Trevor showed up, panting. “Hey there,” he said. “Sorry to make you wait. I was getting the boat ready.” He looked wonderful in chinos turned back at the ankle, flip-flops, and a striped shirt open at the collar, the sleeves rolled up.

“I was enjoying the views,” she said. “You were right about the weather. What a brilliant evening.”

He led the way to the security gate and entered a code. They went down a ramp to the moorage docks, laid out like the teeth of a comb. Most were lined by slips with sleek sailboats and schooners and power yachts. “I’m so intrigued by boats,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh. Their names and where they’re registered—like that one. Andante. Is the owner musical? Or Italian? And that one over there—from Fiji. How did it get here all the way from Fiji?”

“I could give you answers, but I’m an unreliable narrator.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” A light breeze sang through the masts, and the colors of the sky deepened by the minute into a dramatic swath of amber and pink. They came to the end of a dock, and he stopped at a gleaming boat with a picnic deck and portals aglow from the inside.

“Oh boy,” she said.

“That’s what I said when I saw it. Come on aboard, and I’ll show you around.”

She walked the impressive length of it and checked the stern. Flip Side—Carmel-by-the-Sea. “I don’t know what to say,” she told him. “It’s fantastic.”

“When I moved to Carmel, I decided to get a boat that I could bring to San Francisco.”

“So cool.” Natalie held the polished rail and stepped aboard, and instantly felt as if she’d been swallowed up in luxury. Every surface gleamed, reflecting the water and sky. Soft music thrummed from hidden speakers. There was a lounge area and a bar, and steps leading down to a galley and what she assumed was a stateroom. “Do you run this thing yourself?”

“Sometimes. We’ll just take a short cruise tonight. Sound good?”

“Sounds magical,” she said. “What can I do?”

“Drink this.” He gave her a glass of champagne. “I’ll be right back.”

Trevor started the engine, then brought in the lines. They sat together at the bridge and motored slowly away from the marina. The sun seemed to balance on the horizon, gilding the scenery as it dipped almost imperceptibly. As they headed toward Alcatraz Island, the city slipped past in a glitter of winking lights. Natalie couldn’t resist taking pictures of the gold-tinged scenery. She was tempted to photograph the boat to show Cleo and Bertie, but she didn’t want to be an obnoxious fangirl.