Chapter 2
Chapter Two
M aya waved goodbye to Joe, blew a kiss to Roman and nodded to the Bowen brothers, Alex and Luca, the somewhat ruthless operators that ran the other cruise boats that had the license to run along that stretch of the Thames by Windsor Promenade. Both men were beautiful to look at with dark good looks and honed, athletic bodies that they’d earned through sheer hard graft on their boats. They worked and played hard and fast. They had no choice but to accept Joe’s old steamer, but Maya knew they would rather scoop it up, modernise and re-brand it and run the entire stretch of river on their own. She also knew that they enjoyed flirting outrageously with her to wind both Joe and Roman up.
They hated sharing the dock with Joe and Bertha , as both sets of boats ran up and down the river to deliver guests to a popular racecourse and a beautiful castle that stood proudly amongst the trees. The entire area was picturesque, with a bustling town leading up to the dock and several riverside restaurants.
Unfortunately for Joe, most tourists preferred the plush air-conditioned bars of a Bowen boat and the glossy interiors with velvet padded seats and fancy cocktails. You got the best tour guide ever on Joe’s steamboat, but you also had to sit your bum on seats that may or may not leave splinters. The drink choices were lukewarm beer or lukewarm wine, as the fridge was often on the blink.
Maya wandered up to the little coffee shop called Riverside that was situated at one end of the dock and stepped inside. ‘Hi, Penny. My usual please?’ Maya’s stomach rumbled at the scent of freshly baked bread and the strawberry jam from the slices of Victoria sponge cake that were displayed in the glass counter top.
‘Sure thing!’ said Penny as she set out three takeaway cups for Maya’s order. They’d become friends after Maya moved into her house across the bridge from the café and frequented the place a bit more. The café was aimed at tourists, with artworks of the plants found by the river on the walls and a vast window to the front and side to maximise views of the water. Most customers sat there as it was a prime spot to wait for their turn to get on one of the Bowen boats; they could see how big the queues were getting and jump up to join them at a moment’s notice.
Maya grinned at Penny as she handed her a lemon muffin – her weakness, along with anything else made with sugar. Maya always picked up a muffin on her way home when she’d been helping on the boat and Penny would save her one from the morning rush, or have to put up with ten minutes of huffing and sighing while Maya chose something that wasn’t her favourite. She ate everything except for bananas, which covered her skin with scratchy hives every time she had the misfortune to eat one by mistake. Who the hell added dried bananas to cereal, for goodness sake? Her mouth watered at the tangy scent of the lemon muffin and she bit into the silky centre and sighed in bliss, jiggling her hips to the 80s music that Penny often had playing in the background.
‘Thanks, Penny.’ She grinned, admiring the way Penny had woven ribbons into her long blonde plaits that day and how pretty she looked in her fitted jeans and branded collared t-shirt with the cafe's scrolling lettering and a coffee cup.
Penny brushed a stray hair out of her blue eyes and smiled back.
‘Busy today?’ asked Penny, making Maya cringe a little. She ran her mind back over the day’s steamer cruise and knew that all the locals, minus the Bowen brothers, wanted Joe’s business to do well. Alex and Luca were arrogant enough to want to run the whole dock outside, but they were newcomers compared to Joe, who had lived by this stretch of the river his whole life. All the town had been his passengers at one point or another. Olive and Joe were right at the heart of the local community. Bertha had been one of the first on this stretch of river, offering short cruises. Out-of-towners might prefer the flashy new cruise boats, but people who lived in or around the town would still use Joe’s steamboat to offer support. Still, Maya didn’t know how much longer Bertha would cruise if she didn’t get some kind of renovation soon, but she was determined to help. She’d also heard that Olive had loved and left Alex and Luca’s grandfather at one point – a long time ago, but she wondered if that was why the boys’ father had chosen this particular dock in which base their business. It was only rumour, and she had found no truth in the tale so far, but Olive was a beautiful woman, so you never knew!
‘Umm…’ said Maya, pulling a face, scooping up some used sugar sachets into the nearby bin .
‘Your grandmother was in earlier,’ called Penny over her shoulder as she served a young mum with a pushchair and offered to carry her drink to the table for her, which was greeted with an appreciative sigh of thanks from the woman, clearly desperate for caffeine.
‘What did she want?’ asked Maya, never knowing what her grandmother was up to at any time.
Maya and her siblings, Romy and Arthur, were raised by her grandparents in a rambling house that sat on a bend in the river Thames. Maya’s parents were doctors for an overseas charity. Their mum was from Windsor, but her dad had grown up in a pretty little Mexican fishing village. The vividly painted houses there and handmade fishing nets swaying in the afternoon breeze had inspired many of Maya’s earlier designs and she was hoping to go back and visit sometime soon.
‘She ordered two dozen cupcakes for an afternoon tea she’s holding next week, but she asked for rainbow icing and edible glitter.’ Penny clamped her lips together with mirth, and Maya couldn’t help but chuckle.
It certainly wasn’t a conventional childhood and her grandmother flew in the face of every convention that she could – Maya was sure just for fun – but it worked for them. Ettie was certainly more than the tiniest bit eccentric.
Her granddad bred exotic plants from huge Victorian glasshouses in his garden that made you feel you’d entered Kew Gardens when you stepped inside. The humidity from the controlled climate settings hit you as soon as you opened the door and then the scent of the bountiful flowering vines made you stop and draw in a breath of Heaven. It was a paradise of brightly coloured flowers or the gentle tones of the King Protea from South Africa. The flowering evergreen shrub had red and cream blooms and leaves that appeared to swirl and dance around the crown of petals.
