Look the Other Way

by Kristina Stanley

“What did he look like?”

  Ed tucked a lock of his curls behind one ear. “I don’t remember.”

  “Tall? Short? Fat? Thin? Anything at all.”

  Both Ashlyn and Ed shook their heads. Ed said, “It was dusk. He had a duffle bag with him. But otherwise, I didn’t notice anything.”

  “Did you happen to see them sail away the next day?”

  “We did see Waterfall with her sails up going through the cut.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Shannon

  Sand Dollar Beach, Bahamas

  Shannon stood in front of the cutting board preparing lunch. She heard a dinghy arrive at the stern of A Dog’s Cat and stood on her toes to see who it was.

  “What’s that?” Jake had his back to her, blocking her view of the visitor.

  “My new transportation,” came the response, and she recognized Charlie’s voice.

  Shannon tilted her head to see what Charlie was talking about, and at the same time, cut a piece of cheddar. The knife slipped off the cheese and sliced her palm.

  “Shit.” She dropped the knife into the sink with a clang.

  Jake faced her. “What?”

  She held up her bleeding palm. “Oops.”

  “What were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous a cut can be? You can easily get an infection in this environment.”

  Shannon let blood drop into the sink and was beginning to feel a little faint. “Instead of getting mad at me, could you get me a Band-Aid before I bleed all over lunch?”

  “You look pale. You better sit.”

  Shannon didn’t argue.

  Jake retrieved the first aid kit.

  Charlie entered the salon and shrugged. “It doesn’t look that bad.”

  “Can you stand without fainting?” Jake asked.

  Shannon nodded. Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it.

  Charlie picked it up off the dinette and scrolled through her text messages with his thumb.

  “Lance still loves you.”

  “Don’t be so nosey. Put that down,” Shannon said.

  “You want me to answer for you?”

  “No. Hit delete. I never answer him”

  Jake led Shannon to the sink and ran cold water over her hand. He stood, pressing against her back, and she suspected he didn’t want her to pass out and hit the floor. She leaned back into him for support, enjoying the feel of his strong body.

  “You’re still a klutz, I see. Remember when you cut yourself making Debi’s birthday cake?” Charlie asked.

  “I never did.”

  “You did so. Debi and Bobby were out for dinner and were coming home to have dessert with us. You were in the kitchen. You had on those ugly pleated jeans you used to live in and a turtle neck sweater. It was your favorite white one, and you got all pissy about getting blood on it.”

  “I’m not a klutz, and that was a long time ago.”

  “I can’t believe you forgot. You made such a big deal at the time. At least you’re not such a drama queen anymore.”

  Shannon rolled her eyes at Charlie. “How did you get here? I thought Debi planned to pick you up on her way back from George Town.”

  “Debi? What happened to Aunt D?”

  “She asked me to call her Debi.”

  “After years of crapping all over me for calling her Debi, now it’s okay?”

  Jake turned off the tap and used a clean tea towel to wipe her palm dry. He examined her hand, pressing the two sides of the cut away from each other.

  “Ow.”

  “It looks clean. I don’t think you need stitches,” Jake said.

  “So how did you get here?” Shannon asked again.

  Charlie stared at the ocean, ignoring the first aid session in the galley. “I bought myself a used dinghy. I need my own wheels.”

  Jake poured disinfectant on her hand.

  Shannon winced.

  “Don’t hurt her,” Charlie said without looking back.

  Was that protectiveness in his voice? Maybe he was coming around. How great if she could be close to him again. “Does the dinghy mean you’re planning on staying a while?”

  Charlie had been with them for two weeks. Sharing a dinghy between four people restricted their activities. They’d fallen into a routine. Shannon ran along the beach with Peanut every morning. Occasionally Jake joined her. He played volleyball around nine with other keen players. Even though the beach with the courts was named Volleyball Beach, cruisers played cards, board games, met for beach church, ate and drank at the one dinner hut, swam, and snorkeled. Having another dinghy meant a little more freedom for all of them.

