Page 12 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

ChapterNine

Dex

The heavy fog had once again drifted in to choke off the harbor from the rest of the ocean. The lighthouse’s glowing eye swept through the thick haze and my dark cabin every few seconds. My tight bunk, the choppy tide and the cold air had made it a rough night for sleeping. After a visit, it always took me a few hours to clear the visions of Quinn in that hospital bed from my head.

I’d planned to get a head start on my search, but I needed something other than the rubbery eggs I’d been cooking on the hotplate. Gus had wandered down the dock to the fish cleaning station. It was his version of a candy store. I pulled on my boots and a flannel shirt and climbed onto the dock. Oscar, my elderly houseboat neighbor, was sitting on his deck drinking coffee. I hadn’t had a chance to apologize for what happened yesterday morning. He usually waved, but this time he just held onto his cup.

I walked toward his boat. “Permission to come aboard,” I said.

He hesitated but only for a second. “Permission granted.”

I stepped onto his deck and put up my hand. “No need to get up.”

“I was going to get you a cup of coffee,” he said.

“No, thanks. I’m fine.” I leaned against the railing on the starboard side, and he stayed put on the bench, his lap covered with a blanket and steam curling up from his cup.

“You know, I had one, too,” Oscar started. It was hard to tell how old he was, but there were definitely some decades behind the age-spotted face and loose skin.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“A bird. Mine was a pelican. Called him Flipper. Not sure why. I saved him from a fishing net.”

I nodded. “Yeah, Gus was tangled in fishing line. I thought once I got him free, he’d take off, but he stuck around. I figured he decided that the big, wide ocean was too filled with scary things like fishing line, and he felt safe with me.”

“Flipper, too.” Oscar’s laugh was low and hoarse. “He’d walk a wide berth around my pile of fishing nets. Never wanted to deal with one of those again. I liked having him around. Someone to talk to.” Oscar lifted his hazy blue gaze to me. “He was a great listener.”

“I’m glad to know I’m not alone. I talk to Gus all the time, and I agree, he’s a great listener. As long as his attention isn’t pulled away by another gull flying past or a fisherman carrying his catch past the boat. What happened to Flipper?”

“One day, we were sitting on deck. He’d just finished a nice silver mackerel I’d caught for him, and a flock of pelicans flew past. He lifted his massive wings and took off after them. No goodbye or thank you. Just gone. I missed him for the first few days. Gus will probably do the same one day, so you should be ready.”

I glanced out at the ocean where a group of white gulls bobbed up and down on the choppy surface. “For his sake, I hope he does.”

“And for the sake of people walking by the boat armed with tuna sandwiches.” Oscar lifted a gray fuzzy brow at me.

“I felt so bad about that. I noticed she brought you another sandwich later.”

“She sure did. The Lovely sisters are this town’s treasure.”

“The Lovely sisters? Their name is Lovely?” I thought about it. “Yes, that fits.”

Oscar chuckled and a short coughing fit followed. He shook his head. “Can’t seem to get rid of this darn cough anymore. Too many pipes and cigars. They warn you about those things, but when you’re young, you’re invincible.”

“So true. In my twenties I did things that now, in my thirties, make me shudder in terror. Don’t know how I survived this long. How many Lovely sisters are there?”

“Five. Aria’s the oldest. Poor thing. She had to step into the void when their grandmother, my dear friend Maeve, died. Aria was in her early twenties and her four younger sisters counted on her. They still do. They’re all as close as peas sitting in a pod.”

“Their grandmother raised them?”

“Yeah. Poor little things lost their mother to illness when they were still very young. Their dad traveled for business, so Maeve mostly raised them. And a fine job she did.”

“I wish I’d met Aria under better circumstances. I’m afraid her opinion of me is cemented in stone thanks to Gus.”

“Nah, she’ll come around. Aria is strong and confident, but I’m sure the whole thing left her shaken. She’ll get those sea legs under her again and”—he squinted up at me with one eye— “she might even talk to you again.”

“Not sure about that, and that will be my loss.” I pushed off the railing. “I’m glad we’re still talking, Oscar. I was afraid you’d give me the cold shoulder, too.”

Oscar tossed aside the blanket. “Nah, I’m far too old to hold grudges. Besides, not like I have a flock of friends out here to talk to.”

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