Moore Than Forever (8 page)

“He’s living there? Full-time or just staying over sometimes?” Schooner’s cadence was clipped, his strong jaw tight and barely moving as he spoke.

“Well, when I got home for spring break, he was there. Every day. Every night.” Zac appeared torn. On one hand very uncomfortable having to break the news to his father and on the other hand, happy to be able to unburden himself and have someone to share it with that would be ‘on his side’.

“I see,” was all Schooner said.

Mia could see him processing it and wondered if he would blow or handle it with the cool precision of an assassin. There was so much she wanted to say, and with another crowd, she would have let her snark run wild. But it was Zac’s mother and she knew she had to temper all responses. In her head, she and Seth were doing primal screams and happy dances - CJ and Beau - a match made in hell and they totally deserved one another.

“I don’t think you’ll find much of your scotch left, Dad. He’s been hitting it pretty hard.”

Is he trying to get a rise out of his father or covering up his own theft of the scotch
, Mia wondered. With Zac, motive was not always pure, though she couldn’t help but feel for him - everyone was seemingly moving on and finding new attachments.

It was Gavin who spoke up from his hospital bed, “Good, now maybe this ludicrous divorce can be finalized.”

Schooner smiled at his dad, “Got to love a bargaining chip.” A look of satisfaction passed between the two men.

So it’s the cool assassin after all. Damn that’s hot,
Mia thought. Schooner was playing for the endgame. This was the hot, aloof man who built an empire in a competitive marketplace. If this was one of CJ’s emotional ploys, it was already dead in the water. Those fish were no longer flip-flopping. Mia observed a marked difference between California Schooner and New York Schooner. California Schooner was a much colder, more dominant creature - which was an odd juxtaposition to California being a much more laid back environment than New York City.

Turning to Zac, Schooner was very matter of fact, “You’ll stay with Grandma and Grandpa until you go back to school.”

Relieved, Zac looked from his grandmother to his grandfather to ensure that was alright and Mia could see that he really felt like an island, alone. There was no more running to mom because he didn’t like that dad was in another relationship. And the man who had encroached on the relationship with his mother had not only made claim to person but also to property. Beau had moved into the only home Zac had ever known.

“You know there’s always plenty of room for you out at the beach this summer,” the words were out of Mia’s mouth before she even comprehended what she was doing.

Surprised, Schooner turned to her and she smiled at him and nodded slightly. The opportunity to build the bridge was there and she had to at least attempt to seize the moment. She felt for Zac, but this was for Schooner.

“And I can already tell you that your baby brother would be thrilled,” she continued.

“Thanks, Mia,” thinking, he looked up and smiled at them, “that was a pretty great beach.”

Saying goodbye to Gavin later in the afternoon, he squeezed Mia’s hand. “You understand putting those you love first. My son is very lucky to have found you again. He hasn’t had that.”

Mia’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded, “I’m pretty darn lucky, too. He is so special. Thank you for raising such a wonderful man.”

As she leaned in to kiss his cheek he whispered in her ear, “Now let’s finally make you a Moore.”

Chapter Sixteen

Mia could not wipe the smile off her face as she walked through the bright sunlit living room to the wall of French doors.

Turning to Schooner, beaming, “So, this is where you grew up. I’m just envisioning you as a kid and even when I knew you in college.”

Opening one of the doors for her, they stepped outside.

“Oh my God, you have your own pier.” Mia was overwhelmed looking at the private pier, dock and boat slips and at the views across the Bay of Corona del Mar, China Cove, the coastline and out to the ocean.

Looking up at Schooner, his real smile was possibly the brightest she’d ever seen it, and she was captive in mirroring it back at him.

With shining eyes, he grabbed her hand and silently pulled her along down the pier at a hastened pace, his long legs on a mission. When they reached the dock, Schooner lifted Mia and placed her on the deck of a large sailboat that was moored.

“Baby Girl, meet your rival,” smiling, he leaned forward and kissed her.

“This is your boat?” Mia’s heart was singing at the joy in his eyes.

Nodding, he joined her on the deck. “Meet True Compass.”

“True Compass? I like that. But did you name this after Ted Kennedy’s book?” Mia began to explore the teak-decked Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 43DS, taking in all the details of its sleek and refined beauty.

“No, I had her long before Kennedy’s book,” Schooner laughed, “but I did love that it was the name of my boat and that I’d probably piss off more than a few not-so-liberal people in the OC.”

“You’re such a renegade California boy,” Mia laughed. “True Compass - leading you to the inner place you needed to find?”

Cocking his head, “Do you know how amazing it is to have someone who understands you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” And she could feel the familiar sting of tears at the back of her eyes.

“Wait here,” and he hopped back onto the pier with ease, his long legs taking him quickly back to the house.

Mia descended into the deck salon, immediately taken with how light and open it was. Outfitted in woods and white leather, U-shaped seating surrounded a table. Across from that, a white leather couch. Exploring the kitchen area, she marveled at the space’s efficiency. At the fore of the boat was a triangular shaped cabin with its own bathroom. Walking back through the salon, she was again struck by how light and airy it was with its plethora of side and ceiling windows.

At the stern of the salon was the pièce de resistance, a gorgeous aft cabin with a king sized bed and a second bathroom. Mia immediately began to picture vacations, discovering small islands and spending time together as a family.

“Want to christen it?” Schooner came up behind Mia, a bottle of chardonnay and two glasses in hand.

Jumping and letting out a yelp of surprise, “Oh my God, I didn’t hear you.”

Putting his arm around her from behind, Schooner kissed the top of her head. Laughing, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I brought some cheese and crackers and fruit. Nathaniel is fast asleep. It was a big day for him and my mom and Zac are planted in front of a bunch of reality TV shows that they taped. I had no idea they were Survivor fanatics. My mother a Survivor fan. Whoever would have guessed it?”

