His sister sits beside him, her eyes wide, holding her usual polite expression.
“Of course they did. It’s been held in trust. Part of it goes to you when you turn eighteen and part to your sister now.”
Their guardian goes on to explain the money to his sister. He wishes he could have his share now, so he could leave this place. His sister says she’ll use her money for school, and that pleases both guardians. He’s excited about the amount. Surely he’ll get the same when he turns eighteen.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Shannon
Norman’s Cay to Compass Cay, Bahamas
“I think the next stop should be Compass Cay.” Shannon sat on the top of the stern steps watching Jake check the starboard engine. Waves slapped lightly on the side of the hull, and the breeze warmed her cheeks. From her perch, she took in the remains of a gazebo standing behind the docks on the east side of Norman’s Cay. The beauty of the remote location, so tranquil compared to what it must have been like in the eighties when the Medellin cartel ran the island, enticed her to never leave.
Jake leaned his head around the open step and squinted at Shannon.
“Why Compass? We could make a run for George Town. The weather’s good for going out into the Exuma Sound and traveling south.”
Her lips burned from too much sun. She slid a tube of lip balm over the cracked skin, hoping for some relief.
“I know, but there’s a marina at Compass. Apparently, the owner has been around for years. Maybe he knows something about Uncle Bobby. Besides we can swim with sharks there. It’s supposed to be cool.”
Without looking up from the engine, Jake said, “Yeah, that sounds really cool.”
“Are you chicken? Mr. Western tough guy.”
Jake shook his head slowly. He took a deep breath. “Not chicken. Just smart.”
“Debi, you’ll swim with me, right?”
Debi lifted her nose out of her e-reader and smiled at Shannon. “Of course I will. Bobby read about the sharks when he was still in Canada and thought it sounded exciting. There’s a good chance he stopped there.”
Jake wiped his hands on a cloth and dropped it in a basket in the engine compartment. “I give. We’ll go. But when a shark attacks you, don’t look to me for help.”
Shannon’s eyes were drawn to Jake’s strong forearm as he closed the engine lid. No matter what he was doing, he exuded power. The Loser had been too skinny to be sexy. She forced herself to stop examining Jake in minute detail and looked over the bay. She pointed at Orion.
“That guy’s a creep.”
Jake craned his neck, and his brown eyes followed the line of her arm in the direction of Orion.
“What’s he doing?”
“I think he’s staring at us through binoculars.” Shannon shifted to the other side of the cockpit where he couldn’t see her. “Let’s get ready and go. I want to get away from him.”
“Hang on. I haven’t checked the port engine.” Jake winked at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
“Except from sharks.”
“The kind that swims, anyway.”
Shannon pulled the dinghy line. “I’ll get the dinghy on the davits while you finish the engine.”
“Bossy pants,” Jake said.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just wondering who’s captain today.”
The sail over the Bahama Banks to Compass Cay was uneventful until they reached the channel leading into the marina. The tricky entrance combined with the low tide put Shannon on edge.
Jake steered through the channel markers, first heading east and then turning southwest. He rotated the wheel and cut the corner as he made the final turn to follow the channel along the west side of the cay.
A Dog’s Cat slowed and bumped to a stop.
“We’re aground,” Shannon said.
Jake put both engines in reverse. “Hey, Einstein. I figured that one out all by myself.” A Dog’s Cat didn’t budge. “I thought you were watching the track.”
“And I thought you knew how to steer.”
“Children,” Debi said. “Could we focus on getting off the bottom?”
“The tide’s low. All we have to do is wait,” Jake said.
Shannon walked back from the bow. “We only have an hour till sunset. I don’t want to enter the marina in the dark.”
“Who’s chicken now?” Jake asked.
“I prefer to think I’m safety conscious. You’ve already driven us aground in bright sunlight. Who knows what you’ll do when it’s dark.”
“Nice. You read the charts, too.”
