Chapter Three #2
All three of us look at Ben as he climbs from the dock onto the sailboat. “It’s not.”
“What do you mean?” Jackson asks.
“I tried to book at the resort, but none of the tours were taking reservations because of the storm. So I came down to the marina and found someone willing to take us.”
“Someone as in…a random guy with a boat?” Jackson asks.
Ben rolls his eyes. “Not some random guy. Keith’s a professional.”
As if he’s been summoned, a frat-boy-looking white guy with a bright orange Hawaiian-print shirt pops up from a hatch in the middle of the boat and drops a clear tote on the deck behind Ben.
Ben throws an arm around the stranger’s shoulders with a grin.
“Keith’s been living on this boat for the last twelve years.
He does private trips like this at whatever port he’s visiting that month.
He’s a total pro. He’s sailed this thing back and forth from San Francisco, like, seven times all by himself. ”
Keith grabs onto one of the metal supports that run from the deck to the mast and smiles at us.
He’s probably in his mid-thirties, average build, with messy blond hair and a wide smile.
His eyes are the same color as the ocean behind him, and he’s got a handlebar mustache he’s clearly gelled into submission—the curls don’t even move in the wind.
“Hey! Nice to meet’cha. You can call me Captain Keith. It’s a pleasure to take you out today.”
Jackson folds his arms. “No. Nope. No way.”
“What do you mean?” Ben asks.
“There’s no way we’re going on some random guy’s boat when all the professionals are smart enough to stay home. If the tour companies aren’t going out, we should go back to the resort.”
“Don’t be a baby,” Ben says. “The tours are overly cautious, that’s all. Keith told me all about it.”
Captain Keith nods. “It’s really not going to be a problem. There’ll be no harm in tasting the sea for a few hours. Besides, we’ll be back long before the bad weather hits the bay. The weather report has the first storm making landfall around five or six tonight.”
“If that’s true, why are none of the tour charters going out?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Incoming storms typically create bigger waves, bigger waves mean more seasick tourists, and the tour companies don’t want to deal with vomit and whining and refund requests. Which reminds me, if you gotta yack, aim overboard. I don’t want to clean up after you either.”
“See?” Ben grins at his new BFF, who looks shockingly like a window into Ben’s future self. Confident? Check. Obnoxious? Check. Charming? Check. Peaked in high school? Check. “Captain Keith has it handled. Now let’s get going before we waste all our sailing time standing around on land.”
He reaches out for Emmy’s hand. Surprisingly, she looks to Jackson and doesn’t move. None of us do. Jackson frowns, but he says nothing.
Looks like our adventure’s ending before it began.
Captain Keith sighs and stares into the distance at the dark clouds.
He takes a breath. “Okay, how about this: If you’re worried about the weather, I’ll have you back at the marina by three at the latest. That’s a solid two hours before the storm is supposed to hit.
And if the wind changes, the forecast shifts, or anyone on the boat gets worried, we turn around first thing. ”
“Good enough for me,” Emmy says, and practically lunges for Ben’s outstretched hand.
Jackson reaches for her. “Em, no w—”
But Ben’s already hauling her on board. She plops onto a cushion in the cockpit before Jackson can finish.
She laughs. “Too slow, big brother.”
“Emmy, get off the boat. I’m not kidding. We’re not doing this.”
“If you’re not up to it, Emmy and I can go alone,” Ben suggests. “I’ll make sure she gets back to the resort in one piece.”
Jackson glares at him. “My parents would lose their minds.”
“So don’t tell them.”
Emmy stands and wraps her arms around Ben, smiling from ear to ear. “Do what you want, but I’m staying with Ben, and we’re having a fun day on the water. If you want to wimp out, that’s your choice. This is mine.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. For the love of common sense, Emmy.
Captain Keith nods at the tote. “Take off your shoes and stick ’em in there. I’ll stash the bin below deck until we get back. Flip-flops and wet boat decking don’t mix.”
They drop their shoes into the tote and scramble around to the front of the boat, where they disappear behind half-unfurled sails, leaving me and Jackson standing on the dock alone.
Captain Keith hops down beside us and starts working on the ropes tying the boat to the dock, unhooking them one by one.
