by Kenna White
“What were you doing on her boat? Arguing about something? Although I can’t imagine Jamie arguing about anything. She isn’t that kind of person. She’s pretty passive most of the time. She relies on rationale to solve problems. I don’t think I ever heard her and Terry raise their voice to each other. I assume she told you about Terry.”
“Yes. My sincerest sympathy, Dusty.”
“Thanks, honey. She was a great gal. But let’s talk about this problem you are having with Jamie. How long has this been going on?”
“The last time I talked with her for more than two minutes was a week ago. I’ve tried to call her but she’s either too busy to talk for more than a few minutes or won’t return my calls at all. When I mention having her over, she cuts the conversation short. I know she’s busy, but surely she has some time to at least talk to me. I don’t know what I’ve done, Dusty. If it’s something I said, I wish she’d tell me.”
“Can I ask a personal question?”
“Sure.” Dana had a good idea what she was going to ask.
“Have you and Jamie been intimate? And believe me when I say, I hope so.”
“Yes. It was on her sailboat the afternoon before she became too busy for us anymore,” Dana said, surprised at how easy it was to confide in Dusty, almost as easy as it was to confide her feelings to Jamie. “It was our first time.”
“I’m afraid all I can say is keep trying to get a hold of her. Eventually she’ll give in and talk to you. I’m sure of it. She is very practical about stuff like that.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”
“Go ahead, but if you want to know if Jamie and I have slept together, the answer is no,” she said with a little chuckle. “Although, if I decided to swap sides, it would be with someone exactly like her. She’s a wonderful caring person. And I know something else. She loves you, Dana.”
“That wasn’t what I was going to ask but first things first. How do you know she loves me? Did she tell you that?”
“No. But I could tell. I’ve never seen her so at ease with someone before, not even with Terry. Oh, she loves you all right. She may not know it yet herself but she does. If there is one thing I know about Jamie, it’s that she wouldn’t have had sex with you unless she was in love with you. You can take that to the bank. But I think you already knew that about her character. Now, what did you want to ask me?”
“This may sound nosy but I was wondering what you whispered to Jamie that day when we were getting ready to leave the island?”
Dusty laughed. “Is that all?”
“Whatever it was, I saw her look a little misty-eyed. Then she looked angry. I was just curious. I was wondering if Jamie still has issues over losing Terry I should know about.”
“Jamie Hughes has lived in the painful past long enough. Ever since Terry died, she has buried herself in work so she won’t have to commit to anyone. For years she’s been talking herself out of love. God only knows why but she doesn’t think she has anything to offer a woman anymore. I just told her it was time to take a new tack, for her heart’s sake. I told her she needed to be in love again. Terry would want her to. I may be overstepping my bounds here, but I told her I thought she had already found love if she would just open her eyes and look around. If you love her, Dana, you need to let her know. And you need to be patient with her. Falling in love again scares the hell out of her. But I guarantee she’s worth the wait, honey.” Dana could hear a doorbell ringing in the background. “Dana, sweetheart, I have to go. I’ve got a client at the door. Call me later, okay? Just remember. She may be a stuffy old science professor but she’s a keeper. You’ll see. Bye-bye.”
Dana stood on the deck of the houseboat, staring down at the murky water. Jamie loved her. Knowing that, even if it was only Dusty’s hunch, brought a smile to her face. She hadn’t realized it until that very moment, but yes, she loved Jamie, too. She didn’t know how she could have missed it. She hadn’t ended her relationship with Shannon to attract Jamie. That much she did know. If it hadn’t been for Jamie’s support she might not have found the courage to free herself from Shannon’s domination. And for that she would be forever grateful. But that wasn’t why she did it. How was she going to tell her how much she really cared if Jamie wouldn’t talk to her? For a week Dana worked on her cartoons, enjoyed the solitude of the houseboat and made twice-daily calls to Jamie’s voice mail. She was being patient, just as Dusty suggested.
