Sun Catcher

by Giselle Fox

  The air was cool. The black rock had eroded into a cup shape with a smooth flat ledge behind the falls. Lexi pulled herself up onto the ledge and let her legs float in the water. Sun streamed in through the water above them setting the mist into a curtain of sparkles.

  “This is beautiful,” Cate said. The water was cool and crystal clear.

  Lexi flipped her hair back and out of her eyes. “The most beautiful places are sculpted from nature,” she said as she looked at the rock above her. Then she laid back and clasped her hands behind her head.

  “I can’t believe I’ve only been here since yesterday,” Cate said. “It feels like so much longer. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  Lexi smiled up at her. “You’re welcome.”

  Cate lay back against the rock and let the cool infuse her body. Several minutes later, she opened her eyes. She glanced over at Lexi who was peacefully laying beside her with her arms at her sides and her head on the rock. They both stared up at the water as it tipped over the edge and spilled down in front of them. The constant rush of water, thrashing the rocks, swirling at their feet, the sounds and smell of the air - it all made Cate feel incredibly alive.

  She could feel Lexi watching her. When their eyes met, Lexi gave her a little smile before she sat up and kicked at the water gently with her feet.

  Cate sat up too and held onto the cool rocky ledge on either side of her legs.

  “Hungry?” Lexi asked softly.

  Cate turned her attention inward for a moment and nodded. “Getting there.”

  “Should we check the crab trap?”

  “Sure.”

  They dove under the falls again. This time, Cate felt confident enough to do it herself. When they emerged from the pool, Cate took one last look behind her to etch the image into her mind and then felt saddened when she realized she’d probably never see that place again. “You’re so lucky you have this right here.”

  Lexi nodded. She led them along the narrow trail back through the small canyon. Cate could see the beach through the trees and smell the briny water in the air. When they walked out from the protection of the canopy, the heat hit hard.

  “Wow,” Cate said. The sand was hot. Even the air was hot to breathe.

  “It’ll be better once we’re out on the boat,” Lexi grinned. “We’re sheltered from the breezes in this little bay.”

  Cate pulled her hat from her pack and felt a little better for it.

  With shoes in hand, they waded out to the boat and climbed aboard. Lexi pulled anchor and started up the motor. Within no time, they’d circled back toward the crab trap.

  Lexi had been right. Once they had motored beyond the shelter of the bay, Cate could feel the cool breeze off the water. Her clothes had already begun to dry in the sun. Lexi pulled off her shirt and tucked it into her back pocket as she handled the wheel with one hand.

  Cate sat beside her on the bench. Behind her hat and sunglasses, she felt safer stealing glances at Lexi’s back and arms. They were so strong and yet so powerfully feminine. She was fascinated. No one she knew, not even the super fit yoga instructor at her gym had that kind of definition. She looked down at her own legs and what she could see of her body through the clingy, semi-transparent cotton of her t-shirt. Her torso was softer with little definition. Her legs were white from a long winter indoors. She knew it wasn’t right to compare since doing so only took away the sense of accomplishment that she’d felt since the climb. The last thing she wanted was to feel like a tourist.

  She gazed out over the water and focused on the islands ahead. She felt Lexi watching her, and when she turned she was met with her smile. Cate smiled too and felt as if she’d been knocked out of a daydream. A few minutes later, Lexi pulled the boat alongside the crab trap marker and cut the engine.

  “Need help?” Cate asked.

  “I got it,” Lexi said. She reached over the side of the boat and hauled the trap up hand over hand until they could see inside. “Well, well,” Lexi said happily. Inside was one good sized crab and another smaller one. She hauled it into the boat and opened up the cage.

  “You can go back, little one,” she said as she dropped it back into the water. She pulled a bucket from the back of the boat and filled it with sea water.

  “Sorry buddy, but you’re lunch,” she said as she gripped the other one behind its claws and dropped it into the bucket.

  Cate felt happy that it had worked out so well. “Are you always this lucky?”

  “With fishing? Sometimes. This was a particularly good day.”

  “Well I am totally looking forward to this,” Cate said.

  Lexi laughed and shook her head. “I hope you like seafood. I never asked, I just assumed.”

  “Of course! Crab is one of my favorites.”

  Lexi smiled. “I’ll get the grill fired up then.”

  They bobbed gently on the water. Cate watched Lexi dump charcoal into the grill and set it aflame. “Can I do anything?” she asked.

  “I’d say yes but I only have one cutting board,” Lexi said. “Just sit back and enjoy the view.”

  “Alright, I will,” Cate said and took a seat on the bench. “I could go for one of your delicious margaritas right about now.”

  Lexi chuckled as she pulled a cutting board from a box. She rummaged through her pack and pulled out a hunting knife. She set the board on top of the box and pulled a small folding stool out from a nook behind the seat. She pulled a bag of lemons, limes, and springs of green onion and herbs from the old cooler. Cate watched as Lexi squeezed several lemons and limes into a bowl. She added olive oil, pepper, salt and chopped herbs into the mix.

