Page 50 of Finding Love in the Clouds

After a leisurely walk, they made their way to the lakeshore. The water sparkled under the mid-morning sun, creating a shimmering path across the surface. They could see the Borromean Islands in thedistance, their lush greenery contrasting with the blue of the lake. The gentle lapping of the water against the small, pebbled beach added to the peaceful setting.

They walked out onto a wooden pier to locate their small, rented boat, which would allow them to explore the lake at their own pace. The boat, a charming wooden vessel, bobbed gently as they climbed aboard. The scent of freshly varnished wood mixed with the fresh lake air, creating an intoxicating blend.

Fernando threw off the shorelines and took the helm, turning the engine and easing it into gear. As they drifted away from the shore, the sound of the town faded, replaced by the soft hum of the boat’s motor and the occasional call of a bird. They puttered around the lake for a couple of hours, simply taking in the stunning scenery and enjoying their time on the water.

When their stomachs began to grumble, Fernando shut off the engine and erected an umbrella, providing much-needed shade from the bright afternoon sun. Sophie unpacked the picnic basket onto the large, checked tablecloth, revealing an array of delicious treats: fresh bread, cheeses, cured meats, olives, a bottle of chilled white wine, and two wine glasses.

“I feel like an heiress on holiday in a 1940s film,” Sophie said, popping a marinated olive into her mouth and gazing at the reflection of the mountains in the smooth surface of the lake.

Fernando smiled as he prepared his small plate of food. “I know what you mean. This whole trip has been surreal, as if we’ve stepped back in time. Not having to split my concentration between work and pleasure has made me feel like quite a man of leisure. I wonder how the old tycoons felt when they went on holiday and had to wait days to hear from their staff about what was happening in their companies. Were they more relaxed or stressed havingso many days in between notifications? Nowadays, it feels like businesspeople can’t get away from it. Our world is held in the palm of our hand, and the only rest we get is if we turn it off. But how responsible is that? I don’t know how to do it. When I’ve spent so much time and energy building my business, the thought of not being available in an instant to fix something is terrifying.”

Sophie nodded, understanding his dilemma. “You have done a remarkable job being present this trip. Will you make a concerted effort when we return to find a way to shut off and just be Fernando Knight, the person, not the author and media mogul?”

“I already knew I needed to find some balance in my life before all of this. You and my brothers, well, all my family really, have been pushing me to find more downtime so I don’t burn out. When the McKenzies came at Christmas, I was constantly being pulled away by phone calls or distracted by text messages. I explained you were on vacation and weren’t there as my buffer, which was true, but I still have frequent evening interruptions. How do you do it? You must get more calls than me since you are my assistant, and only the most important connections have my personal number.”

“I have screening measures in place. Highly important contacts have one ring tone, less important have another, and unimportant or unknown callers do not make it through at all but go straight to voicemail, which Emily monitors. I also have a relationship with our most important contacts, and they know if they are calling after hours, it needs to be important. Otherwise, they text or email me. I have boundaries with everyone but you. Now that you will have a family you will need to set some boundaries and stick with them. If you let people push through, they won’t respect them. And, no more ten-hour days unless something urgent is happening. We need family time, and that won’t happen if we are in the office from dawn to dusk.That was fine when you were a bachelor, and Javier was at home with my family, but now that it will be the three of us, we need to be present parents,” Sophie said firmly.

“Agreed. There will be a great deal of adjustments coming in the very near future. We’re going to have to reassign staff and adjust job requirements. I think Emily can handle more responsibilities. Think which of your duties you can hand off to her to make room on your plate for a few more of mine. I may have to take on a new vice president to take over some of my supervisory roles. I don’t have it all figured out yet, but when we get back, we will come up with a plan. This is going to work. It’s going to be good.” Reaching for her hand, he added fervently, “And, if you want to go back to school and get your law degree or any degree, I will support you one hundred percent. I can’t even think about replacing you right this moment, but we will make it work if that is a dream you want to pursue.”

