“It’s okay. You’re okay.” I soothed the lines on her brow. “I got you, Heart-Eyes.”
I didn’t hear Hannah walk into the suite until she rested her hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Chef. We have a boat full of people who haven’t had anything to eat. I prepared some snacks and Captain Bailey’s pushed the dinner hour back, but she’s requesting you get back to the galley.”
Fuck Captain Bailey.
I knew Hannah was right. Moti was exhausted, but she was in the clear. I glanced at Dolly, who was keeping vigil on the other side of the bed. She gave me a nod.I’ll look after her.
It took every ounce of willpower to step away. I dropped a kiss on Moti’s forehead.
“I’ll be back.”
I didn’t care if her mother was watching. Or if Hannah or Captain Bailey or the entire world was watching.
“You need any help?” Hannah asked, following me to the galley.
I shook my head. I had twenty-four more hours on the clock. Twenty-four hours left in this charter. I was still an employee, contractually bound to fulfill my obligations of feeding everyone on the yacht. The frustration of being dragged away from Moti made me want to punch holes in the wall. It was the same seething burn in my chest that followed my mother’s death.
Except Moti is alive. So why am I so freaking angry?
Because I almost lost her without telling her how much she means to me.
The edges of my heart curled up in flames, the unspoken words flaring like dry kindling in my throat.
I’d asked Moti to stay for another two weeks, when I really wanted her to stay forever. I was chasing a dream that kept me from home most of the year. In a couple of years, I’d have enough capital saved to open a restaurant. I’d have a base. I could commit to the kind of relationship Moti deserved.
Her near-drowning jolted everything to the forefront. All the things I thought I had time for were clamoring to be seen and heardnow.
I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm the hell down. If there was one thing I’d learned in the kitchen, it was that food was more than the sum of its ingredients. Food absorbed the subtlest of nuances—the way it was sliced and stirred, the way it hit the pan. If you paid attention, food told you all kinds of secrets, like whether the oregano was gathered in the spring before it bloomed or in the summer, after it had been dried by the sun. Food told you if it was hastily thrown together or allowed to breathe and simmer. It spoke to you about care. Or neglect. Most of the time though, food slipped right through—because no one was listening—to be absorbed by all the things already simmering inside us.
I kept an eye on the clock as I cooked. Captain Bailey would join the main table for the farewell dinner. Moti’s grandmother opted out of her early meal and would also be present. Moti was confined to bed rest, so a tray would be delivered to her suite. I cross-checked my notes and worked my way through the passenger list quickly and meticulously.
I finished garnishing the plates and was checking on the crew’s dinner when Hannah stepped into the galley.
“Right on time,” I said.
“Am I?”
I turned around, shark mitts over my hands, and froze.
Moti had never looked more fragile. Or more alive. Her hair was still gunky from the sea, the strands clumped around her face.
“You look like the first time I saw you,” I said. “Like a wave crashed on top of you.”
A dry laugh escaped her.
“Yeah, well. That was a roadside puddle and some idiot on a motorbike. This time, the whole sea crashed on top of me.”
My heart caught in my throat. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes followed mine to her bandaged arm. “I’m fine. Just scraped myself holding on to the barnacles.”
“Christ, Heart-Eyes.”
My entire being screamed to take her into my arms. I took a step toward her, but she held up her hand.
“Let me finish. You saved me. I don’t just mean in the water today. You saved me in here.” Her hand went to her chest. “You believed in me. You told me I could do it. And I did, Alex. I came back up. I made it to the surface. If it wasn’t for that one breath before I went under again, I wouldn’t be here.”
