hold a brush. A smile touched her mouth at the sweet memories. How she’d loved painting with her grandmother.
Marti was an accomplished artist in her own right, but the public wouldn’t know it. She’d never shown one of her paintings to anyone. To her grandmother’s frustration, Marti painted for herself. Truth be told, she was scared to death to let anyone see her paintings and compare them to her grandmother’s masterpieces.
Marti kept her talents on an anonymous level, writing and illustrating her own series of children’s books. She wrote the series under a pen name. No one except her publisher knew the author was the granddaughter of one of the greatest painters in the world. Marti hoped she’d get to keep the secret. A hope she knew wouldn’t come true. No secret stayed hidden forever.
“I only wish she could have made this journey with you,” the captain said.
“I’ve wished the same since we left. She watched over us. I know she did.” Marti gazed up at the darkening sky, the stars beginning to wink and twinkle to life.
Captain Finn walked back across the deck behind her.
Tomorrow would be a new beginning and facing it alone scared her. Instead of looking out at the ocean and the fog about to envelope them, she turned to the land and the city by the bay. San Francisco was lit up in the distance. She stared at those lights and wondered what all those people were doing right then. Working in their offices, going out for a night on the town, spending an evening with someone they loved, their family and friends. Maybe they were lonely like her and wishing to have something more in their lives.
Tomorrow she’d become a part of that world. Tonight, she belonged to the sea.
She stared out across the water to one of the tall buildings reaching up to the stars. For the first time, she felt as if something, or someone, was drawing her back.
CAMERON WAITED FOR his daughter to arrive, dreading the evening ahead. He watched the ship on the water, drawn to it like a beacon.
Chapter Three
* * *
“DADDY, DADDY, JIMMY let me put the window up and down in the car and have a soda while we drove here.”
Jimmy walked in behind his little munchkin and put his hands on his hips and glared down at her. “You weren’t supposed to tell.”
“You didn’t say not to.” Emma beamed the big man a smile and threw her arms around his leg and gazed up at him. “It was so cool. I pretended I was a movie star.”
She struck a pose and Jimmy and Cameron both laughed.
“How’s my golden girl today?” Cameron turned his thoughts away from the sailboat out his window and the lost dreams of his beloved wife.
“I’m hungry. Can we go see Aunt Elizabeth now? Maybe she’ll let me make something in the kitchen.”
Aunt Elizabeth was married to his boss’s brother-in-law. Cameron had become close with Jenna when she took over as CEO of Merrick International several years ago and made him president. Emma was just a baby. He and Emma had moved into a penthouse next door to Jenna and her husband, Jack.
Jack’s brother, Sam, lived with Jenna and Jack at the time and they all spent many evenings together, especially after Jenna gave birth to her twin sons. Emma and the boys were close. They were all like one big happy family now. Emma thought of all of them as her aunts and uncles and cousins.
After marrying Sam, Elizabeth opened her restaurant on the first floor of the Merrick International building. Elizabeth was like a little sister who nagged him to eat right and “Don’t forget dessert”. He loved her like a sister and loved her more for treating Emma like her own.
Emma especially loved playing with Elizabeth and Sam’s daughter, Grace. Emma thought the baby was as close to a little sister as she’d ever have. He wanted a mother, a complete family for Emma, but realized she had a close family of sorts.
“Aunt Elizabeth is expecting you and mentioned something about brownies tonight.”
“Really?” Emma bounced up and down on her toes, her hands held in front of her like a prayer. “She’ll let me make the brownies?”
“You’ll have to eat all your dinner. But yes, you get to make the brownies.”
“Awesome.” Emma ran and jumped into his lap. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I wondered how long I’d have to wait for you to give