Chapter 3
Bridget picked her phone up, relieved to see that it was Daniel. It had been two weeks since she’d shared her plan with him and the long silence was beginning to make her nervous. “Daniel, how wonderful to hear from you.” she said, her voice full of relief. She’d been a little worried that she’d over played her hand.
“What’s the matter mother, worried that you’ve pushed me too far?” Daniel asked.
“Of course not, I’m only looking out for you,” she said, regaining her confidence.
“Hmm, I’m not sure about that, but since I’m sure you haven’t changed your mind, I was calling to tell you that Amber and I are going to take a little cruise up the coast, we’re leaving in a few minutes,” Daniel said.
Bridget was surprised to hear that, “When did you arrange this? Why didn’t you tell me? When will you be back?” she asked, the annoyance clear in her voice.
“Last time I checked, I’m not required to check in with you every time I make plans,” He said. “You told me to call her and I did.”
“But Elaine and I had everything planned. We were going to introduce you at the fundraiser gala later this month,” Bridget said, wishing she could order him to cancel the trip. They’d worked so hard to arrange the perfect meeting between Daniel and Amber, a meeting that all of society would be talking about, now all that work would be for nothing.
“You know I hate those things, and so does Amber.”
“Still, this needs to be done right,” Bridget said, then took a deep breath to explain to him how the whole thing was going to work, but he stopped her.
“Amber is here mother, I have to go.”
Amber sat in the back of the cab listening to the phone ring, she’d been avoiding her mother’s phone calls for two weeks, but this one she was going to answer. She and Daniel had spent the last two weeks clearing their schedules and making arrangements to be gone for an extended period of time. She was a little bit nervous about being alone with Daniel on the boat, but they had gotten to know each other better over the last two weeks thanks to their shared desire not to let their mothers rule their lives any more than they already were.
“Hello mother,” Amber said, her voice cold.
“Oh, you finally answered,” her mother said, then added, “I’ve been calling you for two weeks.”
“I’ve been busy. In case you’d forgotten, I do have a life,” she said.
“That’s really no excuse, it would have only taken a few minutes to answer my phone call,” her mother said, then added, “I think you’ve been avoiding me hoping that I’d change my mind, well let me tell you that I’m not going to. This is for your own good.”
Amber sighed. “I know you’re not going to change your mind.”
“Well, I’m glad you understand that because I’m going to need you in the city next week for a fitting. Monday would be best.”
Amber didn’t reply for a second, the cab had just turned onto the private drive that led to the marina and her stomach lurched when she realized that she was really going to go through with her plan. “Mother what are you talking about? What fitting?” she finally asked.
“Oh, that’s right, we haven’t talked for two weeks so you don’t know that I’ve found you the perfect dress for the gala at the end of the month,” Elaine said, her voice full of excitement.
“Mother, I hate those things,” Amber said, watching as the marina came into view through the cab window.
“Well, you’re going. Bridget and I have arranged for you and Daniel to sit next to each other, it’s the perfect way for you to meet him.”
The cab came to a halt and the driver turned to her for instructions. “Mother, can you hold on for just a second?” she asked, opening the cab door and getting out.
“No, I can’t hold on,” her mother said, but Amber ignored her and helped the driver unload her bags, then she paid him and he drove off.
“I’m sorry mother, I had to pay the cab,” she said, a smile on her face. Her mother was going to freak out when she heard where she was and what she was doing.
“Cab fare? Where are you? What’s that noise I hear in the background?” Her mother was suddenly alarmed.
“It’s a ship's horn, I’m at the marina in Seattle. Daniel and I are going to go for a sail today, get to know each other better.”
There was a long silence, then her mother erupted. “That’s not the plan, we have this all worked out, you and Daniel will have a chance meeting at the gala and fall for one another,” her mother screeched, in the voice she always used when she didn’t get her way.
“Well that’s not our plan. Daniel and I are going sailing, in fact we’re leaving in a few minutes,” Amber said, trying to hide how much fun it was to ruin her mother’s plans.
“That’s just not acceptable, do you have any idea how much work we’ve put into making this happen, I spent hours shopping for the perfect dress for you.” The screech was still in her mother’s voice, but anger was quickly taking its place. “You need to come home right now, this is going to be done right, done so that everyone believes that you two fell in love.”
“Mother, you may be able to force me to marry Daniel, but you’re not going to dictate how we meet. I am an adult and perfectly capable of handling this,” Amber said, as calmly as she could, her anger beginning to flare as well.
“You do as I say, I’m still your mother.”
“And if I don’t? What are you going to do?” Amber asked, calling her mother’s bluff, knowing that there wasn’t much more her mother could do to her.
When there was a long silence on the other end of the line, Amber knew that she’d won this round. “I have to go now Mother, I’ll call you later.” She hung up the phone and turned it off, wishing she could throw it instead.
