Page 11 of A Shore Fling
She gives me a flat look. “What am I supposed to do, pole vault up there?”
“You’re gonna put your left foot on the rub rail, grab my arm, and try not to drown in the process.”
“Wow. You’re charming.”
“I’m supposed to be off duty in four minutes. This is as good as I can manage.”
She sighs, grabbing hold and planting her foot against the hull.
I grip her wrist. “Ready?”
“Not even close.”
“Too bad.” I grunt as I pull her over the side. She flops over, landing in a wet heap on the deck. “You good?” I ask, stepping back to the helm.
She sits up slowly, brushing her tousled curls from her face. “Yeah. I’m sunburned, dehydrated, and embarrassed. But on a positive note, I had hours of uninterrupted time to reflect on my poor life choices.”
“You want a towel or a lecture first?”
She looks at me, dripping and miserable. “Towel first, please. Then you can hit me with the list of all the things I did wrong.”
I toss her a striped towel. “Is that your boat?”
She rises, wrapping the terry cloth around her lower body. “No. It came with the house I’m renting. I figured since I don’t have a car, I’d boat over. Easy peasy, right?”
I snort. “So you landed at the airport and drove a boat for the first time and thought everything would be fine?”
“Okay, in my defense, David at your office said if I could drive a car, I’d be fine.”
“David.” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. If he isn’t giving bad advice, he’s not giving any. “Driving a boat and a car are not the same.”
“Yeah, I realize that now.”
“You should probably avoid operating any boat for the rest of your vacation.”
“Yeah, so much for being independent.”
“Maybe try a bicycle. It makes less paperwork for me.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t utter a word.
“Here.” I hand her a bottle of water. “I don’t need you passing out on me.” I nod toward the Sea Ray. “Is your luggage on there?”
She cracks open the lid and takes a deep pull before replying, “Yes, sir.”
I rub my face. “Of course.”
She frowns at me. “You’re annoyed.”
“You’re observant.”
Her free hand lands on her hip. “Nice of you to try and hide it.”
“It’s been a long summer.”
Her eyebrows dip into a frown. “But it’s only the middle of July.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re just the latest installment of harbormaster trials.”
