Page 38 of Kiss Me at Midnight
“A true fisherman knows.” Paulo put a hand on his reel, putting a halt to the spinning.
Jud followed his lead.
“Is it possible you’ve both caught the same fish?” Lily wondered out loud, earning disparaging glances from the fishermen.
The yacht lurched forward, as if someone had stepped on the gas. The three of them struggled to keep from losing their footing. Paulo bent over the rail, nearly losing his fishing pole.
There was only one reason Lily could think of for the sudden acceleration. “Grandma Dotty!”
Social media disaster forgotten, Lily ran for the stairs.
The yacht careened to the right, nearly sending Lily to her knees. She grabbed onto the stair rail just as the boat surged forward and tilted to the left.
“Grandma Dotty!” Lily scrambled up two flights of stairs, raced into the dining room, and burst through the door into the control bridge where her grandmother had a death-grip on the controls. “Stop.”
“That’s not fair. I’ve barely begun.” For all her petite stature, Grandma Dotty had wiry strength when she wanted something. And she wanted to steer.
“Stop, Grandma. Or I’ll call Dad and tell him to pick you up in Charleston.”
Pouting, Grandma Dotty released the controls. Her short silver hair glinted in the sunlight as brightly as the glint in her eyes. “I would have done fine if Captain Stubing here had just handed over the helm.”
“No means no.” The captain was a middle-aged gentleman. Like his crew, he wore white slacks and a blue polo shirt with the yacht’s name and logo stitched on the breast. Unlike his crew, he wasn’t giving in to Grandma Dotty’s demands. “No more visits to the bridge. No more touching the controls.”
“Well, I never.” Grandma Dotty huffed. “I tried one time and you’ve already judged me wanting. All I need is another chance to prove my skill.” She moved closer to the controls.
Lily lunged forward, grabbing onto her grandmother’s thin arm.
The captain shook his finger. “No means no.”
Lily supposed he could have dropped harsher judgment on them. “Come on. The guys have fish on the line.”
“Really?” Grandma Dotty was suitably distracted. She ran to the rear of the dining room and out onto the rear deck, looking down toward the boat garage. “That must have been two ginormous fish.”
“What makes you say that?” Lily wasn’t as quick to join her.
“Because they got pulled into the drink.” Grandma Dotty pointed out toward the wake behind them.
In the distance, two pairs of arms waved like mad. Lily could just make out one shaved head and one dark brown one. “Man overboard!” Lily practically flew toward the bridge, opening the door to shout it again, “Man overboard!”
“Men,” Grandma Dotty corrected, waltzing past Lily and toward the controls. “Menoverboard. We need to turn about.”
The captain extended his arm to stop her while simultaneously reaching for the speaker. “Man overboard. Launch the skiff.” He dropped the mic and grabbed Grandma Dotty by the shoulders. “Thank you, ma’am. We know who to call if we need backup.” He turned her around to face the door.
“I guess no really means no,” Grandma Dotty said, shoulders slumping in disappointment.
Chapter Eight
“My fish was big-big-bigger.” Paulo’s teeth chattered as he made the claim in the rescue skiff’s bow. The bruise on his forehead was darkening and the size of a golf ball.
Jud scoffed and wrapped the blanket he’d been given tighter around his shoulders. He was cold, but not so cold that he couldn’t snap back. “It doesn’t matter whose fish was bigger. Your fiancée is a bully and all deals are off. When we get back, I’m telling her you speak English.”
“You are just mad be-be-because your cell phone is wet.” Paulo shivered. “My phone was swallowed by a b-b-b-big fish. The biggest fish. My fish.”
Jud rolled his eyes. “The one you would have caught if we hadn’t been catapulted off the yacht?”
“Yes. I blame you. You grabbed onto me.”
Jud shook his head. “I was trying to save you from falling overboard. Remember that I have lightning fast reflexes. I rescue people for a living.”