  “I don’t know, but I can’t be relying on you or Debi to drive me around. That’s so not cool, and I need my freedom.” Charlie grabbed a slice of salami off the cutting board and popped it in his mouth. In between chewing, he said, “I thought you were a veg head these days.”

  “Only sometimes, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has to be one.”

  Jake spread antibiotic cream on Shannon’s hand. “You bought a piece of crap. That dinghy won’t stand up to big waves.”

  “Don’t be mean,” Shannon said.

  “I’m not. You should see this thing. It’s an ancient inflatable with a four-horsepower engine.” Jake placed a Band-Aid over her cut and smoothed it with his thumb.

  The heat of Jake’s hand on her skin made her tremble. All she had to do was tighten her fingers around his and pull him close. But not with Charlie in the room. And not when she thought of Lance. She would not set herself up that way again.

  “You okay?” Jake asked.

  “Yup.”

  “Your hand is shaking.”

  “I’m fine.” She pulled her fingers away from his, removing any temptation.

  Jake turned back to Charlie. “You need to be careful with that thing. It’s not harbor worthy.”

  “It’s all I need,” Charlie said.

  “I’m not sure that will stick,” Jake said to Shannon. “I’ll wrap gauze around it.”

  * * *

  Shannon and Jake walked from the sound side of Stocking Island to Sand Dollar beach. Jake carried his weight belt, spearfishing pole, and gloves. They’d been on the east side of the island where Shannon had spotted for him while he fished a reef.

  They reached the beach and sat at the same picnic table where they’d had happy hour. Shannon thought they were settling into a comfortable relationship. He didn’t behave as if he were annoyed at her all the time. He’d also stopped flirting with her, and she had to admit she was miffed, even though she wasn’t going to get involved with anyone again. Lance had seen to that, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like the attention. Especially from such a hottie.

  Shannon bumped Jake with her shoulder. “Maybe next time you’ll actually hit something.”

  “I did hit something, but the spear came out.”

  “Mmmm. Sure you did. Must have been a strong lobster.”

  Jake toed the sand. “I met up with some people last night, after the party.”

  “I wondered where you went.”

  A sea turtle popped its head out of the water, took three deep breaths, and dive-bombed below the surface. Too bad they hadn’t seen the turtle while they were snorkeling near Compass Cay. Jake told Shannon about his discussion with Ashlyn and Ed.

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing maybe, but I think we should find out if anyone saw who joined Bobby.” Jake jutted his chin toward the small beach at the north end of Sand Dollar. “Look over there.”

  “Are you trying to change the subject?”

  “No, seriously. Look.”

  Charlie and Nicole stood on the beach. They were too far away for Shannon and Jake to hear what they were saying. Charlie’s arms waved in the air in a threatening movement. Nicole stepped away from him. He leaned forward, and she shoved his chest. He lost his balance and fell on his ass. Nicole ran to her dinghy, pulled the cord, and zoomed off. Charlie watched h
er leave and then walked along the beach, away from Jake and Shannon.

  “I thought Charlie said they hadn’t met before,” Jake said.

  “He did.”

  “I saw his dinghy tied to the back of Night Wind last night. If they just met yesterday, what could they have to fight about already?”

  “Who knows. I’ll ask Charlie later.” Shannon’s stomach growled.

  “If you’re hungry, we could swim back instead of waiting for Debi,” Jake suggested. “The boat’s not too far.”

  “I would, but my hand…”

  Jake handed her black snorkeling gloves. A yellow lightning bolt decorated the back of each neoprene glove.

  Shannon took the glove and tightened the Velcro strap around her wrist. The glove was too large for her hand but tight enough to hold her Band-Aid in place. Jake swam beside her even though he wore flippers and could easily burst ahead. The salt water burned Shannon’s un-goggled eyes, but she didn’t complain.

  They reached A Dog’s Cat, and Shannon climbed the ladder first. Before Jake climbed up behind her, she turned on the outdoor shower, flipped her head, and ran fresh water through her hair.