Women were always calling at her grandmother’s house trying to reach her brother, Arthur, but Ettie never let them in. That would mean she’d have to stop whatever she was doing and give them a cup of tea and sympathies that they hadn’t heard from Arthur, or Art, as they all called him. He artfully avoided commitment. But then Maya supposed they all did now. Maya’s sister, Romy, was a law unto herself and very vocal, especially about relationships since her own recent woes. Her answer had been to buy a ramshackle old boat and store it by a pretty little cottage opposite Bertha ’s dock, then turn it into a coffee stop for dog walkers, much to Alex and Luca’s disapproval as that was now the view from the start of their cruises. Maya thought this was hilarious because it was their own grandmother, Clara, who rented the berth at the end of her garden to Romy in the first place, although she didn’t think Romy was aware of the connection and Maya certainly didn’t want to cause her any more stress.
Romy poked her head round the café door. ‘Hi,’ she said, stepping in and nodding a greeting at Penny, who handed her a chilled bottle of orange juice and her usual order of a cheese toastie in a paper bag. She was wearing mud-plastered jeans and a fitted once-white t-shirt that seemed to be covered in straw. Romy’s long dark-blonde hair was piled up on the top of her head and she immediately started munching on her sandwich, eyeing her sister over the top of the bag. She had a question in her eyes and Maya felt like angry little soldier ants were marching up her back. She knew full well what Romy was going to say. There was a big family party coming up, and she'd promised them she'd bring a date .
‘About the party…’ began Romy. ‘I know Gran wants us all to bring a plus one, but we have to actually go on a date to see if we like someone,’ her sister said pertinently, arching an eyebrow at Maya.
‘I’ve heard about this party!’ said Penny, joining the conversation and making Maya groan out loud. ‘Romy told me that you haven’t found a date yet.’
Maya sighed, the weight of obligation landing firmly on her shoulders. She’d sensed that they were all ganging up on her and she’d had enough. ‘For goodness sake! I’ve already got a boyfriend!’ she snapped, then immediately wished she could take the words back.
‘What?’ said Romy, aghast. ‘When did this happen?’
Maya could hardly say ten seconds ago, so she looked around wildly for inspiration and the only thing she could see was a magazine on a table with Noah Benedict’s face on the front cover. ‘We met recently, but he travels a lot for work,’ she hedged not mentioning the first time she’d seen Noah in real life was that morning.
‘So… this boyfriend?’ demanded Romy. ‘Who is he and why didn’t I know about it?’ Romy added, but Maya detected traces of hurt in her voice, which made Maya feel even more guilty about her lie.
‘I didn’t tell anyone because it’s fairly new and I didn’t want you all to ruin it for me,’ snapped Maya. Then she cursed under her breath as it was unlike her to be rude to Romy, even though she was the one being pushy. Maya didn’t understand why she needed to bring a partner to the party. She’d gotten used to being alone. Romy was bringing an old school friend she dated occasionally and Arthur would have a gorgeous starlet on his arm. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to blame you. I just wasn’t ready to announce it yet.’
Romy nudged her shoulder to show there were no hard feelings and finished the last bite of her food. ‘What’s he like and when can I meet him?’ Maya’s insides tightened because she’d created her new boyfriend out of thin air and now really wished she hadn’t.
‘You’ll meet him at the party,’ Maya said breezily, trying not to faint at the lies stacking up. ‘He’s tall, handsome and you’ll love him!’
‘Fab, but I expect to meet him before then. It’s months away!’ said Romy with an expectant smile as she paid for her order at the till and then waved goodbye to Penny. ‘I can’t wait!’ she said as she turned and headed back home as Maya’s stomach sunk like a lead balloon. Penny was serving a couple of late customers now.
‘You know that art class you mentioned last time you were in?’ asked Penny, as she put a slice of chocolate cake in an empty box and handed it to her customer, who looked like they couldn’t wait to run home and scoff the lot.
‘Yes,’ said Maya, smiling as the chocolate cake man paid. ‘The one that’s on Joe’s boat? There are about ten people each week now. I didn’t know it would be so popular when I suggested Bertha as a venue to Mason, who runs the class. And it gives Joe a little of extra income when people buy drinks. It’s not as if the boat is busy.’
‘I’m not surprised at all if Mason’s work is anything like yours. Your paintings are beautiful.’ Penny looked at the café walls and Maya followed her gaze. Penny sometimes hung Maya’s paintings of delicate plants from along the riverbed that she sketched while she was sailing on Bertha with Joe on the café walls, and they always sold pretty quickly, even though they weren’t cheap. The paintings made the basis of her jewellery designs, which were crafted from precious metals and stones.
‘Could Gio join Mason’s class?’ Penelope’s cousin, Gio, had followed her over from Greece, but was struggling to settle in. ‘Gio is so quiet; I thought a class might help his self-confidence.’ Penny sighed, twirling her braids around her fingers, which she always did when she was worried about something. ‘He wants to be an actor, but I think he’s just too shy.’
‘I’m sure he can join in,’ said Maya, thinking that twelve was probably the most students Mason could handle.
Maya picked up the other two coffees she’d ordered while she’d been chatting. ‘I’m late.’
Penny whipped the paper cups away and gave them a blast with the milk whisk to warm them up, and Maya smiled gratefully. ‘At least Leah has that gorgeous boyfriend of hers to keep her warm at night if the coffee is cold by the time you get there,’ joked Penny. ‘I don’t think I’d leave my bed if I had a man who looked like that,’ she added and Maya smiled before picking up the cups and going to meet her friends.