Clear As Day

by Babette James

  Nate waved from the spotter’s seat. Kay dropped back into the wake. She thumbed up for more speed, cut to the left of the wake and caught up to the boat again, then dropped behind. The wind burned her face between splashes of spray as she skipped from side to side. All too soon, they made the return run to the beach. She dropped the grips and glided toward the sand until she slowed and sank gracefully into chest-deep water. Dave could surf it out up to the sand and casually step out of the ski without ever sinking. She had yet to master the balance and composure needed for that fun trick. Then again, the man had composure to spare, considering his career.

  She shuddered. He jumped out of airplanes into forest fires for a living, and she couldn’t even board a simple commercial flight.

  Mark clapped as she waded from the water and shrugged out of her ski vest. “Way cool, Kay.” He eyed her with an appreciative male grin.

  Dave whooped when he brought the boat in. “All right, Kay! Nice landing. Okay, who’s next? Nate, you ready for a spin? Go get your ski and we’ll let these horses rip. Patti, spotter? Marko, put a vest on and get your butt on board for lesson one. You watch Nate and you listen to me.”

  Mark leapt up with gawky enthusiasm. “Wahoo! On it!”

  While he waited for Nate, Dave fixed his eyes on Olivia. “Know how to water ski, Ms. Harper?”

  Olivia stiffened regally in her chair and glanced up, her expression cool behind the dark sunglasses. “I manage well enough.”

  Ski in hand, Nate snagged Kay around the waist and took a hard, heated, and very proprietary kiss. “See you in a few, babe.” He waded out to the boat, leaving her standing in breathless, open-mouthed surprise.

  Once she could think again, Kay didn’t know whether to be furious or tickled.

  JoAnn appeared by her side, a pleased smirk on her face. “So…” she drawled. “Nate seems to have taken a new tack. Winds of change blowing your way, too, I see.”

  “JoAnn—” Kay flushed and busied herself brushing sand from between her toes. “It’s all, still, the same.” Oh, that was a huge lie.

  JoAnn shook her head with a sharp, knowing smile. “Kay, honey, it’s totally obvious, has been obvious to everyone, that he’s stuck on you. The man’s a goner. Clear as day.”

  A burning wave of confused emotion choked Kay. Everyone knew how Nate felt except for her? “We’re friends.”

  Nate had proposed. She wore his ring. She’d lost her mind. Nothing was the same.

  “So, how was the Grand Canyon this year? Still deep as ever?”

  “I went to Oak Creek.” The shaky feeling punched Kay again.

  “Hmm. How about that. Something different.”

  ****

  His own ski run complete, Nate toweled off. What were the women talking about now? The five of them sat with beach chairs in a close semi-circle facing the lake, listening to Kay’s quiet words. JoAnn waved, blew him a teasing kiss, and leaned forward to say something to Kay. The women burst into laughter, even the edgy Olivia Harper.

  He yanked on his shirt. What was Kay telling them? How he’d bungled his proposal? What a fool he was?

  Paranoid much?

  This sucked. He’d gone with his heart, trusted his gut, and completely fumbled what should have been his once in a lifetime moment. Now what?

  “Shake a leg, Nate. I want you to spot. Mark’s set to go!” Dave turned back to giving Mark more last-minute directions for his first waterskiing attempt.

  Nate sighed and joined Dave on the boat. From his aft-facing spotter’s seat by Dave, Nate watched the chatting women and the shoreline recede and Mark bobbing along crouched in the water, working on his balance against the pull of the gently tightening towrope.

  “Hit it!” Mark’s anxious shout cracked out.

  Dave hit the throttle.

  The engine roared, and the boat leapt forward, dragging Mark up from the water like a lanky, drunken cork. Mark gave a loud whoop of excitement and, with pure beginner’s luck, stayed up. Nate kept a sharp eye on him and the flag ready for a fall, but Mark kept his balance, however ungainly, and Dave had a natural touch for finding the perfect speed for a beginner.

  “So, what have you been up to these days, my man?” Dave shouted over his shoulder at Nate above the engine’s roar. “You don’t write, don’t call—”

  Nate forced a grin at his friend’s lame joking. “Keeping way too busy. I’m jet-lagged like hell.”

