Chapter 26
“TALK TO ME.”
Chevelle
Two weeks later, I’m getting ready for one of my last fishing excursions of the season. I plan on using my off time to help Cam with his new business.
But right now, he’s helping me with mine. We’re currently walking down the dock toward my boat.
“Now, remember,” I say. “You are here as an employee.”
“I don’t recall you mentioning that I’d be paid.” He looks at me and winks.
“I pay you plenty.”
He laughs. “I think I pay you back in kind.”
“Very true. But seriously, you are not the boss of this charter. I am the boss.”
I asked Cam to come with me for two reasons, the first being that I want to spend time with him.
Second, being that he was a little forceful with his constant asking if he could come along.
I’m finding it easier to ask him for help, so I asked him to join.
This charter is three hours with six men, and as much as I hate to admit it, I could use an extra hand.
He holds up both hands. “I’m just your measly employee. Low man on the ladder. I get it.”
“Well, you could think of some things the boss might like to win her over.”
He grabs me by my waist and pulls me toward him. “Say the word and I’ll strip you down right here.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t.” He smacks a kiss on my lips and releases me. Sadly.
We climb aboard my boat, and he helps me prepare for the charter. He puts the poles in the holding tubes while I prepare the beer and snacks.
“I kind of like this working as a team,” I say once we’re ready to go.
And perfect timing, because our charter guests are walking up the dock. I step out of the boat to greet them. All six of them are probably in their forties, rings gleaming on their left ring fingers. Hopefully all they want to do is fish, not party.
I welcome the group, and they all climb on board. I introduce Cam and go over the safety guidelines. They listen attentively, and I pull out of the marina into open waters ten minutes later.
Cam chats with the guys as I’m getting us to the fishing spot we decided on. These men have more experience than I usually get in charters, so I want to make them happy so they’ll return next year.
They cast their lures, and I put out refreshments on the table and ask them if they want a beer. Some take me up on it and others don’t. It’s one of the easiest charters I’ve had this year.
Cam sits with me in the wheelhouse so they can do their own thing. “I’m not liking these clouds. What did radar say when you checked it?”
I look in the direction he’s pointing, but I checked as I always do, and our route was fine. There was a storm that would hit northwest of us, but we were clear.
“It’s all clear by us.” I pull out my phone and hand it to him.
He zooms in and out, moving the screen up and down. “Looks like it. Those dark clouds look like they’re heading right this way. But I’m not a weatherman.” He shrugs.
I tilt my head back, resting my neck on the chair, and stare at the sky. We still have two hours left, and I hope the weather holds off so this group can have a memorable excursion that they’ll want to relive next year.
The spot we’re in ends up being a bust, so Cam suggests a different spot and the guys are all up for it. We’ll need to go slightly northwest, but we both look at the radar again and it still says the storm will miss us.
Once we get to the new spot, everyone sets out their poles again. Cam comes over when the guys are chatting. Supposedly, four of them live in Alaska and two of them have moved down to the lower forty-eight. Which explains why some of them look familiar to me.
“What do you want to do after this?” Cam asks, lifting my legs and putting them across his. Very unprofessional, but the men are engaged in their conversation about their college years.
He massages my calves. It feels good after being on my feet so much, squeezing in every last charter before I have to shut down for the season.
“I just want to grab some food and chill.”
“You do realize we’re turning into an old couple, right? And we don’t even have kids.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“We could change that if you want?”
“Go to a bar?” I groan just thinking about it.
“No, have kids.”
“Cam, we’ve been together a few weeks. You’re insane.”
He laughs as a few raindrops land on my arms. I look at my windshield, and sure enough, there is more.
“Let me see your phone again,” Cam says, and I hand it to him.
He checks the weather, zooming in and out on the screen before he looks at me. I know the minute he does what he’s going to say. “We gotta go.”
He’s not asking my permission or even making it a suggestion. It’s an order, which makes me grind my teeth. He walks to the back by the guys and tells them all to pack up because a storm is going to hit right over us and he can’t tell how bad it might get.
As experienced as they are, they don’t question him but pull their poles out of the water and put everything away.
“I’m sorry, guys,” I say.
“That’s the thing about fishing. Weather’s always an issue.” The one guy smiles.
I lift the anchor as they finish getting everything together and the rain comes down harder.
What a way to end the last charter of my season. I’m so annoyed.
I hear Rowdy calling me over the sound of the rain on the water. “Chevelle. Over.”
