Kai snapped a few photos before pocketing her phone. They hustled onto the deck, and Len led them to a spot where other crew members were gathered.
“Here comes the captain,” Len said. “Get ready for inspection.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Kai said before Len silenced her with a stern look.
“Actually, we should be pleased that the captain is taking such care,” Marina said. Although she wasn’t happy about the interruption, she understood how important this was.
“Dinner is going to be delayed,” Kai said.
“What’s that?” The captain stepped in front of Kai. He spoke with an accent.
She tilted her chin. “I said, dinner will be delayed. Just so you know.”
Clearing his throat, he lifted slightly on his heels. “Wouldn’t you agree that the safety of the passengers and crew is more important?”
Len coughed, and the line grew quiet. Marina flicked her fingers against her sister’s in warning.
“Yes, sir,” Kai said quietly.
The captain moved on, and he appeared to find the rest of the crew in compliance, although Marina couldn’t tell from the language they were speaking. Russian, she thought. Then the captain shifted back to English and said a few words about safety. He pointed out a route and lifeboats.
Satisfied, the captain released them and moved on to the guests assembling haphazardly on the deck. Charles and Anne were taking photos for guests while a few sipped cocktails.
Marina paused and glanced over her shoulder to see who they might be serving tonight. “Looks like a happy crowd.”
Kai nodded. “Your lobster pizza should go over well with them.”
“Look how cute the kids look in their life jackets.” Marina peered into the sun. A little girl seemed familiar. “Say, isn’t that Samantha? Denise and John must be here.”
Kai nudged her, though her elbow bounced off Marina’s thick life vest. “Jack and Leo are here, too.”
Next to Jack stood a young, slender blond woman. Leo was shyly shaking her hand. And then Marina realized that this was the event Jack had asked her to this morning. The younger woman obviously didn’t mind a last-minute date.
Marina turned away. She had an important job to do. She unfastened her life vest and tugged at the straps.
“Are the kebobs ready?” Marina asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.
“Almost,” Kai replied. “Hey, what did that life vest ever do to you?”
Marina pushed the vest into Len’s arms, maybe a little too hard. “Oh, sorry,” she added quickly as a startled Len caught his balance. She couldn’t let Jack cloud her thoughts. “Would you put that back for me? I have to cook.”
Striding ahead, Marina threw back her shoulders. The last time she’d let a man get to her, it had cost her a job she’d had for years. She wouldn’t allow that to happen again.
“Let’s get those appetizers out during cocktail hour,” Marina said to Len. “Once they’re seated, deliver the Caesar salads.” Turning to Kai, she added, “We’ll have to hurry with the kebobs. Are the melon and prosciutto balls ready?”
“Aye, aye,” Kai said.
Marina went to work finishing the kebobs. She and Kai worked quickly, spearing the zucchini, mushrooms, and red and yellow cherry tomatoes that Kai had marinated in extra virgin oil olive and lemon juice. They added small, round, ciliegine mozzarella on the skewers with basil leaves and vegetables.
“Is that it?” Kai asked.
“Let’s sprinkle on a little fresh basil for color,” Marina replied.
Working together, they dusted the kebobs with bits of basil. Marina stepped back and turned to Len. “The first course is up. These are Caprese vegetable kebobs. Serve one per guest.” When Len looked hungrily at the dish, Marina smiled. “I have a few left over for us.”
“What shall I do next?” Kai asked.
“You’ll follow behind with the prosciutto melon balls,” Marina said. Next time, she might reverse the order, but she had no time to think about that now. They were behind schedule. While Charles had said they were fairly casual on board, Anne had been firm on the dinner time.
Suddenly, the vessel lurched, and Marina caught the bowl of melon balls before it careened onto the floor. “The kebobs,” she called out.
Len was wavering, and Kai was scrambling toward him. While Kai slammed against a counter, Len gracefully regained his balance with clearly practiced movements. “We’re getting underway,” he said.
“I thought we were staying in port,” Marina said. Charles and Anne hadn’t said anything about this.
“Probably cruising the coastline,” Len said. “They like to do that when they have guests.”
Kai pushed back from the counter. “Good thing we didn’t have soufflés in the oven. I don’t think they’d like the waves very much.”
“Seasick soufflés would never do,” Marina said, trying to find the humor in the situation.
“Every sailor gets seasick at least once in life.” Len gave them a lopsided grin and repositioned the kebobs. He walked smoothly from the galley as Marina awkwardly made her way across the room, touching counters to maintain her balance.
Her sister steadied herself. “This is like dancing. You just shift and move with the motion. Kind of fun, actually.”
“I never learned the kitchen waltz.” Marina wasn’t sure she agreed, but she had little choice. Here they were, and she had thirty guests to feed. After sweeping stray hairs from her face and securing them with a clip, she turned back to the neat balls of dough and began to press them out, working as an assembly line.
She brushed olive oil onto the rounded dough and sprinkled fontina, mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses on top. Next, she added caramelized, sweet Maui onions she’d already prepared, along with chunks of lobster sautéed in garlic butter.
After she removed the pizzas from the open oven, she carefully added small dollops of caviar. The saltiness of the caviar would balance the sweetness of the caramelized onions. Russian beluga caviar was expensive, though the chef had cases in the refrigerator—probably for parties. That stash alone represented thousands of dollars.
Kai hurried back into the galley. “That other woman isn’t with Jack.” Her eyes flashed with excitement. “She’s a nanny for another couple on board, so all the kids are with her.”
“No gossiping about the guests,” Marina said, pushing back the irritation she felt. She had to focus on the food and keep her balance—mentally and physically. “How did you get this intel?”
“It’s not like he’s someone we don’t know,” Kai said, grinning. “I just asked him. And we served the kids, too. They have a children’s room on board.”
Marina rolled her eyes. She couldn’t stop Kai from talking to Jack. They had all become friends. “That’s nice,” she said dismissively. From the corner of her eye, she could see Kai giving her a funny look, but Marina had no time for this.
As the pizzas came out, she sliced them for presentation. Kai added the caviar, and Len began to take them out.
While that course was being delivered, Marina turned her attention to dessert. In keeping with the Italian theme, she’d decided on sweet crespelle, or Italian crepes. When Kai returned, she quickly explained.