Tomorrow was going to be okay. We’d get through it and make it work somehow.
I sighed, relaxing, letting the bright sun warm me to sleep.
Chapter Four: Nathan
Jonathan gestured at a boat with the words “Sea Fairy” in red on the side.
“There she is,” he said proudly.
“Sea Fairy?” I asked him.
“My second wife picked the name,” he grumbled. “Felt wrong to change it.”
“Sure. Of course.”
I would never own a boat with a name like that, I thought to myself, trying to keep from laughing. I’d rather sink the damn thing.
It was around ten in the morning and the girls weren’t ready yet. The marina was walking distance from the house, and so Jonathan had insisted on bringing me down early to show me the boat.
As if I’d never been on a boat before. I could pilot his piece of shit yacht through a hurricane if I had to. Sailing it around the bay was something I could do blackout drunk and blind. But Jonathan clearly cared a lot about his Sea Fairy, and I didn’t feel like pushing the point. He probably wanted to impress me, but it was really just a giant, glorified party boat with a slightly bigger engine and a much nicer décor.
“She’s one of the biggest here,” he was saying as we climbed aboard. “Fully stocked, so don’t worry about that. Take whatever you guys want.” He motioned toward the aft. “Bar over there, if you feel the need.” He winked, and I almost wanted to punch him.
My new stepfather walked me through the whole length of the thing, showing me every opulent feature and trying to impress me with his knowledge of sailing terms. I put up with it because I figured it would be easier than the alternative. Plus, if I wanted to keep staying in luxury while teasing my fucking sexy stepsister, I needed to play nice. As much as it annoyed me.
Still, I had to admit that the thing was nice, even if a little prissy. He clearly put a ton of money into it, because it was all expensive fabrics and real wood and fully stocked bars and a nearly full-size kitchen. I could have easily lived on his boat for a year with just the provisions he had aboard and nothing more.
Wouldn’t that be nice? I could sail around the Atlantic, maybe become a pirate. I’d be good at stopping and boarding drunk frat kids out on their spring break. I’d probably stop and board a few of the drunk college girls, too.
Finally, the tour was over. “Any questions?” he asked me.
“None, sir. She’s a lovely boat.”
He nodded proudly and patted the railing. “She’s my everything, so you be careful with her.”
“I will. The Navy taught me to respect all sailing vessels.”
That seemed to put him at ease, even though it was total bullshit. If anything, the Navy had taught me how to push a boat to its upper limits, destroying the thing for the sake of the mission. I cared about boats like I cared about any other tool: so long as it was useful, I kept it around.
“Well, I can see my girl’s in good hands,” he said. “I’ll just leave you to it, then.”
Not just the boat, I thought to myself, but your other girl is going to be in my hands, too.
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
He lingered for a second, as if he were uneasy about leaving, and then turned and walked back toward the house. He probably wanted me to ask more questions, or maybe even invite him out with us, but there was absolutely no way I was doing that.
Once he was gone, I got back on board and climbed up to the top deck. I spread out a blanket and lay down, my hat tipped over my face, my arms spread behind my head. The gentle lapping of the boat’s movement reminded me of being back on a mission, and I smiled to myself.
There was nothing more relaxing than the soft motions of the ocean. I felt drowsy, the warm sun on my face. I forgot all about Claire and her friend and Lucille and Jonathan. I forgot that I could be called back to base for a mission at any moment, despite the injury to my leg. There was just the ocean and me. It was going to be a relaxing day.
“Holy shit, girl,” came a voice suddenly piercing through my relaxation. “Look at this bitch. It’s fully loaded!”
I groaned to myself.
“Careful, Lydie,” Claire’s voice came. “My dad never lets people use this boat.”
“No kidding. I’ve known you how long? We’ve never seen it, let alone been on it.”
Great. I was really hoping that they had changed their minds. Claire sure as hell seemed like she wasn’t interested in going out on a fishing trip with me, and that was totally fine. I could fuck with her any other day, but it wasn’t often I got to relax on some rich guy’s boat.
“Seriously, is this a bar?”