33. Caleb
THIRTY-THREE
Caleb
I drove onto the ferry first. Margot parked directly behind me. As soon as the chalks were under my tires I stepped out and moved toward her car. I opened the driver’s side door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
I offered her my hand and smiled. “Have you ever seen the island at night?”
Her palm slid against mine as she stepped out of the car. “I guess I haven’t.”
I steered her toward the front of the ferry. There was a large net stretched across the bow to keep anyone from driving off. We stopped a few feet from the net. I wrapped my arms around Margot’s waist as she looked out onto the water.
“Tonight was a shit show.”
She nodded. “It was. And I have a vintage tablecloth I can’t afford to have cleaned, to prove it.”
“I’ll handle it. That entire dinner was my fault. I shouldn’t have gone. Shouldn’t have asked you to go either. The whole thing is on me.”
Margot rotated to face me. “You know what I’m going to say don’t you? I can take care of the stupid cleaning bill no matter how many boats need to use the boat ramp tomorrow to make it happen. I don’t want you to take care of it for me.”
“I thought we settled all these debts in the hospital,” I teased.
She groaned. “I think I still owe you for my coffee.”
I dug my fingers into the small of her back, pressing her firmly against me. “You’ve definitely paid your coffee debt.” The wind whipped her hair as the ferry glided along the channel.
“Is that so?” she purred, tipping her lips toward me. If she wanted me to take them, she was doing a damn good job of luring me in.
I had watched her handle the train wreck tonight. She withstood Carrie’s rude antics. She was gentle and sweet with Lucas, despite how territorial his mother had been. I’d never met anyone like her. Was it wrong of me to be glad she had washed up on Marshoak because of that money pit?
“What about the check? Did you have any time before I got there to talk to Carrie about the check she gave you?”
“I gave it back.” It was the one thing that had gone right. “She has it. I told her there was no way I could accept it and I left it at her house. That’s over. No more dinners. No more money.”
Margot sighed. “I guess no more Lucas.”
“He’s a cool kid. Too bad his mom is…”
“Carrie,” she answered.
“Yeah. But you’ve got the shark’s eye. I have a feeling he gave you the best one.”
“That was really sweet of him.” Her eyes darted to the deck of the boat. “The first summer I ever traveled to Marshoak with my mom to visit Uncle Walt, that was the one shell I knew. The shark’s eye.”
“Then it seems extra special that’s the one Lucas chose.”
“It is. I wish I still had the ones from those summers with her. It was her favorite thing to do, and I haven’t done it once since I got here.”
“That’s an easy fix. We can go tomorrow.” I hadn’t heard Margot talk about her mother much since she had been back. It seemed like a fragile subject. After everything we’d been through the past twenty-four hours, it wasn’t something I was willing to push her on. She’d tell me about her mother when she was ready.
What little I knew had to do with her brother being Walt. I wondered now if the family problems with Walt and his sister had anything to do with the Blue Heron. I wondered if Margot even knew the answer to that question.
I pulled her closer as the wind gusted around us. Over droplets of sea spray and diesel chugging from the ferry I could still smell Margot. I buried my nose in her neck, inhaling the sweetest scents of summer. She threw her arms around my neck.
My lips trailed from her neck to her throat and along her jawline. With urgency, our mouths crashed together. The ferry hit a massive wave and we were jostled roughly. Margot began to tip backward, but I held her tighter, fully wrapping my arms around her back.
“Whoa! I thought I was going overboard.” There was a nervous squeak in her voice.
“No way. I’ve got you.” I dove in for another kiss, making sure this time my feet were squarely anchored in case another rogue wave hit the ship. Even though I was trying to be the steady one. The mainstay she could lean on, it was as if her lips were coated in sugar and magic. I was off my axis, like a compass spinning out of control. I could drown in this girl night after night. I’d ridden this ferry a thousand times, probably more, but it was a new experience crossing with Margot.
The ferry horn blasted, and Margot trembled. “Oh my God, that’s loud.” It was disruptive and shook us out of the moment.
I took her by the hand. “We’re back at Marshoak. Come on. They’re going to want us off here pretty quickly.” I put her in her car. She rolled down the window.
“Caleb?”
“Hmm.” I turned at the hood.
“Want to come over tonight?”
“Do you care that I have to get up before dawn for morning patrol?”
She shook her head. “As long as I don’t have to get up for morning patrol.”
I laughed. “Not a chance.”
“Good.” She started the engine. “You better get in your truck. Aren’t they waving us off?” She pointed ahead. I was already thinking about the rest of our night.
I tapped the hood of her car and jogged to my truck. I started it just before I drove off the ferry and onto the island. Tonight had taken a lot of turns—some shitty ones, but now that we were back on the island together I couldn’t wait for the second half to get started.
Margot
T he next morning, I stretched out across the bed, wishing Caleb was still here. I could still smell his cologne on the pillow. I hugged it against my chest. It was blurry when he left, but he said something about calling me later. That part I was sure of. I had rolled back over and fallen asleep within seconds.
I ventured downstairs, smiling when I saw the coffee pot was full. He was good in bed and thoughtful. I poured a mug and walked onto the porch to sit.