  “Don’t I know the feeling. I swear I’ve been in Alaska more than Cali this year. Damn glad you rallied us together for this trip. Felt weird when everyone pulled out earlier in the year. I see you still have that little old toy of yours. When are you going to break down and get a real boat?”

  Nate snorted and flipped Dave the bird. Dave constantly teased him over his West Wight Potter 19, but the pocket cruiser was a joy to handle on a lake or the ocean, and he wouldn’t trade her for anything. Truthfully, he’d missed his sailboat almost as much as he’d missed Kay.

  Dave chuckled and flipped him a finger back with his bandaged right hand. “Love you, too, buddy.”

  “What’s with the mummy wrapping there?” The bandages were heavy duty for the normal nicks, scrapes and burns Dave picked up on the job.

  “Cut. No biggie.” Dave waggled his fingers and shrugged off further questioning. “Sooo, Kay’s looking good, real good.” Dave’s tone was way too thoughtful behind his grin.

  Great, now he was suspicious of his best friend? He needed to chill out. If Dave had been going to make a move on Kay, he would have done it years ago. Dave might live a fast and loose dating life, but he never, ever poached. “And, yeah, Kay’s looking great.”

  “So when are you going to wake up, stop hotfooting around the globe and settle down with the girl?” This time, Dave was dead serious.

  Nate blinked.

  Dave laughed heartily, his bright brown eyes snapping. “I wish I had one of your cameras right now, man. You look just like a trout I hooked the other week.”

  “I bought a house. In Oregon, on the coast,” Nate blurted. There, now five people knew about the house. He looked away, as if he was checking on Mark. Based on his whoops and shouts, Mark was having a blast.

  Dave began the gentle curving course back toward Spider Camp.

  Back to Kay.

  “That’s cool. So? You got a plan cooking for the two of you? I can give you some pointers, since you’ve been so slow to the mark.”

  “Like I’d take dating advice from you.” Nate chuckled as if he hadn’t a care. Dave might be his best friend, but with his one-night stand history? That would be a no. The term “committed relationship” didn’t exist in Dave’s vocabulary. Need a smooth pick-up line? Dave was your man. But a plan, oh, yeah, he needed a new one, desperately.

  So, pump JoAnn and Lloyd for advice? He might have to suck in his pride, but of all his friends they knew Kay best.

  “Hey, just because I haven’t been hooked and netted doesn’t mean I don’t know how to get the job done.” Deep belly laughs shook through Dave.

  They neared the shoreline. Mark was looking desperate, bobbing, wobbling and slewing on the wake, but gave no signal to stop, and every time Nate thought he’d go down, Mark caught his balance.

  “Hang on, you’re almost there!”

  Finally, they were close enough. Nate signaled Mark to drop the handles.

  Mark let go on the cue and immediately slewed and tumbled off the churning wake edge, biting water hard and his ski shooting off toward the beach.

  Nate winced. Ouch.

  But Mark splashed up with the okay signal and began the short swim to shore.

  Dave brought the boat to a stop to let Nate haul in the rope.

  “Remember my advice. Romance her. Candlelight. Champagne. The works. Women love that shit. And the words. They need the words.” Dave’s teasing expression boded trouble.

  “Words? What words?”

  “What words? Oh, man, you’re in worse shape than I thought. Nate, my friend,
the three little words that are the key to a woman’s heart and to saving your ass in many, many ways: I love you. If you don’t say those words, or worse, say them wrong, you’re screwed three ways to Sunday. They need a lot of other words, but those are your lifeline in the sea of romance.”

  Nate grimaced. He’d said the words. Meant them with all his heart and soul. Obviously, in Dave’s world Nate had said them wrong. He was definitely screwed.

  As Dave brought the boat around to shore, Mark was stumbling from the water holding his arms in the air like Rocky to the cheers of the folks on shore. JoAnn peeled him out of his life vest and wrapped a towel around him, and Kay handed Mark a beer.

  Dave elbowed Nate as they waded ashore. “Don’t forget the words. Got it?”

  Nate snorted. “Got it.” Kay was walking away from them. Where was she headed? Oh, ice chest. Yep, paranoid.

  “I’m serious. Remember Lyssa Burnham?”

