Saltwater Cove

by Amelia Addler

  “Morning Chief,” said Deputy Ball.

  “What’s going on?” asked Hank. He crossed his arms and stared at the group of deputies gathered around Margie.

  She turned to him and smiled warmly. “There you are Chief! I was worried you were going to miss out.”

  Hank frowned. Miss out on what? One of the deputies stepped aside and he saw what she was talking about. Blueberry muffins, banana bread, and something else that he couldn’t identify – but it looked amazing.

  Ah. So she wasn’t flirting. She was manipulating them – with baked goods.

  “Is this your doing?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It is! I love baking and I thought I would swing by and bring some treats this morning.”

  Hm. Not only did it look good, but now the smell hit him, too. The blueberries were overpowering. It’d been…well, a long time since Hank had homemade muffins. But just because this lady could bake didn’t mean that she could use the sheriff’s department to satisfy her whims.

  “That’s very nice of you,” he said. “Is there anything that we can do for you today?”

  Margie shook her head. “No! Not today. I will be applying for some permits soon. But I’m not even sure where to start.”

  “What kind of permits?” asked Deputy Ball, his mouth full of banana bread.

  “Well, I’m trying to finish a renovation that my brother started. Mike Grady, do you know him?”

  “Of course,” replied the deputy. “Everyone knows Mike. He’s helped us more than once – he’d always offer to look for lost kayakers or hikers from the sky.”

  Margie laughed. “Of course he never told me that he did that. He wasn’t one to brag.”

  “No,” Hank interjected. “He wasn’t. Are you staying with him?”

  “Not exactly…” she said. “He took a new job overseas – and he sold his property. To me. He thought that I could turn the barn into an event space. Like for weddings and things.”

  “Really?” said Hank. “Over on Wescott Bay?”

  Margie nodded. “That’s the place! And he had a lot of the renovation underway, but there are still a number of things I have to do before it’s ready for prime time. And unfortunately, I’m much better at baking than I am at electrical work. Or plumbing!”

  The group of deputies surrounding her rippled with laughter.

  Hank uncrossed his arms. Maybe he wasn’t entirely right about Margie. Mike was a great guy – he lived on the island for a while. Maybe it was even ten years. He flew small aircraft and helicopters. They even used to go fishing together sometimes on Hank’s boat. If he’d have known that Margie was Mike’s sister, he would have showed her a little bit of a warmer welcome.

  “Well Margie, I’d be happy to help you with that myself. I’ve known Mike for years and, uh, I wish you would have mentioned that he was your –”

  Margie waved a hand. “Oh I should have known that dropping Mike’s name would help me around here. He did tell me to use his name to threaten contractors.”

  More laughter. Even Hank chuckled.

  “Yeah, well, I can see that too.”

  “Anyways! My daughter is coming in from Anacortes on the ferry today, so I need to run a few more errands before I’m ready for her.”

  “Here, I’ll see you out,” said Hank. He opened the door and waited for her to pass through. He chose to ignore the snickers and “oohs” from the gaggle of deputies.

  Margie’s car was parked just outside the building.

  “Well, thanks again for all the sweets,” he said. “I can tell it’s already lifting the mood of the staff for this weekend.”

  “Oh? Is it usually busy for you guys?”

  Hank shrugged. “Sort of? We just get so many more people on the island that there’s bound to be some trouble. Nothing serious of course – don’t worry about that. But you know, noise complaints. Fireworks. Stolen garden gnomes.”

  Margie let out a high pitched laugh which caused even Hank to crack a smile. She had a nice laugh.

  “That sounds very exciting,” said Margie as she opened her car door. “I’ll try to keep out of trouble.”

  “Please do! Or the deputies might set your bail as a cake!”

  She laughed again.

  What a stupid joke that was.

  But she still laughed.

  “Have a nice day!” she yelled before reversing her car.

  Hank watched as she pulled out of the parking spot and drove away. Wait – why hadn’t he told her the name of the daughter? He needed to make up for his cold meeting the day before.

  Maybe he’d have some time this weekend to stop by and tell her about Kelly Allen. It was sort of a weird request, but now that he knew Margie wasn’t some nosey socialite, it wasn’t a big deal. What harm could it be to tell Mike’s sunshine little sister the name of a dead woman’s kid?

  Chapter 3

  “Honey! We have to go or we’re going to miss the ferry!”

  She heard a grunt from upstairs. Jade looked at her watch – she’d given him warnings at thirty, fifteen, and five minutes before they had to leave. She wasn’t sure what else she could have done.

  Her husband finally came downstairs. He was barefoot.

  “I don’t know why I have to go,” he said, arms crossed.

  “Because, my mom just moved onto the island yesterday. And I’d like to see her and see if we can help with anything.”

  “And?” He sighed. “I have an event tomorrow. We need to catch the evening ferry and sleep at home tonight so I can get ready like normal in the morning.”

  Jade went to the closet to fetch his shoes. “Don’t worry, I promise that we’ll make the ferry so we’re back in our regular bed tonight. Come on, it’ll be nice to go to San Juan. We always say that we’re going to go, but it seems like we never make it. And it’s such a short ferry ride away!”

  “I’m sure we’ll be going all the time now,” Brandon said as he accepted the shoes. “So your wish came true.”

  “Okay, are you ready?”

  “I guess.”

  Jade decided that it would be best if they took her car, because Brandon’s car was a bit messy and he kept a lot of his DJ equipment in the back. She wouldn’t want it to get stolen when they left the car in the ferry parking area. Then he would be really upset that she made him go to San Juan for the day.

  They parked and quickly got in line to board the ferry. They were just in time to walk on – if they were taking their car, they would have had to line up an hour before. Jade knew that wasn’t going to happen, so she asked her mom if she minded picking them up at the ferry terminal.

  It didn’t take long to board and they made their way to the second floor. It seemed more crowded than usual, and Jade decided it must be because it was the Friday before Memorial Day, so people were headed to the islands for a bit of fun and relaxation. Jade wanted Brandon to have fun this weekend, too, but he hadn’t said anything since they got on board.

  “Do you want me to get you something from the snack bar? Nachos maybe? A beer?”

  He shook his head. “No thanks. Don’t you think your mom is going to make dinner?”

  “I don’t think so. I’d be surprised if her kitchen stuff is unpacked already.”

  “I mean, how much did she need to bring? Your uncle basically left all of his stuff there already.”

  Oh dear. This conversation was getting into dangerous territory.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Do you think we’ll see any killer whales on the ferry ride?”

  “It’s too early in the season for that. And I bet he did leave everything,” replied Brandon, looking out the window. “He sold her everything in that house: appliances, furniture –”

  “To be fair,” Jade interjected, “there’s not a lot of furniture.”

  “Who cares? It’s a huge house. It has four bedrooms and a finished basement. And that’s not counting that barn.”

  “Yeah, it’s a really nice house.”

  Brandon sc
offed. “I can’t believe your uncle just gave it to her. If he wanted to go and work halfway across the world, that’s fine. But he could’ve let us live there. He didn’t even have to give it to us! Although we could’ve put it to better use if he had.”

  Jade took a deep breath. It was better that he was saying this now than in front of her mother. She didn’t know how to assuage him, but at least he was getting it out.

  “I mean, that would’ve been nice, but we didn’t have any right to it. He wanted it to go to my mom for some reason. I’m happy for her.”

  Brandon didn’t respond. He just kept looking out the window.

  Jade stood up. “So you don’t want anything from the snack bar?”

  He didn’t answer, so she headed towards the snacks anyway. She didn’t expect her mom to make dinner for them – she was probably just getting settled in. Jade decided on a soft pretzel and an iced tea for herself. She also got a pack of tuna and crackers for her husband, along with a Mountain Dew. Those were two of his favorite things, it was sure to cheer him up.

  She went back to the table where she’d left Brandon, but he was nowhere to be seen. She walked the length of the ferry looking for him, then wondered if maybe he went outside. She checked the front and the back of the ship with no luck. Finally, she went downstairs and found him sitting in a booth by himself staring at his phone.

  “Hey I looked everywhere for you,” she said, settling in across from him. “I got you a treat!”

  “I couldn’t stand all the kids upstairs. They were making so much noise.”

  “Oh, huh,” Jade replied. She hadn’t noticed. She took a bite of her soft pretzel. It was cold now, but when she dunked it in cheese, it was still pretty good. She sat for a moment, thinking of what she could say.

  “You know, if we got serious about saving for a down payment, we could buy a house on San Juan Island. Or in Anacortes, or wherever you want.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? ‘If’ we get serious?”

  “You know, just like, make a budget. We both have to stick to it, but in a year or two we could have a real down payment.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know if I’m really ready for that right now. There’s just a lot of moving parts with my business, and I don’t want to hinder the growth because I have to worry about a budget.”

  “I mean, we could make it in a way so it’s not going to hinder the business,” she replied.

  “Nah,” he said, turning back to his phone. “Maybe in like a year or something.”

  Jade decided not to push it and instead focused on finishing her pretzel. When that was done, she leaned back in her seat and stared out of the window. She’d always loved taking the ferry between the islands. There was something so comforting about it – the enormous size of the ship made her feel safe and small. The low rumbling of the engines, the slow but steady movement slicing across the still waters – and always a chance to see killer whales, porpoises, or even humpback whales.

  It was her absolute favorite way to travel – it was so comfortable, too! There was the onboard snack bar, bathrooms, and plenty of room to spread out and do puzzles or play games. When the weather was nice, she liked to stand on the outside of the ship and get a full view of the islands and water. It was a peaceful trip – never in a hurry, and they always got where they needed to go.

  After about twenty minutes, she realized that Brandon wasn’t going to snap out of his crabby mood anytime soon. She decided to head to the front of the ship and take in the sites.

  Jade stood admiring the lush green landscapes and glistening water; she kept an eye out for whales and porpoises, but the water was still and flat. Sometimes, during quiet moments like this, she thought of the rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology. The ancient Greeks believed the afterlife was an actual place, and she could almost imagine that this ferry was quietly carrying her into the underworld.

