"Style and Grace. Good morning."
"Good morning. It's Nick. How are you feeling today?"
Great, since I heard your voice, thought Grace. Out loud, she said, "Terrific. I slept really well. I barely notice the cast at all any more."
"Great! Well, it's time to get you out in the real world. Put on some shorts, we're going to the ocean."
"Oh, Nick. I'll never be able to manage a beach with crutches."
"We're not going to a beach. We're going to a boat. My boat."
"Are you a good boat driver, or whatever the proper term would be? If I fall overboard, I will sink like a rock!"
"Then I'll tie you to the railing. Seriously, it will be fine. Do you want to go?"
"I'd love to. I'll get out my sunscreen!"
"Great. I'll pick you up in an hour."
Grace turned to her computer. Well, baby, she told it, you're not going to get much action today. She was in the process of roughing out a new project. This was usually an exciting time, but she turned her back on it with no regrets.
She got ready and was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the phone rang. Her heart dropped. Please, don't let it be him canceling.
"Style and Grace," she said hopefully.
"Hey, Baby." It was Matt. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," she said coolly.
"I figured you might be a little stir crazy so I'm going to pick you up and take you to lunch."
"NO! I mean, no, you're not. Matt, I meant what I said. I don't want to see you."
"Look, Grace. We need to talk about this."
"No, Matt. We don't need to talk about it. Because every time we talk, you try and make it my fault...my problem. Now, I know you were there for me when I needed you, but I've changed. I'm more in control of my life now."
"You think so? Then how do you explain...?" There was a knock at the door.
"I have to go, Matt." She hung up.
Matt Lowry stared at the dead phone in his hand. What was going on here? Grace would never have done this to him before. He headed for the door. "I'm going out, Janice. I'll call in."
******************************The knock at the door was not Nick. It was Petey. He was holding a wicker picnic basket.
"Hi, Ms. Barrett," he said shyly. "How's your foot?"
"It's okay, Petey. Thanks for asking."
Petey shifted from one foot to the other. He was an awkward teenager. Although he was seventeen, he hadn't hit his final growth spurt, and he was shy about his height. He didn't want to be a giant. He only wanted to be 5''7". Grace was 5'6". Petey would settle for 5''7".
"What's this?" she asked, indicating the basket.
"Didn't you order it?" he asked, looking confused.
"No," she said, "What's in it?"
"I'm not supposed to say," he said, "Just give it to you." He thought about that for a moment. "That doesn't make any sense, does it?"
"It makes perfect sense," said Nick, coming up behind Petey. "I ordered it," he said to Grace. "Are you ready?" He took the basket from Petey and slipped a $10. bill into his hand.
Grace nodded and pulled on a sunhat. Nick picked up her beach bag and carried it in the same hand as the basket. The three of them went down in the elevator together. No one said anything. When they went out the front door, both Nick and Petey tried to hold the door open for Grace. Nick won and a disgruntled Petey was left standing fingering the ten dollar bill and staring after them with unhappy eyes.
"What do you think, Petey? New guy in town?" asked Gary. Petey wasn't sure if Gary was making fun of him.
"What happened to the other one?" Petey asked.
"They broke up apparently. The same day she got hurt. She doesn't seem to be missing him too badly." They both watched as Nick helped Grace into the car. They were laughing about something. Petey's eyes narrowed. He wondered if it was him.
******************************As they were pulling into the parking lot at the marina, Nick sighed. "I have to warn you, Grace. There might be fans."
She grinned at him. "You mean you publicized our...outing?" She substituted for the word 'date' at the last second.
Nick smiled back at her. My God, what a mouth! thought Grace. "No," said Nick, "it's just that they know I keep my boat here and sometimes they hang around, you know, in case I show up." He shrugged apologetically. "It's supposed to be private, but..."
"Well, if you are planning on running from them, I'm going to be a serious handicap," laughed Grace.
Nick helped her out of the car. "No, I don't run from them. I try to be patient and sign stuff and let them take my picture. But if it bothers you..."
"Just as long as they don't tip me into the bay in their rush to get to you."
They walked up the path to the marina entrance. Nick waved to the security guard who waved back and buzzed the gate open. As they were walking along the jetty, they were both thinking the same thing. Grace's crutches freed them from making the decision whether or not to hold hands. Neither of them was quite sure what kind of 'outing' this was. Both of them thought they were fairly sure what they wanted it to be, maybe, sort of.
When they reached the boat, called Answer to My Life, Grace looked at the swaying vessel and then at Nick. It was a cabin cruiser, she thought. She really didn't know much about boats. It was pretty big. Could one person run it?