  Lyssa the Ice Queen had been their senior-year class president in college. Brains and beauty in one chilly, unobtainable package. Decidedly not interested in a scruffy bio, architecture, or art major. She was some sort of high and mighty politico type in D.C. now.

  Kay was popping the beer cans, looking grim. JoAnn was chattering away with Margie and Patti and practicing for motherhood by scrubbing the water from Mark’s long hair as if he were a weedy toddler. Olivia stood smoking, her back to the camp, at the farthest edge of the beach, where the rocky corner of the hillside turned to the next cove.

  Shit, he didn’t even know how Kay felt about having kids. He’d thought she wanted them. His stomach churned. Or was that simply another of his assumptions? She definitely liked kids—hell, he hoped she liked kids since she taught them, and she looked happy for JoAnn, but—

  Dave elbowed Nate again. “You listening? Nate, hey, pay attention here.”

  “Lyssa? Yeah.”

  Dave slapped Nate’s shoulder, his wicked grin full of amusement. “The words, man. Proof. The right words, skillfully applied—a night made for history. Oh, yeah.”

  Nate groaned and choked on his laugh. “No way. You’re so full of shit.”

  “Laugh now, monkey boy. I plan to laugh plenty at you real soon. Now, go get her. I’m rooting for you.” He pushed Nate toward Kay, who was walking toward them with open beers.

  Okay, new plan: use your brain this time, okay? Keep it cool and casual, slow and easy.

  Right. Nate fixed his smile in place as if all was well with the world.

  She was smiling.

  Thank you, God.

  ****

  Kay kept her “aren’t we happy” smile plastered on while she remained on guard for Nate to announce his news, but he said nothing. Maybe he was waiting for Lloyd and the guys to return. But for the ring on her finger and the knot in her stomach, she could pretend this was like any other July as everyone took turns skiing and lounging around the camp with beers and sodas, exchanging skiing and fishing tales.

  The shadows grew longer and cast welcome shade across the camp.

  “Last call for skiing, folks,” Dave called out from the boat. “Any takers? I’m ready for my beer.”

  Olivia raised a brow, studying the lake. “I’ll go, if I can borrow a vest and ski.”

  “Use mine, sweetie.” Patti saluted with her beer. “Have fun.”

  Olivia set aside her drink and gracefully rose, slipping off her cover-up and sandals.

  “I’ll spot,” Kay heard herself saying. Nate and Mark both volunteered to come along for the ride.

  So far, the newbie seemed more nervous than aloof, although she’d hardly joined in with more than a few words when she wasn’t off grabbing a solitary smoke at the far downwind edge of the beach. She’d already apologized several times earlier in the afternoon for smoking despite JoAnn’s repeated reassurance and instructions to relax and make herself at home.

  “I’ll take it easy on you. Need any refreshers?” Dave handed her Patti’s ski vest.

  Olivia shyly avoided his eyes. “I’ve skied before. Thank you. I’ll be fine.”

  Minutes later, they were ready. The boat rumbled at idle, Kay had the flag, and Olivia was settled comfortably balanced in the water, grimly serene as she waited for the tow into deeper water. Slowly the rope tightened and Olivia sat back on the ski as she cut along the drag of the wake.

  Clear water, taut line, and at Olivia’s signal, Dave hit the throttle. She surged up like a pro and immediately thumbed up for speed. Dave frowned, but obliged.

  Olivia did much as Kay had, taking her time, playing along the wake, getting her feel, then began cutting the wake in lazy and sharp S’s, leisurely enjoying herself along the first half of the run.

  “She’s got great form,” Nate hollered to Dave. “Doing real good back there.”

  Olivia thumbed up for more speed.

  Again the lazy and sharp wake cutting, confident form.

  The next S, she cut sharply, crouched low and jumped the wake, appearing to pause high in the air as if to give a pointed “See” to them all. She landed light and steady and added a sassy fishtail spray.

  “Holy shit!” Mark shouted. “Go, Olivia!”

  “What? What?” Dave craned around.

  Nate grinned. “She jumped the wake. Very nice. Our newbie has hidden skills.”

  “Man, you should have seen it. Beautiful. Flew like an angel. Wow. I am so in love.” Mark clapped his hands to his chest.

