His dad waved. “Hello, son.”
Paul Santini hadn’t yet dressed in his captain’s uniform, so he looked relaxed in a golf shirt and pants. These days, his dad wore his smile with ease, but it had been a long and hard-fought road for the elder Santini.
Standing a few inches shorter than Carrera, Paul kept his graying hair short, his face clean shaven, and his physique as trim as he could for a man who enjoyed a daily dose of sweets.
After a hardy hug, his dad stepped back on board, Carrera close on his heels.
“You just missed my sponsor,” his dad said. “He joined me for breakfast.”
“That’s great, Dad.”
“Are you hungry?”
“I could eat,” Carrera replied.
Into the ship they went. The crew was already on board, the chef and his staff getting organized in the galley.
“Good morning, Mr. Santini,” said the chef. “Eggs and toast?”
“That would be great, Chef,” Carrera replied.
Ten minutes later, Carrera and his dad were sitting outside, the morning sun warming Carrera’s skin.
“Doing your monthly ship visit?” his dad asked.
“No, I’m here because I need your help.”
His dad sighed. “Jazz told me what happened. She’s got a temper like your mom, and boy was she flaming mad.”
“So, about that.” Carrera sipped the coffee. “I know you love cruising in the summer months?—”
“I had a feeling that’s why you texted me,” his dad said.
“I’ve got my senior marketing rep—Gracie—running things, but you did a great job after Mara died. Dad, I can’t work full time and run the cruise line. I trust you?—”
His dad smiled. “Thank you for saying that. I’ll do it, but I’ll still captain my ship on the weekends.”
Carrera extended his hand and his dad shook it. “Dad, you’re a lifesaver.”
To his surprise, tears clouded his dad’s eyes. “That means a lot. There was a time when I couldn’t tie my own shoe.”
Carrera glanced down at his dad’s feet. “And now, look at you. Shoes tiedandyou came through for me… again.”
As he wiped his eyes, his dad chuckled. “Is there someone at the office I can train to take over, so I can return here?”
“Gracie stepped up,” Carrera explained. “She’s a hard worker, so if you see potential, let her run with it.”
“Being outside every day is good for my soul. This job saved me.”
“It helped, but you saved yourself.”
“Actually, I stand corrected. God saved me. And I got sober. You gave me a chance, and I think it would be difficult for me to be in an office long term. I’d be counting down the days until I can retire.”
Carrera finished the last bite of toast. “I appreciate your doing this. Can you start Monday?”
“Yeah,” his dad replied. “I’ll call Gracie and let her know. She was very helpful last go-round.”
Carrera downed the rest of the coffee, said goodbye to the crew, and hugged his dad. On the pier, he said, “Call me for anything.”
