Page 4 of The Second Chance in the Mediterranean
At four, Dom knocked on my door. I opened it, feeling a bit better after having gotten a power nap in.
“Ready for your tour?” Dom asked.
“Yes, don’t let me get lost.” I grabbed my chef’s gear off my bed and followed Dom.
Two flights of stairs took us up to the bridge deck. Nerves fluttered in my stomach, and I realized Seb working herewasgoing to be a problem. I was so worried about bumping into him again, and now we’d be stuck on a boat together 24/7. I swallowed, keeping my eyes on Dom. For now, I needed to pay attention to my boss, meet my new coworkers, and try not to get lost in this new maze. I’d deal with Seb later.
Dom turned to face me, walking slowly backward across the deck. “This is the aft of the bridge deck. It’s really a patio for the VIP cabin.” He hooked a thumb to his right, toward closed sliding glass doors. “But it’s also private up here, with a great view down.” He stopped in the hallway. “You should take a look.”
I stepped to my right, toward the stern of the boat, and peered over the rail down onto the main deck. Directly below me was the dining table, and one of the massive masts rose in front of me. Beyond that were a half circle of couches andThemis’s tender at the very edge of the deck.
Dom opened the sliding glass door for me, and I followed him through a guest cabin and into a stairwell. “This is the atrium; the main way guests get down all three flights of stairs. And this”—he pushed open a door—“is the helm, aka my office.”
Black leather, black finishings, black ceilings, and a 180-degree view of the front ofThemis. If I thought the yacht looked like a spaceship before, the helm solidified it. This was straight out ofStar Trek.
A cluster of people were huddled at one of the electronic pods filled with screens labeled with the B&G logo.
“Ah, this is Antonio, the best B&G technician in the entire Mediterranean—”
“World,” Antonio corrected.
“Sorry, my apologies. Best B&G technician in the world. He’s flown in to help us sort out a communication issue in the NMEA network.”
I didn’t know what the NMEA network was, and when I asked, Dom explained that it was how the electronics communicated with each other.
“And he’s working with two of our crewmates here.” Dom slapped a man on the back. “This is Gio, our first officer, my second in command.”
Gio gave me a wide grin and shook my hand. “Welcome aboard.” As first officer, Gio oversaw the exterior team of deckhands.
Dom leaned in. “Gio is also from Italia, but from Rome. He’s a big Roma fan.”
Gio crossed his arms and leaned back against the edge of the counter. “You are from Campania?”
“Yes, but I am not a big Napoli fan, so I don’t think we have to worry about football rivalries.”
Antonio cleared his throat.
“Ah yes, moving on, this here is Edie, our engineer. Hopefully you shouldn’t have any equipment problems down below, but should you, she’s the one to talk to.”
Edie was petite and about my age, with a pale complexion and bright eyes. The technical side of superyachts, captains, engineers, and the exterior team were typically dominated by men. She was a rarity.
We shook hands. “Pleasure,” said Edie, with a strong British accent.
“Are you a Brit?” I asked.
“That’s right.”
“I studied in London. Whereabouts are you from?”
“Suffolk, but I worked mostly up in Dartmouth.”
“Great, well, nice to meet you both,” I said.
Antonio hacked, and Dom grinned at the old man. “Time to move along, let you fellas get back to work.”
We took the atrium down a flight to the main deck, and Dom led me into a small office space and through another doorway.
“Now we’re starting to get to the good stuff. This is the interior dining area. I’m sure you’ll get pretty comfortable in here, though we usually have our meetings and most meals outside.” The table was a modern monstrosity, massively made with metal, leather, and glass. It was empty, but there were chairs for twelve around it.
