Chapter 6
Chapter Six
T he next week had been a whirl of activity for Maya and her family, which culminated with Joe and Olive being safely packed off to Cornwall for two weeks of rest and recuperation after her operation. Maya’s coffee date with Mason hadn’t been as relaxing as she’d hoped because she’d worried about Romy walking in and joining them at any moment. Then she’d have barraged Maya with questions about it later because she was clearly affronted not to have met him yet. Maya and Romy might be different, but their childhood had created deep bonds and they looked out for each other and meddled a little too. This boyfriend issue needed to be squashed soon, or she’d have to admit she’d lied to keep the peace. The party was not far away now and Maya was sweating about it, as preparations were in full swing and her grandmother never ceased to mention how excited she was about the gathering when they were together. Maya was pretty sure she was trying to trip her up as she still hadn’t let them meet her boyfriend and Leah was champing at the bit to have a couples’ dinner with Maya’s high-flying and often-travelling boyfriend.
Standing with her hands on her hips and surveying the boatyard that she’d had Bertha transferred to, she caught sight of Alex and Luca and beckoned them over with a wave.
‘You know you’re not to touch Joe’s pitch through pain of death?’ she arched an eyebrow at them and they both pretended to quiver in fear. Alex held his hands up in surrender, and Luca’s grin widened.
‘You think you’ll get this old girl back on the water?’ he asked in amusement, as they both turned to look at Bertha , who was looking rather shabby and as if to make a point, one of the lifebuoys dropped loose and clunked to the floor, which made Maya jump. Luckily, the outer paintwork just needed touching up, but the inside was another story all together and the floorboards needed sanding and varnishing.
‘Of course we will,’ assured Maya, not sure exactly how confident she was about that fact, but she’d had to take drastic action to help Joe. ‘I know you’re both worried about the competition, but I’m sure the ladies will still flock to your boats to see our biggest local attraction…’ Both men preened a little and then she laughed and nudged hips with Alex. ‘I meant Noah Benedict,’ she added playfully and Alex roared with laughter and swept her dramatically over his arm for a quick kiss on the lips which stunned her to silence, but which she also quite enjoyed. She put her hands to her lips and he winked at her and then he and his brother turned and left. She’d always had flirty banter with the Bowen brothers, but neither of them had ever kissed her before!
Maya turned and saw Mason waiting for her next to Bertha , and his face was just as stunned as hers was. Blast! She plastered on a smile and as she walked towards Joe’s boat, she felt a lump in her throat and dread in her stomach. Alex and Luca had agreed that Joe’s boat needed updating, and they respected him enough not to be threatened by a little of competition. They probably thought Maya could do much with the old girl. But Bertha still had fight left in her yet. She greeted Mason with a friendly kiss on the cheek and then tried to act as if she hadn’t just been kissed by Alex, but Mason was still frowning.
Maya didn’t know if she had made the right decision about anything in her life, but there was no going back now. She waved to Mason’s art group as they all clambered on board and started looking around with interest as they listened carefully to Maya’s plans. Two of the artists, Bobby and Phil, were about Mason’s age and in their early thirties. Both were unemployed right now and the art classes were a lifeline for them both. Phil spoke softly and was tall and skinny with a mop of brown hair, whilst extrovert Bobby had a loud belly laugh that made his stomach wobble when he joked around. He was larger than life and he gave the best cuddles. Another regular was flame-haired Margot, whose personality matched her hair. She’d just lost her home, husband and job, but she still arrived at the classes with a smile and determination to find happiness again, according to Mason. They’d been sending mildly flirty texts quite a lot now, and it hadn’t progressed from a close friendship even after the coffee, but Maya got the impression he’d like there to be more. She didn’t know why she was stalling, but she wanted to feel fireworks and not just a slight fizz of attraction.
‘Hi, Maya,’ Phil said shyly, as she gave everyone a welcoming hug.
‘Thanks for helping, Phil. I appreciate it,’ she responded and had the wind knocked out of her as Bobby swung her into his arms for his hug. ‘You too, Bobby!’ she gasped when he’d put her back on her feet and she’d caught her breath.
‘I can’t wait to get stuck in!’ he said, eyes shining with excitement, but then Bobby found joy in most things, which was one of his most endearing qualities. He had no permanent home, but he tackled each day with vigour and Maya knew he’d be back on his feet soon. She quickly hugged the rest of the artists and thanked them profusely for being there.
