It was enough of a wake-up call to realise she couldn’t afford to stay.
Not if she wanted to prevent Jordan from growing up in the same manipulative environment as she had.
She’d found a wad of cash in Kurt’s office and left, travelling from place to place, wherever she could find work and a babysitter. Kurt hadn’t tried to find her. Neither had her parents. She’d thought she’d made a clean break from them all.
She’d been wrong.
Jordan flung the car door open as she pulled up in front of the school.
“Have a good day,” she called.
“Later.” He slammed the door and Gretchen sighed. Maybe she should tell Jordan about his father’s threats, but she wasn’t certain he would believe her. He rarely asked about his father these days, but she’d once overheard him tell Cody he was a cop. Perhaps he remembered talks of drugs and raids, and figured Kurt was one of the good guys, instead of the bad.
She hadn’t had the heart to correct him.
She waited until Jordan went inside the brick building before continuing to the marina. The tour bus pulled into the street behind her and she accelerated. She was supposed to be already on the boat and have the gear ready, morning tea prepared.
Hopefully, Rob would understand. She’d have to make sure she had things sorted with Jordan before her new boss, Sam, returned from the city.
She grabbed her backpack and jogged across the carpark and through the gate to the pens. TheOceanidwas tied in place, and she spotted both Rob and Sam on the back deck.
Damn. She hadn’t known Sam was back.
She walked on board and headed for the cabin. “Morning! Sorry I’m late. I’ll be right there.” She waved and was two steps inside the cabin when she noticed the man. Large was the first word that came to mind. Unhappy was the second. He scowled, not dissimilar to Jordan’s expression as he’d jumped out of the car. The man sat ramrod straight at the table, chopping fruit for morning tea. His hair was a tight mass of brown curls cropped close to his skull, and his eyes were sharp and judging.
Her smile faded as she placed her backpack in a cupboard. “Hi, I’m Gretchen. You must be Arthur.” Her friend, Penelope had mentioned Sam was bringing his army mate back to Retribution Bay with him.
A short nod.
“Thanks for starting morning tea. I’ll come and help in a second.”
“I don’t need help.” Though the words were defiant, the timbre of his voice was warm, almost soothing. An odd contrast.
Gretchen didn’t comment as she went out on the deck to speak with Sam. “Do you need help out here?”
The passengers had disembarked from the bus and were heading down the jetty.
“We’re all good. You met Sherlock?” Sam asked.
She frowned. “Isn’t his name Arthur?”
Sam nodded. “Sherlock’s his nickname. He’s going to be coming out with us for a while.”
“Great!” Maybe he’d smile when the customers were on board. “I’m sure an extra pair of hands will be useful. I’m sorry for being late. Jordan was slow starting this morning.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Sam replied.
The customers arrived and Gretchen got to work passing out stinger suits, and masks and snorkels. It was two weeks until the end of the season and Gretchen still hadn’t found work for the off-season. Her final practicum for her occupational therapy degree was next month, as was her final exam, but she still had to find someone to look after Jordan. And what were the chances she could actually get a job as an OT in Retribution Bay?
She sighed and tuned in to Sam as he did his spiel about what the day would entail. When he was done, he steered the boat out of the marina and into the gulf.
Gretchen made the rounds, chatting to the passengers on board. One man grabbed her arm as she walked past. “Is it dangerous?”
She smiled, used to the last-minute nerves from some. “Any interaction with wild animals has an element of danger,” she said. “We can’t choose how the humpbacks will react to us.” The man paled. “However, we follow the guidelines which reduce the risk. We never swim near a mother and her calf or get into the water when the whales are feeling playful. We keep a set distance from them and the boat is always nearby.”
“Don’t be such a worry-wart, honey,” the older woman beside him said. “They wouldn’t be allowed to do it if the risk was high.”
The man fiddled with his mask.
