Page 38 of Wild Tides
There was a plethora of things I could trust Gran with. I wasn’t sure my wardrobe choice was one of them. Today she was dressed conservatively for her, in jeans and a hot pink sweater. Her pink hair was styled almost meekly in a bob instead of spiked up in its usual mohawk.
She clapped her hands together. “C’mon. Go change. I want to see you in each one, then we can whittle it down to something for tonight.”
“What’s the other dress for?”
“You’ll see,” she said smugly.
The entire scheme could only be Lee’s work. I couldn’t decide whether to be moved by the effort he put into making me feel like a princess for the day, or worried. Anytime Gran was involved, concern was a solid choice. It benefited me when she was my co-conspirator. I didn’t know how to feel about Lee co-opting her as his.
I slipped into dress after dress, finally settling on the black gown for tonight and holding the purple dress in reserve. There was no way I was standing on the ferry dock in forty-degree weather, exposing my knees in the short red dress. Wearing anything other than pants was asking to freeze, but I was willing to suffer for the full fantasy. I’d wanted a romantic serenade. Lee was doing his part to give me one.
Gran nodded her approval as I twirled in the black dress one last time.
“Let that dragon breathe, baby girl. You look stunning.”
“Thanks, Gran.”
I hid a smile at the idea of me as a dragon. Gran fit the bill perfectly. Me? Not so much. I smoothed my new dress over my hips. Then again, I’d faced my male dragon in his lair and convinced him to give up some of his loot in the form of highschool treasure. So maybe I had more dragon tendencies than I gave myself credit for.
Chapter 19 – Violet
Gran left to return the extra dresses, and I closed the shop, walking home in my street clothes to change and fuss over my hair and makeup. Getting ready at the Salty Pantry wasn’t an option. I’d regret it later when I was freezing my tits off, but I needed the tall boots at the back of my closet and a warm shawl to complete my look for tonight.
Lee and I had maintained radio silence all day. I felt bad for abandoning him with his ankle still in the boot, but Drew or Zach would pick up my slack. Lee hadn’t been shy about including my entire family, including Gran, in his end of the shenanigans, so I let the guilt go.
The walk to the ferry dock felt a little like a procession. My neighbors all seemed to have found a reason to hang around their front yards, though there wasn’t much yardwork to do in late January. One by one, they fell in behind me, like baby ducks in a very nosy line.
I lifted my chin and kept marching. There was no room for doubt now. No space for second thoughts. I’d set this in motion. Now all that was left was to brazen through.
Anya waited for me on the corner in front of the studio, grinning at my entourage. “Everyone’s looking forward to the show.”
My skin prickled with excitement, anticipation making my steps light. It’d been years since I heard Lee play.
By the time Anya and I met Rae and Lucy at the dock, we’d picked up a crowd. Rae ushered me to one of the lawn chairs she’d set up at the ferry landing. There’d already been too big a crowd of onlookers at Harbor Brews. It felt like half the town had turned out. Lucy tossed me a blanket, and Rae passed me an insulated mug.
“Coffee from Harbor Brews.”
“Thanks,” I said. “This is quite the setup.”
Rae rolled her eyes. “You know the interisland ferry.”
“It’ll get here when it gets here.”
I half expected one of the ferry system staff to scold us for the chairs and coffee, but they were more concerned with lining up cars for the next sailing. The Friday Harbor ferry dock combined walk-on and drive-on traffic. Cars lined up in the holding lanes an hour or more in advance. Walk-up passengers had an easier process. A special dock with bench seating offered a view of the harbor. Most walk-on passengers visited the local businesses, getting coffee or snacks for their trip before boarding. Tonight, the passenger dock was crowded, but I had a feeling it had more to do with the drama playing out between Lee and me than a desire to travel off-island.
It would have served us right if the winds had blown up, making the water choppy, but we’d lucked into a beautiful evening for ferry-spotting. The sun was sinking behind the hills to the west, bathing the water in a golden glow, each ripplea glittery ribbon. The moon rose over the horizon, pale and luminously beautiful.
I sipped my coffee, enjoying the warmth and grateful for the chair and blanket. Scanning the crowd, I raised my mug in a silent toast to Gran, who had her own bank of chairs on the patio at Harbor Brews with Ollie Reyes. My mom and dad sat to Gran’s left, with Zach to her right. Drew stepped up behind them, scanning the horizon.
Taking my private spat with Lee public was out of character for me, and everyone in town seemed to realize it. Anticipate the drama. Maybe I underestimated my potential for dragon-hood. Or maybe it was knowing Lee was as private as I was, yet willing to make a spectacle of himself for me, that gave me courage.
TheMV Yakimafloated around the corner of Brown Island, and a cheer erupted from the assembled townspeople. The visitors looked confused by the locals cheering their daily mode of transportation, exchanging wary glances with raised brows like maybe we’d expected the boat to sink.
Just as fast as the cheer went up, we fell silent. Straining to hear the music.
Once a month, the interisland ferry hosted an informal jam session. The organizers posted onWhat’s New, Friday Harbor, gathering any music fans to sing, play, or just hang out and float between the islands. I’d never been much of a musician, but I’d lucked into the musical sailing a time or two, coming back from a weekend on Lopez or Shaw Island. It cast a unique magic each time. A mix of ethereal and homey that only made me love the San Juan Islands more.
TheMV Yakimacut through the water toward the dock. It’d be impossible to hear the music over the ferry’s giant engines, but that didn’t stop me from trying.
