Capri pants and a white crop top, an orange scarf tied flamboyantly in her wild mass of curly red hair.

“As always,” Angelina agreed.

Before she could introduce them, Krista enveloped Will in a hug. All in one breath she said,

“Hi Will. I feel like I know you already. You’re just gorgeous. I can’t wait to see your boat. Isn’t Angelina absolutely scrumptious?”

Will just laughed in response. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Krista.” Stepping back out of her embrace, he looked at his watch. “We’d better get going or my friends may just sail off without us.

Either that or drink all of the beer on board,” he added with a wink.

They flew up Highway 101, past suburbs along the bay, chatting about nothing in particular, relaxing into the freedom of a Saturday off—top down, blue skies and the ocean waiting to be explored.

Will took the 4th street exit and pulled into the Pier next to the baseball stadium. He parked in his reserved spot and directed each of the women to grab a light cooler from the trunk. Unlocking the gate, he led them down Dock C to his boat, which was easy to locate because his friends were waving at them from the bow, drinks already in hand.

“Oh my god, only a tycoon could own a boat like that.” Krista looked more closely at Will and a flicker of recognition caught in her eyes. “Wait a second. You’re the guy who...”

Will cut her off. “All aboard,” he said as he tried to gauge Angelina’s reaction to his boat. The last thing he needed was for Angelina to find out just how famous he was. He was truly enjoying how she treated him just like anyone else.

Maybe he had done the wrong thing by inviting her on his boat. She was bound to ask some questions about his net worth, just like her friend was doing right now.

Adding to his problems, Krista was saying, “Damn, Will. The only time I’ve ever seen a boat this big was when I used to watch reruns of the Love Boat on TV as a kid. Is this really yours?”

Angelina elbowed Krista and changed the subject. “I’d love to meet your friends.”

Will breathed a sign of relief. Was it possible that Angelina really didn’t care about his wealth at all? His inner voice mocked him instantly, saying, Yeah right. You think you’ve found a woman who doesn’t want a piece of your fame and fortune. If you believe that, I’ve got a used car I’d like to sell you.

Will shook the voice out of his head. Leaving Krista to gape in amazement at her opulent surroundings, he placed Angelina’s arm in his and walked with her down the length of the boat.

Angelina leaned close and whispered, “Sorry about that. Krista can be a little inappropriate sometimes.”

Will shrugged and then introduced her to his friends. When Krista finally joined them, he had to make the introductions all over again, which gave Angelina a moment to settle back into her surroundings.

Frankly, she was floored by the size of Will’s boat. It was moored at the longest spot on the dock, equivalent in size to two of the huge nearby yachts.

Angelina wondered if he had actually earned it all or if it had been handed to him on a silver platter. Not that it mattered all that much, she reminded herself. He was just a client.

She looked up from her musings just in time to witness sparks flying between Krista and Derek, one of Will’s friends, who was dressed very conservatively in khaki dockers, and a white button down short sleeve shirt with a pencil in the front pocket.

How interesting, Angelina thought to herself. Krista usually had more chemistry with guys like James, Will’s other friend on board who was flashier, a quintessential playboy.

When Krista perched next to James, Angelina thought disappointment flared in Derek’s eyes.

For once, she hoped that the underdog would get the girl. She didn’t know why, but she had the feeling that this gentle man might be the missing link in her friend’s life.

Was Will her missing link?

The thought shocked her deeply and she sank down numbly into the deck chair behind her. He couldn't be the one!

Her one-special-man would not be the type to own a fifty foot yacht. She had always pictured herself with someone undemanding and serene, a man with far less presence than Will. Plus, how could she forget that his ex-wife had hired her to get him back? For the hundredth time, Angelina rued the day she ever agreed to take on this consultation.

“Right, Ang?” Krista said and Angelina blinked in confusion. Fortunately, before she had to

'fess up to daydreaming, Krista said, “Oh look, we’re moving.”

Will was getting ready to motor out of the marina, so Angelina jumped up out of her seat and tracked him down by the engine.

