Page 50 of Rum Sips and Salty Lips

Any reasons beyond that can’t matter.

eighteen

ORION

Labor Day weekendwas hell for me. All our charters were booked solid. All boats were at capacity. We do private tours and group excursions. Both types are demanding and there is something about the holiday weekend that brings out the worst in people. I was up before dawn each day and I didn’t make it back to my house until late into the night. We had so many last-minute requests my staff suggested we open up theTwisted Riggingfor charter.

I said no.

It would’ve been a good business decision. We have the staff to handle it. But I don’t want strangers on my boat. I did it once and it brought me Carina. I don’t want anything to taint the memory. Now that Carina’s been there, I can’t bring anyone to that space, unless it’s with her.

I spend the Tuesday after the long weekend running through paperwork at the office and making sure everything is functional on the business side. Now that summer is officially over, we need to pivot our marketing. We’ll go from families on vacation to thesnowbirds visiting for the winter. They are harder to impress since they return year after year and have fixed incomes, so we need to justify why we’re worth it for them.

When five o’clock hits and the afternoon storms have passed, I head home and pull out my kayak. I need some alone time with the water. No one asking for a drink or flirting with me or getting in my way when I’m trying to get the lines out.

Me

I’m headed out.

You started sharing location with Princess Carina.

I don’t wait for a response from her. Sometimes she acknowledges. Most of the time she doesn’t. The point is someone is watching out for me if something were to happen.

It doesn’t take much effort to launch from the beach, and I quickly lose myself in the movement. The water is almost flat for once, the wind minimal.

“Ahoy!” I hear her voice from the direction of the shore.

I turn and see Carina paddling in my direction. She’s in shorts and a long-sleeved sun shirt. My eyes instantly go to the way her powerful legs support her as she gets closer to me.

“Hey,” I respond.

“Hope you don’t mind some company. It’s a big gulf. I can go somewhere else.”

“I won’t stop you.” I want her here with me. I want her close enough to smell her sweat and her sunscreen. I’ll settle for her cruising along next to me.

We find a rhythm and don’t talk. It’s relaxing to have her with me. I’ve never known what it’s like to simply share space with another person. Yes, I want Carina naked under me. But morethan that, I want little moments with her. I want her to be a part of my day.

The wind picks up, and while that doesn’t bother me, it affects Carina more. She kneels on her board and adjusts the length of her paddle.

“It doesn’t count if you’re sitting,” I say. “It’s called ‘stand-up paddleboarding.’” I don’t mean this. I want to push her, because I want her, and I’m frustrated that she doesn’t want me.

She shrugs. “I’m out on the water. That’s the point of the activity. I’ve stood plenty.”

She’s not fighting me. She’s not proving my limited knowledge of paddleboarding wrong or arguing it’s superior to kayaking. She’s enjoying the moment the same as I am. I let it go.

The sun sets behind us as we glide back to the beach. I normally don’t bother with towels and instead drag myself home, showering the sweat and salt off as fast as possible. But Carina’s left two towels on the beach, knowing no one would mess with her things on our quiet section of sand. She lays them out.

“Sit for a moment and watch the sunset with me,” she says.

I don’t hesitate. I’ll give anything for a few moments with her.

We watch the sky darken from light blue to black, as the colors on the horizon remain vibrantly orange.

I thought living on the beach in a tourist town would be loud, and some days it is. Tonight, it’s quiet. It’s Carina and me, the water and the sand.

“I got samples for next year’s fall line,” she says. “The colors are gorgeous.”

I freeze. She’s sharing without any prompting, and even in the dark I can tell she’s smiling. She was happy, and she reached for me.

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