Page 43 of Hearts Aweigh

A TWENTY-FOOT CLIFF . B USHES and brambles stuck from the uneven surface. A rough-hewn rock wall stood in front of an indentation in the ground that might serve as a pool if there were water flowing.

But there wasn’t.

Not a drop.

Abby swatted a fly. She hoped Maddie wouldn’t be too disappointed. The girl stood by her side, eating the lollipop Daisy had purchased for her from the convenience store.

Maddie stared at the dusty mountain with confusion. “Where’s the waterfall?”

Spencer shifted the step stool. “My thoughts exactly.” His sarcastic tone didn’t help the situation.

The four Shippers huddled around a sign stuck in the ground near the wall. It was made with a piece of poster board and a thin wooden stake. The font was neat and meticulous.

Emily pointed to the words. “This explains it. We might have to wait a while.”

“I hope it isn’t too long.” Althea waved an empty water bottle in the air. “I need to tinkle.”

Abby drew Maddie closer, then walked to the sign and read the precise lettering.

“It says the falls appear on certain days after heavy rains. During a dry summer, the location is an ordinary cliff. The townspeople named it Cascada Sorpresa—Surprise Waterfall. If you make a wish when the waterfall is visible, it will come true. And if a couple share a kiss in front of the pool, their love will last forever.” She squeezed Maddie. “Isn’t that cool?”

“Do you believe everything you read?” Spencer bent and dropped the stool on the ground. “I suspect the store owner invented a romantic story to rope in the tourists. Why is there a makeshift sign instead of a permanent one? And why is it only written in English when we’re in Mexico?”

She gave him a warning grimace. Glancing at Maddie, Abby kept a cheerful attitude. “Let’s wish for something.”

Maddie licked her lollipop. “I wish I could eat this candy a lot.” She wandered to her colorful stool, climbed up, and raised on her tiptoes to search for the nonexistent waterfall.

Ten minutes passed while they waited. The Shippers chatted. Maddie wandered around with her lollipop. And Spencer checked his email on his phone.

Abby kept her sights glued to the top of the cliff. When she spotted the first few drops trickle over the edge, she hooted. “Maddie, look!”

The girl ran and hopped on her stool again. Everyone joined her at the wall.

The paltry dribble became a stream until a gentle cascade of water poured down the cliff.

“Wow!” Maddie clapped. “A waterfall.”

“More like a water drizzle,” Spencer muttered.

Abby elbowed him. “Make a wish, Maddie. Ask God for something special.”

Her young charge folded her hands together and bowed her head. Her lips moved as she prayed. Suddenly, her chin popped up. “Potty,” she squeaked. “I need the potty.”

“Here, honey.” Althea scooted over. “I gotta go too. You come with me. I saw a bathroom at the store.”

“I can help.” Abby moved to join them but was waved back.

“Don’t bother. You stay and enjoy the beautiful falls.”

Spencer snorted at the inaccurate description, and Abby gave him the stink eye.

“I’m coming too.” Emily hobbled toward them, leaning more on her cane than usual. “Standing around makes my legs sore.”

Promising to return, every one of the Shippers headed down the dirt path with Maddie. Spencer and Abby stood alone by the rock wall, watching the spatter of water spill from the top.

Abby cringed at the awkward silence. “Care to make a wish?”

“I don’t put any stock in wishes.” Spencer leaned on the wall. “Prayers, yes. But a magic waterfall won’t make those happen.”

“True.” Abby hooked a foot around the stool, dragged it over, and clambered on top. She teetered to the side.

“Careful.” Spencer grabbed her elbow, then released her quickly.

“Maddie had the right idea. I can see much better with a boost.” She copied the girl’s earlier pose and clasped her hands on top of the wall to say a prayer.

After a few seconds, Spencer shifted beside her. “What did you wish for?”

“I wished Maddie would call you Daddy every day.”

He turned at the same time as Abby. Thanks to the step stool, they were almost face-to-face. From this height, he was much easier to read. She saw an unfamiliar vulnerability in his eyes, like she’d revealed a hidden secret.

“You caught that?”

Her smile was sad. “Maddie’s not exactly a chatterbox, but I noticed she addresses you in a formal way. The fact she called you Daddy today made me want to crow. You must be doing something right.” She patted his broad shoulder. “Keep up the good work.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he blinked deliberately but said nothing.

“Sure you don’t want to make a wish?” She poked him in the gut.

He retreated. His sudden motion spoiled her balance. The stool tipped. Her body rushed forward. She squeezed her lids shut, but two strong arms caught her round the waist, stopping her fall.

The tips of her toes still braced against the stool, but the length of her was held against her rescuer. Abby’s stomach flip-flopped at the strong body pressed to hers. She cracked one eye open.

The right corner of Spencer’s mouth quirked. “You know, a wish wasn’t the only thing the sign mentioned.”

“Huh?”

He lowered his head. His lips touched hers with a soft but skillful pressure.

His mouth rested against her own for a second before opening slightly, allowing her lower lip to nestle between his own.

His large hand cupped the back of her head.

Her feet lifted off the stool, adding to the dizzy swirl in her brain.

One long, slow, deliberate kiss.

His warm breath hit her face as he pulled away. Then he maneuvered her to the stool. She scrambled off. Her feet hit the ground, and she backed away.

Say something, her brain urged. Did it mean for her to speak or him? She wasn’t sure.

