02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales Read Free

hunting around
for a replacement with the insurance money. I was glad he was
getting back to his normal routine and told him I’d be home
soon.
    “Do you know that the sun sets at three in
the afternoon here?” I asked. “And it’s freezing cold all the
time?”
    “So hurry back,” he said, “I can warm you
up.”
    “I love you,” I said.
    “I love you too.”
    I changed out of my dress and took the
elevator up to my father’s suite. Evie was entertaining Dad and
Cruz with a tale of some wild night in New York in her younger
years, gesturing expansively with a brandy snifter in her hand. The
guys had removed their ties and were settled comfortably on the
couch with their feet up, laughing at her story. Dad was right,
this was a much better time than sitting at a formal banquet. I
snuggled up on the couch between them and we talked and laughed
until it got very late.
    The next day we went with Evie’s itinerary.
After a light breakfast in our rooms Cruz and I were swept off to
shop at some of the most fashionable boutiques in Oslo. Abby and my
father both declined to come along, wanting to stay in and read by
the huge fireplace in my father’s suite. We planned to meet up for
dinner later at the hotel restaurant.
    Evie was the perfect tour guide, for she knew
everything there was to know about international shopping. She
directed the taxi to take us to the exclusive boutique district,
where she had planned several stops.
    People in the know about fashion knew who
Evie was, and the fashionistas of Oslo didn’t disappoint. We were
fawned over at every stop, and several people begged to have a
picture taken with Evie. I was used to a little of this, although
people in San Francisco tended to be a bit more jaded when
confronted with celebrity. I guess I had always taken it for
granted, but Cruz was in heaven, so proud to be alongside Evie he
veritably glowed.
    “It’s just like a dream!” he gushed.
    “Yeah, if you sleep inside a cooler,” I
grumbled.
    December days in Norway started out frigid
and warmed up to freezing, so we explored stores stocked with all
kinds of luxurious knits, woolen coats and furs. Evie found some
exquisite wraparound sweater dresses in the softest cashmere
possible. She insisted on having me try on several different
colors, always looking for perfection with her educated eye. Evie
treated Cruz to a wildly impractical overcoat with a fur trimmed
collar; it made him look like a glam rock star from the seventies.
I found some velvety soft cashmere accessories and bought scarves
for Abby and Ethan along with a beret for my good friend Megan back
in Aptos.
    Just about when I thought I’d drop from
exhaustion, Evie and Cruz finally had their fill of shopping for
the day. Laughing about how we looked in the ridiculous fur hats
we’d tried on, we piled into the lounge between our suites to
deposit our shopping bags. Abby was curled up on the couch and sat
up wearily, asking us about our day. She looked a little better,
and we gathered around, showing off what we’d bought. Cruz twirled
for Abby in his new coat and she literally turned green before our
eyes. She got up and raced back into her room.
    “It must be the fur.” Cruz said, feeling
guilty about offending his vegan mother, “I didn’t realize how
sensitive she was...”
    “Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll go talk to
her,” said Evie. We packed away our new clothes as she went over to
Abby’s door and knocked softly.
    “Abby dear, it’s Evie. Can we talk?” The door
opened and Evie slipped in. Cruz and I settled down on the couch
and started going through some pictures on his camera.
    “How can I possibly go back to my normal life
after all of this?” Cruz complained, gesturing with a dramatic
sweep of his arm.
    “I’m freezing,” I said, “I can’t wait to get
back to California!” I wrapped myself in a throw blanket from the
couch.
    “I don’t mean the weather, silly,” Cruz
looked at me mournfully from under