Author's note: daily updates - as usual - and reviews are more than appreciated; enjoy.

Part One: Marseille, France – population: 852, 516

Chapter One: Welcome On Board

The taxi stopped as close as it could to a very large pier. Jane stepped out of the car right away- too eager to finally be able to stretch her legs after their long flight to France – and turned around to admire the view.

The city of Marseille spread in the distance while a large basilica reigned over the old buildings from the top of a hill.

Maura had told her the name of the monument during their ride from the airport but she hadn't paid attention to it. Notre Dame something. She would have to check in her travel guide book.

"Where's the boat?"

She cast a glance at the harbor before walking towards the suitcases that the taxi driver had taken out of the trunk. She had spent many hours on the website of the rental company when in Boston – out of curiosity and excitement – so she knew what the yacht looked like.

And the Serendipity wasn't here. Had they arrived too early?

She politely nodded at the taxi driver as he waved them goodbye – a very talkative man who had lost her in a labyrinth of French words for the last forty minutes – then looked at Maura. Where was the damn boat? She meant it.

The yacht was nowhere to be seen.

"It's this way." Maura pointed out the pier and started walking towards it. "I promise you that you'll be able to have a shower and even have a swim in the calanques* without an hour now."

Jane followed her without adding anything. Maura had already come to Marseille in the past so she probably knew what she was doing. Besides the temperatures were quite high and staying in the sun by a small parking lot was not in Jane's definition of a pleasant moment.

The cacophony of the wheels of their suitcases ceased the moment they stopped by a large sailing boat. Jane frowned. That wasn't a yacht. That wasn't the Serendipity.

And the people who were sunbathing on the deck weren't Maura's relatives but German tourists.

"Here it is! See?" Maura made a few extra steps and pointed out a Fjord supertender that the sailing boat had hidden from their sight until now. "And the yacht must be..." She turned to the sea and squinted her eyes behind her large sunglasses. "One of these."

Jane followed the direction of her friend's index finger and widened her eyes in shock. She had never seen such yachts before. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips.

"Your parents really don't do things by half!" The embarrassment that showed on Maura's face caused her to add a second comment. "I mean it's cool. It's really cool."

Disastrous attempt to break the tension.

Maura nodded timidly and approached the supertender. She didn't like it much when her family's wealth showed. She didn't feel at ease by then and she was convinced that it unfairly made Jane feel inferior to her.

"Bonjour. Je suis Maura... Maura Isles.*"

A man in his forties turned around and brightly smiled at them. Dark hair – dark complexion – big blue eyes: the typical Mediterranean type. Jane smiled back but preferred to remain quiet. Her notions of French were way too basic compared to Maura's.

"Here you are! Welcome on board. I'm Battistu, nice to meet you."

Battistu? Jane held back a chuckle. What kind of name was that? She let him grab their suitcases to put them on board of the supertender then joined him and Maura on the small boat. Battistu held out a glass of champagne to her almost right away.

"Please have a seat. The ride should take ten minutes. How was your flight?"

At least he spoke English. It would make communication easier.

Jane sat next to Maura and took a timid sip. The situation was oddly overwhelming. Their flight had landed an hour ago - barely an hour ago - and she was already on a boat that was about to take them to some luxury yacht for a three-week cruise on the Mediterranean Sea for Maura's birthday.

She had left Boston thirteen hours earlier only but Marseille couldn't offer a sharper contrast to Massachusetts. Battistu started the engine and the old port started disappearing in her back.

...

"Battistu? Really?"

Jane waited for Maura to close the door of their cabin to let the words that had been burning her lips come out. She walked into the room and sat on one of the armchairs by the large windows to observe the ribbon of blue that now surrounded them.

Maura had told her right from the beginning that – due to the amount of guests – they would have to share their cabin. Jane didn't mind much. It was a suite - probably one of the biggest cabins on board of the yacht – and it wouldn't be the first time that she would share a bed with her friend.

"Battistu comes from Corsica. It's a very common name out there. Have you noticed his accent?" Maura immediately opened her suitcases and began to unpack. "He probably doesn't live on the main land... Corsica is such a beautiful island, you're going to love it."

Jane took her shoes off and went to check the bathroom.

The website hadn't lied. The Serendipity was a five-star on the sea. She hadn't had the opportunity to tour the entire yacht already but the decks and the rooms they had walked through had really impressed her.

Renting the boat to celebrate Maura's fortieth birthday was the best idea Constance and her husband had had so far.

"I'm gonna have a shower. What do we do next? Cocktails on the upper deck, in the hot tub?"

Maura didn't hide her lack of enthusiasm. They had arrived a day earlier than the rest of the guests – her parents included – to share a quieter moment together. Since they were both jet lagged and tired, she had postponed the touristic visit of Marseille to the very next day. However staying on board was not part of her plans either.

"How about a quiet afternoon all by ourselves – surrounded by nothing but a transparent sea and the mountains – a bit further down the coast?"

Jane had already somewhat closed the door of the bathroom after nodding furtively at Maura which made her miss the way her friend heavily blushed.

All by ourselves? Seriously? Maura swallowed hard – shook her head at her stupidity – and clenched her fists in anger. Just because she was jet lagged didn't mean that she could come up with such confusing remarks. It was extremely embarrassing.

She resumed her unpacking – anything to keep her mind busy – but the ringing of her cell phone interrupted her anew. She grabbed the device then rolled her eyes as she read the name of her interlocutor.

"How do you like your suite? I made sure that you would have the one with the best – most romantic – view. Does Jane like it too?"

Maura cast a brief glance at the bathroom door that was opened ajar. She could hear the water of the shower run yet she preferred to leave the suite before answering her mother. She quietly closed the door behind her and sat on the floor in the small corridor.

"It's perfect, thank you very much. The boat is exceptional, you are going to love it too." Why was she biting her nails? It was a very bad habit that she had never developed until now. She sighed, visibly annoyed and nervous. "The bouquet of roses and the bottle of Champagne waiting for us on the table was maybe a tad too much. I'm certain that the crew is now convinced that Jane and I are a couple..."

Constance's snort went straight to Maura's heart. It didn't hurt but simply highlighted her slight tendency to cowardice.

"Isn't it what you want anyway?" Constance waited for a reaction from her daughter but since it never happened, she resumed her talking. "You should be happy people see you this way. It will make things easier. You have three weeks outside of your daily environment, Maura. Take advantage of this extraordinary context. It's the chance of your life."

Maura nodded as if her mother could see her on the moment but she remained quiet. What could she say? She had blurted it all out four months before – by accident - during a face-to-face dinner with her mother and now she had no choice but to assume her behavior.

To assume her feelings.

"What are you going to do, today?"

Maura closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Her heartbeats were going too fast, her hands were too moist. She tried to calm down. In vain.

"I want to take her to the calanques*..."

"Excellent idea. You won't find a more gorgeous spot in the area. Have fun this afternoon – take her out for a walk on the harbor tonight maybe – and we see you tomorrow, alright? Our flight lands at 11.30am which means we should be on board around 1pm. A demain*..."

Maura let her mother put an end to their call. She turned her head on her right and looked at the door of the suite. What were three weeks in a whole life?

...

Calanques: rocky stretch of coast with deep inlets, east of Marseille

*Bonjour, je suis Maura... Maura Isles: Hello, I'm Maura... Maura Isles

*A demain: see you tomorrow