“Hello, Jamie,” she said, as her voice mail picked up. “This is Dana with your afternoon call. Ringlet has a girlfriend. They meet in the backyard and rub noses through the fence. I think I’ll put a Band-Aid on her nose and call it a love wound. What do you think? I hope classes are going well. I’m sure you’re busy, but I hope you have time to call soon. I feel so good about my decision to end things with Shannon. I guess I had to wait until I had had enough. It’s amazing how that works. One minute you can’t do something. The next you can. It helps to have someone special in your corner cheering you on. Thank you, Jamie. And believe it or not, Shannon has moved on, too. I understand she has a new girlfriend. Actually, it’s an old one. Maggie, Eva’s daughter. According to reliable sources, she was spending the night at Shannon’s apartment right after I moved into the houseboat. I wonder what Shannon would have done if I gave in and offered to move back to Lacey with her. Start a harem? Anyway, I hope they find happiness. I guess that’s all for this message.” Dana hesitated before hanging up. “And Jamie, in case it matters, I love you. With all my heart and soul, I love you. I love you so much it hurts that I can’t be with you. Please call me.”
Dana hung up and went for a walk along the boardwalk. Autumn colors speckled the trees and the air had lost its summer warmth. September in Washington was a beautiful month with sailboats still filling the harbor. Dana wrapped her jacket around her and leaned against the railing as she watched a small cabin cruiser drift with the tide. The skipper was taking in the fenders, not paying any attention that his boat was drifting precariously close to another. He finally started the engine and steered into open water before the tide could push the boats together. Dana had often wondered what would happen if the houseboat got loose and floated out into the harbor. Without a motor she wouldn’t be able to steer it back to the slip. Morgan had assured her it wouldn’t happen since marina residents looked out for one another, but it crossed Dana’s mind, nonetheless. The last place she wanted to be was floating helplessly across Puget Sound in the middle of the night.
Or did she?
Dana arched an eyebrow curiously. What would happen if she was adrift at sea? Could that possibly be reason enough to get Jamie to come help? She had a motorboat to tow the houseboat back to the marina, and she lived close enough to be only a few minutes away.
“Could I get her to do that?” Dana muttered, smiling mischievously. “If Dr. Hughes hasn’t got time to return my calls could I get her to rescue the houseboat?”
Dana hurried back up the boardwalk to the bulletin board where the marina owners posted the tidal chart. She hadn’t paid much attention to the comings and goings of the tides other than she knew it was easier to carry heavy things up the gangplank during high tide when it wasn’t as steep. According to the chart, high tide tonight would be just after midnight. That was perfect. The tide would start to go out by one and by two a.m. anything floating on the surface of Budd Bay would be on its way out to sea, or at least out to Puget Sound. And if her scheme worked, Morgan Faylor’s turquoise houseboat would be one of those things adrift with the current.
“Sorry, Morgan,” Dana said to herself, keying in the security code. “Forgive me but this is one of those things you do for love.”
Dana did a little housework then waited impatiently for the sun to go down. Just after eleven o’clock she began preparing the houseboat for its journey. She unhooked the hose to the dock water supply and pulled the plug from the electric meter. With a flashlight in hand, she watched as the tide climbed up the dock post, cove
ring the nests of mussels and barnacles. High tide in Budd Bay came at twelve ten. She waited nervously, worried someone would notice what she was doing. Or worse, call Morgan or the harbor patrol that a crazy woman was setting a houseboat adrift in the middle of the night. Slowly, the water mark on the post at the end of the finger pier began to recede. The tide was going out. Dana untied the ropes that secured the boat in place then hurried inside, ready to be carried away from the dock. But nothing happened. The boat just sat in the slip, seemingly unaware it was free to move with the tide. Dana opened the door and peeked out. The lights along the dock cast enough light for her to see all the way to the gangplank. When she saw the coast was clear, she stepped out and gave the dock a shove with her foot, hoping to get the cumbersome boat moving. It was like pushing a barn. She tried again, leaning heavily against the end of the boat.