  Dave scowled blackly. “She’s married, nut job.”

  Mark laughed. “Yeah, I know, but I can worship from afar, can’t I? Honest, it was a thing of beauty. You should have seen it. Maybe she’ll do it again. Can you guys teach me how to do that?”

  Dave’s scowl cleared. “We’ll see, grasshopper.”

  But Olivia contented herself with ordinary wake cutting and fishtails, and before long they were on the drop-off swing by camp. She let go and, like Kay had, glided to an easy sinking in the water and short swim to shore.

  Although the fishermen hadn’t returned, they started setting up for supper. Dave’s beans were simmering on one stove, filling the camp with the savory scent. Kay had never cared much for baked beans until she’d tasted his recipe. He swore his secret was the chorizo sausage, sautéing the onions first, and always using a well-seasoned cast-iron pot.

  JoAnn gave in to Patti’s nagging and lounged in her beach chair, feet up, a glowing Madonna directing traffic and walking Olivia through her tomato salad and coleslaw recipes.

  Oh, yeah, she absolutely had to paint JoAnn this trip, or at least get Nate to take some photographs with that wonderful camera of his.

  Olivia still looked like she should be at a cocktail party on a yacht, nibbling caviar and holding some fancy martini in those glossy, manicured fingers instead of efficiently shredding cabbage and sipping a vodka and tonic from a plastic cup.

  Dave stopped by the stove to give the beans a stir. Olivia paused in her slaw tossing. “Dave? Thank you for driving. That was a perfect run. Great boat.”

  Dave nodded tersely. “No problem. Glad you enjoyed.”

  He popped a CD in the player and set the volume to a soft, conversation-friendly level on Jimmy Buffett’s “Volcano.” They grouped the usual mismatched lot of card tables together, tossed up the romaine salad, and set the places between impromptu dances, all singing along with “Growing Older But Not Up” and “We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About.” Mark belted out an enthusiastic “Brown Eyed Girl” and made the quiet Olivia laugh. Nate scooped JoAnn from her seat and danced her gently around the tables to “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

  Good mood, good friends, good music.

  Nate caught Kay, and they slid into the slower rhythms of “Stars Fell on Alabama.” Being in Nate’s arms was heaven. She didn’t want the music to end. A strange mix of terror and exultation twisted through her. He loved her, but he was so happy.

  While among their friends, Kay had been able to distract herself from the reality of Nate’s proposal
. Guilt dragged at her like an anchor. He had assumed she accepted. She hadn’t said yes or no.

  And which did she want?

  She hated this indecisiveness consuming her. She was not indecisive. This was not her. Not at all.

  Tell him no? And hurt him? She might be straight-out conflicted where love fit in, but she cared about Nate. A lot. Maybe too much.

  Tell him yes? Tell him honestly how messed up in the head she was and how scared?

  There was no good answer.

  “Fins,” “Pencil Thin Mustache” and “Margaritaville” later, Patti set aside her beer. “They’re late. Looks like it’s cheeseburgers tonight in this paradise, my dear Parrotheads.”

  Olivia stubbed out another barely smoked cigarette. “I’ll help.”

  Dave peered out at the lake, hand shading his eyes. “Nope. There they are. The fish fry is on!”

  As the boat came in, Lloyd posed at the bow like Washington crossing the Delaware, brandishing a healthy stringer of fish in the air.

  “You’re late, guys. We were ready to begin hamburgers without you,” Rich hollered.

  All pitched in to clean and cook the fish.

  Margie helped bravely, but hopelessly, even with Christopher murmuring instructions. Olivia’s polished blond husband started droning on about the ones they didn’t catch. His practiced, charming laughter and toothy grin set Kay’s teeth on edge.

  Dave frowned at the catch. “Got a lot of catfish in here. Knew I should have gone out with you three.”

  Kay always wondered how an adrenaline junkie like Dave could hold still long enough for such a peaceful pastime as fishing, but he did. She’d done a portrait of him fly-fishing several years back for a birthday gift and the painting remained one of her favorite works.

  Chuck whacked him with his Tigers cap. “Don’t complain to me, Mr. Fish Snob. Fish is fish. I’ll take anything legal that bites. I think we did damn good for the afternoon.”