  Without warning, Jake pushed past her and into the cockpit. “What are you doing?”

  Shannon flipped up her hair, spraying water across the deck, and turned to see if Jake was talking to her.

  Darren stood in the salon facing Jake. He kicked the lower kitchen cabinet closed.

  “I asked you a question,” Jake said.

  Darren’s face turned the color of white sand. Every pockmark darkened as his blood drained south. “I came to get my watch. No one was here.”

  Shannon followed Jake into the salon. “You know it’s not your watch. It belonged to my uncle.”

  “He gave it to me.”

  “Why would he do that? My aunt gave it to him before he left on his trip.”

  “Because I did a bunch of work on his diesel, and he paid me with the watch. Bobby and I made a fair trade. I can sell it and won’t have to work this season. Your Neanderthal boyfriend stole it from me.”

  “I don’t believe Uncle Bobby traded the watch. It meant too much to him.”

  “You don’t know shit. Your aunt had no intention of joining Bobby. They fought before he left Canada. I think they were splitting up.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Ask your aunt.”

  Jake cleared his throat. “It’s time for you to get off this boat.”

  Darren slipped around Jake but stopped in front of Shannon. “Like I said, ask your aunt. She’ll tell you Bobby would give the watch away.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Darren pointed at Jake. “You know he’s cheating on you with Nicole. Just like Bobby did to your precious aunt.”

  Shannon laughed. “You’re full of crap.”

  Jake stepped toward Darren, forcing him through the cockpit.

  Darren untied his dinghy and got in. “Say hi to Charlie.”

  Shannon couldn’t believe she’d gotten onto A Dog’s Cat and not noticed a dinghy tied to the back or someone on board. She was apparently losing her investigative reporting skills.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Jake

  Sand Dollar Anchorage, Bahamas

  Jake followed Nicole along the path through the Bahamian jungle. Jungle was a bit of a stretch. There were spiders, non-poisonous snakes, and snails. The most dangerous inhabitant was the Poisonwood tree, and as long as he didn’t touch that, he was safe. Since Darren had been onboard A Dog’s Cat yesterday, he wanted to find out a bit more about Nicole and her relationship with him.

  Nicole’s earbuds hung across her shoulder. A sign she couldn’t hear him. Her sarong swayed from her hips, and her bikini string was the only tentative line holding up her top. Her tan had darkened since he’d seen her last, but he suspected the softness of her shell didn’t match the hardness within.

  The narrow path was half sharp stone and half sand. It twisted and turned, leading them in a tortuous path across the island. He followed her up a hill, and she stopped at a bench overlooking a cliff and the ocean-like waters of the Exuma Sound.

  She must have known he was behind her because she didn’t startle when he appeared at her side.

  He sat on the bench and took in the view. “So, you want to tell me what you’re hiding?”

  She ran her finger along his leg. “That’s abrupt. How about hi, how are you?”

  His hairs stood on end. He removed her hand and placed it on her lap. “I think you’re a no-nonsense kinda woman. That type of conversation might bore you.”

  “Good point. What makes you think I’m hiding something?”

  The waves capped and crashed into the shoreline far below. The horizon was empty of boats. Toward the south Bobby would have left the harbor on Waterfall, but probably not in such rough seas. The seas had changed quickly today. That could have happened to Bobby, too.

  “Have you been telling people we’re seeing each other?”

  Nicole winked. “No. But we could if you want to.”

  Jake smiled when he wanted to frown. “Darren seems to have the impression we’re dating.”

  “Ha. He’s just jealous and looking to make trouble.”

  “What happened between you two?”

  “That is so old news.”

  “If you want to talk about current events, what were you and Charlie arguing about yesterday?”

  “We didn’t argue.”

  “I saw you on the beach with him. Things looked pretty heated.”

  Nicole flipped her hair, letting the tendrils land on his shoulder. The wind blew them away. “You know. It’s the same old thing with men. They want too much from me.”

