Неизвестно - Megan's mate

A few. I was gone a long time.

Nate sailed around the whole world. Twice.

Kevin slurped soda through his straw.

Through hurricanes and typhoons and everything.

It must have been exciting.

It had its moments.

Do you miss it?

I sailed on another man's ship for more than fifteen years. Now I sail my own.

Things change.

Nathaniel draped his arm over the back of the booth, like you

coming here.

We like it.

Kevin began to stab his straw in the i.e.

Mom's boss in Oklahoma

was a skinflint.

Kevin.

Granddad said so. And he didn't appreciate you. You were hiding your light under a bushel.

Kevin didn't know what that meant, but his grandmother had said so.

Granddad's biased.

She smiled and ruffled her son's hair.

But we do like it here.

Eat hearty,

Julie ordered, and dropped three enormous platters on the table.

The long rolls of crusty bread were filled with chunks of lobster and flanked by a mound of coleslaw and a small mountain of French fries.

Girl needs weight,

Julie proclaimed.

Boy, too. Didn't know you liked 'em skinny, Captain.

I like them any way I can get them,

Nathaniel corrected, which sent Julie off into another gale of laughter.

We'll never eat all of this.

Megan stared, daunted, at her plate.

Nathaniel had already dug in.

Sure we will. So, have you looked over Fergus's book yet?

Not really.

Megan sampled the first bite. Whatever the atmosphere, the food was four-star.

I want to get the backlog caught up first. Since Shipshape's books were the worst, I dealt with them first. I still have to work on your second quarter, and The Retreat's.

Your mother's a practical woman, Kiev.

Yeah.

Kevin managed to swallow a giant bite of lobster roll.

Granddad says she

needs to get out more.

Kevin.

But the warning came too late. Nathaniel was already grinning.

Does he? What else does Granddad say?

She should live a little.

Kevin attacked his French fries with the single-minded determination of a child.

'Cause she's too young to hole up like a hermit.

Your granddad's a smart man.

Oh, yeah. He knows everything. He's got oil for blood and horses on the brain.

A quote from my mother,

Megan said dryly.

She knows everything, too. But you

were asking about Fergus's book.

Just wondered if it had scratched your curiosity.

Some. I thought I might take an hour or so at night to work on it.

I don't think that's what your daddy meant by living a little, Meg.

Regardless.

She turned back to the safer topic of the account book.

Some of the

pages are faded badly, but other than a few minor mistakes, the accounts are very accurate. Except for the last couple of pages, where there are just numbers without any logic.

Really. They don't add up?

They don't seem to, but I need to take a closer look.

Sometimes you miss more by looking too close.

Nathaniel winked at Julie as she

set another round of drinks on the table. It was coffee for him this time. She knew that when he was driving he kept it to one beer.

I wouldn't mind taking a look at it.

Megan frowned at her.

Why?

I like puzzles.

I don't think it's much of a puzzle, but if it's all right with the family, I don't have any objection.

She leaned back, sighed.

Sorry, I just can't eat any more.

It's okay,

Nathaniel switched his empty plate with hers.

I can.

To Megan's amazement, he could. It wasn't much of a surprise that Kevin had managed to clean his plate. The way he was growing he often seemed in danger of eating china and all when he sat down for a meal. But Nathaniel ate his meal, then half of hers, without a blink.

Have you always eaten like that?

Megan asked when they were driving away from the restaurant.

Nope. Always wanted to, though. Never could seem to fill up as a kid.

Of course,

that might have been because there was little to fill up on.

At sea, you learn to eat

anything, and plenty of it

,

while it's there.

You should weigh three hundred pounds.

Some people burn it off.

He shifted his eyes to hers.

Like you. All that nervous

energy you've got just eats up those calories.

I'm not skinny,

she muttered.

Nope. Thought you were myself, till I got ahold of you. It's more like willowy and

you've got a real soft feel to you when you're pressed up against a man.

She hissed, started to look over her shoulder.

He conked out the minute I turned on the engine, Nathaniel told her. And, indeed,

she could see Kevin stretched out in the back, his head pillowed on his arms, sleeping soundly.

Though I don't see what harm there is for the boy to know a man's interested in his mother.

He's a child.

She turned back, the gentle look in her eyes gone.

I won't have him

think that I'm

Human?

It's not your affair. He's my son.

That he is,

Nathaniel agreed easily.

And you've done a hell of a job with him.

She slanted him a cautious look.

Thank you.

No need to. Just a fact. It's tough raising a kid on your own. You found the way to do it right.

It was impossible to stay irritated with him, especially when she remembered what Coco had told her.

You lost your mother when you were young. Ah... Coco mentioned it.

Coco's been mentioning a lot of things.

She didn't mean any harm. You know how she is, better than I. She cares so much about people, and wants to see them...

Lined up two by two? Yeah, I know her. She picked you out for me.

She

Words failed her.

That's ridiculous.

Not to Coco.

He steered easily around a curve.

Of course, she doesn't know that

I know she's already got me scheduled to go down on one knee.

It's fortunate, isn't it, that you're forewarned?

Her indignant tone had a smile twitching at his lips.

Sure is. She's been singing your

praises for months. And you almost live up to the advance publicity.

She hissed like a snake and turned to him. His grin, and the absurdity of the situation, changed indignation to amusement.

Thank you.

She stretched out her

legs, leaned back and decided to enjoy the ride.

I'd hate to have disappointed you.

Oh, you didn't, sugar.

I've been told you're mysterious, romantic and charming.

And?

You almost live up to the advance publicity.

Sugar

he took her hand and kissed it lavishly I can be a lot better.

I'm sure you can.

She drew her hand away, refusing to acknowledge the rippling thrill up her arm.

If I wasn't so fond of her, I'd be annoyed. But she's so kind.

She has the truest heart of anyone I've ever met. I used to wish she was my mother.

I'm sorry.

Before she could resist the urge, Megan laid a hand on his.

It must

have been so hard, losing your mother when you were only a child.

It's all right. It was a long time ago.

Much too long for him to grieve.

I still

remember seeing Coco in the village, or when I'd tag along with Holt to take fish up to The Towers. There she'd be, this gorgeous woman looked like a queen. Never knew what color her hair would be from one week to the next.

She's a brunette today,

Megan said, and made him laugh.

First woman I ever fell for. She came to the house a couple times, read my old man the riot act about his drinking. Guess she thought if he was sober he wouldn't knock me around so much.

He took his eyes off the road again, met hers.

I imagine she

mentioned that, too?