Nick stepped gracefully onto the deck and set down the picnic basket and her bag. He turned back and held out his hand. "Give me the crutches," he said.
Grace handed them over and balanced on her good foot. She was beginning to have doubts about this whole operation. Nick set down the crutches and then stepped back up onto the dock. He picked her up in his arms. He could sense her nervousness. "Trust me," he whispered and stepped down onto the boat. Grace could feel it sway a little and she tensed, but Nick set her gently on her feet. He smiled down into her eyes. "See, you're safe. Now, why don't you sit over here? I have to do stuff." He helped her up to a padded seat beside the wheel, the co-pilot's chair, she thought. It was fairly high up, so he could see to drive, she guessed. Getting down from here would be a challenge. She smiled to herself. Well, he would just have to help her with that. There was an awning over the top, so she took off her hat.
Nick disappeared through a doorway leading to the cabin and reappeared a moment later without the basket or her bag. Nick had called ahead and the boat was all ready for him. The harbormaster had sent one of his assistants down to help them shove off. Nick checked some gauges and things on an instrument panel that looked to Grace that it wouldn't be out of place in the cockpit of a jumbo jet. Nick started the engines and played with the gauges some more. Then he started undoing the mooring ropes. The assistant helped him by untying the ones at the front and throwing them up on the deck. Then he pushed on the front of the boat to help it turn out into the bay. Nick turned and grinned at Grace. "Here we go!"
He pushed the throttle forward and the boat started cutting its way through the water. It moved fairly slowly until it was away from the marina, and then it picked up speed on open water. They cruised for about an hour in a wide semi-circle. They ended up in another bay. Nick slowed the boat down and then stopped it. He dropped the anchor. Grace thought he would have to pick it up and throw it over the side, but apparently it just came out of the bottom of the boat automatically. Please don't let me appear too stupid, she asked some unknown deity of the sea.
"Are you hungry?" asked Nick. Grace shrugged. "Well, I am," he laughed. "Let's see what Antonio has done for us." He disappeared through the doorway (hatchway? she wondered) and returned with the basket. He also had two bottles of water in his hand. "This okay?" She nodded and looked inquiringly at his choice of beverage.
"I never drink when I'm driving," he said, "...driving anything."
"Good plan," she said.
"Yeah," he responded, "It would kill the group if one of us got caught for that. I mean, the fans forgive a lot, but that's just so irresponsible. Wow! Look at this." He had opened the picnic basket and was peering inside. He looked around at the boat. There was no way Grace could make it along the edge to sit on the deck at the front. So...he disappeared again and returned with a red checkered tablecloth.
"My mother gave me this," he said sheepishly, and spread it on the deck. Then he helped Grace down from the chair and had her sit on the back deck leaning up against the cushioned seats at the back. He sat down beside her and started lifting things out of the basket. Antonio had outdone himself, she saw. There was a lovely crisp salad with a variety of red and green lettuces and baby spinach. A jar held a vinaigrette dressing. There was a dish of marinated cauliflower and broccoli. Another lid was lifted to reveal a thermal dish holding steaming tortellini in a delicate pink sauce with shrimp.
"I don't eat this good when I go out, never mind on a picnic," said Nick. "I'm not even sure I know what all this is." He held up the salad. "I've never seen some of these leaves before. Are you sure we can eat them?"
"I told you Antonio was super. Yes, you can eat them. They're just like lettuce only with a bit more pungency to them."
"And that's a good thing, I guess?" Nick had never heard the word 'pungency'. "This smells good." Another lid lifted, another delight revealed. This time, a round flat loaf of warm focaccia bread.
Grace laughed. "I knew that would be in there somewhere. Antonio knows I'm addicted to his focaccia. Tear off a bit and taste it. You'll see."
Nick tore a small chunk out of the loaf and popped it into his mouth. "Mmmmmmmmmm," he said. "That's fantastic."
"Told ya." She grinned at him. "Did he pack any plates in there? Or forks?"
"No, but I'm telling you, I run a high-class establishment here." He disappeared down below again and returned with plates, utensils and checked napkins that matched the tablecloth.
"I'm not sure why Mom picked these out for me. They are so NOT me."
"Maybe she thinks you'll open a café in France after you retire from show business."
"That's a long way away. I'm only 22." Bite off your tongue right now, Carter, and throw it in the ocean, he thought. What the hell did you say that for?
But Grace didn't react adversely. She merely said, "Well, then I guess you'll be working a few more years. It would really be spitting in the face of fate to retire that young. I'll be 25 next month."
