Fisher of Men

by Phoebe Alexander

  If one thing had happened differently, she realized, the truth may have never come out. The Lord works in funny ways, she remembered another of her father's favorite sayings. Funny, crazy, miraculous, completely unbelievable ways.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

  The drive down the peninsula on Route 50 that late Tuesday summer afternoon was pleasant and green with neat rows of corn rising up from the fields and yellow and fuchsia wildflowers dotting the embankments along the way. Leah used the two hour drive to think about how she should handle what she had learned about Cap. Parts of her wanted to let it go, chalk it up to lessons learned and move on with her life. Other parts of her, the deeper, more emotionally-charged parts, felt like he was, at the very least, owed an apology. But even those parts doubted they could ever recapture what had been lost.

  Leah was glad she'd made it back to Ocean City before the boarder closed up for the night. She couldn't imagine any creature more excited to see her than Glory. Her tail was wagging so wildly that Leah thought it might propel the little dog into the air. Her white muzzle looked like it was stretching her mouth into a huge grin. And then there was her tongue, floppy and wet, coating every reachable inch of Leah's skin with slobbery welcome home kisses. “Alright, girl, alright. Yes, I'm happy to see you too! Let's go home!”

  She cracked the window of the rental car and let Glory feel the breeze against her face. The dog seemed disappointed that her owner wasn't driving the more familiar and infinitely more fun-for-four-legged-animals Jeep. I'm going to have to vacuum this thing out before returning it tomorrow, she sighed, picking some of Glory's fur off the fabric seat. She made a mental map of the return location for the rental car and realized it was next to Casey's real estate office. I guess I could drop in and see if Casey's around. Maybe she would drive me back to work. She had barely spoken to Casey since everything had happened with Cap.

  The next morning she drove the rental car across town. She parked, dropped off the keys and came out of the building, spying Casey's car in the lot outside her office. She poked her head in and the receptionist said that Casey was in her office preparing to leave for a showing. Leah made her way down the hallway, remembering the last time she'd been there and the nausea she'd lost a battle to in the women's restroom.

  “Leah!” Casey exclaimed as soon as she saw her cross the threshold. “It's so good to see you, darling!” She rose and embraced her, patting her back vigorously. “What brings you up this way?” Although it was hot outside, Casey looked as cool as a cucumber in a striped sundress and matching cardigan the color of a honeydew. Her copper-colored hair was swept up into a French twist.

  “I had to return my rental car next door and I'm looking for a ride back to The Pearl. I know you have a showing, just wondered if it would be too much trouble to drop me off on your way?” Leah asked.

  “Oh, of course! I am headed to Ocean Pines, actually, but I have enough time to drop you off if we leave right now,” she answered. She grabbed her fashionable salmon-colored clutch and plastic clipboard off her desk, then ushered Leah back down the hallway and out into the parking lot.

  “So why the rental car?” she asked as they climbed into her sleek black sedan. “Something happen to your Jeep?”

  “No, not at all. I was in Nebraska for my brother's wedding and my flights got all screwed up. I had to fly into BWI and drive over to the shore yesterday afternoon,” Leah explained, her heart thumping with the looming decision of whether or not to tell Casey about meeting Sharon.

  “Well, I'm certainly sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you made it back in one piece!” Casey exclaimed as she pulled out onto Coastal Highway and headed south toward The Pearl.

  “I need to tell you something,” Leah advised after they'd passed through one intersection.

  “What's that?” Casey asked, her eyes never leaving the road.

  “I met Cap's ex-wife on the plane,” Leah shared.

  Casey slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt at the next stoplight. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Um, no,” Leah replied. “I wouldn't kid about something like this. It was definitely a surreal experience. I was sitting next to her and we started chatting, and it became clear once she mentioned her ex-husband was from the OC area and was a fisherman and they had a daughter named Emma. I was absolutely floored.”

  “That's completely crazy!” Casey cried, shaking her head with disbelief.

  “Yeah, and Casey,” her voice quieted, “she told me that she was wrong about Cap and the other family thing.”

  “What do you mean? She told me she saw the bills and he confessed to having a woman and child living with him. She said that the child was his.”

  “Apparently it was a woman and her son, and he was helping them get on their feet. They weren't together and the kid wasn't his. Sharon found out a few months before the divorce was final, but by that time they'd both moved on. She'd was already living in Baltimore and lost touch with most of her friends in OC. She never told anyone what had really happened,” Leah explained.

  “Well, I don't even know what to say,” Casey gasped.

  “There's more,” Leah continued. By this time Casey had pulled into the parking lot of The Pearl. She shifted into park and turned to Leah, giving her full attention with wide, anxious eyes Leah took a breath before sharing the last juicy tidbit. “Sharon told me not to trust anything that Rhonda says. She said that Rhonda made every attempt to cause drama and break them up way back in the day, and that she was positive nothing has changed.”

  “I don't understand why she would make up what Cap said, though,” Casey answered, shaking her head in bewilderment.

  “I'm sure she prefers that Cap stays single,” Leah conjectured. “I took him out of the lifestyle. She can't sleep with him anymore. I think that's motive, don't you?”

