Page 3 of Shiver Me Timbers

“Oh.” Duncan turns back to his work, flipping switches and pressing buttons. The flashing stops. “Right.”

Our elbows brush. We both hold our breath.

The stars glitter.

“Two minutes,” Duncan says, right as I blurt, “Well, I’d better get back out there.”

Yeah. I stumble out of the wheelhouse, my face on fire, so grateful for the cool wind on deck.

No point lingering in there, hoping for something that will never happen—and no point letting this sour mood get me down.

There’s a lot to be thankful for. I’m very lucky, all in all.

And right now, I’ve got tourists to spook.

Two

Duncan

Ellie is always a sight to behold when she leads these tours. On land, she’s bright and funny and warm and sweet—a ball of sunshine wrapped in those knitted dresses she likes to wear. But on the tours, it’s on another level. On the tours… Ellie istheatrical.

She flounces up and down the deck, telling the grisly tale of the northern shipwreck, the wind lifting her wild red hair. In her long green skirt and black top, draped with scarves and necklaces, Ellie looks like a fortune teller from a traveling fair.

The fingerless lace gloves are a nice touch, too. What would those feel like on my bare skin?

“Rumor has it,” Ellie says, her voice dropping low. Everyone on board leans close, staring at her with wide eyes. “Rumor has it that this ship carried two fleeing lovers, both desperate to marry. They couldn’t be together if they stayed in Belladonna Bay, so they stowed on board this ship… and met their doom.”

Ellie’s eyes flick to me, then away. Leaning against the wheelhouse door frame, I glower at her with shameless hunger.

These tours are the only real chance I get to stare at this young woman. If I watched her like this on land, the whole town would explode with gossip—and good thing, too.

Lord knowssomethingneeds to keep me in line—and I’m ashamed to say that Pete’s memory only does half a job these days.

His daughter was always beautiful. But she was always a kid in my mind, you know? All scabby knees and then teenage moods. Someone to watch over, but that’s all.

It never really occurred to me that Ellie would one day be somethingmore; that she’d grow into an adult woman, and the mere sight of her would take me out at the knees.

Blowing out a long breath, I scrub a palm down my beard.

Shouldn’t think this way. Shouldn’t let myself.

Out beyond the boat, shards of salt-crusted shipwreck spear through the calm water. Most of the detail has gone, eaten away by sun and salt over the years, but the ship’s skeleton is stark enough. Looming above us, it casts a jagged silhouette against the stars.

Back where no one can see, I tap my knuckles against the wheelhouse wall. TheEllie Maywill never meet such a fate, I swear.

“They searched for survivors for three days and three nights,” Ellie says, the crowd glued to her every word. “Rescue boats came from all along the coastline, all volunteers with great big searchlights, scanning the water for any people left alive.”

An adolescent boy near the railing groans and shudders. The elderly woman beside him smiles and pats his forearm with a gnarled hand.

“And now, late at night, when the stars come out… the shipwreck remembers.” Ellie glances at me, and that’s my cue. Reaching back, I kill the engine and everything with it—including the wheelhouse lights.

And the crowd shrieks, because—

Darkness.

It’s sudden. All-encompassing. There are a few yelps from the tourists, then storms of giggles, but Ellie and I wait patiently for everyone to settle back down. It’s not so bad after a minute or two—the moon is bright overhead, and there’s a silvery glow to see by. We wait in silence, rocking gently in the swell. People fidget.

Then—

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