“The solar power could run electric motors,” Kendra added. “Giving us the chance to get rid of the diesel engine. And thatpower also runs the other systems on board. You’d need an inverter.”
“We’d need to reconfigure the hull anyway by adding the batteries and reworking the engine,” I offered.
Father began taking notes on his phone. “What about cloudy days?”
“What if the ship recharged the batteries while operating?” I suggested.
Kendra did a little dance that resembled a seizure. “Hey, while reconfiguring the hull, could you also make some changes to the stateroom and head?”
“What changes?” Father and I asked at the same time.
“Well, for starters, the doors aren’t wide enough to accommodate anyone handicapped. And if we could widen the shower, and add grab bars, that would make boating more accessible. Maybe there’s room on the ship to add a wheelchair lift?” Kendra suggested.
Father and I both stared at her with our jaws on the ground. Him because no one ever suggested making those kinds of changes to the ships he built. And me, because I knew where this suggestion came from and knew at that moment that I had fallen in love with Kendra—hook, line, and sinker.
Chapter 30
Captain Kendra’s Log: Things get complicated.
Judge Seeger thankedme for the suggestions and agreed to tow my new-to-me boat back to Seeger Shipyards to see if he could fix the electrical issues. I washed my hands of it because it wasn’t my boat in the first place. It was the replacement that Rowan dug up from somewhere. I hadn’t even named it, which was just as well. I didn’t expect to see it anytime soon.
I didn’t have time to think about it because I was running late for the bachelorette party. My hair, always stuck between curly and straight, like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be, ended up pulled back in a ponytail before I ran down the dock toward the marina parking lot. Two Bolts waited for me: my dad and his original Bolt golf cart.
“Get in, Kendra!” Dad shouted. “You’re late!”
“I know, Dad! I know!” I rushed to the passenger side, and slipped into the seat as Dad put the pedal to the metal, and we jolted on our way.
“Everyone is already there,” Dad said as he maneuvered the cart around the corner on two wheels.
I gripped the “oh shit” bar tighter. “I know! I was covered in grease! I had to take a shower.”
“Sure. Shower. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I gaped at my dad. “Do you want me to answer that?”
He frowned. “Actually, no. Nope.”
“Good. But also - no, it was just a shower. I was working on the new boat this afternoon when the head of Seeger Shipyards came to see me.”
“Interesting,” Dad said. “What did he want?”
“He wanted to see how the boat was doing. It wasn’t doing great. There’s an electrical issue, like with theNetfish. But then we talked about changes in the diesel engines and how an electric and solar-powered system could replace it,” I explained. I wasn’t sure anything would come of it, but the excitement built inside me when I thought about it.
“You’ve been talking about that since high school.” Dad made another hairpin turn and grinned at me. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart!”
I waved at him with my free hand. “I don’t know what they’ll do with it, but that conversation got me thinking of other ways I could be more environmentally friendly on the water.”
“Well, whatever you do, I’m sure it will be amazing,” he said as he slammed on the brakes outside The Horny Toad. “Your destination, milady.”
I giggled, then leaned over and hugged him. “Dad. You’re the best. Thank you for the ride.”
“When you gals are ready to call it a night, my chariot will be at your beck and call,” he said.
I hopped out of the cart and waved him goodbye before yanking open the restaurant door and stepping quickly inside. I was unprepared for the wild party that was already well underway.
It was standing room only in the restaurant. Women lined up three deep at the bar, vying for my brother’s attention as hestruggled to pour drinks and shots for the thirsty bachelorettes. Another woman sang an off-key rendition of Taylor Swift karaoke on the stage. You could barely hear the words to “Bad Blood” over the conversations and laughter around me.
I squeezed through clumps of women, searching for True, and finally found her sitting in the back of the restaurant, frowning at her phone. I pulled up a chair to sit beside her. “What’s got you so glum, chum?”