  “A dipping sauce,” she said and stuck her finger in to taste it. She offered it to Cate. “What do you think?”

  Cate dipped her finger in too. “Mmm. That’s zesty,” she said.

  Then Lexi pulled a large ripe mango and half a pineapple from inside the cooler. “A little fruit salsa for the fish.”

  Cate’s mouth began to water as she watched Lexi dice up the mango, pineapple and a little white onion and add more lime juice over top. “This is going to be so good,” she murmured.

  Lexi held her hand over the grill. “Alright, let’s get some veggies in the pan.”

  She pulled some dark, leafy greens and a small chayote from inside the cooler and chopped them roughly. From the box under the cutting board, she pulled an old steel pan and scooped the vegetables in with the edge of her knife. She grinned over at Cate. “You look hungry.”

  Cate laughed. “Can you tell I’m salivating? This all looks so delicious.”

  Lexi placed the steel pan onto the grill and then reached inside the cooler for the fish and laid it beside. “Now the crab,” she said.

  She pulled the crab from the bucket and held him up. “Thanks, buddy.” With two quick jabs with a screwdriver, she dispatched the creature and then placed it on the grill.

  “Okay. About six minutes and we’ll be golden,” she said. She dipped her hands in the ocean and dried them on the shirt hanging from her back pocket.

  In a bikini top and frayed jean shorts, Lexi didn’t look like any chef Cate had ever seen but she obviously knew what she was doing. The delicious smells floating around on deck were enough to make Cate’s mouth water again. She peered longingly into the bowl of mango salsa.

  “Go ahead. Taste it if you like,” Lexi said.

  Cate scooped a little of the mixture with her fingers and slid it into her mouth. “Mmm. Okay, that is delicious.”

  “Doesn’t need anything?”

  “Just the fish,” Cate said. “Where did you learn to cook?”

  Lexi laughed. “Well … I’m not sure I really know how to cook but I do know how to eat.”

  After a short time, Lexi pulled everything from the grill back onto the cutting board. She broke the crab apart with her fingers and tongs and served a few succulent pieces onto their plastic plates.

  “This looks and smells incredible, thank you so much!” C
ate said as she balanced the plate on her knees.

  “You’re welcome,” Lexi said before stuffing a forkful of vegetables into her mouth. “The greens are good.”

  “Mmm, they are,” Cate said. Her mouth was happy. Her soul was happy. She sat on the edge of the boat and felt completely calm. “This has been such a great day,” she said again. She knew her mouth was on repeat but she didn’t care.

  Lexi smiled as she broke into her crab claw. “Yeah, it has been.”

  “And this fish is delicious! I can’t believe you made all of this here.”

  “It’s all in the ingredients. You can’t beat fresh.”

  “Ever thought of owning your own restaurant?”

  Lexi shook her head. “No way. I like to cook but owning a restaurant is a headache I don’t want. Speaking of which,” she said and looked up at the sun. “I’ll have to take us back after lunch. I have a few things to do before I work this evening.”

  Cate knew her perfect day would have to end at some point but she still couldn’t help feeling just a little disappointed. It must have shown on her face.

  Lexi gave her a gentle smile. “I’m really glad you had a good time. I did too. Better than I expected, to be honest.”

  That brought Cate’s smile back. “Bringing someone you just met to a deserted island could’ve turned into a world of awkward. It was pretty brave of you to invite me out here.”

  “It was just as brave of you to come with me. It could have been a disaster for both of us. But it wasn’t. Far from it.” She stabbed into more of her greens and stuffed them into her mouth. “Don’t hurry, we’re not in a rush,” Lexi said as she leaned back against the frame of the canopy.

  Cate gazed out over the water as savored the rest of her lunch.

  ***

  Lexi parked her old Jeep in a garage down the street from the building. They walked back up the hill together in silence. Cate could feel the sun she’d gathered on her arms and the tops of her legs. Her body felt warm and languid from the day out on the water. Her shorts were still damp from their final swim off the back of the boat.

  They stood on the landing in front of Alice’s door.

  “That was a great day, thank you again,” Cate said.

  “It was my pleasure, seriously,” Lexi said.

  Cate considered asking if Lexi would want to spend time together again since they’d had so much fun.

  “Maybe we can do this again before you head home,” Lexi said suddenly.

  “Yes! I would really like that,” Cate said and held out her hand.

  Lexi looked down at it and smiled. She gripped on and held it for a moment. “Okay, I should get going. I’ll probably see you later.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I’ll be at Yolanda’s tonight. And I bet...” she pointed to Alice’s door.

  “Right,” Cate said. “That’s great. I’ll see you there.”

  Lexi grinned. “Alright, Cate. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

  “Bye,” Cate said shyly. She watched her climb the steps up to the attic suite two at a time.

