Page 17 of Adrift

A shiver runs through me when he says “little girl.” I reflexively bite my lip and look away from them. The temperature has dropped enough to make the evening bearable, but the breeze from the harbor brings goosebumps to my bare arms. The sun has dipped below the skyline, and the sky is an amazing orange and red.

“Haley, let’s sit while Penny runs around a bit.” There’s a small chunk of land that’s next to the dockmaster’s office, and a tiny bench.

“Sure.” I perch on the edge of the bench, and when the captain sits down, it feels intimate. His bare knee is inches away from mine.

And I’ve suddenly forgotten everything I wanted to say to him. Instead, we both watch Penny running crazy loops around the yard. With the dog sprinting and the sun setting over the water, this feels more like a date than me conferencing with the captain. I don’t want to talk about Brianna. I don’t want to think about her. The captain is watching his dog. She’s chasing a bug, and it’s hysterical. When I turn to him to ask about her, I pause. His blue eyes are twinkling at me, his lips open like he wantsto say something but has forgotten what. He holds my gaze and then turns away.

“How old?” I ask about Penny.

“Thirty-nine.”

I lean forward, turning my attention away from the dog to focus on the captain. “In dog years?”

Chapter 8

Provisions

Dante

The cab swerves to avoid hitting a moped again. This one carries a whole family. The wife has a large cardboard box on the top of her head and a baby strapped to her back. You’d think my heart would miss a beat. But I live for this shit. If we end up hanging around port long enough this season, I’ll buy one of those scooters and check out the local street food scene. Bring on the fried crickets and pig’s testicles.

The driver stops in front of the marina.

“Xie Xie.” My dialect is off. But I get an A for effort. I pull my backpack out and sling it over my shoulder, then make my way through the maze of golf carts and supplies by the harbormaster’s office. It’s late and they’re bound to be closed. Calling the captain and letting him know I found an earlier flight would have made sense. But my last two captains didn’t even know how to text message, and I hate talking on the phone. So not worth the effort. TheRock Candyis a new 85-meter mega yacht. I’ll find her.

One of those popular poodle mixes barks at me as I come around the side of the building. Damn rich people and their fucking dogs. But this one is cute, and she lands on my feet.

“Hey there, puppy.” I scratch behind her ears, and her hind foot thumps.

“Penny,” a man calls.

And my new friend flies back around the building. I follow. Two yachties sit on the world’s smallest bench—it’s definitely some sort of date. The way they are looking at each other, they’re about a minute from fucking on the tiny bench. And I wouldn’t mind watching because, shit, they’re both hot as fuck. The girl’s toned legs are crossed, and her flip-flops lie on the ground in front of her. She has really delicate feet, and the rest of her is superb too. Curves, but in the right places. The guy is older. First officer material for sure, but enough muscle on him that it hasn’t been too long since he was a bosun. The dog is doing acrobatics by the guy’s feet.

“Hey.” I wave. “Do you know where theRock Candyis docked?”

“Slip 69.” The girl laughs.

“What?” says the guy. “I didn’t pick it. It’s what the yacht needed for her size.”

“Sure, thing, Captain.”

I glance back at the two of them. “Captain?”

“Captain Samuel Miller of theRock Candy.” He gives a nod, but then he turns back to the beauty next to him. “Haley Brewster, chief stew.” When he looks back at me, I see it. It’s a moment of frustration. I’ve definitely interrupted something.

“Dante Evans. I’m your chef.” I cross my arms over my chest.

“Hallelujah!” Haley exclaims, and now my mind is wandering to all the ways I’d like to see her cry out in celebration. “You’re early. We thought you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well, I found an airport employee who was able to think outside of the box. She saved me a good eighteen hours. But they lost my luggage. She warned me that my bag might not make it. They said they’d send it to the port tomorrow when it catches up to me. But you know, like shit. I’m ordering new knives from the provisioner and charging it to the boat.” I don’t care if Captain Sam likes it or not.

“That sounds great to me, as long as I don’t have to cook for the guests.” The captain holds a life vest out to his dog, who dutifully sits while he puts it on her.

“That’s horrible,” says Haley. “I’d offer to go shopping for you, but... you’ll understand when you see the boat.”

“How bad can it be? I thought she was brand new?”

The captain snaps Penny into her lead. “She is, but with the shipyard running behind schedule, so were the outfitters. They barely had time to put the furniture in the cabins before she had to sail away to make it here in time. I captained the owner’s last boat, and I explained to him it would be better to let the outfitters finish, but he was insistent that we couldn’t wait. That we’d have to make do. After the season, I’m taking her back for finishing touches.”

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