Page 5 of Pucker Up
A pit formed in my gut. Unlike my mom, I couldn’t see someone’s energy, I could only feel it, and the good vibes I’d been getting from the man in the crazy clothes had shifted. He was right. Gossip was terrible. “Wait,” I shouted.
Mel grabbed my arm. “Leave it. He’s not worth it.”
“I feel bad.”
“About what?” Mel stomped her feet on the pavement and rubbed her arms. “You’re right. Those players should’ve let the women and children go first. And I know that you’re right about the Bailey brothers.”
“It’s not theTitanic.” I cupped my hands to my mouth and blew warm air into my mittens. “How do you know I’m right?”
The next ferry was about to dock. We’d only had to wait for fifteen minutes, but it had felt like an eternity. The attendant removed the chain and gestured for us to board the boat.
“You’re the coach’s daughter. You’re also the best person I know. You would never just make up something, or spread a rumor. What you said to that creep is true. Ace Bailey is only on the team because of his brother. I don’t know how that works, but because it came from your mouth, Goldie, I would never question it.”
“Still. I shouldn’t have said anything. If it gets out that Coach Swanson’s daughter is spilling trade secrets…” My voice trailed off. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I knew that it wouldn’t be good.
“Who cares? That guy probably already forgot.” We settled onto a bench seat near the front of the boat and watched as everyone boarded. The return trip didn’t have the electricity or the excitement that seemed to follow the players wherever they went. Morton’s tail smacked against the leg of the bench and he let out an excited whimper.
“What are you so happy about?” I looked up and the man with the mountaineering goggles had boarded the boat. Mel was wrong. There was something good about that man. Something intriguing. I knew it, and so did Morton.
I gave my dog a pat on the head. “We will go for a big walk when we get home.”
“After pizza,” Mel reminded me. She joined me in petting Morton. “And maybe a pup cup.”
The thwacking of Morton’s tail intensified. “A walk and a pup cup. The only thing that would make this day better would be a swim.”
Mel leaned against the bench and jutted her chin towards the back of the boat. “Talk aboutWhere’s Waldo. Was your weirdo wearing that scarf this morning?”
The man was easy to spot amongst the sea of black and gray puffy coats. “I think I’d remember a scarf like that.” It was red and white and wrapped around his neck at least three times. It was so long that its tassels grazed the ground.
A series of quacks distracted me from the ridiculous scarf. Two ducks flew across the bow of the boat, so closely I could hear the fizzing noise of the wind slipping through their feathers. They let out two more quacks before landing in the water on the other side of the boat.
Morton lunged at the ducks. His leash snapped taut, and I winced as it squeezed my wrist and then yanked me off the bench. I pulled hard, trying to get Morton under control, but the leash snapped back at me. The carabiner attaching the leash to his collar had released. Morton’s claws scratched the surface of the boat as he zigged and zagged around the other passengers before leaping off the side of the ferry.
“Morton!” I ran to the edge of the boat.
The ducks had flown away and Morton was swimming in circles where he’d last seen them.
“Stop the boat!” Mel hopped into action and ran to the bridge. “Tell the Captain to stop the boat,” her voice rang out. Everyone on board rushed to the railing. Morton was an excellent swimmer and the cold didn’t seem to bother him, but we were directly between the island and the mainland. Could he swim that far in the cold? My hands shook as I gripped the railing. “Morton!” I shouted.
The boat had slowed and my eyes darted, trying to figure out how to get my dog back on board.
“Man overboard,” another passenger shouted.
I couldn’t see who had jumped in, only that their bare arm was wrapped around a life ring. The man swam to Morton and grabbed him. The ferry attendant pulled both the rescuer and my dog to the boat and then heaved them on board. As I ran tothe back of the boat, something or someone grabbed onto my legs and I stumbled to the cold steel deck. “What the hell?” I flipped onto my butt to see that there was a red and white scarf tangled around my feet.
The passengers cheered as Morton trotted to the middle of the boat, but the cheers were quickly replaced with shrieks as he shook, soaking everyone within a ten-foot radius.
I untangled the scarf from my feet, threw it over my shoulder, and ran to clip Morton back to his leash. He didn’t seem fazed. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted with excitement. “You’re such a jerk.” Dropping to my knees, I wrapped my arms around the wet dog’s neck. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”
“Um. Goldie?” Mel tapped me on my shoulder.
“What?” I stood and brushed the dog fur off my coat.
A male voice spoke. “I think that you’ve got my scarf.”
As I turned, the world went into slow motion. My heart was already racing from watching my dog sail through the air into the iceberg water, but when my eyes met the scarf man’s, I swore the beating stopped for a second.
The man with the scarf was none other than Ace Bailey.
