Chapter Fifteen
Luca and Andrew have backpacks and a tote filled with towels, and they each grab a handle of a cooler that’s stocked with food. “The yacht is supposed to be well supplied,” Andrew says, “but we figured we shouldn’t chance it.”
As we’re walking down the dock, someone calls my name. I look up, and Jack is hanging off the back of a sailboat, smiling at us.
“Hey,” I say, “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
Luca and Jack exchange hellos and we introduce him to Andrew. “We’re going down to Ponza,” Jack says.
Jack’s friends come over, and he introduces us. They’re all Italian boys from his team. One of them, Francesco, says they know Ponza well and will show us the best spots for snorkeling if we want. He whistles when Andrew points to the boat we’ll be taking. “It’s not ours,” Andrew says with a laugh. “We just have it for the day.”
Francesco shrugs. “It’s still sweet.” They make plans to rendezvous at the northwestern end of the island.
When we get on the yacht, Andrew and Luca discuss the wind speeds and get familiar with the boat’s navigation system. Luca takes the cooler below deck, and I put the food into the little fridge. The cabin is perfectly clean and bright, with small, high-end appliances. There are three bedrooms, one in the front of the boat and two in the back, each one with a full bed. There’s two bathrooms with showers, too. You really could live on this thing if you wanted to, like we’re on one of those Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous shows. When we’re ready to leave, Luca teaches me the terminology as he shows me how to prepare the sails, fender the stern, and slip the lines. When we’ve pulled the last rope, he has me call “Lines clear” to Andrew.
“Not bad, for your first go-round,” Luca says as we head for open water. “We’ll see how well you can let out sails, though.”
Once we’re clear of harbor traffic, Luca and Andrew put the boat into the headwind, and Luca teaches me how to raise the sails. The wind is refreshingly cool, and the smell of saltwater sprays through the air. As we leave the harbor, Andrew turns the boat, and it rolls hard to the left. I lose my footing, but Luca grabs me.
“Is it supposed to be like this?” I ask, trying to mask the small terror I had that we were going to capsize or I’d be flungoff.
“Aye, it’s fine,” he says with a laugh, his arms still around me. “You steady now?”
I nod, and he lets go.
We straighten out and skim the small waves. Jack’s boat left before us, but this one is faster. We lose sight of them before long. Luca explains the mathematical principles of how to use the wind for tacking and jibing. At first, it seems like we’re very fragile in the water, as we tilt to one side or the other, but after I get used to the angles, it really is fun.
“You’re smiling,” Luca says. “You like it!”
He goes over and talks to Andrew about knots and the map and says, “Let’s take Story where there won’t be any land, just so she can see what it’s like.” They smile like little kids.
“Why do I get the feeling you two are up to something?”
They look at each other and laugh. The beautiful Italian coastline disappears as we enter the open water.
“Do you know how to drive a car?” Andrew asks.
“Yes.”
“Come on, then.” He puts me behind the wheel and shows me how to steer. He and Luca banter about the best way to explain things to me. We pass fishing boats and some yachts, but then there’s finally nothing, and Luca cuts the engine.
“Story, come here,” he says. He takes my hand and leads me around the sails to the bow. We stand at the front of the boat, and all I can see in any direction is blue-green water, rising and falling in little crests. “Close your eyes.”
I give him one suspicious look and then do it. I lose my balance a bit as the boat rocks and open my eyes to grab the railing. Luca boxes me in with his arms so I can’t fall. “Go on, eyes closed.”
“Okay.”
“What do you hear?”
I listen. “I hear the sails flapping in the breeze.”
“And?”
Luca’s soft cotton T-shirt is blowing against me, and the light scent of his aftershave distracts me for a moment. “I hear the water lapping against the yacht, because this is definitely not just a boat, and I hear gulls crying somewhere.”
“Port or starboard?” he asks with a chuckle.
I have to think about this. “Starboard, behind us.”