“Do you need any help?”

“Help me pull up the rubber fenders and we’ll be off.”

Angelina scampered onto the dock to unhook the long white bumpers. Handing all ten up to Will, she mounted the steps back onto the open deck.

“Keep an eye on the harbor traffic while I maneuver out, would you?”

“Aye aye, captain,” she said as she saluted him.

They made their way out of the Marina with no problems and then Will cranked up the speed, jetting them under the Bay Bridge and out toward Angel Island. The water worked its magic, the delicious sensation of wind whipping past, the sun warming her skin.

Will, who was steering from the fly-bridge up top, called down for her to join him. She carefully walked up the short metal ladder and came to stand beside him at the control panel.

Keeping a watchful eye on the boat traffic surrounding them, he asked, “Are you having a good time?”

“Oh yes. This is so much fun.”

Nonetheless, she knew she should keep her manner as professional as possible. “When we drop anchor, why don’t we do some Feng Shui?”

Will shook his head. “No way. It’s a beautiful day. Let’s have a little fun first.”

What the heck. A little fun wouldn’t kill her. Grinning impishly at Will, she said, “All right, you win.” Pulling her hair out of the French braid, she let it blow in the breeze. She was intent on letting herself go with the flow for once.

“Sailing past Fisherman’s Wharf, under the Bay Bridge, looking out towards the Golden Gate.

It’s amazing. Have you always loved being out on the water?”

Slipping on his sunglasses to fight the glare from the water, he replied, “I guess so. I grew up spending every summer in the Adirondack Mountains of New York with my grandparents. There weren’t many fancy things in that small cottage, but we had sail boats.”

“Did your parents come out to the lake too?”

“My mom did, when she could.” He paused. “My dad skipped out on us when I was five. I haven’t seen him since.”

* * *

.

Will knew he'd already said too much. But he felt so comfortable talking with Angelina that the words kept coming. “The thing is, it wasn’t so bad that he left me. But my mom was on her way to becoming a truly amazing painter. After he left she had to work two jobs to keep us flush and by the time she got home she was usually too tired to paint. I used to set out her easels for her, hoping she would paint for even a few minutes, but she never did. By the time I was about to graduate from college, and I saw just how tired she had become from all her years of hard work, I vowed that one day I would make so much money she could paint all day, every day. I wanted to give her everything.”

“I’ll bet you did just that, didn’t you?”

“I wanted to build her a mansion and fill it with clothes and jewelry, but the only thing she wanted was the summer house my grandparents rented all those years. I’ll never be able to make up for what she had to sacrifice for me.”

“It sounds to me like she has everything she needs. It sounds like she’s happy.”

Maybe. But he would never be able to do enough to make up for the way his dead-beat dad had treated her.

Everyone clambered up on the fly-bridge to join them and Will hoped she would forget his foolish babbling. Rounding the corner into a calm bay off of Angel Island, he announced, “Let’s drop anchor and head ashore.”

A cheer went up from the crowd on the fly-bridge. Turning off the engine, Will grabbed the two other men on board to help him lift and dump the huge anchor off of the bow, leaving Angelina and Krista alone up top.

Krista wasted no time. “Can you believe this yacht?” Without waiting for an answer she said,

“And his gorgeous friend James? Oh my god, I could lounge around on this boat forever! Your boyfriend is the most delicious, wealthy catch in the entire world. In fact, he’s on this month’s-”

Angelina glared at her friend. “Shh!”

“What? It’s not like his big bucks are a huge secret or anything.”

Angelina rolled her eyes and thought, not for the first time, how amazing it was that her best friend could be so incredibly intelligent about some things, but so clueless about others.

“First of all, he’s not my boyfriend. And second, every time you bring up how rich he is, you really embarrass him.” When Krista opened her mouth to protest, Angelina smacked her on the arm.

“What if every person who met you commented on your big breasts?”

Krista grinned wickedly. “They usually do.”

