‘Oh, my dear, naïve friend. Of course you do.’
‘Why? It doesn’t matter what she thinks; Jonah’s is the only opinion I care about. And believe me, after the other night, I feel like the most beautiful woman in the world when he looks at me.’
‘That’s sweet. I love that for you. But what kind of future can you have with him if his family isn’t on board? You said it yourself, they mean a lot to him. If you two get serious, you’re looking at a lifetime of family gatherings with them. Do you really want to make things awkward for Jonah?’
I sighed. ‘No, of course not. But I don’t see how a dress is going to make a difference.’
‘It’s not so much the dress, as the impression you give. Believe me, I’ve been to enough hospital fundraisers to know how important it is to these kinds of people to dress and act like you have money. Project the right kind of image to the world.’
‘Jonah isn’t like that.’
‘I’m sure he’s not. But from everything you’ve told me about his mother, she is.’
I finished my coffee and checked my watch. ‘Hate to love you and leave you, but I need to start getting ready for work.’
‘Fine.’ She yawned. ‘I need to go and write up my notes so I can get out of here when my shift ends before Sheryl tries to make me work a double again.’
I put my cup in the sink and ran water into it to soak while I was in the shower. ‘I don’t miss that at all.’
‘Yeah yeah. Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
We blew kisses and disconnected the call.
I knew immediately I got out of the shower that something had shifted. The atmosphere felt charged, static, the way it does before a storm. I hurried to the front windows and scanned the sky. The horizon seemed to have darkened, but I told myself that was in my imagination. I had been slightly on edge since Jonah had left, even though I had no reason to be. I got ready, feeling uneasy, not knowing why, and left for work. Just as I pulled into the parking lot, the song on the radio finished. I was turning the key in the ignition to off when a few words from the radio announcer caught my attention, and I quickly turned it up.
‘…for Pine Harbor and surrounding areas. Cloud increasing today with the likelihood of snowfall in inland areas later this afternoon. Expect increasing southwest winds this evening, with snow becoming heavier overnight. Coastal areas will have decreased visibility and rough conditions, and we’re expecting an overnight temperature of twenty-three degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re heading out on the water today make sure you plan ahead. Gale conditions are expected offshore later this evening. Wherever you are today, make sure to rug up and stay safe. Now here’s Bryan Adams with “Summer of ’69” to warm you up.’
I turned the radio off and leaned back against the seat, feeling my uneasiness grow.
36
JONAH
The radio crackled as I adjusted the dial, hearing static and popping noises as it tried to find and focus on a station.
‘…Pine Harbor coastal conditions are expected to deteriorate this afternoon, with southwest winds increasing to twenty-five knots, gusting higher at times. Snow developing in the afternoon and increasing overnight, with gale-force warnings in place.’
My eyes lifted to the gray sky, seeing dark clouds low on the horizon. Clouds like that never led to anything good. But I’d seen worse. The diesel thrum of the engines worked its way into my bones the way it always did after a few days at sea. Jim’s boat was bigger than mine, designed and built to handle the harsh winter punishment, but even she would seem flimsy if the seas got too heavy.
We’d been out for three days already, working a line of traps off Williams Bank. In that time, we’d only seen one other vessel. Williams Bank lay in the middle ground between the safer, inshore breeding grounds and the deep, deep waters further out, where bigger boats could stay out for weeks.
It was cold. Bitterly cold. I hadn’t felt my nose for days – that kind of cold – and my fingers were numb even through my gloves.
Jim came into the wheelhouse. ‘Wind’s picking up,’ he said, cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. His moustache was yellowed from the nicotine.
‘Yeah, just caught the tail end of the forecast. Things might turn to shit later.’
‘What’s new.’ He shook his head. ‘Good old Maine in December. You still good to stay and haul the rest of the traps?’
The temptation to saynah, let’s go home insteadso I could see Mae was strong, but that wouldn’t be fair on Jim. These trips paid his bills. ‘Yeah, I’m good.’
My phone dinged in my pocket, I pulled my glove off so I could check it.
Mae
I heard the weather forecast. Things might get a bit rough out there later.
