Page 3 of Bear's Midlife Bridesmaid
His mind, however, wasn’t on his job. The guest’s luggage mishap had made him notice her, but he would’ve regardless. She was so different from everyone else on the ship and the typical types he would expect to see. Her skin was milky pale, so she obviously didn’t spend much time in the sun. Her dark, choppy hair framed her beautiful face, neatlyaccented with a tiny crystal on one side of her nose. Jace had only had a moment to study her, but that was enough for the bear inside him to go into a tailspin.
“Hey, Dad. How’s it going?” Ian stepped onto the bridge and slumped into a nearby seat.
“Just fine,” Jace replied evenly, though he realized he’d been white-knuckling the wheel as he thought of that woman. He didn’t know her name and resisted looking at the ship’s manifest to find out. There was no way of telling by the names and contact information which one she was, and Jace would spend valuable time guessing.
“These people are really something, aren’t they?” Ian asked, running a hand through his hair and then carefully combing it back into place with his fingers, clearly remembering he had to look put-together for the job. “Grade A snobs, for sure. I figured this would be a pretty easy gig. You know, carry a few suitcases, swab the deck, whatever. But these folks are so demanding! I’ve already had to go to the galley and ask the chef for some caviar. Judging by the look and smell of it, I don’t know why anyone would eat it voluntarily.”
“Ian—”
“You remember when we used to watchGilligan’sIslandwhen I was a kid, and there was that old rich couple that got shipwrecked with them? The annoying ones who never seemed to understand that they didn’t serve cocktails on a deserted island? Well, I guess they sort of made that happen anyway. Rich people are just like that. But anyway, that’s what these folks remind me of,” Ian concluded.
With everything under control at the helm, Jace took a deep breath and looked at his son. “I’m not going to say I don’t have a few regrets about taking this job. It’s very different from a day charter on a sailboat. Different hours, different crowd, different vibe.”
Ian snorted. “I’ll say.”
“But,” Jace continued quickly, “it’s still a job. I’m here because Rodney needed me, and you’re here because we were short a man. We’re getting paid, and we have to be professional.”
“I know,” his son conceded. “And I am. In front of the guests, I mean. I’m not dumb enough to say all this where they could hear me.”
“No. I know you’re not, but mistakes can be made. This is a good-sized yacht, but it’s still a relatively small space. I just think there’s plenty of drama here without adding to it.”
“Do you mean because these people are so stuckup, it’s a surprise they can see anything past their Rolexes?” Ian snickered.
What could he say? “Basically, yes. Snobs or not, though, this is our paycheck.”
“Yeah, I know.” Ian stood and looked through the massive front windows at the water surrounding them. “This is a hell of a ship. It’s not exactly what I want for myself, but I wouldn’t turn it down if I had the chance.”
“Are you still thinking about becoming a captain?” Jace asked, trying not to let too much hope into his voice. Ian had practically been raised on the water since Jace had never been able to stay off it himself. He’d always told himself that his son could do anything he wanted, and it wouldn’t bother him a bit. It was true that Jace would be just as proud of Ian if he decided to be a lawyer, an artist, or anything in between. Still, the way Ian had been talking lately, it sounded like he was eager to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Ian grinned, and his hazel eyes flashed. He had Jace’s eyes and Maggie’s light brown hair, bordering on blonde. He was a handsome young man, and Jace felt that was true even without his bias. “Yeah, but I’ve got something more specific than that.”
Checking his watch, Jace nodded. “I’ve got sometime before we have to anchor. Want to tell me about it?”
His son’s grin widened, and Jace knew this had to be something really good. “Okay, so you know there are tons of whale-watching tours and fishing charters, right?”
“Sure.” Jace had worked on plenty of them over the years. The sailing charters he ran these days were probably his favorite because they felt so much more relaxed. There was no pressure to produce wildlife, just a beautiful view and a novel experience.
“And you know how Buzz is going to school for aviation?”
“He kind of had to, with a name like that,” Jace remarked. He’d always teased Buzz about his nickname, but it suited him well.
“So, we’ve been talking and got the perfect gig figured out. Great white sighting tours. Not an easy thing to do, I know, but we’ve got a great system. Buzz will be overhead, spotting the sharks from a plane. Then he just radios the information down to me in the boat, and I take my passengers to the right spot every time. I know we’re not the first ones to come up with it,” Ian added, “but I really think it’s agreat idea.”
“It sounds like a lot of fun,” Jace admitted. “Have you looked into startup costs?”
At the mention of this, Ian turned a slight shade of green. “Let’s not get into the money, Dad. I know I’m not there yet, but I will be at some point.”
“I’m sure you will,” Jace agreed immediately. He’d vowed a long time ago to support his son in his endeavors. Some would turn out, and some wouldn’t, but that would be up to Ian to figure out. “I think it’s a great idea. I could really see you doing that sort of thing.”
At this, Ian brightened again. “Yeah, because we’ve got a secret weapon.”
“What’s that?”
“No.Who,and it’s Bailey. She’s a marine biology major. She knows all sorts of things about sharks, and she’s already gotten to go out and tag some. Bailey’s going to give us that much more of an edge over the competition, and we might really be able to turn it into something big. I mean, what if we can get people to pay to come see the tagging? Or something else, I don’t know. I just think there are a lot of possibilities.”
“Oh.” Jace was silent for a moment as those possibilities ran through his head. Bailey was getting the education needed but might also havegood connections. “Wow, Ian. That’s pretty damn cool.”
“Thanks, Dad. I hoped you might like it.” Ian’s excitement was even greater now, his energy almost palpable.