Angelina was more than a little exasperated by this point. “You know what I mean. And by the way, I think you should know you’ve got it all wrong. You’re making your moves on the wrong guy.”

Krista looked confused. “What? You don’t think James and I are perfect for each other? Our kids would be absolutely adorable, you know.”

“Try your look-how-shallow-I-am act on someone else. I’m not saying he wouldn’t be fine for a night-”

“Or two. Or three.”

“Fine, give the guy a whole week. That’s not the point. All I’m saying is that I think you should consider Derek.”

“He’s not my type.”

“He could be.”

Before her friend could reply, Will called up to them from the deck below. “Anyone up for a ride to the beach in the dinghy, or some kayaks?”

Krista hopped up with a defiant look stamped across her features. Leaning over the rail just enough to give everyone below a clear view of her ample cleavage, she said, “James, what were you planning on doing?”

“The double kayak,” he replied in a bored tone.

“That sounds perfect,” she said, pretending not to hear Angelina’s snort of disapproval as she climbed back down to the lower deck and disappeared to help untie the kayak.

Angelina followed down the ladder after her and joined Will and Derek by the dinghy. Derek offered, “Why don’t the two of you take the dinghy to the island? I’ll just hang out on the boat and get some sun.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” replied Angelina. “Let’s all three of us hike the Island loop trail.”

Within a few minutes they had rowed the small boat to shore and were on the trail laughing and talking. Derek was a great companion, just as Angelina had suspected. He was funny, smart, and athletic. It was too bad Krista was going to miss out on a great guy just because she was too stubborn to open her eyes.

And if the thought crept into her mind that she herself was being a tad stubborn about a certain client of hers, she steadfastly ignored it.

* * *

As Angelina led the way on the trail, Will couldn’t help but notice, yet again, what a beautiful figure she had. He checked to make sure that his friend Derek wasn’t also admiring it—not that he would blame him if he was—but frankly, he was feeling increasingly proprietary about Angelina.

“Krista is focused on getting attention. Trust me, if you don’t give her any, she’ll be begging for it.”

Will had just tuned back into the conversation Angelina and his friend were having. “What are you two talking about?”

She turned towards Will with a devilish gleam in her eyes. “We’re working out a plan so that Derek can make Krista crazy for him.”

Derek looked momentarily uncomfortable before he shrugged and said, “Seems like a good idea to me.”

Will laughed. “Okay, let’s hear the rest of the plan. First you ignore her until she’s, how did you put it Angelina? Begging for it?”

Angelina chuckled. “Exactly. Now don’t get me wrong. I love Krista dearly, but this time, she has definitely gotten in the kayak with the wrong man.”

“They looked pretty perfect together to me,” muttered Derek.

Angelina patted his arm. “Appearances can be deceiving. Trust me, they’re all wrong for each other. So like I was saying, all you need to do is make it clear that you're not interested in her.”

Derek stopped dead in his tracks and Will slammed into him, which almost knocked the three of them over like dominoes.

“But I am interested.”

“Look, if you just want to sleep with her once and never see her again, then do things your way.” Angelina started hitting the trail with renewed vigor. “But my bets are on her falling madly in love with you if you take my advice. From that point forward it will be up to you to keep her on her toes.”

“How’s he supposed to do that?” Will asked.

“Easy. Make her play by your rules. And then only give in to her in little ways. Women like Krista who get everything they want all the time, can only fall in love with a man who is difficult to conquer.”

Derek was nodding his head with new understanding. “How do you know so much about this?”

Angelina looked wistful. “Human Nature 101. We all want what we can’t have.”

When they rounded the corner, she was surprised to see the dinghy. Evidently Krista had been waiting for them to come back for some time because she practically threw herself at them.

“What are you doing here?” Angelina asked. “I thought you’d still be out on the kayak with James?”

Krista snorted. “Not a chance. He got an important call right after you guys left.” She nodded back towards James who was sitting back in the boat, cell phone pressed up to his ear. “I’ve been sitting here all by myself.”