  “But she wanted to work for you,” Casey argued. “I just don't get it.”

  Leah stared at the entrance to the lobby, knowing that she only had a few minutes to get to her meeting. Her brain hurt from trying to unravel all the truth from the lies, to understand the motives behind what was said and done. “Maybe she wants to work for you and Cap, just not for me,” she suggested.

  “Well, I'm afraid it's a moot point now,” Casey sighed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Cap is selling the warehouse. He goes to sign all the papers tomorrow,” she stated.

  “What? Why would he do that?” Leah felt her nerves become agitated by the adrenaline that instantly shot through her body upon hearing the news. “Why would you let him do that? This was his dream. It was your dream!” She was stunned that he would give up The Factory just because she'd walked away. There are other people who could do that job. I'm not irreplaceable, she thought.

  Casey shook her head again, but this time with regret. “We got into a pretty big fight after everything went down last month. He insisted Rhonda made it all up, and Rhonda called him a liar to his face. I was there for the whole thing. It wasn't pretty. And I just assumed because he didn't go after you...I assumed there must be something to what Rhonda claimed.”

  “So let me get this straight,” Leah said. “This whole deal blew up because of me? Who cares about me? Anyone could run that place with a little experience or training. You two shouldn't destroy your dream just because of me. It's really not necessary.” In her mind, Casey's observation about Cap not chasing after her stung, sending a stabbing pain through the old wounds she thought had scabbed over.

  Casey's face was gripped by sadness and confusion. “I don't know what to say. I'm pretty disappointed that everything went awry, but I think Cap has made
up his mind. Honestly, I think he could only imagine you running the club, and if you're not going to, he doesn't want to do it anymore.”

  “Why didn't you tell me this was happening?” Leah questioned, wondering if all the misunderstandings could have been prevented.

  “I didn't think you wanted to be involved. I thought you wanted to move on. That day you walked out of my office you acted like you needed to be alone, to put all this behind you. You barely answered my texts and to tell you the truth, I didn't even know if I would see you again. I thought you were done with me too,” Casey admitted. “I wanted to help you, Leah. I have always admired you so much and considered you a friend even more than a business associate.”

  Leah knew she was running late for her meeting now, but she couldn't bring herself to get out of Casey's car. Her entire world had just been turned upside down. Again. As much as everything had been jumbled and broken a month ago when Mary showed up in her office, now things were just as chaotic and confusing.

  “I'm sorry, Casey. I never meant to hurt your feelings or reject your friendship. I just needed to step away from Cap and everything that reminded me of the world I'd shared with him. You were part of that world too. But you're right, you have always been a wonderful friend to me, and I would like to think our friendship transcends all of that other stuff.”

  “It makes me really happy to hear you say that!” Casey gushed, throwing her arms around Leah even in the cramped cabin of the car. When she pulled away, she looked solemn again. “But what are we going to do about Cap?”

  “What do you mean?” Leah asked with a smirk. “There's nothing I can do about him now.” She shrugged and began to open the car door.

  “I think you may be right about Rhonda,” Casey offered. “And if what you said Sharon told you is true, then don't you think you should talk to him? Tell him what you heard was wrong? And maybe you should tell him he shouldn't sell the warehouse?”

  “I told him not to contact me again. I really doubt he wants to hear from me.” She imagined seeing Cap so hurt and angry that his eyes looked like ice and his dimples stayed hidden. She didn't know if she could handle seeing him like that. Maybe he has been the innocent victim in this all along? Leah wondered.

  “I think you should at least try, Leah. He's going to regret giving up the club, and I don't think he'd listen to me if I told him not to go through with it. But he would listen to you. And I'm not just saying that because it's in my best interests to open the club. I just think there's still a chance for a happy ending for all of us,” Casey beamed through leftover tears.

  Leah shook her head. “I don't think there's any chance of us repairing our relationship. I think the best we can hope for is forgiveness and closure at this point. But okay, I'll try. If he really didn't say what Rhonda claimed then I do owe him an apology. I'll text him later today. I'm sure he's out on the water right now anyway.”

  “True, it's sort of hard to catch him right now. From what I understand he's been doing three charters a day. He's barely been home at all,” Casey said.

  “I'll try. No guarantees that he'll even talk to me.”

  “Trying is all I'm asking for,” Casey assured her. She gave Leah another hug and watched her walk through the lobby of The Pearl.

  It took Leah awhile to catch Aimee up on everything that had happened during the last twenty-four hours since leaving Nebraska. “So I'm going to text him this afternoon,” Leah confessed. “I can't believe that I'm the one who's going to contact him. I always thought it would be the other way around. If it happened at all.”

  Leah could hear Natalie babbling in the background. It's hard to believe such a tiny human can create so much noise, she mused. She looked at the clock. Almost noon. Cap will be coming in from his morning charter, dropping off one crew and picking up the next for the afternoon trip. He'll probably check his phone. Her whole body was buzzing with a mixture of anticipation, anxiousness and dread. “I'm afraid he won't text me back. And even if he does, I really need to talk to him in person. He's not going to have time to see me before he goes to sign the papers tomorrow.”