The engine of the boat was sound, but the interior and exterior were washed out and tired. Maya, Matt, Leah, and Penny had spent the previous night scrubbing Bertha until every speck of grime was erased. Even her brother and sister had turned up for a few hours to help and had both gone home with grease on their faces. Penny had gotten little work done after that, as she’d spent the time mooning after Arthur, who, to his credit, got stuck in with the cleaning. Maya’s back already ached, but she was determined to get this right. She was taking a tremendous risk taking the boat off of the water for two weeks for a refit. She risked Joe and Olive never speaking to her again if they didn’t like what she’d done, but her gut was telling her to press on as she would never have this opportunity again.
The green banquette seating she’d had custom-made would arrive to be fitted in a week, so they had until then to bring the boat back to life. Penny’s cousin Gio came and stood next to her. He grinned shyly at her. He was a giant of a man, with broad shoulders and a gorgeous smile. His thick dark hair and Mediterranean good looks make people stop and stare, but he shied away from engaging in conversation with the others in the group and Maya was determined to help him find confidence somehow. Penny had confided that his gentle nature meant he’d been taken advantage of by overbearing men, his last ex included, who had milked his bank account dry and then left him broken-hearted.
They’d found that they had much in common when he’d joined Mason’s art class at Penny’s insistence. His art was delicate and beautiful for a man with such enormous hands. ‘Okay, everyone,’ said Maya, corralling the group into the bar area. ‘I’ve drawn out a plan of exactly what I want for Bertha.’ She took out a detailed drawing and spread it over the main bar. Everyone crowded around and Elliot, the youngest of the group, who was a very talented autistic artist, pushed his glasses further up his nose and pressed his face closer to take in her vision. He’d visited Bertha one day with his mum and become fascinated when he’d watched Maya pull her sketchpad and pencils out of her bag and begin to draw. They’d come and sat next to her and spent the journey chatting about Elliot’s love of art. He’d joined Mason’s group a week later, and he was probably one of the most outspoken of the group.
‘How’s Mum?’ Maya asked, ruffling his hair and receiving a wide grin in return.
‘She’s at a job interview!’ said Elliot with pride.
Maya clapped her hands in excitement, her eyes shining. ‘Oh, Elliot! That’s brilliant news.’ Everyone crowded around him to hear more, and he glanced at them all with pride. ‘What’s the job?’
‘It’s about talking to customers at the bank in the high street. Mum says lots of them are closing down, but this one is getting bigger! Mum’s brilliant with people and loves a chat,’ he said innocently and Maya suppressed a giggle because his mum certainly was a chatterbox in the loveliest way and would suit a customer service role perfectly. This role sounded ideal for her, and she’d be near Elliot’s school. Double win! Elliott was an absolute joy to be around and he helped Mason run the classes by organising the setting up of the easels and distributing the paints each week.
‘Your plans are great, Maya!’ he said happily as he took his time to check them out properly and her heart warmed. Elliot could be a harsh critic if he felt a tone or angle needed to change, but his insight was more often than not on point, and she grinned and high-fived him and a few others who all murmured their approval. She felt the grip of fear loosening and finally drew in a full breath of air, enjoying the easing of the dizziness she’d felt all morning.
Maya had marked out in great detail what she wanted them all to do and knew they would be pushing it to finish the project in two weeks. Most of them had refused when she’d insisted on paying them for their time, but she’d been immovable. Joe often let the art class members travel on the boat for free when it sailed from town and up towards the next village, which was by the racecourse. It was about a twenty-minute trip up, but Berth a also sailed in the opposite direction past the historic castle that nestled amongst the trees, before turning by the dock by The Fisherman’s Arms pub and returning home. The Fisherman’s Arms served the best steak and ale pies and mash for miles around, so that route was popular too. The artists wanted to repay Joe’s generosity for those journeys.
In Maya’s usual organised style, the bar had small piles of paint pots and brushes. ‘There’s food and drink behind the bar for anyone who hasn’t had time to have breakfast,’ she called out after them, but she could see the excitement of creativity had already taken hold.
Maya sighed and the feeling that a lump of lead had been sitting in her stomach for the past few weeks had finally dislodged. Maybe they could do this and it might actually work. ‘I love your style,’ Gio said softly, glancing down at her paint-splattered denim dungarees and scruffy off-white t-shirt. Maya grinned and squinted at his shorts because they were so grimy you literally couldn’t tell which colour they had started off with. He held his hands up playfully, which was the first time Maya had seen him relax a little. ‘I know. Awful, aren’t they? I wear them when I’m working backstage on the sets and the grease won’t come out however hard I try.’
‘Well, they’re perfect for this job!’ she said cheerfully, linking arms with his. ‘Come on. You and I have got to do a patch-up job on the outside and start sanding the floorboards on the deck.’ She hoped she had enough energy for boyfriend hunting later!