Page 9 of On the Line

She glanced over her shoulder and into the house. “I guess,” she conceded. “Let me grab my stuff. Set the trays by the van. My aunt has the keys.”

“Okay.” I hustled the stuff out of the back of my truck while Ellie grabbed her backpack and purse and locked the door behind her. “Here.” I held out a hand to help her into my old Ford.

“Thanks.” She settled into the bench seat next to me. “Um…” She looked down and twisted her hands nervously in her lap. “My aunt brought the paper in last night. The New Year’s Eve party was on the front page– said the cops found a lot of drugs.”

I glanced over as I drove down the rutted gravel driveway toward US-1. “They always exaggerate,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. I wracked my tired brain to think of a way to minimize the bust at George’s. “I heard they foundsome pot in one of the guests' cars. Pretty stupid if you ask me.”

I should have known Ellie was too smart to let me smooth things over so easily. Her skeptical stare said it all. “Some pot?” She said, mocking my effort to minimize the bust. “The paper said it wasbales. Who carries bales of pot in their car?”

I peeled out on the highway heading south. “Yeah, I don’t know. I’m guessing that guy will be in jail for a good long while.”

“Serves him right, I guess, if he’s that dumb,” she huffed, shaking her head. “Hasn’t he heard of the War on Drugs? It's all over the news.”

CHAPTER 5

George laid low in Miami for the first couple of weeks after Johnny B’s arrest. But after the police got their warrant and came up empty handed, the dust from the bust finally settled and George was back to business as usual– flaunting his money on his speed boat full of girls half his age out on the sandbar, and running reefer every week like clockwork.

Ellie was busy with school and working on the weekends, but I snuck in a few minutes with her most days, even if just to stop by her aunt’s house for a chat in the backyard swing under the stars.

We got a few real dates in. Like snorkeling Hens and Chickens reef. And during a picnic lunch on the Whaler one lazy Wednesday afternoon, she coached me to bring snacks and drinks for my charters for a higher-end experience—a suggestion I thought funny for my flats-fishing clientele. I knew she was smarter than I was, so I listened. I loved how she was always thinking how to make things work better, and always thinking toward the future. Sure enough, myword-of-mouth referrals picked up once I started following Ellie’s advice.

Early-February on a Friday, Ellie managed to get out of working the dinner shift to go see the movie everyone had been talking about. It was a tear-jerker that didn’t appeal to me much, but I jumped at the chance for a night with her on the mainland. We took the old Ford up to Coral Gables to catchOn Golden Pond, which I liked far more than I expected. I nearly cried, too, when Ellie had tears streaming down her face. On our way out of the cinema, she took my hand.

“I knew that movie was going to make me cry. Kind of silly to punish myself like that.”

I squeezed her hand. “I thought I’d hate it, but my eyes got a little moist, too.”

Her doe eyes turned up while I swung the truck door open for her. “Why’d you come if you thought you’d hate it?”

“To be with you, of course. And see, I liked it.” I leaned into the truck to kiss her cheek.

The truth was, seeing the movie couple in their golden years, made me want to spend mine with her. The more time I spent with Ellie, the clearer that was.

After the movie, I whisked her off to South Beach. Ellie perused the menu at a beachfront bistro, eyes wide at the prices.

“I know you’ve been running more charters lately, but this is expensive.”

I didn’t mind dropping fifty dollars on a nice meal. I might as well spend some of the money I’d been hoarding. “It’s notevery day I get to show my girl a good time in the city. Just order what you want and enjoy.”

The lobster wasn’t any better than what they served at the Coral Grill for a third the price, but sharing a candlelit meal with Ellie, decked out in her sundress and high-heels, made it more than worth it.

Afterward, the long walk after dinner on the beach under a blanket of stars was priceless. We stopped to count the stars one by one, kissing every chance we got. Something about our kisses changed that night. Ellie opened herself to me, showed me the desire that burned deep, letting me know I wasn’t alone in wanting her so badly.

But, when my hands roamed over her curves, desperate to feel more of her, she pulled away. She didn’t have to say a word. I understood. I read her body language, and kept myself in check. I would wait for her. She was the prize. “Sorry, Ellie. I lose myself kissing you sometimes.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I feel lost in it, too,” she said softly. “That’s what scares me.”

“You don’t have to be scared.” I dipped my chin to press my lips to her hair, breathing in her scent. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” But I was afraid there was no turning back from how she made me feel.

Her back straightened as she smoothed her skirt. “We should probably head back. I’m working tomorrow, and I have a paper to write for my Humanities class.”

I was so full of her that night, her perfume imprinting on my brain, and a warmth oozing from my chest. The love bubbled up and flowed from me. I didn’t want to push her further, but I didn't want the night to end. “Mateo told me about ahot new club in Miami Beach. How ‘bout we check it out? You said you like dancing. It’s supposed to betheplace in South Beach.”

Ellie bit her lip, contemplating. “I shouldn’t be out too late.”

I slipped an arm around her waist. “Let’s go for an hour. I won’t keep you past curfew. Promise.”

Her hand rested on my chest while her weight settled softly into my arms. “I’m not worried you’ll keep me out. I’m worried you’ll make me want to stay.”

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