“I don’t like this,” Jackson says, taking in the clouds on the horizon.
“Me neither. What do we do?”
Jackson takes a deep breath and blows it out again, pulling at his shirt. “You should go back to the resort. I’ll make sure my adventure-happy sister gets back in one piece. We’ll meet you there later.”
Captain Keith climbs onto the landing at the back of the boat and holds out a hand. “It’s now or never, kids. Charter’s bought and paid for. Are you in or are you out?”
Jackson sighs and climbs on without taking Captain Keith’s hand. “My sister’s on board, and I doubt I’ll get her off this boat without a screaming match, so I’m in by obligation.”
I nervously spin my friendship bracelet around my wrist. Honestly, not having to spend the whole day with Jackson while Emmy and Ben suck face sounds great. But can I really go back to the resort alone? What would I do on our last day of vacation all by myself?
I glance at the marina building, then at the boat.
Captain Keith is still hanging off the back, hand extended. He catches my gaze and smiles. “No obligation, girlie. I’ll take care of your friends if you want to stay ashore. It’s totally up to you. Either way, everyone’s coming back safe.”
A loud giggle comes from the front of the boat, and I see a flash of leg on the other side of the mast. A second later Emmy’s lace cover-up flutters to the deck and Ben laughs.
With a groan, I grab Captain Keith’s hand and let him pull me safely on board.
I can’t leave Emmy, and as much as I hate it, I can’t abandon Jackson to deal with the two irresponsible lovebirds on his own.
Emmy never listens to anyone, least of all Jackson.
And if I go back to the resort, I’ll spend the whole day worrying about them anyway.
Jackson’s throwing his sandals into the tote when I step on the boat. His eyebrows shoot up his forehead. “You sure?”
“Not even a little bit.” I chuck my flip-flops in a little angrier than intended.
The captain takes the tote down to the cabin.
The boat looks…kinda old? Or older, anyway.
The teak decking is worn. Long bench seats with vinyl cushions frame the wheel in a U shape.
A tall metal mast juts into the air three quarters of the way to the front of the boat.
Big white sails are pilled atop a horizontal bar that stretches out above the opening Captain Keith descended into.
Another sail looks to be wrapped around a wire that runs from the very front of the boat up to the top of the mast.
Ropes. Are. Everywhere. Piled on the deck, strung up between the sails, lashed to hooks and spool-looking things. Wrapped against a reddish-orange donut-shaped life ring along the boat’s back railing. Wires cut through the sky above our heads. There are cranks and pulleys all over.
One glance, and I’m convinced sailing is out of my depth. Learning what all these things do feels more daunting than the SATs. It makes me think a little more of Captain Frat Boy. Marginally.
I run my hand along the shiny metal railing and frown.
“It’ll probably be fine,” Jackson says, staring up at the sails. “We’ll go out for an hour or two, Emmy will probably get seasick, and then we’ll be back in the resort hot tub before we know it.”
I almost laugh. He says that as if we’re in this together, as if he’s spent any of this vacation in that hot tub or anywhere near me. I don’t say that though; I just nod and smile and try to put some distance between us by heading toward the front of the boat to see where Emmy ended up.
I come to an abrupt halt when I find her and Ben furiously making out. I glimpse a flash of tongue, and I spin on my heel, stomping back toward the wheel to sit on one of the cushions. I drop my mesh bag beside me and sigh. And so it begins.
Jackson plops down unexpectedly beside me, and I look at him in surprise.
“What? I don’t want to see them sucking each other’s faces either.”
Right, that makes sense.
Captain Keith emerges from the cabin. “Where are the other two?”
Jackson wordlessly points toward the front of the boat, and the captain laughs.
“Okay, we’ll do this without them, and you two can fill in the lovebirds later.
” He waves a hand at the boat. “A few safety items before we take off. There are life vests below deck. Please let me know if you’re not a strong swimmer, and I’ll get one for you now.
Otherwise, you’re free to sit without one. ”
“Hannah’s a lifeguard,” Jackson offers. “You don’t have to worry about her. I’m good too.”
Captain Keith nods. “Lifeguard? Making my day easier and easier. What about the other two?”
“My sister can swim in a pool. I wouldn’t trust her in a current though. No idea about Mr. Moneybags.”