did and the bow slowly swung toward the dock. I called up to her again and told her to put both in neutral. Then reaching out with the gaff, I hooked another davit and pulled the bow in and got a line on it. We were now secure.
“Okay,” I said, “Shut both engines off.” It was suddenly very quiet, the only sound being the swish of the small waves breaking on the southern shore and an occasional gull, wheeling and crying overhead.
As I climbed back up to the bridge, Tina looked all around, then said, “Kind of spooky, but beautiful.”
Looking at her, I said, “Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing.” She looked over at me and realizing I was talking about her, she punched me on the shoulder.
“Spooky?” she asked.
I laughed. Something I hadn’t done a lot of in the last few months. “Yeah,” I said. “You seem an open book, but there’s still a mysteriousness I can’t quite put a finger on.”
“That’d be from my dad’s side. He was French Creole, born and raised in southern Louisiana. His family had been there for many generations.”
“And he left there for Nebraska?” I asked. “That’s quite a change in scenery.”
“His ancestors were fishermen, but he wanted to farm. He joined the Army, fought in Korea and when he got out, he never went back to Louisiana. Headed straight for the heartland and bought a farm. That’s where he met mom.”
“A Cajun girl from Nebraska,” I said. “Spooky.”
She looked around again, then said, “Shall we go ashore?”
“Sure,” I said. “I put together a little picnic lunch for later. But I have to catch the main course first. Let’s go.”
I climbed back down the ladder to the cockpit, then helped her down the last few steps, lifting her easily off the ladder and setting her gently on the deck. I checked my phone and sure enough, no signal.
“Before we go ashore, I need to check something,” I said. “Come inside and we’ll get a cooler with some drinks, while I do that.”
In the salon, I got a small cooler and filled it with ice, several bottles of water and as an afterthought, the bottle of Beaujolais Julie had opened the night before and two wine glasses. Then I opened my laptop on the settee and powered it up.
“There’s no cell signal out here. You won’t get the internet,” she said.
“I have a satellite link,” I said. “I’m expecting an important message. If you’ll take that cooler to the dock, I’ll be right there.”
I had one email, but it wasn’t from Deuce. I opened it and saw that it was from the lawyer. He wrote that he was a probate attorney and needed my signature on some documents concerning Alex’s estate. No idea what that was about, but it was going to have to wait.
I closed the laptop, plugged the headphone jack into the boat’s stereo speaker system and picking up my fly rod case I headed out to where Tina waited on the dock. The sun was high now and it was warmer, already over eighty, as we walked to the small sandy beach. “I’d like to get some sun,” she said. “Do you mind?”
Do I mind watching a beautiful woman undress? Is she wearing a bathing suit under her clothes? These thoughts swirled through my mind, but all I could manage to say as she started unbuttoning her blouse was, “Um, no, go right ahead.”
She shrugged off her blouse, folding it and putting it in an oversized handbag. She was wearing a bathing suit, thankfully. Not much of one, though. She unbuttoned her shorts and wiggled out of them, completely unaware of what her actions were doing to me. Folding the shorts and putting them in the bag also, she arched her back, spreading her arms wide and looked up so that the sun shone full on her face. Maybe she was aware, I thought, as we walked along the sand.
“What’s in the case?” she asked.
“This?” I said, lifting the fly rod case. “It’s how we’re going to catch lunch.”
“Can you catch lobster with it?”
Laughing, I replied, “Lobster, she
“Okay,” I said, “Shut both engines off.” It was suddenly very quiet, the only sound being the swish of the small waves breaking on the southern shore and an occasional gull, wheeling and crying overhead.
As I climbed back up to the bridge, Tina looked all around, then said, “Kind of spooky, but beautiful.”
Looking at her, I said, “Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing.” She looked over at me and realizing I was talking about her, she punched me on the shoulder.
“Spooky?” she asked.
I laughed. Something I hadn’t done a lot of in the last few months. “Yeah,” I said. “You seem an open book, but there’s still a mysteriousness I can’t quite put a finger on.”
“That’d be from my dad’s side. He was French Creole, born and raised in southern Louisiana. His family had been there for many generations.”
“And he left there for Nebraska?” I asked. “That’s quite a change in scenery.”
“His ancestors were fishermen, but he wanted to farm. He joined the Army, fought in Korea and when he got out, he never went back to Louisiana. Headed straight for the heartland and bought a farm. That’s where he met mom.”
“A Cajun girl from Nebraska,” I said. “Spooky.”
She looked around again, then said, “Shall we go ashore?”
“Sure,” I said. “I put together a little picnic lunch for later. But I have to catch the main course first. Let’s go.”
I climbed back down the ladder to the cockpit, then helped her down the last few steps, lifting her easily off the ladder and setting her gently on the deck. I checked my phone and sure enough, no signal.
“Before we go ashore, I need to check something,” I said. “Come inside and we’ll get a cooler with some drinks, while I do that.”
In the salon, I got a small cooler and filled it with ice, several bottles of water and as an afterthought, the bottle of Beaujolais Julie had opened the night before and two wine glasses. Then I opened my laptop on the settee and powered it up.
“There’s no cell signal out here. You won’t get the internet,” she said.
“I have a satellite link,” I said. “I’m expecting an important message. If you’ll take that cooler to the dock, I’ll be right there.”
I had one email, but it wasn’t from Deuce. I opened it and saw that it was from the lawyer. He wrote that he was a probate attorney and needed my signature on some documents concerning Alex’s estate. No idea what that was about, but it was going to have to wait.
I closed the laptop, plugged the headphone jack into the boat’s stereo speaker system and picking up my fly rod case I headed out to where Tina waited on the dock. The sun was high now and it was warmer, already over eighty, as we walked to the small sandy beach. “I’d like to get some sun,” she said. “Do you mind?”
Do I mind watching a beautiful woman undress? Is she wearing a bathing suit under her clothes? These thoughts swirled through my mind, but all I could manage to say as she started unbuttoning her blouse was, “Um, no, go right ahead.”
She shrugged off her blouse, folding it and putting it in an oversized handbag. She was wearing a bathing suit, thankfully. Not much of one, though. She unbuttoned her shorts and wiggled out of them, completely unaware of what her actions were doing to me. Folding the shorts and putting them in the bag also, she arched her back, spreading her arms wide and looked up so that the sun shone full on her face. Maybe she was aware, I thought, as we walked along the sand.
“What’s in the case?” she asked.
“This?” I said, lifting the fly rod case. “It’s how we’re going to catch lunch.”
“Can you catch lobster with it?”
Laughing, I replied, “Lobster, she
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