Squeezing his fingers with one hand and gently cupping his cheek with the other, Sophie leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. “Thank you. I’ll give it some thought. Right now, I want to focus my attention on blending our families and being your wife. The rest will come in time.”

After lunch, they relaxed in the boat, basking in the warmth of the sun. The gentle breeze ruffled Sophie’s hair as she lay with her head on Fernando’s chest, staring up at the puffy white clouds that drifted in front of the sun.

Sophie giggled but stopped herself, an enormous smile curving her lips.

“What’s funny?” Fernando asked, eyes scanning the water around them for anything she might have found humorous, and he would have missed as he focused his attention on her.

“Nothing,” Sophie replied, still smiling.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I hate being on the outside of inside jokes. I was often laughed at in the boy’s home, and when I asked what was so funny, the kids would say it was just an inside joke. I knew they were laughing at me, though. Please let me in. Random laughter makes me bristle,” he admitted, sharing another sliver of his childhood hurt and the scars it left behind. He felt vulnerable and hated these moments, he wished he had kept his trap shut.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Sophie turned her head so she could see his face fully. “Andy, I would never laugh at you. Not unless it was something you said or did intentionally. I had a rebellious and, some would argue, stupid phase that rewrote my entire family’s life plan, but I have never been cruel. Laughing at another person is not something I do. Nor do I leave people out intentionally. If I laugh and don’t share the source, it is probably because I am laughing at myself and feeling embarrassed, or it is something dumb, and I would feel stupid sharing it. Do you believe me?” she asked earnestly.

“Yes, I know you aren’t a cruel person, but I still feel left out. I’ve been told that I don’t laugh enough and would like to be included in anything you find funny. Please share.”

Rolling back to her previous position so she could see the sky clearly, she sighed, “Fine. Have you ever played the ‘I Spy’ game or the ‘Fantasy Cloud’ game?”

“I Spy, yes. That was a favorite in the boys’ home, but I didn’t find it overly fun because the boys I played with often changed the item,so you never figured out what they were spying on. I found it tedious and boring. What is the ‘Fantasy Cloud’ game?”

“The ‘Fantasy Cloud’ game is when you lay out on a cloudy day when they are big and puffy like today and see if you can find fantasy shapes in them. Then you try to help the person with you spy them. Sometimes, they are so obvious your partner can’t do anything but see them, but other times, they are more fanciful and in the person’s own imagination, and the other person can’t see them. Santiago and I used to play this game for hours when we were kids. Every time I see clouds like this, it draws me in, and I absentmindedly start looking. I giggled when I saw that huge cloud overhead. It looks like a clown with a cone hat on top of its head, complete with the little pompom ball on top. The clouds have shifted, but you may still be able to see it. I think it is plain as day.”

Fernando tilted his head back and gazed up at the sky. “I don’t see it, but you are perpendicular to my body, so you’re looking at a different angle.”

Sitting up, Sophie suggested, “Turn. There’s room for both of us to lay parallel on this tiny deck if your legs hang over a little. Don’t worry, I won’t let you roll off,” she teased.

Taking a moment to resituate themselves, this time with Fernando laying beside her with her head resting on his bicep tucked along his side, his legs hanging over the side of the boat from the mid-calf down, he looked back at the clouds and searched for the clown. When he saw it, a burst of laughter was startled out of him. It was as if an impressionist had dipped his brush in white paint and brushed it onto the sky. It was an incredibly clear image.

“I guess that means you found it? When I first saw the clown it kind of popped out of the clouds at me too but I immediately painted itwith color in my minds eye. If you do that it really makes you chuckle,” Sophie added.

“Do you always add color in your mind?” Fernando asked, curious how her mind worked.

“No, usually I don’t, but some of the shapes are just so clear that my mind just automatically adds color. For example, if you look to the right of the clown just an inch or so, do you see the two clouds reaching up to the sky like the letter V?”

“Yes, I see them.”

“If you follow them down and use your imagination a little more, you will see a bunny rabbit. He’s just sitting there staring at us. The moisture in those clouds turned him a little gray. Do you see him?”

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