Page 188 of The Romance Adventure

“That’s good. Spider bites are no joke.” She tells me about her cousin Rosangela, who was bitten by a recluse spider before bringing me over to the pie contest table.

After getting a couple of slices for Magnus and me to celebrate the official opening of Boo’s Battle Bros, I say goodnight to everyone.

But when I get back to the cottages, he’s fast asleep.

He’s a tough guy, withstanding that bite. He’s strong in other ways, too. So am I, though. He’s worried about me being fragile. Well, I survived fiancée-widowhood. I’m going to figure out a way to prove that I’m not a ceramic doll who’ll break into pieces at the sight of a spider. To be fair, I’ll be avoiding black widows at all costs. But I don’t need to call him to help me squish one that finds its way into the bathroom and is dangerously close to the towels.

I’ll show him that I’m strong too.

Two days later, Magnus is mostly recovered. He doesn’t say a word about his love and marriage comments. In fact, he doesn’t say much of anything until he sees me leaving the beach bungalow with the dogs.

“Glad to see you out and about,” I say brightly.

“Heading to pick up our first two dogs today.”

A frown drops onto my lips. “Oh, I thought we were going together.”

“You look busy.”

I’m about to argue, considering I already went to the adoption center, filled out the paperwork, and met the Malinois, but perhaps this is something he wants to do on his own since he wasn’t able to thoroughly experience the official opening of the business.

I’m just the veterinarian on staff.

“Sure. Safe travels. Can’t wait to see Maiti and Rebel.”

Boo loads up and he’s about to get in his truck when he says, “I meant to ask you if you learned anything about the Pirate Defense League.”

“Oh, you mean when I infiltrated the poker ring?” I ask playfully.

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve restrained myself from rushing over to Magnus’s to spill the story. If it’s true. Could be tall tales.

Magnus’s expression remains blank, no twitch of the lips toward a smile. No laughter in his eyes. Not even a spark of interest. Meanwhile, I can hardly contain myself.

“Ready? This is what I learned: officially, Chip started the Pirate Defense League in 1959, shortly after he claimed the island. As you know, he won it in a card game—pineapple poker, if I’m not mistaken. Not familiar with that one, but I’m willing to learn.”

The way Magnus looks at me, expression hard, makes me sympathetic to the men below him in rank. I consider pushing my shoulders back and saluting him.

“Anyway, back then, this area was largely wild, unsettled. Boundaries and land ownership were negligible. The Golden Age of Piracy was long over, but the many stories of sunken ships, buried treasure, and stashed rum brought modern pirates to the various islands, including this one. Especially this one.”

Magnus remains at attention as if recording all of this information in his memory bank for later analysis.

“There was one particular band of merciless pirates, intent on pillaging Coco Key. They called themselves the Torment and sailed, you guessed it, the Dark Seas brigantine. One night, they came ashore, prepared to do what pirates do when the captain of the ship laid eyes on a beautiful young woman. A woman he claimed should be wearing a crown.”

A pause grows between us as I anticipate Magnus filling in the name, but he doesn’t.

“It was Fernanda,” I say simply. “Your grandmother.”

The air is still. Magnus is motionless. Even the tide seems to pause. But he doesn’t say anything.

I go on. “Captain Benecio Estevão challenged Chip to a game of cards for Fernanda’s hand in exchange for a ship in a bottle. Of course, he declined. They were a young couple, newly and happily married. From then on, Captain Estevão and his men tormented the coast, driving people away from Coco Key. As you know, that didn’t intimidate your grandfather. He built the Driftwood. They had a family. Life carried on.”

The dogs, giving up on their walk, lie down at my feet with forlorn, doggy sighs. I imagined telling this story with the backdrop of the ocean and Magnus’s rapt attention. Maybe a soundtrack. The ocean is there. Magnus is here, but he isn’t engaged.

Stifling a sigh, I continue. “The attacks and sabotage by the captain and his men continued. All this time, Chip salvaged old boats and, in so doing, heard many strange tales. Including one about a ship in a bottle. Supposedly, it was the fiercest that had ever sailed the region, but it was cursed and shrunk, stuffed in a glass bottle. It was the original ship in a bottle.”

“Sounds like something that would’ve interested my grandfather.”

“Upon learning the ship in the bottle might be relevant, Chip challenged Captain Estevão to a game of cards. If your grandfather won, he’d get the ship in the bottle and the pirates would leave. If the captain won, he wouldn’t get your grandmother. She wasn’t up for barter. Instead, Chip offered bottles of his recently distilled rum, Sempre Spirits.”