  “I can’t see that. You just met Charlie recently.”

  “You don’t think men are attracted to me?”

  “I didn’t say that. Charlie seemed too emotionally involved for being a new acquaintance.”

  Nicole’s cheeks reddened. Was she actually embarrassed or was she really hiding something?

  “You sure you haven’t met him before?”

  “How could I? He just got here.”

  “You certainly get around,” Charlie said from behind them. “Are you sleeping with him now, too?”

  Jake turned his head to face Charlie but didn’t stand.

  Charlie approached. His board shorts were a little too tight, and his soft stomach bunched over the ties. His skin had reddened from the sun but hadn’t turned bronze like Nicole’s. The skin on his nose had peeled, leaving a pink circle on the tip.

  Charlie pointed at Nicole.

  “Are you spreading lies about me?”

  “We’re just talking,” she said.

  “Yeah, about me.”

  Jake stretched his legs and crossed them at the ankles. He relaxed his shoulders. “What are you so worried about? Does she know something about you you’d like to keep hidden?”

  A lizard ran in front of Charlie’s foot, and he stepped on it. He ignored the lizard and sneered at Nicole. “I warned you not to talk about me.”

  “Don’t kill it,” she said.

  Charlie laughed and lifted his foot. “It’s just a lizard.” The creature scrambled across the sand and scampered up a palm tree.

  * * *

  “Come on, Charlie. Let’s head back to A Dog’s Cat.” Jake stood, shook some sand out of his sandal, and faced Charlie. Leaving Nicole alone with Charlie and his temper didn’t seem right.

  “I’ll hang with Nicole.”

  Nicole shook her head. The motion was so small, Jake almost missed it.

  “I need some help working on the generator.”

  Charlie picked at skin peeling on the back of his hand. “What do I care?”

  “You’ll care if the generator breaks down and we don’t have any power.”

  “Fine.” Charlie pulled his board shorts over his paunch and tightened the string.

  Jake stretched his arm in the direction of the an
chorage, indicating he’d follow Charlie.

  “You go first,” Charlie said.

  They walked single file down the sandy path toward the west side of the island. Charlie was so close to Jake his toenails scraped the back of Jake’s heels. Did the guy really think that was an intimidating move?

  “Is there a reason you have a problem with me?” Jake asked.

  “Shannon doesn’t need anyone messing with her head right now.”

  Jake turned the corner, following the path and lifted a palm frond out of the way. “And you think I’m messing with her because…?”

  “I’m not blind. I see the way you look at her.”

  “And how is that?”

  “Like a lech.”

  The path widened, giving Charlie enough space to walk beside Jake. He jumped and pushed Jake sideways. “What the fuck is that?”

  Jake looked where he was pointing. “Calm down. It’s a land crab.”

  “It’s like half a foot wide. And what’s with the claws? They’re as big as my hands.”

  “Seriously. It’s harmless.”

  The crab skittered across the path and hustled down a hole in the ground.

  “This place sucks,” Charlie said.

  “Then why are you here?”

  “I came to help Debi. I didn’t like the idea of her and Shannon sailing with a man I don’t know.”

  And Jake didn’t like anything about Charlie. How could he be related to Shannon? One was full of kindness and the other full of shit. “Do you want to see my résumé?”

  “I searched your name on the Internet. I know who you are.”

  “Then why worry?”

  “I don’t trust you, man. And I don’t like the idea your fiancée drowned right in front of you. That’s a bit suspicious.”

  Jake clenched his fist. Who was this guy to question him? Even Piddles hated him. Shannon tried to be nice to him, but Jake could tell it was a struggle for her. He relaxed his fingers and inhaled deeply. Hitting Charlie wouldn’t make things easier for Shannon or Debi.

  “You trying to pick a fight?”

  “I’m not that stupid.”

  “Then back off.”

  Charlie held his hands in the air with his palms facing Jake. “Sorreee. You’re a bit sensitive.”