“Really. You two, grow up. We’ll wait for the tide. I’ll radio the marina and see if they can guide us in after dark.”
Jake nodded at Debi. “Good idea.”
Shannon would never admit to Jake she liked the way he treated Debi with respect. Lance the Loser had been polite, but he kinda snubbed her. Maybe he felt her dislike for him. Even though Debi had never said anything, Shannon knew it to be true, so The Loser probably did, too. Still, he could have made more of an effort.
Half an hour had passed when Shannon felt a slight movement in the boat. The waves hit them from the southwest, and A Dog’s Cat began to shift.
“Hey, Dude. Time to try again. If we can get off now, we can make it to the dock before it’s completely dark.”
Jake turned both keys, and the engines growled, then purred. He put the port engine in reverse and the starboard in forward, forcing the boat to turn on its keels. When the boat angled away from the shallows, he shifted the starboard engine into reverse, and the keels lifted off the sand.
With the boat afloat again, he shifted into forward on both engines and steered to the center of the channel. They motored to the dock and tied up on the port side. Minutes later, the sun dropped below the horizon. A sign posted on the office door welcomed them to the marina and informed them the office would be closed until morning.
“I’ll make dinner,” Shannon said.
“Mmmm. Mushy vegetables with some delightful couscous.” Jake lifted the cockpit seat and opened the freezer lid. “You okay with a hamburger tonight?” he asked Debi. “I didn’t take anything out to thaw.” Jake held a patty up for Shannon to see. “I’d be happy to make you one.”
“No thanks.”
Shannon removed a three-bean salad she’d made earlier in the day from the fridge. She added feta cheese and mixed the contents in a bowl. The action made her think of The Loser and how often he’d reminded her of all the meat she’d eaten from the day they met to the day she’d become a vegetarian.
Through the cockpit window, she watched Jake light the barbecue. He looked like one of those guys in a commercial cooking a he-man dinner. She would not get involved with another man. She’d thought The Loser had been one of the good guys and look what he’d done. Obviously, her judgment of men sucked. Jake seemed like damaged goods anyway. Shannon didn’t think he was over his fiancée’s death, and she wasn’t going to be the rebound woman.
“Are you finished staring at me?” Jake asked.
Debi giggled. “He’s got you there.”
“Do either of you want bean salad with your burger?” Shannon ignored the comments. So what if she’d been staring. Who wouldn’t stare at him? He was what her girlfriends would call yummy.
When the burgers were ready, they sat in the cockpit. Peanut curled at Jake’s feet. Even the dog liked him.
Jake swallowed a mouthful of bean salad. “This is actually pretty good.”
“Thanks.” Shannon fought the urge to bite into his hamburger. She hadn’t eaten a burger in three years, and her mouth watered. Maybe she should get off the vegetarian diet. That had been The Loser’s thing, and he’d convinced her it was hers, too.
“Do you want some?” Jake asked.
“Huh?”
“You’re staring at my burger. Do you want half?”
“Ew. I’m not eating that.”
* * *
Shannon w
oke to the aroma of eggs frying in a pan. Her stomach growled, and she pushed herself out of her berth, put on a tank top and shorts, and shuffled up the steps. She needed caffeine, and the bubble of the percolator told her Jake had started the coffee.
“You’re up early.” She slid in the seat behind the dinette. “How long till the coffee is ready?” She flopped her head on top of her forearms and closed her eyes.
“You’d have more energy if you ate more protein.”
“Why are men so controlling about what I eat?”
“All men?”
“The Loser worked on me forever to become a vegetarian. Now you’re doing the opposite.”
Jake slid a spatula underneath an egg and flipped it in the pan. “I’m not The Loser. I was just making conversation.”
“Where’s Debi?”
“She went for a run with Piddles, and nice segue. Why don’t you give the guy the break and answer his texts?”
“I can’t see how that’s any of your business.” Shannon pulled her hair behind her head and used the elastic tied around her wrist to tie a ponytail. “But after what he did, he doesn’t deserve an answer.”
