Chapter 30
Captain Kendra’s Log: Things get complicated.
Judge Seeger thanked me for the suggestions and agreed to tow my new-to-me boat back to Seeger Shipyards to see if he could fix the electrical issues.
I washed my hands of it because it wasn’t my boat in the first place.
It was the replacement that Rowan dug up from somewhere.
I hadn’t even named it, which was just as well. I didn’t expect to see it anytime soon.
I didn’t have time to think about it because I was running late for the bachelorette party.
My hair, always stuck between curly and straight, like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be, ended up pulled back in a ponytail before I ran down the dock toward the marina parking lot.
Two Bolts waited for me: my dad and his original Bolt golf cart.
“Get in, Kendra!” Dad shouted. “You’re late!”
“I know, Dad! I know!” I rushed to the passenger side, and slipped into the seat as Dad put the pedal to the metal, and we jolted on our way.
“Everyone is already there,” Dad said as he maneuvered the cart around the corner on two wheels.
I gripped the “oh shit” bar tighter. “I know! I was covered in grease! I had to take a shower.”
“Sure. Shower. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I gaped at my dad. “Do you want me to answer that?”
He frowned. “Actually, no. Nope.”
“Good. But also - no, it was just a shower. I was working on the new boat this afternoon when the head of Seeger Shipyards came to see me.”
“Interesting,” Dad said. “What did he want?”
“He wanted to see how the boat was doing. It wasn’t doing great.
There’s an electrical issue, like with the Netfish.
But then we talked about changes in the diesel engines and how an electric and solar-powered system could replace it,” I explained.
I wasn’t sure anything would come of it, but the excitement built inside me when I thought about it.
“You’ve been talking about that since high school.” Dad made another hairpin turn and grinned at me. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart!”
I waved at him with my free hand. “I don’t know what they’ll do with it, but that conversation got me thinking of other ways I could be more environmentally friendly on the water.”
“Well, whatever you do, I’m sure it will be amazing,” he said as he slammed on the brakes outside The Horny Toad. “Your destination, milady.”
I giggled, then leaned over and hugged him. “Dad. You’re the best. Thank you for the ride.”
“When you gals are ready to call it a night, my chariot will be at your beck and call,” he said.
I hopped out of the cart and waved him goodbye before yanking open the restaurant door and stepping quickly inside. I was unprepared for the wild party that was already well underway.
It was standing room only in the restaurant.
Women lined up three deep at the bar, vying for my brother’s attention as he struggled to pour drinks and shots for the thirsty bachelorettes.
Another woman sang an off-key rendition of Taylor Swift karaoke on the stage.
You could barely hear the words to “Bad Blood” over the conversations and laughter around me.
I squeezed through clumps of women, searching for True, and finally found her sitting in the back of the restaurant, frowning at her phone. I pulled up a chair to sit beside her. “What’s got you so glum, chum?”
She looked up from her phone and gave me a lopsided smile. “Hey. Thanks for coming. I probably need to go.”
I put my hand over hers. “Is this about yesterday? Are you sad about your grandmother?”
She squeezed my hand. “That’s so nice of you to ask. I grieved her before she died when we knew it was coming. Hearing all those nice things people said about her yesterday was nice.”
“Okay, so what’s got you down? This is your party. You’re getting married tomorrow,” my voice hitched.
True sighed. “It’s Jesse.” She showed me her phone screen.
Jesse
Babe. Where is the ketchup?
True
In the fridge. Where you put it last time.
Jesse
Babe. How do you wash clothes?
True
Leave it for later. Don’t do anything with the laundry machines.
Jesse
What time are you coming home?
I glanced at the time stamps. “These have all come in within the last ten minutes?”
She sighed heavily. “Yeah. I don’t know what he would do without me. Wait. I do know. He’d turn his dirty shorts inside out to wear again.”
I barked out a laugh. “Gross.”
She twisted her lips to the side and shook her head. “I swear that man is so clueless. It’s gotten worse this week. And it’s all I can do to stop myself from asking his mom why she raised such a manchild!”
“Manchild? You mean a precious angel who shouldn’t lift a finger?” My laughter grew until I was practically crying. “He hung the moon, my friend. That’s what you’d hear from Maman.”
True wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. “Be that as it may, the man is at the B&B by himself. And I’m afraid if I leave him alone for too long, he’ll do something to wreck the wedding!”
That sobered me up quickly. Jesse already wrecked the wedding dress.
“He does know you’re at your bachelorette party, right?”
She nodded at me.
“I have an idea,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket.