Since she hadn’t been able to reach Piper from the hospital, the mystery surrounding Luc loomed larger than ever. Thank goodness Cesar hadn’t shown up at the house early to make a liar out of her. Besides, today was not the day for any kind of confrontation.
Though Luc managed to sail through the medical procedure, the doctor had given him a heavy dose of painkiller. She noticed it made him quieter than usual, but other than that he still took charge.
An orderly had helped him from the wheelchair into the helicopter. After they’d landed at the small waterfront area in Vernazza, and he’d been assisted to the ground by the pilot, he was able to walk by leaning on his cane.
Olivia looked all around. The Piccione, named for the stylized pigeons on the sails, wasn’t in its berth or anywhere else. Puzzled, she turned to Luc. “I don’t understand. Where’s the catamaran?”
Noise from the rotors of the helicopter must have drowned out her question. After it lifted in the air he moved closer. “What did you say?”
“Why isn’t Fabio here to meet us?”
“I forgot to tell you he phoned me while I was in the recovery room. He explained that one of the engines went out, so he had to pull into port at Monterosso. It might take a few days to fix, so he made an arrangement with his friend Giovanni.”
Olivia blinked. “What arrangement?”
CHAPTER FOUR
LUC inclined his dark head toward a pathetic-looking sailboat tied up next to the Piccione’s berth.
“That dinky thing? You have to be kidding! It looks like something that barely survived the wreck of the Hesperus.”
He stared at her through veiled eyes. “I’ve sailed the Gabbiano before.”
“Gabbiano?”
“It means ‘seagull.’ She’s a worthy vessel.”
“In other words, we’re lucky it floats.”
“Fabio tried his best.” Luc remained unflappable. “It seems every available boat along this part of the coast has been booked months in advance. I’m afraid it’s this or nothing.”
His mouth looked taut. Probably the painkiller they’d given him in the hospital was wearing off and he needed to take more. Olivia felt guilty about keeping him standing there, especially when no one was available to help. Worse, the helicopter had disappeared.
“You need to lie down. Come on. We’ll get on board while we wait for Giovanni to help us make some other arrangement.”
Luc didn’t seem to need any urging. It meant his pain level was greater than she’d supposed.
She gathered their bags. Together they walked along the pier. When they reached the boat, she put them down again and told him to use her shoulders 58 for balance. The contact sent little darts of delight through her system.
Slowly he lowered himself into the boat. Even to her uneducated eye it needed an overhaul and paint job inside and out.
In this end of it she saw some fishing gear and one oar, but there were no water skis, no sun mattresses or jet skis—none of the kinds of water sport equipment that came with the luxurious Piccione.
She jumped down after Luc, leaving the suitcases on the pier. He held on to her as they descended the steps to the galley below that contained a miniscule kitchen and bathroom with a stall shower. Everything fit together like sardines in a can.
Luc opened the cabin door on the right, with its small window above the dresser and wardrobe. Bunk beds for two took up the rest of the space, leaving little room to maneuver.
Olivia had to confess the place looked clean, yet it was a far cry from the luxury she’d paid for the first time around.
Still, she’d accomplished her first objective. Except for Giovanni, who would probably sleep on one of the padded benches on deck if he couldn’t manage to find them something better, she would have Luc to herself for the next ten days.
If it had to be on this sailboat rather than the Piccione, she wasn’t about to complain. Secretly she was overjoyed to be with him at all.
What she’d give for Piper and Greer to see her now. They hadn’t thought she would get this far with him, but they’d underestimated her love for Luc, her determination to win his heart.
The object of her thoughts let go of her and eased himself onto the bottom bunk. After she helped lift his bandaged leg on top of the spread, he lay back with a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
Quickly she left the cabin and hurried into the kitchen. To her surprise the small fridge was fairly well stocked. She pulled out a bottle of mineral water, then rushed back to him.