  Except it wasn’t a horrible ride like on the river of fire (was that the River Styx? Or Phlegethon? She could never remember). What would the Greeks have called this, a ride that was heaven on earth? River SanJuanedos? Or maybe this was like the River Lethe – where virtuous souls slipped into oblivion, forgetting their earthly lives, as they were transported to paradise.

  There was a buzz in her back pocket. Jade pulled out her cell phone – was Brandon looking for her?

  No – it was a text from her mom. Jade smiled and opened it: a picture of the ferry coming into Friday Harbor. “I can see you already sweetie!!”

  She laughed and took a picture of the harbor, sending it back to her mom. “I think I can see you too!”

  Jade went back inside and found her husband. “Look, my mom is all ready to pick us up!”

  He peered over and smiled. “That’s cute.”

  “She said that she parked a few streets back so that we wouldn’t get caught in traffic. Are you ready to go? I think we can get off soon.”

  “Yep, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

  The tuna was still sitting on the table. She picked it up and put it into her purse – he probably would want it eventually. It didn’t take long for the ferry to dock and they walked into Friday Harbor. Jade felt her spirits lifting as all of the other passengers slowly moved down the sidewalk with them.

  There were young people, old people, families with kids and even dogs. Some people dragged suitcases behind them, while others traveled light like Jade and Brandon. The excitement from the crowd was contagious.

  They crossed the street and Jade grabbed Brandon by the arm. “Let’s take a picture! It’s so cute here. I love all of these little shops and this view of the harbor.”

  “Okay,” said Brandon. “Do you want me to take a picture of you?”

  “No! Maybe we can ask someone, or take one of ourselves?”

  “Let’s just take one ourselves.” He took her phone and outstretched his arm so that they both fit into the frame. He snapped two pictures. Jade tucked her phone back into her pocket and they continued up the hill towards the street where her mom was waiting for them.

  Her mom spotted them and yelled out. “Jade, honey! Over here!”

  Jade ran up and gave her a hug. “Hey Mom, thanks so much for picking us up. I can’t believe you’re here!”

  “I can’t believe it either!”

  Brandon stepped forward and gave his mother-in-law a hug. “Margie, nice to see you.”

  “Did you guys need anything in town, or should we get going? I just pulled a lasagna out of the oven before I came to pick you up, so it should be ready when we get back.”

  Brandon smirked. “Jade ate on the ferry. She couldn’t wait one hour.”

  “I didn’t expect you to cook!” said Jade. “But don’t worry, I always have room for your lasagna.”

  They piled into her mom’s little car, Jade taking the front seat. “Mom, do you want me to reset your radio with the local stations?”

  “That would be wonderful! I haven’t had a chance to even think about that.”

  Jade busied herself with navigating and saving all of the best radio stations as she and her mom chatted back and forth about the move, packing, unpacking, and how easy it was to ship some of her belongings.

  It was only a twenty minute ride to get from one side of the island to the other. That always surprised Jade – the island seemed so much bigger in her mind than it actually was, and before she knew it, they arrived at her mom’s new house.

  Jade had visited her uncle there before, of course, but this was different. She was so excited that she let out a squeal. “Mom! This is gorgeous!”

  “I know! It’s unbelievable. We’ll do a tour later, but I don’t want the lasagna to get cold.”

  They followed her through the front door. The table was already set with beautiful dishes and cloth napkins that complemented the color scheme of the room; Jade had never seen any of it before.

  “Mom, when did you get all this stuff?”

  She waved a hand. “Well, I just got so
excited. I found the plates on sale and I decided to just go for it. Do you like them?”

  “They’re beautiful! And what about these napkins?” asked Jade as she spread a napkin across her lap.

  “Oh, I made those myself. I saw the fabric and it seemed very San Juan Island to me.”

  Brandon cleared his throat. “They’re very nice.”

  They cut into the lasagna and Jade served Brandon a large piece. “I don’t think we’ve had Mom’s lasagna in a long time – but it’s to die for.”

  “Thanks so much Margie,” he said.

  Jade dug in. It was just as good as she remembered it. “So Mom, you said you’re going to turn the barn into a place for weddings and stuff?”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, though.”

  “Oh it can’t be that bad. I’m happy to come over and help. Have you thought about what you’re going to name it yet?”

  A smile broke across her mom’s face. “I have, but I don’t know if it’s too…I don’t know, I’m not sure if it works.”

  “What were you thinking?” asked Brandon.

  She sighed. “Well, I kept trying to think of something with the word ‘barn’ in it. But then it just sounded like I was running a farm, and I’m not going to have any farm animals here. So then I was thinking…well, what about something like Saltwater Cove?”

  “Oh my gosh,” said Jade. “I love it!”

  Brandon nodded. “I’m pretty good with naming stuff, and even I think that’s pretty good.”

  Her Mom beamed. “Do you think? I just thought, you know, because we’re kind of in this bay area and right on the water and…I don’t know, it just fit.”

  Jade nodded. “It definitely fits.”

  There was a knock at the door and everyone looked at each other, slightly confused. Her mom stood up. “Who could that be, maybe one of Uncle Mike’s friends who doesn’t know he’s gone?”

  She went the front door and opened it; Jade could hear laughter and some chatter.