Chapter 30
THIRTY
A hand lands softly on my shoulder, gently shaking me awake. My eyes open slowly, and I look up at warm brown eyes, illuminated by the soft glow from the bedside lamp.
“Time to get to work,” Theo says in a low, soothing voice.
I breathe out a soft laugh, the blankets slipping off as I sit up so the cool early morning air nips at my skin. Miss Bobber stretches lazily beside me, in the spot she claimed between me and Theo through the night. At 4:00AM, she clearly has no plans to get up, and I don’t blame her.
I pull on my clothes and head downstairs to join Theo, where he’s making coffee. The house is still and quiet, wrapped in predawn darkness which brings a sense of peace and calm. The smell of coffee urges me to take a deep breath in as I enter the kitchen, and Theo turns to look at me with a slow once-over, and a soft smile. He hands me a travel mug full of coffee, and I take it, slipping an arm around his waist at the same time to pull him close. The kiss I give him is as gentle as the morning, as I take a moment to appreciate him for everything he is.
When I reluctantly pull away, his hand cups my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. “Ready?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
We make our way out to his truck, and Theo drives us through the sleeping town towards the marina. Darkness blankets the streets and houses, making everything even more still and peaceful than this town usually is. If that’s even possible.
Theo pulls into the almost-empty parking lot, and I chuckle to myself. Of course, he’s the first one here.
He glances over as I cock an eyebrow at him.
“Captains arrive first,” he says.
“And you’re always the earliest of all captains?” I ask.
He pauses as he stares back at me, hand on the door handle of the truck. “I like to be early,” he says with a huff then opens his door and hops out. “Come on.”
I chuckle as I follow him, and we make our way down the dock towards his boat. As we walk, I listen to the quiet sounds of our footsteps on the wooden boards and the soft laps of water against the hulls of the boats. And when I take a deep breath of the salty air, I let it all settle everything inside me.
When we reach his boat, Theo hops in and pulls out a couple pairs of waders, tossing one to me. Just as we start putting them on, a voice sounds behind us.
“New crew member, Theo?”
We turn to see a woman, I’d say in her fifties, standing on the dock with her hands on her hips.
Theo chuckles. “Just for today, Sheila. This is Liam.”
I give her a smile and Sheila smirks at me, nodding with her chin towards Theo. “You’ve got your hands full with this one, let me tell ya.”
I let out a small laugh, glancing at him as he rolls his eyes.
“Lies,” he mutters, bending down to unlock a cabinet. “Don’t listen to her, she’s full of shit.”
Sheila tips her head back with a laugh. “That’s my boy.” She then winks at me. “He might be a handful, but he’s a good one.”
I smile, glancing back at Theo. “Yeah… he really is,” I murmur, just loud enough for him to hear.
He catches my gaze with a soft smile, then there’s a gentle thud on the boat.
“Welcome to the crew!”
I turn around to see Sarah’s bright smile as she joins us on the boat, and Sheila moving on to talk to another crew.
“Hey,” I greet her as she heads for the container Theo pulled out and takes it from him.
Theo crouches down to pop open a floor panel to reveal a motor, and starts to check the oil. And I can’t help but subtly keep my eyes on him while Sarah tells me about their morning routine.
“Our fearless captain handles everything about the boat,” she explains, placing the container down in the middle of the deck. “We take care of the gear.” She flips the lid off the container to reveal a tub of salted herring packed in ice. “This is our bait. We pick it up from the buyer’s station the day before so we’re ready to go first thing.”
Theo steps into the wheelhouse and starts up the engine, the rumble of diesel bringing the boat to life.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Mitch steps onto the boat, clapping me on the back. “No fucking way. About time you came out with us!”
I laugh, turning as Glen hops on board and gives me a playful salute.
“I didn’t know we were adding to the crew,” Glen says, raising an eyebrow at Theo. “I could’ve slept in. Liam can take my spot.”
Theo leans casually against the wheelhouse, arms crossed as he eyes Glen. “I bet he’d do a better job.”
Glen pretends to size me up, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah. Probably.”
I chuckle as he nudges me with his elbow. Theo just shakes his head, pushing off the wall and heading into the wheelhouse. “Let’s go.”
