34. Caleb
THIRTY-FOUR
Caleb
T hree weeks. I wiped my eyes and reached for the coffee I had poured in Margot’s kitchen. I’d been driving from one end of the island every morning for three weeks. Three solid weeks of dinners and coffee in the morning. Three weeks of late nights, showers, and sex. I chuckled. There was a lot of shower sex too. I had to set my phone alarm extra early to allow for the time to get back on base before my shift began. It wasn’t like I had to deal with traffic, but I was used to rolling out of bed and walking from my room straight to the base marina and starting my cutter.
The hardest part was leaving her in bed. Her naked body draped by a single sheet. Her hair across the pillow. I’d slowly memorized everything about Margot, little by little. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until it seemed as if her movements and quirks had walked into my life like the warm sun in the morning coming up over the water. It was gradual. Natural. Warm. Beautiful. Knowing her was the easiest thing I’d ever done.
I’d noticed over the last few nights she had started writing in a notebook and closed it before she turned the lamp off. I wanted to ask if it was the beginning of another book. If she had a new book idea, she hadn’t told me. It was the one topic that was off limits. It was the one land mine I wasn’t willing to step on. But tonight, I was going to tell her I had finished her book—the one New York and LA didn’t want. I couldn’t wait to talk to her about it.
I pulled up to the gates on base and showed my ID. Tommy waved me in with a knowing look. He knew. They all knew. I hadn’t spent a night in my room in weeks.
I shook my head and drove to the parking spot outside my quarters. It was a mess inside. A space that was usually organized without a sock out of place, was a fucking preschool playroom. There was a pile of clean laundry on one side of the bed and a pile of dirty clothes on the floor. I needed to get my shit together whether I had a girlfriend or not.
I stopped. I swallowed hard.
Girlfriend? I took a breath. That’s what this was. I hadn’t said it to myself or to Margot. I tore through the clean T-shirts and found one a little less wrinkled than the others and put it on under my uniform. I was getting sloppy. My uniforms weren’t ironed. I’d mismatched socks. My boots weren’t polished.
Maybe I could convince Margot to spend one night here. Although, I didn’t know why she would want to watch me do laundry and shine boots.
I grabbed my cap and darted back out. I had five minutes until I needed to shove off for the day. I was barely making my patrol time as it was.
I loosened the knots and tossed the ropes on the bow. Gabe strolled up.
“I’ll get these,” he offered, looping the rope over the stern post.
“Thanks, man.”
“I haven’t seen you much.”
“I know. I’ve been with Margot and it’s just easier to stay over if we’re watching a movie or something.”
Gabe chuckled. “Or something.”
“When are you going out?” I asked.
“After lunch. I have paperwork to do. Thought I’d work out at the gym.”
He handed me the stern ropes. “Thanks.”
“Why don’t you bring Margot to the bonfire tonight?” he suggested. “The guys miss you around here.”
“I can’t tonight. We’ve got plans.”
“Doing the ‘or something’?”
I groaned. “No. I’m taking her out to dinner. I wanted to do something nice for her. It’s been hard with everything happening at the Blue Heron.”
“Has she decided what she’s going to do with that place?” It was the question everyone wanted answered. I’d heard the fishermen at Reel Time talking about it. Some of the guys at the coffee shop had mentioned it. I knew Dean Waters’s crowd was eyeing it for the real estate.
“No. It’s a big decision. A big undertaking if she keeps it.”
She had been working on compiling the budget for all the repairs needed to get the marina fully operational. Margot had also listed out what kind of advertising and marketing she needed to bring new customers to the Heron. The local traffic wasn’t enough to sustain it. For someone without a business background, I was impressed with how she had tackled the research. She was thorough. She talked to different vendors and demanded competitive pricing. I heard her on the phone yesterday talking to a vending company about adding ice and drink machines.
“I don’t ever remember that place being anything but a safety hazard. I wouldn’t dock there if I had to.”
I shook my head. “You should. She’d appreciate the business and it’s not that bad.”
“You sure? Maybe I’ll swing by on patrol today and check it out. I could say hi.”
I laughed. “You do that, man.” I cranked the engine. I needed to get out on the water. “Catch you later.”
Gabe shot me a quick salute and I cruised out of the slip and through the creek into the sound. I was barely between the buoys when my phone rang. I answered it before looking at the number on the screen.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Mom.” It wasn’t like her to call this early. “How are you? You’re up with the seagulls.”
She laughed. “I’m just sitting here with my coffee, thinking it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you. You haven’t been by for dinner in weeks.”
I winced. “Yeah, I’ve been wrapped up in some things.”
“Sounds like you’re on the boat now.”
“I am.” I turned to sweep the channel. “Morning patrol. You know how that is.”
“I do. So what do you think about dinner tonight?” she asked.
“I can’t tonight. I have plans.”
“Okay. What night can you come? You tell me and I’ll make some of your favorites.”
I laughed. She was good at bribing with a homecooked meal. “Can I call you back, Mom? I’ll pick a day. I promise. I’ve got to go now.”
“Have a good day, hon. Don’t forget to call me back,” she warned.
“I’ve got it. Bye, Mom.” I hung up and steered out of the inlet. It hadn’t crossed my mind until she called, but maybe it was time I introduced Margot to my family.
