"Ask her," Bob said and pointed to Olivia. "Olivia is the official decorator of my personal life."

Olivia was remembering going to David Fletcher's studio and talking about the origins of this kind of table from the nineteenth century and a furniture designer named Robert Jupe.

"Oh! Well, uh, this is a capstan table, custom designed for this boat and made by a designer in northern England. Kendal is the town. David Fletcher is the name of the furniture maker. Anyway, I've been following his work for years and I think he's just brilliant."

"You don't worry about leaving it out here in the elements?" Ernest said.

"Well, that's a really good question. We gave it a UV resistant finish and it's constructed of teak, custom painted to look like walnut and mahogany. It's been in place for ten years, and I think it still looks great."

"I've never seen anything like that in my whole life!" Betty said.

"Take me now, Lord! I've seen it all!" Ernest said. "Say, Bob? I'll bet that set you back a pretty penny."

"I knew I liked you, Ernest! A man of the cloth who recognizes the beauty of pennies!"

Ernest chuckled and Bob continued.

"Yeah," Bob said, "we had this guy Fletcher on the boat for a week while he put it together. Nice guy."

"This is really something else!" Betty said.

"Come on," Bob said. "Let's get you to your stateroom."

"Stateroom? Oh my!" Betty's eyes were as big as saucers.

Maritza said, "Yep, you're bunking with Kitty and Ernest is in with Daniel. We can't have any moofky-poofky until these two tie the knot!"

"You're a fine woman, Mrs. Vasile," Ernest said.

"Tell that to him," she said and hooked her thumb in Bob's direction.

CHAPTER 12.

I Do! I Don't!

Their first night pa.s.sed quietly. It was true that everyone was somewhat fatigued from the trip, but it was quiet because half of the pa.s.sengers had almost no interest in Betty or Ernest. In fact, when Olivia thought about it, it seemed odd that Bob didn't fill the staterooms with Kitty's and Daniel's friends instead of his own. As a result, there was no traditional bachelor party. No hoopla at all. There was only Bob at the helm of the dinner table telling stories about himself and the few things that he could remember about Daniel's childhood to try and entertain Kitty's family.

"I was working and traveling a lot during those years," Bob offered as an excuse.

Betty, on the other hand, regaled them with nearly every moment of Kitty's formative years. "She could twirl a fire baton like n.o.body's business!"

"I'd be afraid to catch my hair!" Maritza said.

"So would I!" Olivia said. "You're very brave, Kitty."

Kitty grinned and shook her head. "Mom? People don't want to know all this stupid stuff."

"Yes, we do!" Maritza said. "I couldn't twirl a baton to save my soul, much less one on fire!"

Betty laughed and continued. "I know now that I'm here that this might seem like a silly thing, but I brought you two jars of strawberry rhubarb preserves." Betty said. "I put up ten gallons in quart jars every summer and I just thought you might enjoy them. They're in my cabin."

"Stateroom," Dorothy said, correcting her, adding. "Rhubarb. How quaint." She reached for the bottle of wine and filled her gla.s.s to the brim, even though dinner had been cleared from the table. Betty's affectionate manner toward Maritza irritated the h.e.l.l out of her.

"Stateroom! It just sounds so grand," Betty said.

"Well, that's 'cause it is grand," Dorothy said. "Where's Toto? h.e.l.lo! We're not in Mississippi anymore." She alone laughed at her joke.

"We're actually from Nebraska," Ernest said.

She's looped, Olivia thought, and looked at Nick, who smirked in agreement. He reached out and took Olivia's hand in his, kissing the back of it.

Betty did her best to ignore Dorothy, who was obviously swimming the River Vino. "Anyway, Maritza, tell me about your folks. Are they still in Mississippi? I had a cousin there. I haven't spoken to her in years."

"Well, my momma is in Cartaret, which is out of the way, but it's so pretty. She's a very serious gardener, and you should see her yard when all the azaleas are in bloom. It's just gorgeous."

