Page 6 of The Sailor in Polynesia
I shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I don’t have any plans.”
“Okay.” He hesitated and looked out at his boat. “If you need anything...”
“Thanks,” I said. “Same for you, being neighbors and all.”
I helped Jonas climb onto his board and then waved goodbye while he paddled away. Most boats that had passed through here only stayed a night or two. It was unlikely thatEikwould linger, so soon I’d be alone in the anchorage again.
I needed to get better at entertaining myself.
Three
The next day, there was a knock on the side of the hull, and the voice that accompanied it was not Jonas’s. Instead a woman called out, “Hello!”
Coming out of the cockpit, I looked left and right. There was no one.
“Hello?”
“Over here.” I peered down the side of the deck and found a young woman sitting on her knees on a paddleboard. “Sorry, mate, I’m not as good with the board as Jonas is.” She had a light Australian accent, a mess of brown curls pulled back into a ponytail, a sunburned nose, and a pair of sunglasses protecting her eyes.
“Mia, right? I’m Lila, fromEik. Eivind’s girlfriend.”
“Eivind?” I waved Lila in and she climbed up.
“Yes, Jonas’s brother. I’m here on a super-special international relations mission.” Lila wriggled her eyebrows.
“Oh?”
“Yes, can we borrow some sugar?”
I laughed. “Sure, come on in.”
Lila followed me intoWelina. “How long have you been here in Kauehi?”
“A little less than a month,” I called back over my shoulder. My galley was to the right at the base of the stairs, so I turned in and opened cabinets to pull out the container. Lila stood in the center of the salon, looking around. My cheeks burned a little bit;Welinawas not looking her best right now. I’d tried to tackle a project this morning rebuilding an old pump, but it wasn’t going well. Clutter was everywhere and, not expecting company, I had left the project strewn about the main salon.
Lila’s lips pursed and I braced for a comment, but instead she climbed onto the couch. There was a half-wall between the salon and the galley, and she kneeled on the seat and leaned over to watch me pour some sugar into a baggie.
“So,” she started. “Jonas came back from saying hello yesterday completely soaking wet. What happened?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“Yeah, no. He just kind of mumbled something, wouldn’t meet my eyes, and disappeared into his cabin.”
I grinned despite myself. “Well, he scared the crap out of me. He was giving me the tuna fillet”—I looked up and she nodded—“and he fell in the waterwiththe fillet.”
“Oh my God!” Lila shrieked. “There are so many sharks here. Thank God he didn’t get bitten.”
“I know. And we’re so far from medical care too. I do not want to be attempting to stitch up a shark bite.”
Lila rolled her eyes. “The irony. Of all of us, Jonas is the one I would want to stitch up my shark bite. I’m going to stay the hell out of the water.”
I finished zipping up the bag and raised my hands. “It’s not a big deal. Normally they won’t bother you at all. Just don’t dump fish guts overboard and jump immediately in the water. That’s just asking for it.”
She shuddered. “Where I come from, shark attacks are a serious deal!”
“Aussie, I’m guessing?”
“Yes! A shark ate our prime minister once, thank you very much.” She paused.“Allegedly.”