The fisherman was at his post. Baiting and casting. There was something calming and reassuring to see him every day. I even knew his routine by now. He’d add a piece of cut bait to the line, jig it a few times, take a sip of coffee, and then cast. Once he reeled the line in, he’d perform the same ritual again.
I took a full breath of air, filling my lungs. It was beautiful here. For the first time, I glanced at the mainland across the sound, knowing exactly where Lucas and Carrie were. I wondered if he was already up playing in his playhouse and organizing his shells.
I realized then what I wanted to do today. I finished my coffee and went back upstairs to change clothes. There was a shed attached to the creek side of the cottage. I’d been hesitant to look through it since I’d moved in, but I steeled myself for what might be living in there and yanked the warped door open. I had to give it another tug. The hinges were rusted.
I was surprised at how many useful tools were in the shed. I surveyed the fishing poles hanging from the ceiling and the boxes of tackle on a shelf. I wasn’t wrong, though. There were more spiders and tiny frogs began to hop out. I screamed while they bounced out onto the yard.
I ventured in again, vowing if anything scarier than a frog or spider rushed me, I wasn’t going back in. I used my phone as a flashlight. There was a fishing net and a few yard tools. Then I spotted the sand pail and grinned. I peered over the edge to make sure there weren’t any creatures inside before I lifted the handle and slammed the door behind me. I had to add cleaning out the shed to my to-do list.
I pulled my car keys from my pocket, but the instant I opened the driver-side door I realized my mistake. It smelled like rotten sour milk.
“Oh God.” I had left the tablecloth in the backseat and the morning sun had heated the inside of the car like a toaster oven. I rolled down the windows, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to drive with that smell. Caleb had distracted me last night beyond reason. When we pulled into the Blue Heron, the only thing either of us was thinking about was getting our hands on each other. We’d tripped over the steps, barged through the porch, and barreled into each other’s arms once we were inside. I never once thought about the tablecloth.
I had to get the linen to a cleaners. I clutched the wheel as I drove through the island, praying that the smell wouldn’t linger in my backseat. It was foul. My quick Google search revealed there was one place I could take it, The Clean Queen.
I hauled the smelly fabric inside. The girl at the counter turned around.
“Josie?”
“Margot? Hi.”
I hadn’t seen her since the night she took me to the Coast Guard bonfire. I’d dipped out of the party without telling her I had a ride. Shit. I was already a bad friend or acquaintance. I shoved the tablecloth onto the check-in counter.
“Oh God, this smells horrible. What happened to it?”
I exhaled. “I full glass of spilled milk combined with the hot sun in a parked car.” I grimaced.
“Hmm.” She lifted it and hung it on a hanger. “It’s pretty.”
“Vintage,” I explained. “I’m guessing it’s expensive. I need to get it cleaned for someone. Do you think you could help me with it?”
Josie looked it over. Even with her T-shirt sleeves rolled up, her bright blond hair in a messy bun, and the perspiration on her forehead, she was still gorgeous. She eyed it.
“I think so. It’s more of an odor problem now. I’ll talk to my mom about it.”
“Your mom?”
She laughed. “Yes, she’s the owner. The literal ‘clean queen’.”
“Ohh.” I hadn’t put it together until now. “This is your family’s business.”
“My mom’s business,” she corrected. “I always ask her when it comes to special situations like these.” I watched as Josie wrote up a ticket and carefully attached it to the fabric. She put it on a rack labeled, hand-care.
“So about the party…” My words trailed. “I’m sorry I disappeared like that, especially after you invited me.” I shook my head. I shouldn’t have done that.
Josie’s eyebrows rose. “I saw you leave with Caleb.”
“You did?”
“If I hadn’t, I would have started a search party. Wasn’t going to let you be eaten by sharks.” She smiled. “Seems like you hit it off with him.”
“It wasn’t the first time we’d met,” I admitted. “It’s a long story but turned out it was a good thing he was there.”
“I kind of know your backstory.” She stuffed some dress shirts in a paper bag and tossed them into a bin.
“You do?” I was afraid I was part of more island gossip.
“Yeah. I grew up next to Caleb and Jacob. I’m the long-lost little sister they never wanted,” she teased. “Have you met the O-Connors?”
“I know they all were in the Coast Guard. Is there something I should know?” I hadn’t met them the first time we were together.
“No. No. I’ve known them my whole life. They’re great.”
“All right. Will you call when the tablecloth is ready?”
“Of course.” Her smile returned. “I don’t know how many days it will be, but my mom is great with these kinds of things. I’m taking the jet skis out again later. The slips are open after the storm?”
“Yes. They are good. I didn’t have any damage at the marina. Feel free to use the ramps for the jet skis, even if I’m not around.” I backed out of the dry cleaners, shoving my sunglasses over my eyes. “Thanks again.”
“See ya.” Josie disappeared behind the curtain, and I couldn’t shake how awkward things had turned between us.
I sat behind the wheel, windows down, still aware of how pungent the sour milk was. I put the car in reverse. It always felt as if everyone here knew each other’s secrets. I didn’t know how long I would have to be here to stop feeling like an outsider. As I steered toward the beach, I wondered if anyone who moved here ever stopped feeling like an outsider.