"Is that where ya learned 'bout tha birds an' tha bees, Marizza?" Dorothy said, slurring her words enough to cause Buddy and Mich.e.l.le and Olivia and Nick to lean in and finally stare at her.

Dorothy just cackled, as though she was Amy Schumer and Tina Fey rolled into one. Sam ignored her. Kitty and Daniel snickered. Dorothy drained her goblet just as the waitstaff was putting down dessert, cherries jubilee flambe.

Olivia thought, Uh-oh, somewhere in between Necker Island and tonight Dorothy developed an unquenchable thirst.

"Oh! How beautiful!" Maritza said.

"I thought we needed something celebratory in honor of the wedding," Bob said.

Olivia said to herself, That's some bull. He has it every chance he can. She looked at Nick, who smiled in agreement.

"Looks great!" Kitty said. "I'll make this for you, Daniel."

"Sweet," Daniel said.

Dorothy looked at her plate, frowned, and said, "Do you thin' I mi' have another gla.s.s of wine? I'm so bored I cou' scream."

"Have whatever you want," Sam said.

"Then I think I'll have a lil' nap." Dorothy pushed her cherries jubilee to the center of the table, folded her arms on the table, put her head down on her arms, and pa.s.sed out cold.

Sam ignored her, still talking to Buddy about whatever their sidebar discussion was about-golf, Olivia guessed-and seemed to have no intention of removing her from the scene. There had to be some trouble in their paradise, Olivia surmised.

As soon as she could, Mich.e.l.le sneaked away, saying that she was very tired. Ellen was the next to fold on the excuse of getting Gladdie to sleep.

Maritza hated herself-but not really-for enjoying seeing Dorothy make a complete fool of herself. Olivia and Nick hated to admit it, but later on admit it they did in pillow-talk whispers. In fact, they snorted with stifled laughter.

But dinner was not over quite yet. The rest of them sat around the expanded marvel of the remote-controlled dining table, trying to pretend there wasn't an unconscious woman in their midst.

Olivia looked at Kitty. She had pale skin and short-cropped black hair. She could be quite pretty with some cosmetics. Maybe. And her tattoos were worrisome, because what if she decided to change careers and she was stuck with small appliances and cupcakes? And worst of all, how would they look at seventy? The poor child. She's actually sweet and shy.

"Tell us about your cake, Kitty," Olivia said, trying to let Kitty take the lead. "I understand that you baked it yourself and that you're putting it together tomorrow?"

"Kitty started baking when she was just a little bitty thing," Betty said, as though Kitty had severe laryngitis.

"Mom! I can answer for myself!"

"Made my birthday cake when she was just ten years old!" Ernest said.

"Arg. Never mind."

"That's so sweet!" Maritza said. "So tell us, Kitty!"

After expelling a portion of foul humors with a guttural sigh, she said, "Okay. Two layers are hazelnut because it's my favorite; two are German chocolate because that's Daniel's favorite; and the icing is cla.s.sic vanilla-bean b.u.t.tercream with marzipan flowers. The surprise is all in the decoration. It's not going to be like a cake with some stupid bride and groom on the top."

"Kitty was on Cake Wars," Daniel said. "She won ten thousand dollars."

Olivia had the uncharitable thought that Kitty's winnings were roughly ten thousand times more than what Daniel had ever earned in his entire life.

"That's my baby!" Betty said. "I have it all on a DVD."

"What's Cake Wars?" Bob asked.

"Oh, honey!" Maritza said. "Food Network! I love that show! What did you bake?"

But on considering the real world of the ninety-nine percent and the world of his son's in-laws, Bob said, "Actually, that's a lot of money for a cake."

"Well, I can't wait to taste your wedding cake," Nick said. "I love all cake."

"For Cake Wars I made a cake that had an aquarium theme. There was a giant shark coming out of the top of it, teeth and all. He had a b.l.o.o.d.y fish dangling from one of his teeth. And baby orcas swimming around the bottom devouring other fish that devoured smaller ones. It had a kind of food-chain border."