Spencer cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

Abby wasn’t sure what she’d wanted him to say, but she was 100 percent sure it wasn’t I’m sorry .

She despised the phony laugh that left her mouth. “I guess we checked off everything on the sign. Let’s rejoin the others.” She took off down the path without waiting for him.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

What if he thought she was coming on to him again? In her defense, he’d initiated the kiss, but it might have been because he found her gawky and pitiable. Another gold digger throwing herself at a rich, handsome man.

But he was hard to resist when his mind-numbing, muscular torso was pressed tight against her own. She was only human.

Hadn’t the Shippers said they’d found a new candidate? It was time to meet someone else and get her mind off the tantalizing man who’d just kissed the sense right out of her brain. Past time. Yep. Her alarm was ringing loud and clear.

Emily twisted in her seat and studied her watch for the third time. “Where is Gerry with our update?” She kicked the rubber tip of her metal cane in disgust. It galled her that she had to rely on someone else to investigate, but she was too tired to trek back to the waterfall.

Getting old was for the birds.

She perched on a plastic chair by a table outside the convenience store.

After drawing a piece of butterscotch from her purse, Emily unwrapped it and popped the candy in her mouth.

Althea took a swig from a bottle of bright orange Mexican soda and dug into a plate of tacos.

Daisy sat in the chair beside her. She kept an eye on Maddie, who crouched nearby, creating a tea party on the ground with sticks and leaves.

Althea raised a bulging tortilla shell, and meat spilled from the end. She turned it the opposite way and laughed when more filling dripped. “I think they gave me a left-handed taco.”

Gerry raced to the store and skidded to a stop in front of them. “Oh boy. You’ll never”—she gasped—“guess what I saw. We must be getting better at this matchmaking thing.” She sucked in a deep lungful of air.

Emily stood tall. “What is it?”

“He”—Gerry took another breath—“he kissed her! She was standing on top of Maddie’s step stool, and he laid one right on her.”

“Hallelujah!” Althea waved her taco in the air. “The romantic waterfall scheme worked. Great idea, Emily.” She slapped her on the leg. “Who knew Daisy’s smarty-pants son would fall for such guff?”

The thrill of success coursed through Emily’s arteries, but she tried to remain modest. “All it took was creating the right setting and opportunity. We couldn’t have done it without Fernando. It was providence that there was a shed with a faucet on top of the cliff.”

Gerry scowled. “The waterfall was less than impressive. I’m surprised Spencer didn’t guess someone was hiding up there with a garden hose.”

Emily paced away from the table. “It helps that you worded the legend on the sign so poetically. It must’ve given him inspiration.”

Daisy remained quiet, only the tiniest pucker between her eyebrows betraying her unsettled feelings. Was she second-guessing her decision to let them match Abby with her son?

Althea scooted her chair closer to her roommate and wound an arm around Daisy. “You okay with this, honey?”

Daisy shrugged. “I can’t deny my misgivings. But if this will bring my son happiness, then I don’t regret it.”

“What a relief.” Gerry collapsed in the chair Emily had vacated. “Now that we’re making progress with our couple, I can get to work on my story.” She pulled a notebook and pen from her bag.

“Plugging away on your romance novel?” Althea asked.

“I’m sick of romance.”

“Since when?”

Gerry took out her phone and scrolled. “After a while, it starts to feel like I’m lying to my audience. How disappointed would a prospective reader be to discover the author is a shriveled-up spinster?”

“Hogwash.” Emily pinched Gerry’s upper arm. “You live on a cruise ship and arrange love stories for complete strangers. I imagine a reader would find that fascinating. A few months ago, you even helped capture a drug smuggler.”

“Exactly.” Gerry tapped her pen on the table.

“That aberration stirred my creative juices. I decided to try my hand at the suspense genre. I’ve been reading a score of murder mysteries to put me in the mood.

And I’ve already picked the perfect crime.

” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Blackmail.”

“Sounds familiar,” Emily deadpanned.

“Real life is the best place to draw inspiration.” Gerry’s gaze returned to her phone. “I’ve got a great idea for an alarm system repairman who wires the indoor cameras to spy on political candidates.”

Maddie ran over with a glossy leaf in her hand, the large white petal of a flower sitting on top. “Grandma, I brought you some tea.”

“Why, thank you, sugar.” Daisy took the gift and pretended to drink from the flower cup. “My, my. This is the best tea I ever tasted.”

“It’s cupcake flavored.” Madeleine climbed onto Daisy’s lap, and laid her head against her grandmother’s shoulder.

Althea took the last swig of her orange soda, thunked the empty bottle on the table, and made a face at Gerry’s screen. “What’s that?”

“Research. It looks like coaxial cables only transmit pictures, but Ethernet cables allow my villain to eavesdrop on conversations.”

Althea yawned. “I miss the sixties, when you didn’t wonder if your TV was spying on you.”

Gerry and Althea continued their bickering, Daisy shared her imaginary flower tea with Madeleine, and Emily lounged in a chair, content to give the young people time to make a genuine connection.

Their client Abby was ready and willing for love, but Spencer’s unexpected capitulation surprised Emily.

She had thought he’d fight the attraction harder.

She hoped Daisy’s rational son could tap into his romantic side.

But if he needed help, the Shippers’ playbook contained more than one foolproof method for encouraging affection.