Mitch and Glen untie the ropes securing the boat to the dock and Theo effortlessly backs us out, aiming us towards the wide, dark expanse of the ocean. The low rumble of the engine mixes with the sound of water lapping against the hull as Glen, Mitch, and Sarah settle onto a bench just behind the wheelhouse, and Sarah motions for me to join them.
“Ever been lobster fishing before?” Mitch asks, raising his voice over the hum of the engine.
I shake my head. “Nope. First time on a lobster boat too.”
“Really?” Glen asks with a smirk. “Aren’t you a Caper?”
I chuckle with a shrug. “Yeah, but I never really knew anyone in the business.”
Sarah snorts, sipping her coffee. “Well, you certainly do now.”
Theo glances back at me through the window, and motions for me to join him in the wheelhouse.
I step inside, taking in the screens and controls surrounding him. The soft glow of the equipment bathes his face in dim light, and his expression softens as his eyes meet mine. He holds my gaze for a moment, and I want nothing more than to reach out and touch him and press my lips to his. His eyes momentarily drop to my lips, confirming he has the same thought, before he turns his attention to a screen before him and points to it. “This is where we’re going.”
I lean closer, taking in the various markers scattered across one section of the screen. “Those are your trap locations?” Then my eye catches the distance. “Wow, they’re pretty far out.”
He nods. “Yeah. About forty minutes out.”
I glance out the front window at the dark, endless water ahead. There’s something unsettling about heading this far out into the ocean in the darkness, but seeing Theo so calm and at ease settles me. I lean against the wheelhouse wall and sip my coffee, watching Theo drive the boat as the first hints of dawn start to break.
By the time we reach the first trap location, the sky has softened to shades of yellow and blue, casting a gentle light over the water. It’s quiet and serene, and for the first time in a while, my mind is completely quiet.
Theo slows the boat and turns to me, pointing towards a buoy bobbing in the water as the crew jumps into action behind us, getting things set up on the deck.
“These are our trawl lines,” Theo says. “Everyone in our fishing area paints their buoys, so we know whose is whose. Each licence has an area where we can set traps, which is determined on trap setting day at the beginning of the season.” He flips a switch, and the boat shifts into neutral, rumbling softly as we drift towards the buoy. He grabs a long hook from behind him, smiling as he looks back at me. “And we always get the best spot.”
“Damn right we do,” Mitch says, stepping up beside me with a grin.
I watch Theo as he hooks the buoy and pulls it up onto the deck. There’s a quiet confidence in the way he moves, and I can see why he’s torn about this life. It might have been chosen for him, but it’s obvious he loves it too.
He lifts the buoy, showing it to me. “Ours are blue and red. Sarah paints them every year.” He gestures to the faded paint, revealing an octopus with big eyes and a smile. “And she tends to put adorable little sea creatures on them as well,” he says with a roll of his eyes.
Sarah beams as she opens the hatch to the holding tank. “Each year they get even better.”
Mitch groans. “They’re going to have like… glitter or something next year, aren’t they.”
“Who knows.” Sarah shrugs. “Maybe googly eyes.”
Theo shakes his head as he secures the line to a hydraulic winch. He flips a switch, and the system starts reeling in the trap line.
He leans in closer to me as he points at it. “This brings the line in, so we can pull the traps up to the side of the boat where we unload, re-bait, and set them again.” He then turns to face me, and his expression turns serious. “Feet flat on the floor at all times, and keep your eyes down. If rope is moving on the floor, always step up to the wheelhouse. If you feel a tug on your foot, drop to the ground immediately and point your feet to the stern.”
I nod, taking in the intensity in his eyes. “Got it.”
He holds my gaze for a moment longer before nodding back. “Ok.”
Mitch leans over the side of the boat as the first trap surfaces, and pulls it onto the ledge. Theo flips a switch to stop the hauler while Mitch opens the top, and him and Theo reach in.
Mitch holds up a large crab. “These fellas like to sneak in and eat all the bait. At least we’re feeding the ocean floor.” He chuckles, tossing the crab back into the water.
Theo pulls out a lobster, giving it a quick once-over before tossing it into the holding tank. “That’s our job, really,” he says, looking at me over his shoulder. “Feeding the ecosystem and keeping the fishery sustainable.” He pulls another lobster from the trap and holds it up, then tosses it back into the ocean, glancing at me with a shake of his head. “Too small.”
