"Oh, hello. I was just watering these flowers my wife gave me. Aren't they beautiful? Just like her. Just the other day, Theodore learned how to care for flowers and maybe a few other things as well. Let me tell you about it..."

...

TT: Sunflower Mystery

It was a bright summer morning in the Big Harbor and all the ships were hard at work. At the Oceanic Salvage Company dock the tugboats gathered around the Dispatcher to receive their jobs for the day. It was busy and lots of tasks needed to be performed.

"I hope I get to do oil today." Thought Theodore to himself.

At last the Dispatcher turned around. "Tugboats, today is a busy day and so I expect all of you to work hard. Emily, you and George are to take Bonivista Barge to Willy's Island. George, you've got oil duty today."

"Yes sir!" The two tugs responded and Theodore frowned. He wanted oil duty.

"Hank, you and Foduck are to bring Gloria into the harbor, after that you are assigned to the barges. Make sure they are all in their proper places."

"Yes sir!" Hank replied enthusiastically. To be in charge of the barges was a very important job.

"Foduck, there have been too many accident lately involving the pilot boats so after you're done helping Hank, you give them a course in safety. Don't be afraid to push back if they get, defiant."

"Defiant sir?" Foduck questioned.

"It means if they don't do what you tell them to do." The Dispatcher explained patiently.

"Oh, yes sir! Count on me sir!"

The Dispatcher turned to the last tug present. "Theodore?"

Theodore started, apparently deep in thought, and looked up. "Yes sir?" He asked quietly.

"Theodore, Rebeca's going out on another salvage expedition. Please met her by Benjamin with Shelbourne."

"Yes sir!" Theodore replied enthusiastically. He loved working with Rebeca.

"Dismissed!"

The tugs went off to their jobs.

...

As Theodore sailed along, he met Bluenose out on her morning sail. His heart always warmed at the sight of her even if he didn't know why. He was glad she'd made her home here.

"Hello Bluenose!" He called as she approached. "You look beautiful this morning."

Bluenose smiled. "Thank you Theodore." She replied. "Your sunshine always brightens my day." She rang her bell as she passed.

"Sometimes Bluenose says the strangest things." Theodore thought.

He got Shelbourne and they and Rebeca spent the whole morning digging up treasures. One in particular fascinated Theodore, an old dolphin sculpture.

"Where do you think this came from?" He asked Rebeca. Rebeca always had the answers.

"Well it could be off a figurehead." Rebeca replied.

"What's a figurehead?" Theodore asked.

"It's a sculpture that goes on the front of a sailing ship for good luck. Most sailing ships have them." She explained.

He nodded, thinking of Bluenose. She didn't have a figurehead. "Hey Rebeca?"

"Hmm?"

"Um, Bluenose doesn't have a figurehead. Do you think, she might like this one?"

Rebeca laughed. "Theodore, you're a sweetheart. I'm sure she would. But let's get it cleaned up first okay?"

He agreed.

...

Later, when Theodore returned to his dock, he was very surprised to fin a batch of sunflowers perched in it, all nestled snugly in their pot.

"Who left these here?" He wondered out loud. The sunflowers were beautiful, full and vibrant, their little faces smiling at him. He put them on the dock before noticing a note. Theodore picked it up. The handwriting was elegant and read simply "You are my sunshine, thank you." As nice as it was, it remained a mystery.

That night, the other tugboats asked Theodore endlessly about it.

"And you don't know who it was from?" George asked.

"No, it just came with a note." Theodore replied.

"What's the note say?" Hank asked.

"You are my sunshine, thank you.'-" Theodore quoted.

"Maybe it's from a secret admirer." Hank suggested.

Theodore was confused. "What's a 'secret admirer'?" He asked.

"Someone who likes you but is too shy to say so." Foduck replied in his typical 'I know it' tone.

"Or someone who wants to be closer than friends." George suggested.

Everyone turned to Emily. She'd been unusually quiet this whole time and it was the first time she'd spoken up.

"You've been really quiet over there Emily. Something wrong? Do you know who it was?" Theodore asked, concerned for his friend.

"No, but I do know that you're going to need to feed those flowers." She handed him a packet of something. "This is their food, you can give it to them in the morning." She then handed him a pitcher. "Freshwater. With the food." She explained. He nodded, setting both next to the pot of sunflowers who were already dozing away.

Emily smiled. Outwardly she appeared friendly but inside she was seething with jealousy. Someone had beaten her to Theodore and she had a feeling she knew who it was.

...