  “Is his evening charter full?” Aimee questioned.

  “What difference does that make?” Leah asked.

  “I have an idea!” Aimee explained. “A perfect idea!”

  When Leah called to reserve her space she asked if anyone else was going to be on the charter. The teenage girl on the other end of the phone flipped some pages in a book and then put Leah on hold. Oh, great, Leah thought. I hope she doesn't put him on the phone! She heard the phone line come alive again. She was relieved to hear the girly, high-pitched voice say, “We did have four others but they actually just called a few minutes ago and rescheduled for tomorrow. There's a storm coming and Captain Sheldon doesn't know if he'll get the whole trip in tonight.”

  “Oh,” Leah said, happy to hear there was no one else, but not that a storm might mess up her surprise. “So what do I do?”

  “Well, come on down to the shop about 15 minutes before departure and we'll check the radar. If it looks bad, we can reschedule or just do a shorter trip or whatever you want depending on the weather,” she advised.

  “Okay, that sounds reasonable. Thanks a lot! Oh! One more question. Can I bring my dog?”

  “Since no one else is going tonight, that should be okay. Captain Sheldon usually takes his dog on the smaller charters though, so if your dog might have an issue with that, you probably want to leave him at home.”

  “Oh, I think she'll be just fine with his dog!” Leah laughed, thanked the girl again and hung up. Everything's falling into place, she thought. Who would have thought I'd be thinking that?! Maybe this is more divine intervention, just like yesterday.

  The clock crawled like a turtle as the hour hand approached 5 PM. Leah had abandoned any hope of concentrating on work. She'd updated Aimee via text several times and she'd also given Casey a heads up. Casey's excitement was evident in her response: YOU GO GIRL!!! Finally it came time to shut down her computer, lock her office door and head down to the lobby. She would have to walk to her apartment to get Glory and her Jeep since she had returned the rental car that morning.

  The sun was starting to make its descent toward the west, but low on the horizon was a dark mass of clouds. She wondered if that was the impending storm and if it would ruin her plans. Really, God? she asked incredulously, looking at the sky. Surely You didn't bring me this far just to have everything fall apart again. I don't know how much more emotional turmoil my heart can take!

  She briskly traversed the three blocks to her apartment, hooked Glory to her leash and rushed to the Jeep. As she zoomed down Coastal Highway, her body began to throb with nervousness. Down at the southern end of the strip, the sun was still bright in the sky and she could smell the salt water as soon as she climbed out of the Jeep.

  She walked up the wooden steps to Cap's shop and immediately heard Keeper let out a single, ear-piercing bark. She wasn't surprised that the chocolate lab was standing just inside the door, recognizing the approaching scent and poised to maul Glory with affection for old time's sake. Glory was just as excited to see her old friend and the two spent a moment celebrating their reunion by wagging their tails and sniffing each other’s behinds. Leah let Glory off her leash and passed down an aisle full of artificial lures and hooks toward the office at the back.

  The teenage girl at the counter was none other than Emma, Cap's daughter, who recognized Leah immediately. Leah put her fingertip to her lips and whispered, “Shhh!” before Emma could react. The young lady's face exploded with color and hope. “I want it to be a surprise,” Leah explained softly.

  Meanwhile, she had lost track of Glory. She and Keeper had wandered down an aisle with sunscreen, hats and gloves, and snacks, then turned up the back wall toward Cap's office. Leah heard Cap's deep baritone voice pierce the silence with a whoop and then a holler: “Glory, glory, hallelujah, how the hell are you, girl?!!” As soon as it sunk in that Glory meant Leah t
oo, he came rushing out of his office toward the counter. Leah watched him, his skin so tan that his eyes glowed like blue flames. His hair was bleached out, his goatee trimmed down low and nearly white from the sun. The dimples were so deep and pronounced, his cheeks looked like they had two holes punched on either side of his huge grin.

  He stared at her for a moment, saying nothing, basking in awe that she was standing there in his shop. He glanced at Emma, who smiled shyly and excused herself to the back room to give her father some privacy.

  “I really hope we can catch up,” he finally said, seeming as if he still didn't quite know how to react. “But I have a charter leaving in a few minutes. I know there's a storm coming, but I think if we take off on time we'll be able to get an hour or two out on the water.”

  “I'm the charter, Cap,” Leah revealed with a soft giggle. “It's me.” She smiled and waited for his reaction.

  “Oh!” he exclaimed, obviously surprised. “I...I don't even know what to say.” He raked his fingers through his wind-ravaged hair. “I can't believe you're standing here in my shop.”

  His eyes washed over her, from her honey-hued ponytail to her crisp white sleeveless blouse to the pink and white gingham capri pants hugging her curves. “You look really good, Leah.”

  “We need to talk, Cap,” she said soberly, not wanting him to get ahead of himself. And not wanting to get ahead of herself either. She was surprised that he was happy to see her. There was no trace of bitterness in his voice or across his face, just slight bewilderment.