Page 1 of Spindrift

Chapter One

EmiliaRusso stared at the sailboat.What the hell have I gotten myself into?This whole idea was insane. Then again, so was she, although her therapist hadencouraged her to use kinder language to describe herself.Fine. This isjust another symptom of my spiral of doom.She rested her hand on hergreyhound’s shoulder to steady herself.

“It'sjust a boat, Nell,” she said. The black dog leaned into her leg in unmistakableanimal solidarity.It’s just a boat, she told herself again. She’dsailed it a hundred times with her father. The old wooden rail was smooth withoil from their hands, and the fiberglass hull with its fading paint even boreher name:Emilia Rosa.

Thatwas the catch, though, wasn’t it? She’d sailed it with her father. Now he wasgone, the worst of the trifecta of disasters that had marked the past year. Hereyes stung. She would do this for him.

Thenew engine on the back of the small sailboat reassured her. It had been yearssince she’d sailed, and with the engine she would worry less about getting lostat sea. First, however, she had to get herself and her dog out to where theboat bobbed peacefully on its mooring in the calm evening water. Rowboats linedthe dock. She scanned them, looking for the old blue one she’d grown up with.It wasn’t there. Frowning, she pulled the bowlines of a few of the nearby boatsto see if hers had gotten lost in the mix. Her heart plunged when she finallyfound it.

“Nell,”she said, staring at the decrepit dinghy riding low in the water, a milk jugbail floating in the small pond at the bottom, “I’ve got a bad feeling aboutthis.”

Thedog watched with interest as Emilia pulled the rowboat closer. It definitelyhad a slow leak somewhere, and she lay on her stomach on the sun-warmed wood ofthe wharf as she bailed out the worst of the water. Only then did she dare stepinto the boat to finish the job. When she was satisfied she wouldn’t sinkimmediately, she grabbed her bag and tucked it into the driest corner. Then sheturned to Nell.

“Yourturn.”

Nell’sexpression didn’t require translation.Oh hell no, her narrow face said,and she backed up against the end of her leash.

“It’sokay, baby. Come.”

Sixty-fivepounds of stubbornness splayed her paws on the deck.

“Nell.”Frustration leaked into her voice, and she took a deep breath. Animals neededtheir humans to be calm and confident. Unfortunately, Emilia felt neither ofthose things at the moment.

Footstepsvibrated down the dock, and she groaned. An audience would really ice the cake.“If you come right now I will buy you a cheeseburger.”

Nellremained unimpressed. The footsteps came closer. Emilia closed her eyes, took adeep breath, and braced herself for unwanted human interaction.

“Needa hand?” The voice, low and calm, came from the woman standing a few yards awaywith her hand on the collar of a sable German shepherd. Emilia assessed thedog’s body language and gauged his reaction to Nell, who rarely showed aninterest in members of her own species. Then she raised her eyes to the woman.“He won’t bother your dog,” the intruder said, as if reading Emilia’s mind.

Fuck. Emilia’s cheeks flushed withembarrassment. Life just wasn’t fair. She recognized the woman standing beforeher, even though it had to have been at least fifteen years since she’d lastseen her. Morgan Donovan.

Shewas taller now than she’d been as a teenager, but those slate blue eyesremained unchanged. Her wardrobe hadn’t altered much, either. Carhartt workpants, slung low over lean hips. Practical boots. A simple brown sweater thather fingers itched to smooth over shoulders broadened from a lifetime of ruggedathleticism. The impulse quickened her irritation, and she jerked her eyes backup, noticing the most significant change. Morgan’s hair was no longer bundledinto a sloppy ponytail. She’d cropped it short, and the dark curls brought outthe contrast with her fair skin.

“ClassicBlack Irish coloring, just like her mom,” her father had said once when he saw Emiliastaring at the Donovan’s’ girl in the harbor. Emilia had pined after Morgan thelast two summers she’d spent in Seal Cove, before her mother had sued for fullcustody and her father lost visitation rights. She recalled with humiliationthat Morgan hadn’t so much as said hello in all that time.

Ithadn’t occurred to her she might run into Morgan now, and even if it had, shewouldn’t have thought much of it. Unrequited love was one of those universaladolescent experiences that prepared children for the inevitable heartbreaks tocome. She’d gotten over Morgan years ago. Still, seeing her when she was barelymanaging to keep her shit together smacked of cosmic sadism.

Shemet Morgan’s open gaze with a glare. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Sure.”Her eyes swept over the milk jug and Nell’s stubborn ears. “You look like youhave things under control.”

“Ido. Nell, come.” Perhaps it was the unmistakable command in her voice, or perhapsNell had taken pity on her, for the dog leapt lightly into the boat and settledbetween Emilia’s knees like she had done so a hundred times before. “See? We’repeachy.”

Peachy?What are you, five?She flipped the oarlocks into place and fumbled the oars into them. Then,realizing Morgan had shown no signs of moving on, she popped one oar back outand used it to push off. She got six feet before the bowline snapped taut.

“Shiton a stick,” she said under her breath.

Morganknelt with a grin and tugged on the line, which gave her enough slack to unclipit from the dock and toss the rope into the dinghy.

“Thanks.”Emilia’s face felt hotter than asphalt in July.

“Noproblem.” Morgan’s smile deepened, and then faltered as her eyes slid to the namepainted on the stern of the boat.

Emiliaput her back into the oars and pulled hard against the water’s resistancebefore Morgan could begin offering condolences for her loss, or whatever otherbullshit phrase she chose to employ. Her efforts were clumsy at first, but herbody remembered the steady rhythm of the motion as Morgan shrank in her peripheralvision. Nell helped block her from view by craning her neck around to kissEmilia’s face at an improbable angle. When she reached theEmilia Rosaand dared to look up again, Morgan had vanished.

“Thankgod,” she said to her dog as she unsnapped the canvas boat cover enough to makeroom for Nell. “All aboard.”

Nellstiffened as Emilia hauled her in by her harness, but quickly proceeded tosniff around the musty, salt-smelling cave she’d found herself in. Emiliafinished pulling the cover off the boom and stowed it in the small cabin. Thefurled sail felt cool and familiar under her fingers. She didn’t undo the ropethat kept it tied down, nor did she attempt to hoist the boom. Instead, shepulled a flat boat cushion out from the cabin and sat, fishing in her bag forthe bottle of wine she’d brought with her.

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