We both laugh.
I want this to be a carefree boat ride. But I feel compelled to tell Tara the truth so she doesn’t get her hopes up.
"This arrangement is just for the next week or so. I don't know what the future holds beyond that."
"Why?"
"Apparently, I need some sort of legal clearance to take Posey back to NYC. Then I must figure out my record contract. Neither of which I want to think about on a beautiful day like today. Where do you live in the Big Apple?" I say, turning the topic.
"Near NYU. My roommate's another student named Keesha, and her parents are on the lease. They immigrated here from Ethiopia when she was a kid. Our crazy friend's name is Zaza. The three of us have a lot of fun together, but our lives don't compare to your life as a rock and roll star."
"And when you graduate from NYU, what?"
"Teach," she says.
I detect a note of regret in her voice.
"You don't sound too excited about that."
"I'd rather sing opera on the stage. But there's no money in opera unless you have a name. And I need money to survive."
I know rich girls in New York. Most of them have parents who write them monthly checks for years after graduating from university. "Your family won't support you?"
"It's just my mom now, and she's out fighting for herself. But I have a favor to ask you. I met a woman the other night who promised to give my name to the director of the Met Opera company. Their troupe is here in Nantucket working on the production of Moby Dick. This morning, I got a text from him offering me a part-time gofer position so I can see how an opera company really runs."
I laugh. "What's a gofer?"
"Hey girl, go for this. Go for that," she laughs. "It would just be a few hours a day."
"That's fine. Go for it, Gofer girl," I say as the engine slows. "I'll arrange for Henry to take you and bring you back."
Edison barks sharply from the bow, tail wagging as he spots something in the water.
"Here we are," Salty announces with satisfaction. "This is a prime fishing spot. Very few captains know about it. Let's keep it like that," he adds with a conspiratorial smile.
"What kinds of fish do you find here?"
"Oh, bluefish, snappers, stripers. The bounty is plentiful."
"Look, Daddy Cameron, there's a fish!" Posey shouts, pointing at a silver glint in the water. "Let's grab it!"
Salty opens a refrigerated cabinet and takes out a bucket of something crawling and alive.
"Worms!" Posey shrieks, drawing back dramatically. "Wiggling!"
"Let me show you how a master casts his line, Miss Posey." Salty casts his rod with the grace of a Red Sox pitcher. A moment later, his crusty voice cuts through the air. "We have a live one!"
"Oh, it's heavy! It's a big one!" he says, his voice taking on the dramatic quality of a stage actor before he reels in a giant fish.
"How about snacks before we head back to shore?" Salty says, taking bottled water, soda, and potato chips from the hold.
It's peaceful here, I think to myself, watching my daughter and Salty deep in conversation. For the first time since I can remember, I feel relaxed. No one's demanding anything from me. No contracts, no deadlines. It's like time has stopped.
Tara shifts closer to me in the confined space, her bare shoulder brushing against my arm. The simple contact sends heat shooting through me. It takes all my self-control to keep my hands by my sides.
"Well now," Salty says suddenly, settling back with the satisfied look of a man who's about to share something extraordinary, "I suppose it's time I told you about the day I was swallowed by a whale."
CHAPTER 21
