Page 30 of The Sailor in Polynesia
“No, no,” Jonas interrupted. “Just me. I’ll come.”
* * *
The boat needed tidying up before Jonas came over for dinner, and I prepared an easy meal of sausages and au gratin and threw it in the oven while I cleaned. The late-afternoon heat combined with the oven meant I was a mess. Feeling sticky and sweaty, I jumped in the water to cool off.
I swam until my timer went off and then, dripping wet, ducked inside and pulled the baking dish out of the oven. I covered it, put it back in, and turned the oven off before stepping back outside to shower.
One of the things I had quickly learned about the cruising community was that Americans were considered prudes. It wasn’t uncommon for other sailors to strip off their clothes on the back deck while showering or jump in the clear water completely nude. I’d even seen some men sunbathing or sailing fully naked. Mostly they were older men. I hadn’t seen any good-looking Norwegians sunbathing nude yet.
So I didn’t hesitate to strip out of my bathing suit on deck and hang it on the lifelines. I sat on the back and spent a few minutes fastidiously washing my hair, removing as much salt as I could before combing a leave-in conditioner through it.
By the time I was completely ready, Jonas was on his way over. I checked my reflection in the mirror, smoothing down some of the wisps that floated around my face. Having no hair dryer, I was resigned to damp hair, but I’d weaved it into a side braid. No makeup, a tank top and a sarong, and wet hair. A far cry from my first date with Liam, but it was about as dressed up as I could get.
Not that this was a date.
I climbed out of the hotbox that wasWelinaand smiled nervously as Jonas stepped into the cockpit with me. “Hey.”
He swung down and handed me a wine bottle, a small smile on his lips. I was pleased to see he’d dressed up a little too, wearing a linen shirt and shorts that were uncharacteristically clean. We were both barefoot, of course.
Jonas leaned in and kissed my cheek. “I was not sure what kind of wine you might like.” He held up the bottle.
“Any kind of wine. Let me get some glasses. Stay here—it’s hot down below.”
With two plastic wineglasses in hand, I returned to the cockpit. Jonas had grabbed a pillow and curled up in the corner on the port side, prime sunset-watching position. I filled our glasses with the cool white wine while Jonas waited, and then I sat next to him on the bench, handing him his glass.
“Skål.”He raised his glass, and I touched mine to his.
“Cheers.”
The wine was good—light and sweet. Jonas’s free hand caught the end of my braid and tugged. A teasing smile flitted across his lips.
“Your hair is so dark when it is wet.”
“I know. Every time I see it, I think about the time I dyed my hair brown as a teenager.”
Jonas looked horrified. “You dyed your hair?”
“Yes, well, I was a little rebel in my teenage years, and my hair was just another thing to fight about with my mom. I was tired of my classmates teasing me.”
His brow furrowed. “Kids teased you about your hair?” He sounded so genuinely perplexed that I had to laugh.
“Kids will tease about anything.”
“Your hair is beautiful,” he said so earnestly that it made my heart swoon.
“Well, now I think it’s great. It is really pretty, and I remember little old ladies complimenting it, saying they couldn’t pay to get my hair color. But kids in my school used to call me names: Carrot Cake, Fire Crotch, and even Ariel, like inThe Little Mermaid. I mean, at least I can appreciate the irony of that last one now.”
Jonas’s cheeks flushed pink, and he cleared his throat. “I did, umm, have a big crush on the Little Mermaid when I was a kid.” I laughed, and he flushed more, the tips of his ears pink now. “Is that too weird?”
“No. I mean, I have long red hair, and I swim a lot, but sadly I don’t have a friend who’s a crab.” I paused. “I’d probably eat him if I did.”
“He would be tasty,” Jonas agreed.
I nudged him with my elbow. “Is that why you watched my channel?”
Jonas switched his glass to his other hand and swept his arm behind me, inviting me into his side. “It may be why I clicked on the first video, but not why I stayed. You were fun to watch on camera.”
“Thanks. So I should pass on black lingerie and go for a seashell bra and a monofin?” I teased.
