Shuffling the Tides

By Cali Gilbert

Southampton, England 1936

As the RMS Queen Mary prepares to set sail on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, forty-seven-year-old, George Baxter reminisces on a similar voyage some 24 years earlier aboard the fated ship, the RMS Titanic. It was there where he came across a young steerage passenger, Bridget McAdams. When disaster strikes, their pathways irrevocably cross as they become two of the few souls who survive and are rescued by the RMS Carpathia. Once in New York, powerful feelings that have developed between them must be set aside so they can go on with the life they had sworn to live when they first boarded the great vessel. Now they are meeting again. ​Is this the second chance they were hoping for?

Los Angeles, California, 2017

As the RMS Queen Mary commemorates its 50th anniversary of being docked in Long Beach, California, ocean lifeguard, David James suffers a head injury that sparks memories from another time. In 2012 as the world celebrated the Centennial anniversary of Titanic's sinking, David met Lily Taylor on Coronado Island. They immediately felt a strong bond between them but didn't fully understand the pull. When confronted with the possibility of being together in another lifetime, David made a decision that changed their lives forever. Now, five years later, they meet again, but is it too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cali Gilbert
• Release date: May 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215544990

Cali Gilbert

Cali Gilbert is an International bestselling author, award winning filmmaker and photographer. She has travelled the globe as a former figure skater and magazine publisher, and has contributed to the Huffington Post. With an extensive background in event management, Cali assisted the Canadian Olympic Committee at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and most recently served as an Event Ambassador for the 34th America’s Cup sailing regatta in San Francisco.Cali is an accomplished photographer, whose work has been showcased in galleries across the United States. As the creator of the IT’S SIMPLY book series, Cali has published several bestselling books of her own and now serves other writers through her imprint, Serendipity Publishing House.As Founder & CEO of Tower 15 Productions, Cali supports other creatives through education and collaboration in the areas of publishing, photography and filmmaking. Cali splits her time between Los Angeles and San Diego, California where she enjoys serving her community, especially women in transition and youth programs. To learn more, visit www.CaliGilbert.com

Book preview

SHUFFLING THE TIDES

A Tale of Love Enlists the Services of a Queen

CALI GILBERT

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

SHUFFLING THE TIDES

A Tale of Love Enlists the Services of a Queen

Copyright © 2023 by Cali Gilbert. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval devices or systems, without prior written permission from the author.

EBook Version ISBN-13 9798215544990

First printing May, 2023

Serendipity Publishing House

Santa Monica, CA

Cover design by Cali Gilbert using photographs courtesy of Cali Gilbert and Brian Lippe

For William

There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.

William Shakespeare

PREFACE

Have you ever visited a place for the first time, yet felt as though you had been there before?

Have you ever met someone for the first time, yet felt so comfortable in their presence, you felt as though you somehow knew them?

Have you ever experienced dreams that seemed so real you could swear you were actually there?

Well, the story in the pages before you follows the parallel journeys of four individuals through two time periods, yet they are separated by nearly a century.

In Book One, TIMING THE TIDES, I introduced you to Bridget McAdams and George Baxter who first came together in 1912 aboard the fated ocean liner, Titanic. Their lives seemed destined to intertwine as Bridget was on her way to America to marry another man, and George’s life was tied to the sea. Yet one fateful day in April, 1912 would create a bond between the two neither expected nor knew would span several lifetimes.

Also in Book One, you were introduced to free spirits, Lily Taylor and David James in California who came together unexpectedly in 2012, a century after Titanic’s sinking. Little did they know that a chance encounter would turn their lives upside down and reveal more questions than answers? Had they known one another before? How would they explain the visions and memories of Titanic’s sinking they both shared? Were they actually there, and why were they being reunited at this time?

Although my partner and I wrote Book One from the memories we could recall and a lot of research, I shared the story from the female point of view via Bridget and Lily. In this book, I’ve decided to share the story based from the male point of view, via George and David. I wanted to share with the reader how he was feeling throughout this journey so that the reader could gain a better understanding of the entire story.

Book One of the TIDES series was also shared as a piece of historical fiction, yet based on true events and how we recalled what had happened in 1912. This book however will be a complete work of fiction. The main reason is that the man George is portrayed after passed away in 1927 and therefore wasn’t around in 1936 when this part of the story takes place. He was only thirty-eight years old. The woman Bridget is portrayed as lived until 1959, and although some of the story will be reflective of her life, it will be fictionalized as well.

Since most of the writing for TIMING THE TIDES was completed aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, I wanted to somehow incorporate the ship into the sequel and share a story of what could have happened had George and Bridget been reunited some twenty-four years following Titanic’s sinking. Book Two takes place once again between two time periods, this time 1936 and 2017.

I thank you for coming along on this journey with me, traveling back in time to the Golden Era of the 1930s. I hope you enjoy this tale as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

CHAPTER 1

DAVID

Los Angeles, California

December, 2017

Storm clouds above as the sun is about to set. I’ve been sitting here in my tower thinking of a time five years ago, a time that seems almost like a dream. As I look out at the ocean today, for some reason I can’t help but think of Lily, the girl I met on Coronado Island. There was an instant connection between us and yet it also felt uneasy. I suppose it’s natural that I am thinking of her today as Mom and Dad invited me to a function aboard the Queen Mary this weekend. It was another ship that drew us together, the Titanic. I’ve often thought back to our time visiting the Titanic exhibit at the Natural History Museum in San Diego and how it made us feel. It was strange, the feeling of being there and the sounds and images that somehow felt familiar. I’ve tried not to think about it, and just chalk it up to my imagination. Yet there was something, some pull that drew us there.

About an hour to go until my shift ends and this lone surfer has decided to venture out. The waves are double overhead today with the storm approaching and I’ve been keeping an eye on him. There’s a large rip out there and he may get caught up in it. So far he’s been okay. Uh oh, spoke too soon.

Hermosa from lifeguard 16.3

Send your traffic 16.3

Start ticket, lifeguard ocean rescue. El Porto Tower 45. I have a surfer in distress. Send backup. I’m going to go ahead and hit the water.

Copy that.

David races to the scene quickly grabbing his rescue board and launches across the riptide towards the victim, barely skirting the rocks as he paddles through. A large set of waves approaches, which if they didn’t move out to sea would throw them both onto the jagged rocks. David reaches the victim and quickly discards the victim’s leash and surfboard. The victim is too exhausted and panics to follow David’s instructions and can’t grab the rescue board. David decides to abandon his own board and swims through a set of waves while holding the victim onto the rescue can.

Once safely off shore and away from the rocks and the dangerous current, David swims the victim back to the beach. The Area 16 Captain arrives in his vehicle and parks near the shoreline. He turns off the vehicle and proceeds to join David in the water to lend support. As David and the Area Captain reach the beach, the ocean lifeguard specialist meets them and assists in helping the victim back to the beach. The Captain then radios back to headquarters.

Hermosa from Area 16. Rescue has been completed. Victim and rescuers are safely back to the beach. There is no medical complaint. Surfer is okay.

Copy that responds the operator from Hermosa headquarters.

The next morning David wakes and gets out of bed. He has an early shift at the beach and begins to prepare for the day ahead.

Oh man, I feel as though I was out partying last night. My head feels like it’s going to explode. Sad fact is I didn’t go anywhere. Must be the remnants of yesterday’s rescue. When I reached the victim he was so disoriented he couldn’t grasp any of my instructions. When I went in after him he swung his arms and the rescue can ended up smashing the side of my head. Didn’t think anything of it at the time, but feels like it left a mark. Luckily Cap didn’t see it happen. That would have been embarrassing. I better get ready for work. Maybe I’ll