* * *
—
The alarm went off at four-fifteen the next morning. Maddie got up and dressed quietly. She had sneakers with her, and she could wear one on the boat with her cast. Milagra had told her to take a warm jacket out of the closet, which she did. Bert had rain gear on the boat. And at five o’clock sharp she was on the dock facing Noyo Harbor, and he walked down to greet her and gave her a bear hug. He was impressed that she’d made it, and he escorted her to the boat.
She was startled by how modern and sophisticated it was. He had state-of-the-art equipment and a crew of four experienced fishermen. It was a serious operation, not some slapdash local deal. There was nothing amateurish or old-fashioned about it.
“I take the boat up to Alaska once every year, just to keep my hand in and fish with my son. The fishing’s pretty tame around here.” She could see that his boat was up to more challenging waters. She took her camera out when two of the deckhands slipped the ropes from the pilings that held them and Bert turned on the engines, and a few minutes later they took off. Maddie quietly tucked herself into corners and disappeared into the woodwork as she shot almost continuously. Her cast didn’t hamper her at all, she didn’t let it. She got fantastic photographs of Bert and his crew doing their job and working hard all day. The crab season was going to end in a month, but Bert said the catch was still plentiful every day.
They stopped and ate at lunchtime. Bert prepared a delicious meal for Maddie and his crew. The sea got rough after that, with waves that came over the bow. They worked harder then, and had a good catch that day and a fresh load of crab from their traps that would go to the city and bring high prices. He ran a very lucrative business, and as they rode the waves into port at the end of the day, Bert sat down next to Maddie with a smile.
“Well, Maddie, how did you like it?”
“I loved it.”
“You work hard with that camera. You didn’t stop shooting all day.” He had noticed her out of the corner of his eye even when he was busy.
“You work hard with your crew.” She was vastly impressed by what she’d seen, and by him. He was a man, and a pro, and she liked everything about him. They truly were friends now.
“Are you all right about my being with Milagra?” he asked, worried.
“Very much so,” she said, and he looked pleased.
“You don’t mind that I’m older?” Maddie shook her head. “I don’t know why she was afraid to tell you for so long. She should give you more credit than that.”
“Kids never do that,” she said with a wry smile. “They think they know their parents, but they don’t.”
“I’m glad you’re okay about us.” He was as relieved as Milagra had been the night before. “I hope we can be friends.”
“We already are,” she said quietly as they docked and his crew tied up the boat. And then they went home to Milagra, who had worked on her outline all day and was pleased with it.
“Erghhh, you both smell like fish.” She wrinkled her nose at them.
“I’ll go home and take a shower,” Bert said with a grin. He usually went home and cleaned up before he saw her after a day’s work. “And then I’m taking you both out to dinner to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?” Milagra looked puzzled.
“Us, your mom visiting. Everything. And we had a good catch today. Your mom brought us luck. She took about a thousand pictures of me today.” He looked pleased and embarrassed all at once.
“I’ll send them to you,” Maddie promised him, and went upstairs to bathe. It had been a fantastic day, and she knew she didn’t have to worry about her daughter anymore. She was in good hands. Bert English was a fine man. The best. He reminded her of Andy in a way. It hadn’t worked for her, but it did for Milagra, and that was all that mattered now. They were perfect for each other, in every way. He was just what she needed to ground her and protect her. Maddie couldn’t wait to go through the pictures she’d taken of him. And as unusual as she might be, Milagra had found just the right man for her. It warmed Maddie’s heart.
Chapter 12
Maddie’s three days in Mendocino were the best of her trip. She and Milagra spent time together, talked or just sat in the same room while Milagra made notes on her outline. And they walked on the beach with her dogs. Bert joined them at night for dinner. He cooked one night and was a superb cook. They had a good time, laughing and telling stories. Maddie had loved the day she spent on the boat with him, and everything about him for Milagra.
She hated to leave, and Milagra promised to have her back soon. And this time, there were no secrets. Maddie and Milagra hugged each other fiercely the morning she left, and Bert had come to say goodbye and put her bags in the car for her. He put an arm around Milagra as Maddie got in the car and looked at them. They were everything she had wanted to be with Andy, and couldn’t. Milagra had done what Maddie wasn’t able to do, embrace a simple life where she and the man she loved could build their dreams together, far from the life Milagra had had growing up. There was nothing about her old life that Milagra missed, which wouldn’t have been true for Maddie if she’d given up New York for Wyoming. Milagra was much better suited to the life she had now in Mendocino.
Maddie kissed Milagra one last time through the car window and then slowly drove away as they waved, standing next to each other. Maddie headed back to San Francisco thinking of the days they had just shared. She knew she was leaving her daughter in good hands. She wanted to call William when she knew her cellphone would work again, but first she wanted to call Ben. She had driven a good distance by the time she reached him in Hawaii. They were having breakfast when she called.
“Everything okay, Mom?” He sounded worried for a minute.
“I had a fantastic time with Millie.”
“Telling ghost stories?” Milagra had no common ground with him or her older sister, but Maddie realized now how little they knew her. So many of their assumptions about her were wrong. She was far more capable than they thought her. Maddie had always hoped Milagra would meet the right man, who would appreciate her, and she had.
“No, I spent the last three days with her and the man she’s been in love with for eight years, whom none of us knew about. He’s a great guy.”
“Wow, there’s a news flash. Eight years? What’s he like? Another writer?”
“No, he’s a commercial fisherman and a good one. He’s fifteen years older and just what she needed. He’s a real person. I think you’ll like him. You should come up to see her sometime. You’re her brother, Ben, you should get to know her, for both your sakes. And Bert is terrific. She’s been hiding him for all these years.”