Angelina felt no sympathy for her friend. She simply gave her a look that said, “Maybe you should consider my advice next time.”

Derek, Angelina noted, was playing his role to the hilt, seemingly more interested in the rocks on the beach than anything Krista had to say. In fact, after getting only monosyllabic grunts from Derek for several minutes, Krista started to pout.

Will was pulling the row-boat back out towards the water when a soccer ball knocked against his legs and two little boys came running up to get it.

“I’ll kick it back to you,” he said and quickly got roped into an impromptu soccer match on the beach with a whole hoard of little boys.

A few minutes later, slightly out of breath, Will rejoined them. “Sorry about that,” he said with a grin. “Soccer’s always been a weakness.”

Angelina grinned back, amazed by this new side of him. “You’re great with kids.”

Abruptly, Will turned back to the dinghy and pushed it. “Not really.”

Angelina was confused by his behavior. “Those kids loved playing with you.”

But it was clear that the conversation was over, because when they got back to the boat, Will started the engine and headed straight back for the marina.

“Looks like the wind is picking up and I don’t want too rough a ride back.”

Angelina looked at the sailboats on either side of them. The sails were barely fluttering and the water looked remarkably like glass. He must really want to get this consultation over and done with, she thought to herself. But, she decided, she wasn’t going to let her feelings be hurt.

Instead, she was going to milk every last ounce of enjoyment out of floating across the water and sitting under blue skies. She was completely fine maintaining a purely professional relationship with Will.

No matter what her heart said to the contrary.

* * *

Angelina attempted to get involved in a conversation with someone else on board, but between the five of them, they were a mess. Krista was alternately pouting and then trying to get Derek’s attention. Derek was working so hard on ignoring Krista’s advances that he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. And James’ phone kept ringing with hot stock tips.

By the time Will maneuvered his yacht back into the marina, Angelina was hugely relieved the outing was over. She was going to do a quick Feng Shui consultation and then she and Krista would get the heck out of there.

But Will seemed to have other plans. “Derek, would you mind taking Krista home?”

Panic crept up Angelina’s spine at the thought of being alone on the boat with Will. “Krista doesn’t mind waiting for me to finish the consultation, do you Krista?”

Krista looked thrilled by the turn of events. “I’d love to go home with you Derek,” she said, her invitation clear to everyone on the boat.

Angelina tried to catch Krista’s eye to let her know she was needed as backup, but Krista had already kissed Will on the cheek and said, “Thank you for a great day and for introducing me to Derek.”

Derek and Krista left with James not far behind them, shaking hands with Will before walking down the dock, cell-phone pressed to his ears.

“I'm really glad you came today.”

All of the earlier awkwardness disappeared as he closed the distance between them and every cell in her body went on high alert.

He was going to kiss her.

And she was going to let him

In the end, she wasn't sure who made the first move. All she knew was that his mouth was on hers and hers was on his.

And it was the best kiss of her life.

She didn't know how long they stood on his boat kissing, was barely aware of anything other than how good he was making her feel, until she suddenly felt him pulling back.

Finally, she realized his cell phone was ringing. It was a strange ring tone.

Muttering a soft curse, he said, “I need to take this.”

“Sure. Of course. Go ahead.”

“Angelina, please, just wait a second. I'll hang up as soon as I can.”

But she could see that his focus was already on his important phone call.

She waited for a few minutes for him, but then she finally realized he'd forgotten all about her.

Oh god, she was such an idiot.

She was the hired help, conveniently there for whatever he wanted. Just like she'd been with Bryce when she was twenty-one.

She grabbed her bag, already calling a cab as she jumped off his boat and hurried up the dock.

** *

Will cut his call short with his corporate lawyer and walked out to the back deck to find Angelina...and pick up where they'd left off.

But she was gone.

He'd blown it again.

Susan had always been on him about his knee-jerk tendency to put business first, but he'd ignored her, because business had always come first.

His ex-wife’s words were coming back to haunt him.