“Very good. Anything else?”
I take a deep breath as we roll gently with the waves, the sun warming us while the wind keeps us cool. There is so much peace surrounding us as we float. “You’re going to laugh at me, but it’s almost like I hear the sunlight falling on us.”
“Ha ha! Andy, we have a sailor!” Luca cries out, and I open my eyes as Andrew comes along the side, and Luca lifts me off the deck as if he might throw me overboard.
“No!” I yell, and throw my arms around his neck.
Luca instantly sets me down. “I wasnae really gonnae drop yoo,” he says, with so much concerned seriousness, I feel like a jerk for having doubted him.
“Ah, come on yoo wee bairns, I’ve got the deck down,” Andrew says. We follow him to the stern, which has a platform that drops to the surface of the water. Andrew climbs down and takes my hand to help me. For a moment, I just stand there and take it all in. Luca stands behind me and wraps his arm around me just below my neck and whispers, “Look, Story!” while he points with his left hand in front of us. Several dolphins are jumping the waves, and one is rolling as it swims.
“Now, that’s magic,” Andrew says.
“I’ve never seen a dolphin outside of an aquarium,” I whisper.
“Do you want to take a swim?” Luca asks. “They might come closer out of curiosity.”
I nod. The water is warm, and we swim out a little toward the dolphins. They’re watching us, but they’ve seen this before. It’s not nearly as exciting to them as it is to me. They circle the boat a couple of times and then leave. Afterward, we sit on the platform and dry off, and then we head for Ponza. Luca smiles when he catches me watching for more dolphins.
We rendezvous with Jack and his friends. They come to our boat in a little dinghy, and we have lunch together. We’ve brought calzones from a restaurant, and Luca has made sure mine is vegan, without mushrooms. Jack and his friends have brought bread and salami and cheese for sandwiches. There are cookies I made and fruit and soda. Two of Jack’s friends are talking about me in Italian. I don’t catch all of it, but they say I’m the dark-haired Scot’s charity girl, and it’s not supposed to last. Then they say something about Jack and me, but I’m not sure what because they’re speaking low, and not enough of the words reach me.
Francesco and his friends come here a lot, and they tell us the history of the place. The island is the remnant of an extinct volcano, filled with cliffs and caves. When Francesco gets stuck for an English word, Jack tells him I can translate and that my Italian is better than his. The boys who were talking about me exchange a glance, but I don’t let on that I heard them before. When I don’t know a word, they all jockey to be the first one to make me understand, and then I translate it for Jack and Luca and Andrew. It’s almost a party game, and we laugh over the misunderstandings and interpretations.
Then they talk football, as they call it. I’m beside Luca on the bench seat, his arm hanging over my shoulder, only chiming in to translate. When I reach forward for my drink, the strap of my bikini falls from my shoulder. Luca slips it into place in a single beat.
I turn to him. “Thanks.”
I can’t see his eyes behind his shades, but he gives me a short smile. “I got you, Herriot,” he says, just loud enough for me to hear. For a moment, it seems like everyone else is far away, until Andrew’s voice cuts through.
“You must be really good,” he says to Jack and Francesco, “to have scholarships back in the States.”
“Francesco helped me a lot when I got here,” Jack says. “I just wish he were coming to Princeton with Story and me instead of going to UCLA.” Jack looks over at me. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“We should go explore before it gets too late,” Luca says, standing suddenly and pulling me up. The rest of them agree and follow. Francesco’s plan has us avoiding the eastern side of the island where most of the yachts anchor, and instead we go where there aren’t a lot of people. We spend the afternoon snorkeling and swimming in various coves and beaches. Each spot feels different from the last. Some are sandy, while others are strewn with pebbles, and still others are a combination of the two. Sometimes we’re all together with Jack’s group, but we also split apart. Luca stays by my side as we snorkel and hike little trails near the beaches. Late in the day, Luca and Andrew and I are across a cove from the others when Luca grabs his sun shirt from the tender dinghy as we slip into the hip-high water.
