Page 12 of Merriment and Mayhem
She shivered hard and Griffin chuckled.
“Thirsty?”
Parched.“Sure.”
“Let’s see.” His gaze swept the side of the marina’s parking lot that had been roped off, vendors selling everything from holiday tchotchkes to baked goods. “Cider, cocoa, or eggnog?”
“Cider, please.” Everleigh pointed over her shoulder in the direction of the dock. “I’m going to head over to the boats.”
Griffin nodded. “Meet you down there.”
The theme of this year’s Deck Out the Docks was Candy Land Christmas, and the boat owners of Port Angeles had shown up and shown out, turning the marina into a whimsical wonderland. There was pink and silver tinsel and sparklesaplenty, schooners and sailboats decked out with giant creations of sugary sweet treats that looked good enough to eat. Bright bubblegum pop renditions of the holiday classics drifted from the speakers of a nearby pontoon boat, and a few yards out in the marina, standing atop the deck of a small yacht, a group gathered around an electric heater cheered loudly as someone whipped out what looked like a blinged-out bottle of champagne and began filling red Solo cups.
“Miss Dangerfield!”
She turned, waving when she spotted Captain Keegan making her way down the dock, holding hands with two adorable little girls who couldn’t have been older than four or five.
“Captain Keegan.” Everleigh smiled. “And who do we have here?”
“This is Ava, and this is Charlotte.” Both girls waved shyly before tucking their heads against Captain Keegan’s thighs. “My daughters. And call me Lana, please.”
“As long as you call me Everleigh.”
Cap—Lananodded, her mouth opening like there was something she wanted to say. “Is Brantley around?”
She tipped her chin toward the parking lot. “Grabbing us drinks.”
“Ah.” There was a twinkle in her eye. “You’re all he’s been able to talk about, you know?”
Everleigh flushed. “He, uh, seems like a really great guy.”
“I caught him looking up ferry schedules yesterday.”
She frowned. “Ferry schedules?”
“Mm-hmm. The Edmonds-Kingston ferry.” Lana arched a brow. “You know, the one between here and Seattle.”
The air left her lungs with a punched-out little laugh. “You’re kidding.”
It was, give or take, two and a half hours from Seattle to Port Angeles. Too far to reasonably commute daily, but someone could, say, spend a decent part of their ninety-six hours off in the city and make it back here well rested and ready to start their shift. Not that thatsomeonewould need to make the trip, not when, as long as Everleigh had her laptop and a reliable internet connection, she could technically work from anywhere. Anywhere including a homey little seaside town like Port Angeles that—with its charming festivals and neighbors who welcomed each other into their homes during the holidays and Good Samaritans willing to hang lights for a disaster magnet of a near stranger—had managed to worm itself into Everleigh’s heart in just a few short weeks.
Notthat she was thinking about what that meant for her and her life past December. No siree, Everleigh wasn’t thinking about that at all.
Lana shook her head. “I wouldn’t joke about—”
A scream pierced the air and Everleigh whirled around with a gasp.
The yacht that only moments ago she’d admired had fallen into chaos. Sparks flew from the heater, flames already licking at the bottom of the mast.
“Cap!” Griffin jogged down the dock, a cup clutched in each hand and a frown creasing his face. “What happened?”
“Looks like an electrical fire, and it’s growing fast.”
In a matter of moments, the fire had spread, the entire bridge deck enveloped in flames, the passengers trying in vain to douse the fire with Solo cups full of lake water. No one aboard was wearing a life jacket.
“Go back to the house and get your father,” Lana said, shuffling her girls up the dock. “Tell him Mommy said to call 911. There’s an electrical fire on a boat anchored in the Port Angeles marina. Captain Keegan is off duty but on the scene.”The girls took off at a sprint, and she tugged on the zipper of her puffer coat, dragging it down.
Griffin set the drinks down and grabbed at the neck of his hoodie, tugging it over his head.