Margot
I stood back and watched the family who had taken their boat out for the late morning toss big inflatable tubes in the water, while their children hopped on. I waved when they careened out of the creek. The kids were already screaming for their dad to go faster. I smiled and turned to walk inside, I had cash in my hand from the ramp use fee.
“Nice mornin.’”
I jumped. I spun slowly. I tilted my head to the side. “It is.”
The fisherman with the ballcap reached for a piece of cut bait off the fish cleaning table. He didn’t look at me while he threaded it on the end of his hook.
“What are you fishing for?” I was afraid to ask him anything. We’d never spoken. I took a step toward him.
“Trout,” he answered.
I nodded as if I knew the difference between a trout and any other kind of fish.
“Any luck?”
He cast the line far into the middle of the marina’s waters. “Nope.”
“Okay. Well, good luck. You know with the fishing. The…umm…the trout.” I walked backward, almost stepping off the side of the pier, then quickly turned toward the cottage with a smile on my face. I didn’t know what had just happened, but I knew it was something good.
I looked up when I heard the crunch of gravel. Shit. It was Dean. He pulled up, stopping a few feet in front of me.
“Good morning.”
“Hi. What brings you out?” I asked.
He held up a manila envelope. “These.”
I grimaced. Dean’s business visits were never about good news, especially ones that were accompanied by brown envelopes. He had seemed in a perpetual bad mood in the last few weeks since his boat sank in the storm. It was a sore subject and he grumbled when I mentioned it, so I learned to drop it. The fact that Caleb was the one to find the boat seemed like the bigger insult.
“Want to come in for coffee?” I asked.
He smiled. “I’d love to.”
Dean followed me inside the cottage. The humidity already made the porch feel like a sauna. There weren’t enough fans to keep it cool. We had to sit inside at the kitchen table.
He glanced around while waiting for me to grab an extra mug. “It looks different in here.”
I laughed. “You mean, I cleaned out most of Walt’s things. You can actually see the floor now and I used a mop. Clever trick I have.”
He sat, his elbows resting on the Formica tabletop. “Yes, I guess that’s it. But it feels different. Not a bachelor pad anymore. It’s cute, Margot. You’ve done a good job.”
I placed the coffee on the table and sat across from him. “I wish I could do more, but you already know my financial situation. I’d like to put in some new windows that aren’t cracked and paint.” I shrugged. “One thing at a time, I guess.”
Dean opened the envelope and revealed what was inside. “This is a notice from the IRS.”
My stomach churned with the coffee I had just sipped. “What kind of notice?” I peered at the top of the paper but couldn’t make out the words.
“If the back taxes aren’t paid in full, they are going to seize part of the property.”
“What? No. They can’t do that. I just inherited the place. I’m still figuring all of it out. Can’t you stop them?”
“Hey, slow down.” Dean’s hand reached across the table, but I pulled away before he could take my hand into his. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I can try to stall with a counter-filing, but we need a plan to pay the back taxes. Do you have a plan to pay this year’s taxes?”
I closed my eyes. “No.”
“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. Can you just hear me out before you shut it down?”
“I guess.” I felt as if the floor had fallen out from underneath me. The money problems were piling up. Uncle Walt had amassed debt after debt. Now they were coming after me. It was hard to still my mind enough to listen to what Dean had to say.
He tucked the tax announcement back into the packet. “Remember that friend of mine I was telling you about at the bank? The one I wanted you to talk to about the small business loan?”
“Yes, I remember. But the interest rate was too high.”
Dean sighed. “It’s not only the interest rate. I spoke to him this morning. The bank has a new tax policy. There’s a cap on how much debt you can owe the government now for the loan and it’s shitty, but the Blue Heron is in over its head. He can’t do the loan. He called to tell me on the way over.”
My stomach sank. I hadn’t put much stock in that option, but it felt as if one more door was closing in my face. Without a loan, what would I do?
Dean stared at me. “I have a backup plan for you.”
“I’d love to hear it because right now I’m out of ideas.”
“I’ve got some money. It’s not a lot, but it’s my own savings and it’s not tied to anything. Why don’t I loan it to you and you can pay me back whenever you want? Interest free. It will give you some breathing room while you work on the Blue Heron.”
I was stunned. “You want to give me money?”
“Yes. I want to help. None of this is your fault. I can take some of the pressure off, especially with the IRS. What do you say?”
“I can’t take money from you, Dean. I’m supposed to pay you. You’re handling all of the documents, running back and forth, fending off real estate poachers. No.” I shook my head. “I can’t take your money interest free when you’re the one working on the estate.”
He huffed. “I had a feeling you’d say that. So, it’s not a one-time offer, or conversation,” he added. “Think about it. Think about what the money could do for you and the marina and how you could actually start turning a profit here if you had cash.” He rose from the table.
I opened my mouth to protest again. I didn’t want his handout and I didn’t want the complications that seemingly would come from taking something from Dean.
He squeezed my shoulder as he walked past. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll take this back to the office and get our accountant to file the correct paperwork to stall. But in the meantime, think about what I said.”
I was too surprised to follow him out. I sat in the kitchen with my coffee as his car sped out of the parking lot. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I only knew I didn’t want Dean’s help. I didn’t like obligations. I didn’t want to owe him anything other than the hourly rate for his legal services. That was it. What he offered had too many strings attached, he just hadn’t named them out loud. I shivered thinking about it. Unnamed strings were the most dangerous ones.