“Go ahead, Rowdy. It’s Cam. Over.” He snatches the radio from my hand as I scowl at him.
The men are putting on rain jackets, that’s how prepared they are.
“Cam. The storm turned direction at the last minute. You either find a place to hunker down or get back. Over.”
“We’re coming back. Over.” Cam’s gaze darts to me.
“Then hurry. Over.”
Cam puts the radio back and tries to take the wheel.
“Excuse me.” I stay where I am.
“Chevelle.” He eyes me.
The guys are staring at us, probably wondering why we’re having a standoff in the middle of a rainstorm.
“I’m the one in charge. You’re the employee. Remember?”
He sighs but lifts his hands. “Fine.”
While he sits behind me, I maneuver us toward the marina.
Rain pelts down on us as the sky grows darker.
My lights barely make our route visible with the sheets of rain coming down.
Water coats the windshield in front of me and I instinctively squint, as if that will help me see better.
We’re close to the marina. I see the lights, but a boom of thunder hits, so loud I’d think it was right next to us.
“Everyone okay?” I shout and take a quick look behind me.
They all nod.
I let up on the speed a bit to see where I’m going. The last thing I want is to crash into the dock.
Cam comes up behind me. “Don’t slow down, keep going. You slow and—”
The boat tips over a big wave, but I adjust our position and recover.
He stands beside me. “It’s gonna be tricky coming into the marina against the wind until we’ve passed the breakers.”
“I know. I've been doing this longer than you.” Which isn’t necessarily true. Cam has probably been on the water most of his life. And the truth is, I’ve never been in weather this bad.
“You need to accelerate, Chevelle. The boat will never—”
We tip again, and I correct us.
“Cliff!” a man screams, and I turn, spotting a body in orange floating by the boat.
“Shit.” I slow the boat and turn around to get him.
“Goddamn it.” Cam dives into the water.
“No!” I yell. “Cam!”
The men are all watching but staying in their seats, eyes wide. Thank God, because men who aren’t fishermen would’ve gone to the side their friend went over and we’d have capsized by now.
Cam reaches Cliff, but Cliff panics and pushes Cam under the water. Cam’s arms flail, and he pops up only for a panicked Cliff to press him down again.
“No!” I look at the guys. “One of you take over.”
I jump in, swimming over to them. I pry Cliff’s hands off Cam, but Cliff hangs on to me, using me as his buoy. I should’ve put them in vests when the storm started. As if the guys on the boat can read my mind, they throw some our way.
Cliff presses on my shoulders again, and I sink, choking on water. A mouthful of saltwater makes me gag, and I feel someone pull me up to the surface.
Cam holds me at his side. “Take him.” He’s pushing Cliff, who has blood dripping from his nose, toward my boat.
Rowdy’s there now with his boat, shining his light on us. Gage is in the boat as well. “You guys okay?” he shouts over the storm.
The guys grab Cliff and pull him into my boat.
“Gage, you go in Chevelle’s boat, get them back to the marina. Rowdy, we’re coming with you. Someone call the paramedics.” Cam is dictating as I continue to cough up saltwater.
Rowdy helps us into his boat as we watch Gage drive my boat into the marina as though someone is dying. I guess that’s what Cam wanted me to do.
Once we’re in Rowdy’s boat, Rowdy throws some blankets over us. “You gotta get out of those clothes.”
“Just get us out of here,” Cam says and doesn’t even use a blanket. He’s too worried about me. He rubs his hands on my arms, lowering to my eye level. “Are you okay?” He inspects my body.
“You shouldn’t have dived in!” I shout.
“You shouldn’t have dived in. I had it under control.”
“He was drowning you.”
“I had it under control, Chevelle.”
The paramedics arrive at the marina shortly after we dock. Turns out Cam broke Cliff’s nose trying to get him off of me since Cliff was panicked and going to drown one of us to save his own life.
When we get home, Cam draws me a bath, and the lukewarm water helps bring my body temp back up to where it needs to be. As I sink under the bathwater, the reality of what just happened hits me like a Mack truck. I almost killed another person I love.
“Talk to me,” Cam says, climbing in with me once I come up for air.
“I almost killed you,” I say. “I was too stubborn to let you drive. I was hell-bent on proving I could do it, and I almost lost you like—” I don’t even want to think about what it would feel like to be sitting here alone without his strong arms around me.
He kisses my temple and tightens his hold. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
I nod, but we’re just lucky things went our way. All I can think of right now is what if. What if they hadn’t?