“Come on,” she grunted as she pushed. “It’s time to move. We’re going to take a nice little trip out in the harbor.” She braced her feet on the dock cleats and leaned all her weight against the boat. A wave rolled ashore and lapped at the dock. As the wave rolled out again the boat moved with it, inching away from the dock. Dana stepped onboard and watched as the rolling action of the waves slowly floated the houseboat out of the slip. She took a deep breath as the boat cleared the end of the finger pier. She had passed the point of no return. She couldn’t get the houseboat back into its secure moorage now if she wanted to. She was committed to this foolishness. And the further out into the harbor she floated, the more she realized it was just that. She ran through the living room and out onto the deck, squinting out into the darkness. It was a starless sky and she couldn’t see ten feet in front of the boat.
“Oh, my God. What have I done?” she gasped in horror. She hurried back to the dock side door and rummaged in the storage bin, looking for something she could use to pull the boat back to the dock but by now she could barely see the slip through the darkness, let alone reach it.
“No, no, no. I’ve changed my mind.” She shined the flashlight at the dock, hoping to see someone she could hail to help pull her back to safety. There was no one. Not one light from a single boat. She tried rocking the boat, jumping up and down on the deck to change the boat’s direction but it was no use. She was on her way out of Budd Bay. And she felt stupid. Too stupid to call Jamie and tell her what had happened. Who else could she call at two o’clock in the morning and ask for help getting her boat back to the marina? Not anyone she knew. Steve didn’t have a boat and he would never let her live it down. Ruth Ann and Connie had a boat but she couldn’t call them in the middle of the night. Besides, she thought she had heard Ruth Ann say their motor was on the fritz. Shannon would be the last person on the earth she would call, not since she found out the sheets weren’t even cold before she had Maggie on them. She’d swim ashore first. There was only one person she could call. Only one person with a boat and who had the nautical knowledge to help. Dana pulled out her cell phone and punched in Jamie’s number. It went to her voice mail. She had no choice but leave a message.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Jamie. It’s two a.m. and I’m on my houseboat, floating out to sea. Don’t ask why. The tide is going out and I’m going with it. I’m sorry but I didn’t know who else to call. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even have an anchor. Help!” Dana hung up and clutched the phone to her chest, trying to decide what she should do. As the tide continued out, the houseboat drifted toward the lighted buoy in the middle of the harbor. Dana wished she had electricity so she could at least show a light from the window. She pointed her flashlight out the front like a headlight but the batteries were fading and she didn’t have anymore. She wished she had planned better.
“Where’s the harbor patrol issuing citations when you need them?” she said, using the last of her flashlight to scan the harbor for help. Her light finally went out, leaving her in darkness. She opened her cell phone, using the dim light of the screen for comfort. Jamie hadn’t called back and Dana knew she wasn’t going to. If the houseboat didn’t hit something on its way out into Puget Sound, Dana wondered how far she would drift before someone noticed and came to help. Miles, probably. After all, it wouldn’t be light for hours. Dana wasn’t sure if she should remain on the deck, expecting to hit something or if she should go inside, away from the railing and the inevitable collision. Before she could decide, she heard two blasts from a ship’s horn. Judging by the sound of the horn, it wasn’t a large boat. Probably a sailboat she was about to hit.
“Ahoy, the houseboat,” a voice called over the sound of the approaching motor.
“Yes, ahoy,” Dana shouted, waving her arms. She squinted into the boat’s bright searchlight, trying to see who it was. “I need a tow. Can you help me, please?”
The motor on the approaching boat revved as it eased up to the deck of the houseboat.
“I’m coming alongside,” the skipper said, the light still blindingly bright in Dana’s eyes. As the boat gently nudged the stern Dana could make out the outline of the pilothouse and an inflatable dinghy tied to the top. She could also see a metal cage suspended from a winch on the back of the boat. Jamie had a cage like that. In fact Jamie had a boat like that as well. Just like that, right down to the air tank rack.