Daniel came up the stairs from below deck to the sight of Amber standing on the dock surrounded by enough luggage to last her months and he was immediately annoyed. He’d explained that there wasn’t much space on a boat, that she’d have to pack smart, but clearly the message hadn’t gotten through to her. Now they’d have to unpack and leave at least half of what she’d brought behind. It would mean enough of a delay that they’d have to use the motor to get out of the harbor instead of the tide which was going out in just a little while.
So much for first impressions, he thought as he crossed the boat to go meet her. He’d been sure that she was different than most of the women he met, that looks didn’t mean that much to her, but looking at the luggage she’d brought, she must have packed her entire wardrobe and every beauty product she owned. She was standing with her back to him, looking out at the city and he wondered if she was thinking about changing her mind. He’d certainly been considering it himself, spent days trying to find other ways to get the financing for his racing.
When she turned just a bit, he realized that she was on the phone and judging by her body language it wasn’t a phone call she was enjoying. Stopping to give her some space, he watched her, surprised when the attraction he’d felt the night they’d met flared to life again. He’d been sure that what he’d felt that night had only been a product of the situation, that when he saw her today it wouldn’t be there, but one look at her impossibly long legs in the tight jeans she wore had it flaring back to life again.
Looking at her though, he realized that he shouldn’t be surprised that he was attracted to her, she had impossibly long legs for her height, and was curvy in all the right places. Nothing like the women his mother introduced him to, whose main goal was to trim those curves, who were more bone than flesh and always felt small in his arms. At nearly six and half feet tall, Daniel wanted a woman who filled up his arms, a woman that felt real, a woman he could be a little rough with and not be afraid she’d break.
He wanted to resist the attraction, if for no other reason than he’d hate it if his mother actually found him a woman that fit into his life, but it was clearly there. It was a twist he hadn’t expected and made him wonder if they should go through with their plan, maybe they should wait a while, get to know one another better. But then he thought about missing another racing season and knew that he would go through with their plan, the sooner the better.
He’d just have to ignore his attraction to her and treat this like they’d discussed, a business arrangement that in the end would get them both what they wanted. Plus, it would get their mothers off their backs once and for all. It might not be that bad spending time with her. If the other night was any indication, conversation wouldn’t be a problem. Being on the boat would help too, plenty to keep him occupied and his mind off Amber and her ample curves.
Amber took several deep breaths. She’d never hung up on her mother before, but she’d been forced to just now. Her life had suddenly turned into a soap opera or a gothic romance, and she hated it, hated the fact that she was too chicken to just tell her mother no and try and make it on her own. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she’d been dreaming about Daniel since the night they’d met and the enormous crush she had on him was going to make this even more difficult. There was nothing more pathetic than a woman lusting after a man she couldn't have, and she knew that she couldn’t have Daniel, not for real.
This marriage was only temporary, something to make their mothers happy and hopefully stop them from meddling in their lives in the future. Her mother had promised that if she did this, she’d leave her alone, let her paint until she was a dried up old woman. Of course, there’d been a long speech about grandchildren, but Amber had tuned that out, only able to bear so much of her mother’s drama at one time. Plus, her mind had been reeling with the possibility of just turning her back and walking away from her parents. If she really wanted to, she could make it on her own.
It wasn’t too late to change her mind, call the cab back, load up her bags and run back to the cottage. She’d find a way to make it on her own, and there was always the chance that her mother would change her mind, a very slim chance. Taking another deep breath, she prepared herself for the day to come. She knew that she wasn’t going to run away, her mother had given her no choice, she was going to have to go through with marrying Daniel Taylor and thinking about anything else was a waste of her time and energy.
The feeling of a pair of big warm hands on her shoulders startled her, making her suck in a deep breath which was filled with the wonderful scent of Daniel’s cologne. Warmth spread through her body, and tingling began deep inside her leaving her speechless and immobile.
“Thinking about changing your mind?” he asked.
Surprised that he knew what she was thinking, she twisted around to look at him, instantly sorry she had when his blue eyes locked on hers. “Oh, umm… well that was my mother on the phone,” she finally managed to stammer, her heart pounding in her chest.
“I figured as much. Let me guess, she was all full of plans for us to have some kind of romantic meeting at the gala,” Daniel said.
“I guess you talked to your mother too.”
“I’m thinking our conversations were pretty much the same,” he said, nodding his head, then rolling his eyes. “My mother was not happy to hear that we have our own plans.”
“Mine either, and they’re going to be even madder when we don’t let them have the big wedding they want,” Amber said, feeling more and more depressed and wondering if this was a good idea.
“No, they won’t be and if you’re having second thoughts about any of this, I’ll understand. But sitting on the dock isn’t getting us anywhere and it’s a beautiful day for a sail. We’ll just take this one step at a time, see how things go,” Daniel said, surprising her with his concern and making her like him just a little bit more.
