‘I really advocated for you, Jacky. In the beginning I put my neck on the line recommending you. I was only a first officer then, but I saw how much you needed a helping hand and I was happy to support you.’ The captain looked down. ‘And then when you came to me this morning, I felt so confused, so guilty that I had neglected you recently.’ She shook her head, and when she spoke again her voice had a steely edge. ‘And then when Sofia came to my office I realised what was going on, that you must have been carrying on with your fling and now you were going to give all this up for it.’
Her words hung in the air, pregnant with betrayal and shared history. Jack took a moment to collect himself before he replied.
‘Mary, I am so sorry, I hate lying to you, and I was a coward to do it today but the truth is...’ he looked over at Sofia and smiled sadly ‘...the truth is I only wanted to leave so that she could stay. This thing between us, I’m not sure what it is, but it isn’t “a fling”. We haven’t even...’ he blushed, and cleared his throat ‘...since that night.’
A deep breath, and now his voice was less shaky, more assertive. ‘I have tried to keep it professional, I have tried to avoid her, I have tried to be her friend, but it is all futile, and I didn’t want to disrespect you by carrying on behind your back. I didn’t want Sofia to lose this job that I know she loves, because I couldn’t keepitunder wraps.’ He sighed. ‘God knows, I have had my fair share of adventures on this boat, but Sofia, she’s got it all to come.’
Sofia didn’t realise she was crying until a tear fell onto the hand curled in her lap. She wiped her eyes hurriedly, but not before the captain saw.
‘So you didn’t know that he was going to resign?’ the captain asked Sofia, putting the pieces together.
‘No, I quit...’ she felt silly admitting it after his impassioned speech ‘...for pretty much the same reason.’
Jack’s eyes widened. His face suddenly lit up with something like... hope?
‘And you, Jack, you didn’t know that Sofia was resigning?’ The captain was determined to get the facts straight. Jack shook his head distractedly, not taking his eyes off Sofia.
‘Jack...’ she began, ‘I had no idea. Why didn’t you...?’
‘Why didn’t you?’ he interrupted, an amused look tugging at the corners of his mouth.
‘Well, I must say, this is all a little Shakespearean, wouldn’t you say? I didn’t take you for indulging in these kinds of dramatics, Jacky.’ The captain shook her head in disbelief. ‘Who would have thought that one simple rule would cause such havoc,’ she muttered to herself.
Sofia had stopped listening. She was still trying to process what Jack had said. She reached for his hand, clasping it tight, all sense of embarrassment momentarily suspended by the swell of joy coursing through her. ‘I thought I was the only one who felt it,’ she muttered in disbelief, as if to herself.
‘You kids, callitwhatitis, for God’s sake. You are clearly, madly in love.’ They both looked at the captain, who was sitting across from them with her arms folded and an incredulous expression on her face. Suddenly the whole scene seemed outlandishly funny to Sofia, and she burst into a fit of giggles, Jack joined in and, after the surprise had passed, so did the captain.
Sofia was delirious by the time the laughter died down, but Jack had the presence of mind to dare to ask, ‘So, Captain, can you forgive the lie, and bend the rules for two kids in love?’ It felt jarring to Sofia to hear him throw the word around so cavalierly.
Captain Mary smiled. ‘It brings me the greatest joy to see you so happy, Jacky, but you know me, ever erring on the side of caution. Here’s my proposal.’ Sofia squeezed Jack’s hand as they waited to hear their fate.
‘I would like to hire you both for the next charter. We can call it a test drive. Before Sofia came to me this morning I had been meaning to offer her the permanent position, but I will hold off, for now, and see how you two fare working together.’
They both agreed immediately and Sofia thought that Captain Mary seemed the most pleased with the outcome. Sofia supposed it would be a headache to replace a first officeranda chef before the next guests arrived.
Chapter Forty-Eight
As the three of them left the room, Sofia was having a hard time understanding all that had just happened. For now she hadnotlost her job, of that she was sure, but in the whirlwind, everything else still felt up in the air. Miscommunication had gotten them into this mess and she wanted to be sure that this wasn’t just another misguided strategy from Jack to keep their jobs.
The captain headed back upstairs, and Sofia looked up at Jack, lost for words. Where to start.
‘Well, that’s a first, Sofia Harlow rendered speechless,’ Jack teased.
‘Nah, I thought I’d leave all the talking to you from now on. That was quite the soliloquy in there, dragged on a little bit by the end though.’ She grimaced playfully. As ever it was easier to make a joke than say what needed to be said.
She took a deep breath and watched Jack’s expression turn sombre to match her own. ‘Did you mean what you said in there?’ She was surprised to hear her own voice trembling as she spoke. ‘About...’ She paused, plucking up the courage. ‘About love... about loving me?’
He laid the palms of his hands flat against each cheek, waiting until their eyes met before he replied, ‘If you’re asking me if I love you, Sofia, the answer is yes. Somehow after...’ he frowned, calculating in his head ‘...fifteen days, I have found myself irrevocably, undeniably, some might say madly, in love with you.’
As Jack continued, Sofia fought back tears, unsuccessfully, and two firm thumbs wiped them as they fell. ‘You’re stubborn, sarcastic, completely incapable of having a serious conversation, but you’re brilliant, Sofia, and I love you not in spite of any of those things, but because of them. Every day with you, every conversation, in fact, is an adventure where I don’t know where I’m going to end up next. Being with you is like being with myself in a way I haven’t been able to do in a very long time. It feels like being home and I like it, which is saying something from someone who has spent the past decade running away from that. The last two weeks have shown me that maybe I don’t know myself as much as I thought I did, but this...’ He shook her gently. ‘This, I know. So yes, I meant it.’
Sofia found herself in the grips of some strange combination of a sniffle and a snigger, quite unable to handle the surge of contradictory feeling.
He pulled her into a hug, and waited for her to quieten. ‘I knew for certain yesterday, on the deck,’ he whispered into her ear. She pulled away, suddenly fortified.
‘That’s when I knew I loved you too,’ she said simply, and he grinned. She was not the effusive type. She hoped in time she might be able to return the favour with her own romantic proclamation, but for today that would have to be enough.
They stood for a moment, the words settling between them, eyes searching eyes and finding certainty. All of a sudden, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She found herself yelping, giddy with childlike delight.