“Jamie?” she said, holding her breath at the possibility it could actually be her.
“Who else did you expect?” she said from somewhere behind the light. “You called, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” Dana was never so relieved in her life. Embarrassed but relieved.
“Well, here I am. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. I feel really stupid but I’m okay.”
Jamie lowered the light and wrapped a line around the railing of the houseboat.
“Stand back in case the line breaks.” She went back to the pilothouse and urged the throttle forward.
“Are you going to push me back to my slip?” she asked hopefully.
“No. I’m just pushing you into deeper water so you won’t run aground. By dawn this part of the bay will be an exposed mud flat.”
Dana hung over the side, staring down into the black water. Jamie pointed the searchlight at the spot where she was looking. Sure enough, even through the murky waters, she could see the rocky bottom. How would she ever explain to Morgan why her lovely turquoise houseboat was perched on a mud flat in the middle of the bay? It would be hard to conceal since the harbor was visible from almost any vantage point in downtown Olympia. Jamie finally dropped anchor and turned off the motor. She secured another line to the houseboat, keeping it snug against the side of the research boat.
“Can I ask how you ended up floating toward West Side Marina?” Jamie said, dropping rubber fenders between the two boats to keep them from rubbing.She was dressed in jeans, sandals and a bright yellow rain jacket with the hood crowded up around the back of her neck. She had an understandably disgusted look on her face.
“West Side Marina? I thought I was headed out into Puget Sound.”
“The wind was pushing you northwest. Another twenty minutes and you would have entered the marina channel. My guess is you would have bounced around in there like a pinball.”
“Do you think I would have hit another boat?” Dana asked fearfully. Jamie only chuckled. “I didn’t mean to hit anyone. Really I didn’t. It was just an accident.”
“Just an accident that all six dock lines came loose at the same time?”
“Could you just push me back to my marina?” Dana asked, realizing her plan was totally irresponsible.
“Not in the dark, I can’t. It’s hard enough to maneuver a big tub like this in the daylight. Fitting it into that narrow slip at night is next to impossible. And I don’t think you want to put a hole in the hull.” Jamie grinned at her own pun. “Besides, I can’t push it. I’ll have to rig a tow sling through the metal eyelets. I don’t want to do any damage moving it. It’s just an epoxy covered wood frame.”
“Is this your technical way of telling me I have
to spend the rest of the night out here in the middle of the bay?”
“This is my way of telling you this was a bad idea. I’m not sure what you had in mind but ask next time.”
“I would have loved to but I couldn’t. You won’t return my calls. When you do, it’s ten seconds of hi, how are you then you have to go.”
“You were going to ask if you should set the houseboat adrift in Budd Bay?” Jamie said, raising her eyebrows.
“If you really want to know, I set the houseboat adrift in Budd Bay so I could ask you something.”
“Ask me what?” she said, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets as the wind picked up, stirring her hair.
“Why don’t you come onboard so we don’t have to shout?” Dana said, waving her over.
“Ask me what?” Jamie didn’t move.
“Ask you why you won’t talk to me. Don’t you think it’s time you tell me why?” Dana stood at the railing, waiting for Jamie’s reply.
“I told you, Dana, I’ve been busy at school. The first few weeks of the semester are always busy.”
“I don’t believe you. I think there is something else. And I think it has something to do with that afternoon we spent on your sailboat. Something happened between that afternoon and the next. I don’t know what but it must be important. Now I want to know what it is.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Are you going to come onboard or not?” Dana said, scowling over at her. “Because if you aren’t, I’m coming over there.” She grabbed the post and climbed onto the railing.
“Dana, wait. You’re going to fall overboard,” Jamie said, reaching across and grabbing her legs. “Get down.”
“No. I’m going to stay right here.” She wrapped both arms around the post and looked down triumphantly. “At least I’ve got your attention. That’s more than I’ve had in a week.”