“My mother knows just what to say to get to me, to get me to do exactly what she wants, I’m not used to standing up to her,” Amber said, then realized that she had just done so and that it had felt good. “But I just did and it feels kind of good,” she added, a smile creeping across her face.
Daniel smiled back at her. “Tell you what, once we get out on the open water, we can trade horror stories about our mothers. I bet mine is way worse than yours.”
“Hmmm, I doubt that. You don’t know my mother,” Amber said, the heaviness of the phone call lifting.
When they finally managed to get her bags over to Daniel’s boat Amber had to stand and look at it for a second. It was the most beautiful boat she’d ever seen. Clearly quite old but in perfect condition, it was clear that someone loved this boat a lot. Looking at Daniel, she could see the pride on his face when he looked at the boat, and understood what he was feeling. The boat was a work of art just as much as any of her paintings were.
“It’s beautiful, Daniel,” she said, looking back at the boat again.
“Thank you. I bought her when I turned eighteen and did all the work myself. It took me three years, but it was worth every minute I spent on her,” Daniel said, lifting her bags one by one and placing them on the boat. “Did you bring everything in your closet?”
“No,” Amber said, laughing when he picked up the bag with her sketch pads in it and grunted. “This is mostly art supplies.”
Daniel set the bag down again, “I know I said we might be gone a while, but it won’t be that long and they do have stores in Alaska,” he said, but he was smiling when he said it. “I gave you the master cabin and it’s a good thing.”
Amber suddenly felt bad, he’d told her to pack light and she had, but when it came to her art supplies she’d lost control. “I couldn’t decide what to bring, so I packed it all. I’m sorry, I guess we could leave some of this behind.”
“We’ll find room,” he said, picking up the bags again.
Amber couldn’t help but suck in a breath when Daniel opened the door to her room, it was like something out of a movie. “Oh, Daniel it’s beautiful, but I feel bad taking your room,” she said, when she noticed little personal items that were clearly his.
“It’s okay, I moved most of my stuff out of here when the boat was dry docked last year,” Daniel said, putting her bags on the bed. “Luckily, it wasn’t damaged in the earthquake last year, I had it out of the water for a complete overhaul. I thought you might be more comfortable with your own bathroom and this is the biggest room, living on a boat can be a bit confining.”
Amber was touched by his kindness. “Thank you. Now how about a tour of the rest of the boat?”
Bridget pushed the end button on her phone annoyed that Elaine hadn’t picked up her call, especially when their plan looked like it was falling apart. She’d give her five minutes then call again, they had to figure out what to do now that their children had decided to take matters into their own hands. This little cruise on Daniel’s boat didn’t mean that they couldn’t still go to the gala later that month, it just meant that they’d have to revise their story.
Much to her relief, her phone rang and the name Elaine popped up on the screen. She’d no more gotten the word hello out of her mouth before Elaine began talking. “I just got off the phone with Amber, she told me that she and Daniel are going out on his boat,” she said, clearly as unhappy as Bridget was.
“I know, I just talked to Daniel. I tried to tell him that we already had everything under control, but he hung up on me,” Bridget said, still stung by the fact that Daniel had hung up on her.
“Amber refused to listen to me too. In fact, she was down right rude to me. That’s not like her at all,” Elaine said. “What are we going to do? Should we go down there and stop them? They can’t exactly meet for the first time at the gala if they’ve already met,” Elaine’s voice was rising, she was counting on a public meeting between Amber and Daniel, knew that it was the best way to keep Bridget from backing out of their agreement.
It wasn’t that she was hiding the fact that Amber was not only adopted but African American, it had just never come up when they’d talked about their children. She didn’t think that it would make a difference to Bridget, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. It wasn’t like they were going to stay married forever, just long enough to quiet the gossips and to get Amber out of her studio and into the real world. Hopefully Bridget wouldn’t even care, but just in case, she wanted the first meeting to be in front of all their friends and she was determined that Amber would look beautiful and sophisticated that night.
“Relax, we’ll just change the story. Tell everyone they met by accident, fell for each other immediately, end of story,” Bridget said, with more enthusiasm that she felt. “It won’t be as romantic, but we can make it work as long as the kids cooperate.”
It suddenly occurred to Elaine that if Daniel met Amber and told his mother that she was African American the whole plan might implode, but clearly, he hadn’t yet so it might still work. All she had to do was keep Bridget away from them until the gala, “Don’t worry, I’ll see to it that Amber does, I still have some power over her,” She finally said.
The minute Amber was back in town, she was going to get her hands on her and not let her out of her sight until the gala. It would be unpleasant, but it was for Amber’s own good. Married to Daniel Taylor, she’d have an open invitation to anywhere she wanted to go in the world, to any social circle she wanted to join. Elaine was convinced that once her daughter got a taste of the good life, she’d never want to go back to her painting, would finally become the daughter she’d always dreamed Amber would be.