The next morning, Emily stormed down to Bluenose's dock. Even the sailing ship's friendly "Hello" did little too cool her boiling anger.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She growled.

Bluenose was startled by Emily's temper. "What do you mean?" She asked kindly.

"I know you put those flowers in Theodore's berth. Why?" Emily asked.

"I've seen the way he looks at you. I know it shouldn't, but it hurts me. I want him to look at me like that." She admitted.

"He does." Emily sighed, her temper cooling. "He can't stop staring at you. And that, makes me so angry... Is that wrong, Bluenose?" She asked.

"No because I feel the same way." The old sailing ship replied with a sad sigh.

...

Emily went about her duties for the day, still angry as she debated on what to do. She could just lie and claim the flowers were from her but that would be selfish. And Emily the Vigorous wasn't selfish! And she couldn't hurt Bluenose that way. She had nothing against the old kind sailing ship. She knew Theodore had feelings for her as well but she would never force him to choose. She'd let him make his own choice and with that Emily made hers. She'd tell Theodore the truth.

Feeling better, Emily set about her duties with a smile on her face, even offering a friendly toot-toot with her horn as she passed Bluenose who looked a bit startled but recovered quickly enough to ring her bell in reply.

...

That evening, Theodore returned to his dock, still puzzled about the sunflowers. The flowers themselves were wonderful but as to who sent them...

"Still can't figure out who sent them?" Emily asked from her own berth.

"Oh, Emily. Didn't see you there." Theodore recovered from his startle quickly. "Do you know?" He asked.

"What did the note say again?" She asked.

"You are my sunshine, thank you.'-" He quoted again.

She sighed. "Theodore, you're my friend but sometimes you can be so silly."

Theodore frowned. He wasn't silly!

"Who is the only ship that has ever called you 'sunshine'?" She asked.

"Well, there is one." He thought. "Bluenose!" He exclaimed out loud and she nodded. "Why didn't I think of her earlier. Emily, you are a genius!"

She giggled. "No, just kind." She replied. "Go on. She's waiting for you in her dock."

Theodore bounded away and Emily watched him go, her sadness tempered by his happiness. "He's my sunshine too." She sighed. "But to keep him from Bluenose would only make that sun go away. And I can't do that to him. He deserves to be happy."

...

Bluenose was in her dock, settling down for the night when Theodore approached. He tooted his horn. "Hello!" He called as he approached.

"Hello Theodore." Bluenose greeted with a yawn. "Ju-just settling in for the night."

"Bluenose, I have a question for you." He began.

"Ask away." The sailing ship replied, all ears. She'd do anything to help him.

"Well, Emily's been cross with me all day but just now she was very kind. Is it something I did?" Theodore asked.

Bluenose sighed. "She's cross because she's jealous." She replied.

"Jealous?" Theodore repeated. "Why?"

"Because she knows you have feelings for another." She replied.

"But I don't!" He cried, then paused for a second. "Do I?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Do you?"

"You don't know?" He asked.

"It's you Theodore, not me." She replied.

"But you know everything!" He protested.

She laughed. "No one knows everything." She replied. "But I do know one thing..."

Theodore looked up. "Yes?"

For Bluenose, it was now or never. She took a deep breath. "The other ship cares for you, very much." She replied.

Theodore's gaze traveled up and down her hull, admiring her sleek lines and sturdy masts before turning back to meet her blue eyes. "I think," he began slowly. "That I have come to, care for her too." He admitted. The warm feeling in his heart grew as he said it and he knew it was the right thing to say.

"I-I have something for you as well." He fumbled a bit but managed to hold out the dolphin sculpture, now all clean and sparkly. "Rebeca and I found it the other day. I know you don't have a figurehead so I thought maybe you'd like to have this one."

"I love it!" She exclaimed. "Theodore, it's beautiful! Help me put it on." She ordered and he did. Ever so gently, he came alongside and nosed the dolphin across to Bluenose's forward deck. Once it was on, Bluenose looked at it once before turning to Theodore and promptly kissed him. Theodore's whole face turned bright red which got them both laughing.

Eventually they calmed down and before he went home, Theodore decided to return Bluenose's kiss, giving her one of his own and this time it was square on her lips. It was Bluenose's turn to turn bright red but this time the two merely smiled, nuzzling each other once before Theodore turned for home.

"Oh, Theodore?!" Bluenose called after him.

"Yes Bluenose?" Theodore asked, turning back to her.

"Would you care to join me for my morning sail tomorrow?" She asked.

"I'd love to." He smiled.