Andi smiled at Zeke, noticing how his warm eyes communicated understanding. “Want to split my blueberry muffin?” she asked him. No harm in providing another subject to chat about.
“Uh, sure,” he said.
Andi picked up the muffin off the table and put it on top of the refrigerator before using her fingers to split it more or less in half. “Help yourself.”
“Nothing quite like a Bean Grinder muffin,” Zeke said, breaking off a chunk and popping it in his mouth. “My dad and I go there for something almost every day.”
“That place is one of the best things about living in Two Moon Bay.” She kept her hands busy and periodically glanced at Zeke, who continued playing along with her game of slowly introducing the different features of the boat, taking a side trip only to extol the Bean Grinder.
The sound of a dog barking in the background got Zeke’s attention. “Teddy,” he said, frowning. “My dad must have brought him down.” He went out to the deck.
Andi followed and laughed when she saw Teddy dash to the boat, dragging his leash. An older man, presumably Art, followed behind and tried to catch up to the fast dog. Zeke hurried off the boat and onto the dock and caught the dog by the collar in the grass. “Hey, Teddy, slow down.”
“Is that your dog?” Brooke called out.
“He is, and he gets excited when he sees kids.”
“Why?” Brooke went to the rail on the stern to watch the dog, the whole back half of him in motion, not just his wildly wagging tail.
Andi joined her, smiling to herself. Teddy the goodwill ambassador. Maybe he’d save the day. Her spirits soared when she noted the rain had completely stopped. The dripping below would stop, too.
“We don’t know why he’s drawn to kids, Brooke,” Zeke said, “but he’s always been that way.”
Was that true? Andi wondered. Or was Zeke saying that to get Brooke’s attention? Watching the dog jump around, obviously more excited than usual, she thought maybe Teddy really was a kids’ kind of dog.
“My dad and I figure he gets bored with us. He wants more active companions,” Zeke said, hanging on to the leash as Art got closer. “Right, Dad?”
“Yep. Teddy sort of wandered into our lives. Maybe he had kid friends in his puppyhood and now he wishes we had a girl like you around.” Art came closer to the stern. “I’m Art. You must be the one Teddy’s been waiting for. What’s your name?”
“Brooke.” She stared at the dog. He was still jumping and straining to get free. “Are you sure the dog—Teddy—likes kids?”
“Sit, Teddy, sit,” Zeke ordered. “He’s just all worked up now. He didn’t know company was coming today.”
Andi watched as the dog obeyed and sat, but his tail thumped on the dock. Seeing Teddy get this excited over Brooke, Andi couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive herself. Zeke was holding him back, though.
“He’ll settle down in a minute,” Zeke said, as if reading her mind.
Andi waved to Art. “I’m Andi. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”
Smiling, Art said, “It’s nice to see this place looking alive.” He elbowed Zeke. “It gets kind of dull around here with just the two of us.”
Andi could have planted a big kiss on Art’s cheek. In spite of herself, Brooke was focused on the dog and Art. Distractions, Andi thought. Maybe the initial knee-jerk negativity would soften.
“Mind if I come aboard and have a look around?” Art asked. “Zeke has had all the fun out here getting her ready for you. I’ve been so busy in the store I haven’t had but one quick peek inside.”
“Of course.” Andi swept her arm in a welcoming gesture. “Come aboard.”
Zeke stayed behind with the dog, and Brooke stood still and kept her eyes on Teddy, while Andi led Art into the cabin.
“Zeke is bringing me supplies to help fix the leaks,” she said. “Brooke and I will move aboard in a couple of days, and provided we don’t get more rain, I ought to be able to fill the cracks on the cabin top.”
Art nodded. “Zeke will get that done for you. Right away. We don’t want you and Brooke living with towels and buckets all over the place.” He opened some locker doors in the galley, nodded in approval and then looked into the bigger stateroom in the stern. “She was built to be a luxury yacht. That much is clear.”
Andi heard Teddy on the deck and Zeke’s voice warning him not to jump. “Sounds like Brooke and Teddy are being introduced.”
Art grinned. “He’s a good little critter all around. As soon as he showed up, I knew that unless his owners claimed him, ol’ Teddy would know he’d found himself a couple of suckers to give him a new home.”
“Oh, yeah, I can tell he’s been such a burden,” Andi teased.
Art’s brown eyes were full of fun. “Ah, you’re on to us already.”
Looking out to the deck, Andi could see Brooke had crouched down next to the sitting dog and was petting him, starting at the top of his head and running her hand all the way down his furry back. “You’re a cute dog, Teddy,” she said. “Lots of my friends in Green Bay have dogs, so I’m used to them. As long as they don’t jump on me.”
Zeke stood nearby keeping an eye on Brooke and Teddy. Art continued looking around—opened notched drawers, checked hinges and hardware on the lockers. Andi took her own inventory of all the hardware and wood she’d remove, repair and restore. The storage behind the curved seat at the table had sliding doors that dragged in their tracks when Art tried to open them.
“These can all be taken out,” Art said. “A little sanding will get ’em riding in the grooves.”
“That’s the plan,” she said, feeling lighter now that she was engaged in talking about her work plan—her strategy to make real progress. Maybe the worst was over? At least Brooke could see they wouldn’t be isolated on the waterfront. They’d even have a dog coming around to say hello.
With Zeke staying with him, Teddy came down into the cabin and began his rounds sniffing in the corners and disappearing into the cabin in the bow. Brooke’s room, Andi thought. Pretending she hadn’t noticed, Andi turned her attention to sliding some locker doors back and forth with Art to see what they’d need. She didn’t comment when Brooke followed Teddy.
Andi soon heard Brooke’s voice coming from the cabin. “What are you smelling, Teddy? Something good?”
Zeke caught her eye and they connected as if she’d known him for years. Art kept at his project of opening every one of the dozens of storage drawers and cabinets, exclaiming over the space.
“Zeke? Art?” Brooke called out. “Is it okay if Teddy sits on the bunk? He jumped up here.”
Zeke held out his hand to his dad to keep him from blurting an answer. Instead, he said, “It’s your cabin, Brooke. It’s up to you and your mom.”
“It’s fine with me,” Andi said.
“Okay,” Brooke called out. “You can stay, Teddy.”
Putting her palms flat on the dining table, Andi rested her weight on them and exhaled as if she’d been holding her breath for hours. Relieved at last, Andi picked up her coffee and pulled off a piece of the muffin, moist with blueberries. She could savor it now.
“It’s just like that dog to make himself at home,” Art said, chuckling. “Right, Zeke?”
Andi quickly ate her half of the muffin in silence, while Zeke checked the towels and Art