Page 75 of The Sailor in Polynesia
Jonas scratched his chest, his eyes on the ceiling as he considered my question. “No... I... maybe?” He shook his head, focusing his eyes on me. “I do not know where this is coming from. I think something is going on with her. Elayna drank a bit too much one night in Tahiti while you were gone, and Eivind mentioned something last night about an incident here before we arrived.”
I dropped down to my elbow and trailed a finger on Jonas’s chest. “I think you need to have some more crew time today.”
He slid his palm over my hand. “Ja. But I missed you. I want you to be here too.”
“I know. But this is your crew—and your brother. You need to take care of them. It’s one of the things I like about you.” I slipped my hand from his and traced a finger over his eyebrow. “You have such a good relationship with Eivind, and Lila and Elayna both admire you. And so do I. If Elayna’s going through something, you can help her. She’d listen to you; she respects you.”
“You have high expectations of me.” A small crease of worry formed between his eyebrows and I kissed it away.
“I know you, Captain. Now”—I threw off the sheet and rolled out of the bed—“take me home and take care of your boat.”
* * *
I stayed onWelinaall day, letting Jonas and the rest ofEikhave a day together to sort out their shit. Jonas and I had just spent several days together, but I still missed him, and I tried hard not to think too much about him. I had plenty of boat projects to keep me entertained, projects that I now had the right parts for.
Shortly after I ate lunch,Eik’s dinghy bumped intoWelinaand Jonas climbed aboard.
I met him at the base of the stairs. “Is everything okay? I didn’t expect you to come over today.”
He paused, reached back outside, and pulled in two coconuts. “These are for you.”
I smiled and took the coconuts from him and shoved them into my fridge. Jonas sat on the stairs. “You know you don’t have to butter me up anymore.” I leaned in for a kiss. “I like you with or without the coconuts.”
“Actually, Elayna insisted I bring these over to you. As an apology for last night.”
“Aw, that was nice of her. Tell her thank you.”
He took a deep breath. “Elayna is leavingEik. We sat down and had a talk, and she apologized to the rest of us. She is embarrassed about last night and has decided it would be best for her to move on now.”
I looked out the window and tried to sort out my feelings over his statement. Compared to the rest of the crew, I wasn’t as close with Elayna, and she seemed to be really struggling with something, maybe my relationship with Jonas, given their history, or maybe her life in general. A pang of sympathy hit me. I knew how it felt to be a little lost and unsure and to have your heart and mind disagree. “How do you feel about that?”
He rubbed his face, and when he pulled his hands away, his eyes were tired. “Sad. We have lost both of our crew members in a few weeks. And I feel at fault.”
I stood between Jonas’s knees and gripped his wrists, tugging his arms around me and letting him rest against me. “You gave both Marcella and Elayna great opportunities. Just think about where they were before they met you.”
He huffed a laugh into my chest. “Elayna was desperate to get away from that drunkard, and Marcella had just been fired.”
“Exactly. And now they’ve had a stable home for months and these amazing travel experiences. And Marcella has a fancy new job. Elayna will find something. She’ll land on her feet, better off than she was before because of you.”
Jonas squeezed me hard, burying his face into me. “Thank you,” he said, his voice muffled. I held him until he pulled back. He glanced over my shoulder at the clock mounted on the wall. “I should go. We are taking Elayna to shore to meet the three p.m. ferry for Papeete.”
I helped Jonas into his dinghy and watched him putter away. To my surprise, the dinghy returned later, laden with the crew ofEikand Elayna’s bags. She picked her way over the bags and climbed aboardWelina, smiling at me shyly.
“I just wanted to say goodbye. It was lovely to meet you, and you never know when our paths will cross again.” She held out her arms for a hug, and I wrapped mine around her.
“It was great to meet you too. Go have some great adventures, okay?”
I started to pull back, but Elayna gripped me tighter. I tensed, but she whispered in my ear, “Take good care of him, okay?” and then she kissed my cheek.
“I’ll try.”
She smiled, her eyes misty. “And take care of you.” She gave me a little wave and climbed back down to the waiting crew. I waved them off as they puttered to the dock.
* * *
Jonas returned in the late afternoon and spent the rest of the day being extra affectionate, needing every kiss or touch for reassurance. We cuddled and read in the hammock again, and Jonas suggested we do something fun the next day: snorkeling with stingrays and a double-date dinner onEikwith Lila and Eivind.
When I suggested he go home for dinner, he gave me a soft little smile and kissed my cheek.
