Page 9 of Into the Light

I came to Moon Harbor to get away from Boston. Working on any of the boats in town had been a dream, and the best consistent money I could find out here. I was grateful for the work and for the opportunity to learn the industry. But I had to admit, I felt pride for this vessel and this position I earned.

Despite being smaller than the Fortuna, the Stella Rose was more modern, faster, comparable in strength, and had just as much storage space, allowing us to consistently max out our legally allotted eight hundred traps with a smaller crew. It was a point of pride, and one we loved to point out to the Fortuna crew whenever we crossed paths.

“We might get off in time for happy hour, boys,” Roger said as he steered the Stella toward the harbor. It was his recurring joke because, while we did often make it off the boat in time to grab a happy hour drink, none of us ever did since we were disgusting by then and all of the watering holes in town would kick us out if we showed up like that.

This was Moon Harbor, and the tourist industry was still tops.

Most days we set out at four in the morning, and spent the next ten or twelve hours pouring sweat, even in the cold months, from the hard labor. But we loved our job, and I don’t think any of us would trade it for anything.

“I got a hot date tonight with Angela, that chick from the yacht club. Wicked hot,” Jackson said, while hosing off the deck.

“You mean the waitress from the yacht club?” Kirby, the apprentice, asked. “The tall one?”

“She’s not that tall. You’re just mad ‘cause you’re a small fry.”

“Hey, no hate. I’m just saying, don’t let her wear heels.”

I rolled my eyes and clapped Jackson on the back. “Good luck, man. Make sure you hold the door and shit.”

“Good advice from the man who never dates,” Roger called over his shoulder, making the others laugh.

“Yeah yeah.”

“Hey, I can see if Angela has any single friends, man.”

I shook my head, mostly in exasperation. “I’m not desperate for a set-up, but thanks.”

“You sure? You kinda should be.”

“Yeah, how long has it been since you hit it, man?” Kirby chimed in.

I laughed and threw the mooring rope at him. “None of your fucking business.”

“Well maybe you should work on that, so we can keep it that way. I don’t need your bad women-juju rubbing off on me.”

“All right, man, sure.”

Maybe it had been years since I’d been with a woman, but I wasn’t about to tell them that—or why. None of them would understand. Ellie’s face flashed in my mind again, as it had continuously since my birthday. Something about the way she looked when she saw me with Annie nagged at me.

Ellie hadn’t ever been outwardly flirtatious with me. I mean, not any more so than she was with Theo. And she dated on and off—mostly assholes I wanted to punch in the jaw—but I never got the feeling she was hung up on me or anything. Until I saw that fake, overly enthusiastic smile she gave me after seeing Annie and I hug.

Could it be that she was jealous? No. But maybe?

I shook my head to clear it of these thoughts, because they’d do me no good. I couldn’t be with her, and wishing it so, or wondering if she wanted it, would just drive me crazy.

I worked quietly as we unloaded the traps and finished up for the day. Which wasn’t unusual, but instead of clearing my head with the monotony of the task, my mind kept swirling with what-ifs and maybes. By the time I walked down the dock to the parking lot across the street, I was wondering if I shouldn’t head over to Ellie’s right now, just to see what she was up to.

“Raf!”

I turned on my heel right before reaching the lot. Annie jogged to catch up to me, carrying paper shopping bags in each hand. She almost reached up to hug me, but I could see she noticed my sweaty brow and sea-scented work clothes and thought better of it.

“Annie, hey. Sorry, you caught me at my worst.”

She laughed. “No problem at all. You didn’t text me, you know.”

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. “Yeah, I’ve been working. Off for two days now, though.”

“Well I’m leaving first thing tomorrow and I really did want to catch up with you.” She looked at her smartwatch. “You want to grab some dinner in a bit?”

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