Me
How could I let my best friend walk down the aisle without me?
My stomach dropped as I typed.How indeed?
Jesse
The groom doesn’t walk down the aisle.
Me
Duh.
Jesse
Just messing with you. So, will you stand beside me?
Ugh. He was killing me.
Me
Wouldn’t miss it. See you in a few days.
“Skipper.” Decker kept a wary eye on our charter guests. “As much as I hate these assholes, they have a point.”
“Not you, too.”
He shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to put your full name and picture on the website.”
“Yes, it would,” I sighed. “How many times have we been over this? Sport fishermen expect amanto take them into deep waters.” If Jesse finally came into the fold, this would solve the business problems. We could make him the face of the operation, and men would line up to throw money at us. It would solve everything. “We need that man bait to bring in the big charter money.”
“What if it didn’t?” Decker asked.
“Didn’t what?”
“What if it didn’t rely on these guys? You’ve been talking about offering something different. Eco-tours. What if another group wanted exactly that?” My First Mate explained. “We wouldn’t have to bend to the whims of an overweight banker who only wanted a fish trophy for his vacation home wall.”
“Hey, my brother’s a banker,” I warned.
“No offense, Skipper.” Decker held up his hands in surrender. “Just saying, maybe you should share your story.”
“This isn’t about me.”
“Isn’t it, though?” He cocked his head to the side, then frowned as he sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?”
I hunched over to smell my pits. When was the last time I showered? And why did I smell like— “Fire!” I yelled, grabbingthe marine fire extinguisher lashed to the side of the boat. Flames were shooting up the side of the stairway. “Decker! Get those assholes away from the flames!”
“Hey!” Drunk Younger Son grumbled. “I didn’t sign up for this abuse.”
As the fire grew, a sharp tinge of ozone filled the air. I sprayed the flames as Decker radioed for help and shot off a signal flare.
The fire extinguisher wasn’t working fast enough, and no one would get here in time to help us. I yelled over the roar of the fire, “Abandon ship! Abandon ship!”
Chapter 5
Rowan Rafferty takes out the trash
Three dazed andvisibly intoxicated men were lined up on the deck of my ship, wrapped in wool blankets, loudly demanding drinks as the catamaran smoked beside us. The acrid scent of burning wood and sea salt stung my nostrils, mixing with the sharp taste of ozone hanging in the air. The passengers of my pirate-themed dinner cruise were eerily silent, keeping their distance from the men who continued complaining about the "girl" who ruined their fishing trip.
