This is the prequel/backstory for The Syncode series I am currently working on, detailing how medical assistant 'Average Jo' Joanne Hartwell meets the elder Holmes cousin, Julian Holmes.
It is he who introduces her to his British cousins, Mycroft an...
The vessel they approached was a yacht - a super yacht. Joanne had seen one like this before on YouTube. Her dad had shown her a video of the same model that towered majestically before her: a Sunseeker 131 called the ZOZO. They would fantasize what it would be like to travel the world on a craft such as this. "How the other half live!" they had laughed.
The remnants of the fiery sunset had turned everything pink orange, adding somehow even more to the yacht's splendor in the waning light.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Moored alone on its own guest slip, it was too large to fit anywhere else, dwarfing the others nearby. When he had gestured vaguely towards the rows of boats along the piers, she had figured that Julian's rested somewhere among those.
Joanne noticed that there was no name stamped along the side, as was common in most sea going vessels.
"It doesn't have one. I was asked during the remodeling if I cared to call 'her' by a name, which I remember distinctly telling the man that the craft was an inanimate object for transport, nothing more. 'Her', indeed!" Julian huffed, inclining his head toward the entrance. "Shall we?"
The interiors were absolutely exquisite; Joanne had never seen anything like it, and found it hard to put into words. There was nothing nautical about it, as though a first rate penthouse had been crafted and set inside. Everything was bespoke, down to the last detail in every room. Even Henry and each of the crew and catering members had their own quarters. Julian had hired them for the duration of his stay there
The whole thing was spectacular, even more so than the ZOZO. Julian had had the whole vessel refitted to his liking as well as his needs, which included a complete remodeling of the upper deck to include a helipad.
"Really? Why do you need a chopper? This not fast enough?" she joked.
Rolling his eyes, he retorted drily, "In my line of work, I could be called upon at any given time, therefore the need for instant transport."
"Ah. You still haven't told me exactly what you do. Considering the grilling about my past earlier, I think you owe me that."
"Right you are!" he boomed. "Not this evening, though. I really must get you home so that we may be on our way. I would however, like to invite you to my home on Patos sometime. We can circle the island by boat and explore the interior via Land Rover. From most vantage points, the lighthouse there is quite scenic." This was the happiest Joanne could remember seeing him.
"Possibly after my next appointment on Thursday?" he added hopefully.
Excited already, she replied, "That would be wonderful. If it's after work, I assume it would be an overnight trip?" Considering he owned the entire island, she expected his house had more than one bedroom.
He confirmed this, smiling broadly. "That it would. My home is quite spacious. You would have your own suite of rooms, and just to be clear, I have no romantic notions or carnal inclination toward you, Joanne. I will behave in only the most gentlemanly manner. "