"Yes, I know. AJ told me." They both laughed as they recalled AJ's little phone quiz.
Nick began serving out the food and they sat beside each other enjoying the meal and each other's company. They talked about lots of things, pausing every now and then to exclaim over some new taste sensation. Nick wanted to know about Grace's business - how did you go about setting up a webpage? Actually, he wanted to know about Grace's ex-fiancé, but he certainly wasn't going to ask. Grace asked him about KBNHA - was it difficult to always have four other people involved in decisions? Did each person's vote carry the same weight?
"Yeah, each person's vote carries the same weight, but not each person's voice, if you know what I mean. When we first start, Kevin tends to be the leader, directing the discussion. Not forcing us to see things his way, but just keeping us on track. Some people have a tendency to get silly." He raised his hand, acknowledging his own guilt in that area. "Howie is usually quiet until he hears what everyone else has to say and then he says what he thinks. He goes along usually with what the majority wants, but if he really feels strongly about something, he won't budge. AJ is the devil's advocate. You can always count on him to throw out some weird idea - just to see where it goes. And you'd be amazed how often we end up actually doing some variation of what he suggested. Brian is honest and says what he thinks, but lately..." He stopped talking. He didn't want to be disloyal to his best friend.
"There's been a bit of a change since he got married?" queried Grace.
"Yeah, kind of. But I guess there should be, shouldn't there?" Both of them realized at the same moment what path they were heading down and looked for a way to change the subject. An errant cloud helped them out. As the shadow passed overhead, Grace shivered.
"Are you cold? Should we be getting back?" asked Nick.
"No, I'm fine. Nick, this has been lovely, more than lovely."
"The best is yet to come," he said, "you're going to take us back."
"What?" Grace looked for a sign that he was kidding. None came. Nick stood up and gathered all the picnic things into the basket. Then he held out his hand to her and hauled her to her feet. He stepped behind her and let her use his arms as crutches as he propelled her to the pilot's seat. He hit some switch which moved it out of the way.
"We'll do this better standing, I think," he said. "Put your hands on the wheel."
Grace tentatively reached out and touched the polished mahogany.
"Go on," said Nick, "get a good grip. I'm right behind you. I'll hold you up." He placed his left arm around her waist and whispered instructions in her ear. With his right hand, he touched switches and pointed at gauges, explaining them to her. He pulled up the anchor and the boat immediately began moving with the waves. "Ready?"
Grace nodded. Oh yeah, sure, I'm ready. With you standing so close to me, I can barely concentrate on breathing. How am I supposed to drive a big boat?
Nick put his hand on the throttle and slowly eased it forward. Grace tensed but Nick spoke soothing words and eventually she got the hang of it. It was open water, after all, not rush hour traffic. After a few minutes, she relaxed and began enjoying herself.
Once he felt Grace relax, Nick actually tensed up. When he could stop concentrating on driving the boat, he became aware of everything about her - how great her hair smelled, how pleasant it was to hold her, how very kissable the back of her neck looked.
They spent a very pleasant hour, each of them thinking thoughts they would never say out loud. The shore line came into view. Suddenly, Grace gasped. "Oh, my God, where did they come from?" Two jetskis ripped through the water beside them.
"Welcome home committee," replied Nick. "It happens sometimes. The word goes out that I went out on the boat and they wait for me to come back."
"You take over," said Grace. "I don't want to hit anything or anyone."
"Okay," said Nick and with one motion, he lifted her into the captain's chair at his side. Then he stood at the wheel and maneuvered the boat into the harbor. He ignored the calls of the girls on the jetskis that were circling the boat and concentrated on what he was doing. Grace thought the girls were coming awfully close to the boat, but Nick seemed calm. He sensed her unease. "They do it all the time," he said, staring straight ahead and focusing on the pier. He pulled back on the throttle and the boat began to slow.
Suddenly, as quickly as they had appeared, the girls were gone. "What happened?" asked Grace, not really wanting them to come back, but wondering where they went.
"They went in. They'll be waiting for us on the dock, probably with cameras in hand."
"How will you get me off the boat?" asked Grace.
"Same way I got you on." Nick looked sideways for a moment and grinned.
Grace didn't know what to think. She had learned yesterday that everything he did went on the Internet. A picture of him carrying someone from his boat would be a hot item, for sure. So you'd better decide, she said to herself. Can you deal with this? Aw hell, she thought, it's the new me, I can deal with anything. "Maybe this time, I'll carry you, what do you think...good idea?"
They both laughed and Nick throttled the boat down to almost nothing. They were approaching the dock. Grace took a deep breath.