“Want some eggs?”
Her mouth watered, and her stomach said yes. “I’ll get myself some yogurt.”
Debi arrived, sweaty and out of breath. “I’ll grab a quick shower, and we can eat. The eggs smell great. After, it’s swimming with the sharks. Any idea where my camera is? I want to record this.”
Half an hour later, they stood at the edge of the dock, watching fifteen or more nurse sharks swim in circles. Shannon wore her bikini, but a wetsuit would have been a better choice. The neoprene material would give her more protection than a tiny bit of cloth. Then she noticed Jake look her over and smile, and the ego boost was worth the discomfort. Especially after the way Lance had treated her.
“You go first,” Debi said.
Shannon gave her aunt a nudge toward the edge. “Uh uh. You go first.”
Debi nudged her back. “Let’s go together.”
Holding hands, they took the three steps to the underwater dock and stopped.
Jake aimed the camera at the sharks. “Come on, ladies. The camera battery will die before you get in.”
Shannon put her hands on her hips. “I don’t see you rushing in here.”
“I don’t plan on getting in.”
Water rolled over the dock, providing enough depth for the docile sharks to swim over the boards and rest on the wooden surface.
A deep laugh came from behind them. Shannon turned to find a man in his sixties smiling. He had short gray hair and dark skin. His eyes sparkled when he spoke. “It’s safe.” In a thick voice, he introduced himself as Lyndon, the marina owner.
“I hear you’ve owned this place for years,” Jake said.
“Nah. I bought it last year from a guy who’d lived here forever.”
“Good investment. Pretty nice place to settle down.”
“I thought so.”
Shannon sat beside a shark and didn’t move. Debi did the same.
“You ready?”
Debi nodded. They slipped off the dock and into the water. A shark brushed Shannon’s leg, and she stifled a scream. She wouldn’t let Jake see the shark had scared her. After a few minutes in the water and not being bitten or eaten, she relaxed and swam away from the dock.
“Are you getting this?” she asked Jake.
He held the camera in front of his face and pointed it at her.
“Hey,” Lyndon shouted.
Beside her, several sharks bolted and fought over a piece of meat, each trying to push the other out of the way. The water frothed around them. Shannon swam backward, putting distance between herself and the frenzy, but that meant she had to swim farther from the dock.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jake said.
Darren stood on a neighboring dock, holding raw meat. His Orion cap rested backward on his head, and a sloppy grin showed off nicotine stained teeth. He lifted another chunk over his head, preparing to throw overhand.
“Stop.” Jake took only seconds to reach Darren, slam an open palm into his chest, and shove him backward.
“Relax. They’re only nurse sharks. I’m just trying to create some excitement for the girls.”
“You better get out of the water,” Lyndon said. He stomped toward Darren. “I told you never to come back here.”
“Aw, come on. That was last year. You’re not going to keep me out of here forever.”
Shannon and Debi stood, dripping water on the wooden planks. Shannon searched for a towel to cover her bare skin but didn’t find one.
Jake puffed his chest and stiffened his back. “Did you follow us here?”
Darren moved his right hand from behind his back. Sun glinted off the metal hook at the end of the three-foot gaff.
“I think you know why I’m here.”
If Jake was intimidated, he didn’t show it. “Not a clue.”
“I want you out of here,” Lyndon said.
Darren pointed the gaff at Jake. “Not until he returns my property.”
Jake reacted in a flash of movement. He twisted the gaff from Darren’s hand and tossed it into the sea.
“What d’you do that for?”
“You heard the man. Time for you to leave.”
Darren spat in the water. “You owe me.”
“Don’t think so.”
Jake and Lyndon stood shoulder to shoulder, and Darren gave up. He turned and walked toward his dinghy.
“I’ll find you.”
“Could the women have been hurt?” Jake asked Lyndon.