"That sounds really scary!" Maritza said.

"You're scared of a cake? Really? G.o.d, that's so lame," Daniel said.

Maritza turned red, but because of the hour few could tell.

"I know you're getting married tomorrow, son," Bob said, "but don't be snide to Maritza."

"He's just nervous," Betty said. "Aren't you, son?"

"No. Not really," Daniel said and looked at Kitty. The bride and groom rolled their eyes.

This trip was like the Olympics of eye rolling, Olivia thought. And then she said to herself, Bob defended Maritza? Bull. Olivia knew him well enough to know that he defended Maritza to look good in the eyes of Betty and Ernest. If they had not been there, Daniel's remark would've flown right into Bob's left ear and out of his right without so much as a sneeze-inducing tickle. These were decent, wholesome midwestern people, with the kind of reputation for being straight shooters that Bob couldn't buy. And Bob always wanted what he didn't have.

"Whatever," Daniel said.

"Excuse me," Maritza said, having had enough sarcasm for one evening, and left the table. "I'm going to say good night now." She went around the table and gave Betty a hug. "We're so happy y'all are here."

"Thank you, Maritza," Betty said. "This had been the most amazing day!"

"Kitty, if you need a hand with your cake I'd be glad to help you," Maritza said.

"No, thanks." Kitty said. One more eye roll.

"Yeah, she used to cook belowdecks for the crew," Daniel said.

"Yeah, I know she did," Kitty said.

"She is the cat's mother," Betty said automatically, because she had drilled it into Kitty that it was impolite to refer to another person who was actually present in the room as he or she. But Betty's hand flew to her mouth because it was also impolite for her to reprimand Daniel.

"My mother used to say that!" Olivia said, coming to Betty's defense with a laugh. "She said it all the time. I'm afraid that too many linguistic niceties have been tossed aside in today's world."

Nick said, "I used to see it all the time in the cla.s.sroom, people coming in and saying Yo, dude! Just where is Yo, dude! going to take you in this world? Wall Street? A boardroom? An operating room? I think not."

"Yo! Mr. Seymour!" Daniel said and thought he was a Rhodes scholar for the moment.

"That's funny, Daniel." Nick smiled at him because a young person never learns anything from being demoralized. "A good command of the language is a powerful tool. People forget about the great beauty of words, but words strung together well endure through the ages. Look at our Const.i.tution and think about how important it was to be concise. Or a Shakespearean play."

"Or the Bible," Ernest said.

"Touche!" Olivia said. "Good one!" Olivia stood and gave Maritza a hug. "Sleep well."

"Thanks," Maritza said quietly and headed inside.

No one else acknowledged her departure except Nick and then Ernest, who stood up halfway from their chairs and then resumed their seats a moment later.

"Hey, Dad? When is Mom coming? I miss her so much."

Olivia could see Maritza bristle even though she was walking away from them. She pushed up the sleeves of her silk caftan and shrugged her shoulders "Tomorrow afternoon. She's in Palma, shopping."

"My word," Betty said.

Olivia noted the look of concern on Betty's face as if she was wondering for the first time about the maturity and suitability of Daniel to be her son-in-law and very likely the father of her only grandchildren. And what kind of a father-in-law would Bob be? Betty sighed deeply as the realization set in that it was too late in the game to do anything about it. Her only child, who'd been raised to love G.o.d, her family, and the American way-was she marrying for money?

Olivia could see straight into Betty's heart and felt bad for her. As much as she, on that rare occasion, ached for a child of her own, she was once again keenly aware that children also bring heartbreak, disappointment, and problems that can't be solved. Young Daniel's character may have been beyond salvage.

The hour was late and Le Bateau de l'Amour was under way but moving at a lazy pace until the captain felt certain that all the pa.s.sengers were safely in their beds. Then he would open up the engines to a faster clip. Their course was set to head toward Ibiza and the other Balearic Islands.