“Your shoulders are turning pink,” he says.
“Thanks.”
“So, do you love it?” he asks, as he helps guide the too-big shirt over my head.
“Yes.”
He pushes a damp clump of my hair back from my face. “Better than the Aventine Keyhole?”
“I don’t know that I’d go that far.”
He bites his lip in a smile and shakes his head. “Well, come on, then, I’ll have to make it a little more fun.”
“There are no paparazzi here,” Andrew says as he wades past us.
“You don’t know that,” Luca says. He grabs me from behind in a hug and kisses my cheek, laughing. Andrew turns and gives him a serious look, like maybe he’s taking this all too far. His warning not to fall for Luca crashes through my head like a baseball blasting a window to pieces. Luca and I stop laughing and follow Andrew toward the shore. Luca wants to check out a small cave, but I decide to heed Andrew’s dark looks and wade over to a small tidal area while they go. I’m watching a group of reddish sea stars in the shade of a huge stone arch when Jack comes over.
“Look how cool these little guys are,” I say.
We talk about sea stars, and the jellyfish Jack saw earlier. “Luca and I saw huge schools of fish swimming by those rocks over there,” I say, pointing, “and it was like watching big flocks of birds all moving as if they were one big wave in the sky.”
Jack reaches down to pick up a sea star. I put my hand on his arm. “Please don’t, they’re supersensitive, and you can give them bacteria.”
Jack pulls back and smiles. “You really do love animals.”
“How did you know that?”
“Ed, from school, told me.”
I laugh. “Maybe Ed is the spy and not our Russian suspect.”
He grins. “Maybe. He said you volunteer at a farm sanctuary in the summer. Hit me up anytime if you need extra hands.”
I promised Luca not to be seen with Jack. And I really don’t want to give the papers any more reason to talk about me. “I’m sure the farm would be happy for the help,” I say, but the awkwardness of how I say it makes the words lose their meaning.
Jack’s gaze sweeps the bay, and I feel like a total jerk for not being more appreciative. “This place is pretty awesome. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to deal with plain old New Jersey after this.”
“We’ll probably be so busy studying, it won’t matter.”
Jack drops his smile. “Your boyfriend’s really nice, Story. I’m sorry, I was wrong about him. He obviously cares aboutyou.”
I look up, feeling worse by the minute. Maybe someday I’ll tell Jack the truth when we’re at school and this is all over. But I can’t imagine thinking about this moment and not being completely ashamed. His green eyes match the water. There’s something really honest about Jack. Not like Luca. Or me, anymore.
“Thanks.”
“I hope you don’t mind that my friends and I crashed your party.”
“Not at all. It’s been really nice to have them show us all these places. That natural bridge was beautiful.”
“They’re pretty good guys.”
Andrew and Luca are wading toward us. “Did you find any treasure?” I call. “Because I did.”
Luca furrows his brow like he can’t figure out what I mean. “See,” I say, and point to the sea star colony.
“Oh, right,” he says as he gets closer. He slips his arm around my waist. “Are you getting hungry? Andy, what’s that ridiculous Rolex of yours say?”
“It’s a little after eight,” Andrew says, checking his giant watch that does everything except perform emergency surgery.
“I could definitely eat.” I look at Jack. “Do you guys want to have dinner on our boat?”
He looks at Luca and me a moment and then sweeps his hand through his hair. “You know, I think we might actually be heading back soon. You guys go ahead, but thanks.”
“I mean, you’re welcome to join us, mannie,” Luca says, but not with his usual ease.
“I think we’re good. But thanks. I’ll see you guys.” Jack gives me one last glance before he wades across the inlet to catch up with his teammates. Luca draws his arm off my waist like a line retracting and takes my hand. “Come on,” he says to Andrew and me, “I’m starving.”
Andrew is watching me intently. I turn away and let Luca tow me slowly back to the deep water.