I nod, stepping forward, hanging on to every word he says. Seeing and hearing the confidence in him while he works has me completely hooked, and I’m fascinated by this process.
And him.
“Our job is to keep our traps full of bait to feed the young and breeders,” he continues. “We only keep a small amount of what we catch. In our waters here in the South Shore, it can take a lobster seven to nine years to reach the minimum legal size, which is a carapace length of 82.5 millimetres.” He holds up another lobster and runs his finger along the shell from the tail to the eyes to show me where he measures. “We can eyeball most, but if I think I need to measure it, then it’s probably too small.” He shrugs and tosses it back into the water. “So back in they go to keep eating and growing.”
Once the trap is empty, Theo switches the hauler back on, sliding the empty trap down to Sarah as Mitch hauls up the next one on the line. Sarah loads the empty trap with bait, and Glen starts banding the lobsters in the holding tank. Everyone moves efficiently with a practised ease, like a well-oiled machine. This crew clearly works well together.
Theo reaches into the next trap and pulls out a large lobster. He turns it over to show me the bottom of it, where hundreds of tiny eggs cling to the shell. “Breeder,” he says. “They hatch between June and September, so they tend to have a lot of eggs this time of year with only a couple weeks left in the season.”
He pulls a tool from his pocket that looks like a pair of pliers. He places it over the tail of the lobster and notches a V into it. “We don’t keep breeders. So if she’s caught without eggs, other fishers will know and put her back.” He grabs a small fish from the bait bucket and tucks it into her claw. The lobster latches on and he chuckles, glancing up at me. “I always throw the breeders back with a snack.”
He then leans over the edge of the boat and places her gently in the water on her back, letting her float down undisturbed.
I can’t help but smile as I watch him. Even with lobster, he is so caring, and has the biggest heart.
Mitch shakes his head with a chuckle. “Such a softie.”
Theo shoots him a look as he reaches into the trap again. “Fuck off.”
“And just like that, it’s gone,” Mitch says dramatically, tossing another lobster into the holding tank.
As the empty trap slides down the line to Sarah, Theo gestures for me to step forward. “You’re up.”
I smile, stepping forward as Mitch opens the next trap. I peer inside and reach for a lobster, pulling it out to inspect it.
“What do you think?” Theo asks.
I look it over, turning it to check out its underside and tail. “Decent size, no eggs, no tail notch…”
“Keeper?” he prompts.
I nod. “Keeper.”
As I toss it into the holding tank, Glen looks up at me and shakes his head with a tsk . “Your first one, and it’s the biggest in here. You’re gonna replace one of us in crew, aren’t ya?”
I laugh. “No worries, I’ve got another job. But…” I turn to Theo. “This is pretty great.”
His soft brown eyes meet mine, and we hold each other’s gaze for a moment, sharing something that feels warm and comfortable. His lips lift into a small smile, and my gaze immediately drops to take it in. But the clatter of the trap sliding down the deck snaps us out of it, and Theo turns the hauler back on, pulling up the next one.
I help Mitch empty the rest of the traps from this line, while Theo looks over the catch to decide whether this spot is still viable. Once the traps are all baited, Theo flips the hauler to reverse and we toss them back into the ocean. He places a firm hand on my arm as the rope slides quickly over the edge, reminding me of the intensity behind his earlier warning. Watching the rope dangle and uncoil as the traps sink to the bottom of the ocean, I now understand exactly what he means by eyes down and feet flat on the deck.
Theo marks the trawl line location on the GPS, and we move to the next spot. We repeat the process for all two hundred and fifty traps, as we empty each one, then re-bait, and reset. Theo adjusts the locations of a few trawl lines where the catch was low, and marks these changes on the GPS.
When the last trap is back in the water, the bait bucket is empty and the holding tank is full, Theo turns to look into my eyes. “Good work, fisherman.”
As I look into his eyes and take in his smile, I realize I’ve been wearing one of my own all morning. Being here with him, covered in dirt and salt water, watching him in his element and spending this time with him… it was perfect.
He’s fucking perfect.