“This boat is gorgeous, Schooner.” Mia turned to him, awe written all over her face.

“Glad you like her. Let’s get her out of here, sail out into the harbor, enjoy some wine and munchies and decompress from this long day.”

“What about christening this cabin?” Mia’s devil grin was beckoning.

“All in good time, Wench. First let’s grab some plates and utensils and hit the deck. I need to get her out on the water.”

Topside, Mia laid out the spread on the polished wood table at the center of the deck and sat on the teak bench as she watched Schooner in the cockpit, navigating the boat away from the dock and into the Bay of Corona del Mar.

“A cool thing about living in this house is that every yacht that enters or exits the harbor has to pass by here. So, I started coveting some very big boats as a really small child.”

Mia just smiled. The man was in his element. Standing in the cockpit, behind the wheel, Schooner Moore was not only one with all he loved, but he was in command and commanding.

“This is where you came to think.” It wasn’t a question.

Smiling, he nodded slightly, “And dream and be honest with myself and work through shit and just relax,” he paused, “and sometimes escape. Ok, oftentimes escape.”

“Well, what do you think about getting a slip at the Ocean Beach Marina? Having the beach house and the boat moored on Fire Island would be amazing.” As she sliced up the cheese and fruit Schooner had brought aboard, Mia was picturing sunsets out on the Great South Bay and sailing up to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

“When Nathaniel’s older, I’d like to sail the intra-coastal waterway and then down to the Caribbean. Sail down to Virgin Gorda, dock at the Bitter End Yacht Club. Spend a vacation down there.”

Sitting with her feet up on the teak bench, Mia hugged her knees to her chest. They were dreaming together again, just as they had done when they were teens. It was then that Mia realized they were back in California together, she and Schooner, and that it was her first time back in the Golden State since she’d fled so many years before.

Now in open water, Schooner cut the engines. Stepping out of the cockpit and onto the deck, he playfully gave Mia’s legs a shove so that he could sit down next to her. Grabbing the cold bottle of Chardonnay off the table, he uncorked it and poured them both glasses.

Mia raised her glass, “To your father’s good health.”

Clinking glasses, Schooner agreed, “I’ll second that. He looked good today. I feel better now that I’ve seen him. It sounds like they’ll release him in a few days.”

“I’m very glad we came. I know it puts your mind at ease and I’m sure both your mom and Zac are feeling so much less stressed out now that you are here.” Mia tipped her head back, breathing in the ocean air deeply and holding it in her lungs.

Gently running his fingertips down her cheek, he smiled, “Thank you for inviting Zac to the beach house. You are an incredible woman, Mia Silver. You never cease to amaze me with your capacity for love and forgiveness.” Plucking a piece of cheese and an apple slice off the plate, Schooner elbowed her, “So, what did my dad whisper in your ear right before we left?”

Turning to him, devil grin bright, “He said, it’s about time you make me a Moore.”

Slinging an arm over her shoulder and pulling her into him, “I’d say with today’s bombshell that became significantly more imminent.”

Without even looking up, Mia could hear the smile in his voice. “Holy shit, what a shocker, but not shocking at all.” Looking up at Schooner, they both smiled at one another. “I didn’t know if you were going to blow or go for the endgame.”

With a hearty laugh, “CJ would love for me to care enough to blow, but she just handed me everything I needed to obtain everything I want. It’s classic and I’m going to fuck them both to the wall with it, sooner rather than later.”

Snuggling into him and watching the sun descend, a giant red ball partially obscured by hazy clouds over the Pacific, Mia noted, “You know, you are very different here. It’s so interesting, you are actually more laid back in New York than in California. There’s something colder and much more calculated and dominant in you here. I can see why you have been such a successful businessman in this environment. And it’s you, but you’re not quite my Schooner here. Does that make sense?”

Pouring himself another glass of wine, “You’re very astute, Ms. Silver. We may have the warmth of the sun, but LA is a cold, cold town. There’s nothing real and no one you can trust and you have to fight steel with titanium in business. In personal relationships, there’s nothing real here either. It’s all ‘how good do you make me look and can you help me get famous’. New York is tough and fast paced and everyone expects you to bring your A game, because they are on the top of their game, but it’s all out there, you know what you’re getting - in both business and personal relationships.”

Turning around in his arms to look at him and noting his sapphire blue eyes had a glint of the titanium he spoke of, “Makes me understand your masks a little more.”

He nodded, as he watched the sun begin to drop into the ocean. “For all that she’s dragged her feet with this divorce, it’s time to give her and Beau exactly what they deserve.”

“Each other,” Mia chimed in.

“Precisely, Baby Girl,” he leaned forward to grab a bunch of grapes and went to pop one into Mia’s mouth, then playfully pulled away making her lunge for it.

“Bastard,” she elbowed him, “don’t go all California boy on me here.”

Laughing he gently placed the grape against her lips and she parted them, allowing both his fingers and the grape into her mouth.

“Aren’t you curious how complicit he’s been in all this?” Mia wondered.

“I think in college she flirted with him and he fed her the information she asked for. He definitely did her bidding.” Schooner fed her another grape, enjoying the way she was slowly sucking his fingers.

“Do you think he might have sought me out on Facebook as a way to finally make his move after all this time?” Mia licked the squished grape juice from Schooner’s finger.

“It worked,” Schooner laughed. “From the minute he told me he’d had contact with you, I could not focus on anything else. I actually sat right here on this bench at 4 A.M. the night of my birthday party, drinking Courvoisier and counting the hours until Monday morning when I could get to the office and have Yoli help me set up a Facebook account.”