Free Making Waves by Tawna Fenske Page A

mirror.”
    “Are you mocking me?”
    “Yes.”
    “Fair enough. Anyway, maybe once I get past the seasickness, I could even learn to like boating.”
    Alex raised an eyebrow at her. “Thirty minutes ago you said you’d rather shave your legs with a carrot peeler than spend another hour on this ship.”
    “I was puking at the time. The ginger has given me a new perspective.”
    “Powerful stuff, ginger.”
    They descended the narrow stairwell together, Alex a few steps ahead of her, reaching back to steady her once when she wobbled a little. They stepped into the pilothouse and moved toward the U-shaped dinette area where Cody— Cookie —had set the table with blue linen place mats and perfectly pressed linen napkins folded into the shape of a swan.
    “Wow, Cookie, something smells delicious!” Juli said, taking a seat and spreading her napkin over her lap. “I hope you didn’t go to all this trouble because you have a guest onboard.”
    Cody beamed at her. “No, no. This is just something I’d planned to do once we started this leg of the journey. I have a complete gourmet menu drawn up for the duration of our mission.”
    “Mission?”
    “That’s what cartographers call it,” Alex said, glancing up as Phyllis stepped into the room. “Right, Phyllis?”
    Phyllis nodded and settled into the chair beside Juli. “Right. I’m starving.”
    “I’ve selected wines that complement each course of the meal, so we’re starting with a crisp Pinot Gris from Napa Valley,” Cody said, filling their glasses from a bottle plucked from an ice bucket at the center of the table. Juli took a cautious sip as she watched Cody set the bottle back in the bucket and return to the table with a silver tray.
    “Here we have bacon-wrapped dates in a port wine demiglace. And these are miniature quesadillas with brie and fresh grapes.”
    Juli pointed at the pretty green flourish on the quesadillas. “What are the green swirly things shaped like flowers?”
    Cody beamed. “That’s green pea guacamole. I used a pastry tool to achieve the exact shape of a gardenia.”
    Juli clapped her hands together. “It’s lovely! Thank you.”
    Phyllis looked like she was trying hard not to smile as she used some small silver tongs to help herself to the appetizers. Juli watched as the older woman darted a glance toward the cockpit where Jake was steering the ship. The look of hunger was palpable, though it wasn’t clear whether the food or the man had prompted it.
    Juli shot a look at Alex, who seemed oblivious to everything but the navigational chart he’d brought with him to the table. His eyes didn’t leave the chart as he reached out and plucked a bacon-wrapped date from the tray.
    He began to chew, then looked up in obvious surprise. “Wow, nice job, Cookie. These are excellent. I usually just eat Chef Boyardee when I’m at sea.”
    “Chef who?”
    “Chef—oh, never mind,” Alex said, helping himself to another. “This is really good.”
    Remembering the fate of her breakfast, Juli suddenly realized how starving she was. She used the little tongs to grab a couple quesadillas, then carefully dotted each with some extra green pea guacamole from a dish on the side.
    “Ohmygod, Cookie, this is amazing!” she gasped between bites. “Have you worked as a professional chef?”
    Cody beamed as he piled more dates on the platter. “Never professionally, but I’ve always cooked. When I got laid off, I decided to spend more time getting serious about it, maybe trying to find myself, you know?”
    Juli cocked her head at him. “Laid off?”
    “From my job at—”
    “At a rival cartography firm,” Alex interrupted as he grabbed another date. “We snapped him up very quickly, of course.”
    “Of course,” Juli said, eyeing Alex. She helped herself to another quesadilla and two dates, careful not to drip sauce on the beautifully starched tablecloth. “Which appetizer is your favorite, Phyllis?”
    “Hmmm?” Phyllis asked as