“Unlikely by the nurse sharks, but the meat attracts other kinds.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jake
Compass Cay
“So, what’s Darren’s story?” Jake asked Lyndon.
Lyndon sat in one of the many guest chairs lined up outside of the small office and supply store. The chairs faced the shark-swimming platform.
“He’s trouble.”
Jake took the empty seat beside Lyndon, far enough under the roof to hide from the sun.
“I’m getting that sense. Real or annoying type of trouble?”
“Depends. If he’s stealing from you, it’s pretty real. He was accused of robbing some of the bigger yachts here last year. I didn’t want to lose any business because of him, so I kicked him outta here and told him never to come back.”
“Should I be worried about him?”
“Hard to say. He seems to think you owe him. I’ve never seen him be aggressive before. The throwing meat thing.” Lyndon shrugged. “That was weird.”
“Hey, what are all these signs?” Shannon interrupted them and pointed to painted driftwood hanging from the ceiling and walls of the open-air clubhouse. The clubhouse consisted of a roof held up by two wooden pillars at one end and a wall at the other. The wall connected the clubhouse to the store. The store sold chips, beer, suntan lotion, and t-shirts. Jake had seen Shannon scanning the shelves. He’d bet she hoped to find fruit or vegetables, but no luck there.
“Boat names,” Lyndon said. “You can make one if you like.”
Debi removed a sign from the wall. Waterfall was carved into the wood. Bobby’s signature filled the bottom edge.
“Can I see it?” Shannon asked.
Debi passed the wood to her, and Shannon turned her back on Debi and showed Jake. She pointed to a tiny signature under Bobby’s.
Jake read Nicole. There was the name again. Either Bobby was traveling with her, or she was stalking him.
“Show her.”
Shannon shook her head. Her bikini didn’t hide much. Her tanned skin, her toned body. How was he not supposed to stare? Was she unaware of how sensual she was? Too bad the store didn’t sell one piece bathing suits, or better yet full cover-ups. He’d better resist the temptation if he wanted to keep his job. Debi hadn’t hired him to seduce her niece.
“Show me what?” Debi asked.
; Shannon dropped her shoulders and glared at Jake. She turned and faced her aunt.
“It’s nothing.”
Now he got a full view of her sexy tush, her sleek back. One little tug and her bikini bra would fall to the ground. He stood and cleared his throat.
“It’s something,” Debi said. “Out with it.”
Shannon pointed to Nicole’s signature.
Jake concentrated on Lyndon. No more looking at Shannon. He couldn’t take it. “Do you remember Waterfall or the people on her?”
“Sure I do. The couple stuck out because of their age difference. The bigger boats often come with an older guy and a younger woman, but the smaller boats don’t usually offer enough to buy a trophy wife.”
Jake kept his eyes on Lyndon’s. “You think they were married?”
“No. That woman got around. She was smitten with him, though. She seemed to like him more than the others. How d’you know them?”
Shannon spoke before Debi had a chance. “He’s my uncle.”
Lyndon nodded respectfully at Shannon. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Do you remember her last name?” Jake asked.
“Nope.”
Shannon mouthed, “The rock,” and Jake knew she was thinking of the rock they’d found at Shroud Cay with Nicole written on one side and Bobby on the other connected with a chain of hearts.
“Was Nicole with anyone besides Shannon’s uncle?” Jake asked.
“She hit on single-handers.”
“On Darren?”
“Sure.” Lyndon raised his chin in Shannon’s direction. “Darren was pretty pissed when she dumped him for your uncle. It was a step up if you ask me.”
Jake could see the conversation made Debi uncomfortable, but he pressed forward anyway. “Is she still around?”
“I haven’t seen her this year, but I’m sure she’ll show up. She pretends to be looking for work as crew on a boat going south.”
“Was she blonde, built with extra help if you know what I mean, and a star tattoo around her belly button?”
“That’s the woman.”
“How do you know all that?” Shannon asked.
“I met her in Nassau.”
Look the Other Way Page 9