  Cate stood in front of Alice’s door for a moment. She wondered how she was going to explain where she’d been all day. Then she realized that an explanation might not be needed since Alice might not even be home. She tried the door and discovered it was unlocked just as she’d left it that morning. When she stepped inside the apartment, she saw the sleeping form of her friend curled up on the couch. There was no sign of movement, so she tiptoed quietly and hung her things to dry on the chair in her room.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Cate showered and puttered around in her room for a while as Alice slept. Finally, at just before five, she decided to busy herself with tidying up. She’d straightened the shoes and swept the hardwood in the hallway and living room. She wiped down the surfaces in the bathroom all without Alice even stirring. It wasn’t until she tried to rinse out the dirty coffee cups on the kitchen counter and accidentally let a spoon drop on the tile floor that Alice woke.

  “What time is it?” Alice moaned. She blinked and shielded her eyes from the early evening sun.

  “It’s just after 5 o’clock, I think,” Cate answered.

  “Shit, I’ve slept the day away,” Alice groaned.

  Cate saw impressions of brocade upholstery on Alice’s cheek and arm.

  Cate walked back into the kitchen and filled a glass of water for her friend. “Are you hungry?” she called.

  “Starving,” Alice called back.

  “I’d make you something but there’s really not much in the fridge,” Cate said peering around the corner.

  “I never cook dinner,” Alice said with a toss of her hand. “Why bother when Yolanda’s is right around the corner? Everyone is meeting there at six.”

  Cate walked back into the living room and handed her friend the glass. “Everyone?”

  Alice sat up and planted her bare feet on the floor. She reached for the water glass and drank it all down. “Ambrose, Sheila, Calvin and the Blooms. You met them all last night.” She wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

  Lexi had been right. It looked like they would be going to Yolanda’s after all. Cate wasn’t hungry since lunch had been more than satisfying.

  Alice looked as if she was still gathering her faculties. “I need a shower,” she finally announced. “So... what did you get up to today?”

  Cate sat back in the armchair. “I went for an amazing boat ride around the islands near Boca Chica with Lexi.”

  Alice put her glass down on the table with a loud thump and stared at her. “You went for a boat ride with Lexi?”

  Cate smiled. “I did. It was incredible. We stopped at an island that was completely barren and so, so beautiful. She showed me a hidden waterfall and I climbed a rock face for the first time. It...” Cate stopped speaking when she felt a sudden chill coming from the direction of the couch.

  Alice’s eyes narrowed. “How nice.” The flatness in her tone said everything. It irritated Cate that she wasn’t even the tiniest bit happy that she’d at least had a good day.

  “Well,” Cate said trying to keep her irritation at bay and be logical about it all, “I assumed by how intoxicated you were last night that you wouldn’t be feeling that well this morning. It made sense to take Lexi up on her offer and give you some space to recover.”

  “I’ve been here all day, waiting,” Alice said hotly.

  Cate stared at her. “Sleeping off your hangover is not waiting.”

  “I haven’t been asleep for that long.”

  “You’re not even dressed yet. I wanted to go out, you wanted to stay in. We both did what we wanted to do. What’s the big deal?” She stood up to punctuate the end of the conversation. It was obvious that Alice’s mood had less to do with Lexi than her hangover, but why she was trying to lay on the guilt was still a mystery. Cate went back into her room and rummaged through her suitcase for something casual but nice to wear to the restaurant. She heard her friend groan and then drag herself off to the shower. Alice had always been a little passive-aggressive, even back in college. Cate waved it off. They were bound to hit their stride sooner or later. She wondered whether Alice was a little on edge about Todd being away again.

  They wandered down the hill to Yolanda’s restaurant and took their seats at the same table against the back wall. The more Cate thought about it, the more she wondered why the group didn’t prefer to sit outside where there was scenery to look at. But she didn’t bother raising the issue. By five after six, everyone, except for Calvin, had gathered. They were all noticeably less animated than the previous night. They all sat in their same seats. Cate wondered if the seat she occupied would have been Todd’s had he been there.

  They all ordered drinks though Ambrose’s eyes were red and puffy and Sheila looked like she’d just woken up. The Bloom’s were the only ones talking at all, in fact, until the first round of drinks were halfway downed. As charming as parts of the previous night had been, round
two was shaping up to be a dud. Cate could still feel the frost coming from Alice until after her second drink arrived. Eventually, as the alcohol took hold, even her mood became more lively.

  Sitting at the head of the table, Ambrose’s looked as if he was presiding over a council meeting.

  “Did you get any writing done today?” Alice asked him after a few long moments of silence.

  “A little. But I did do some very interesting research,” he answered.

  Sheila looked up from her beer. “Do share, we’ve nothing else to talk about.”

  No one had asked Cate what she’d gotten up to that day and she didn’t see any point in offering now that Alice was in a decent mood.

  Ambrose cleared his throat. “I watched an old Robert Redford movie called “The Hot Rock” and it pulled me down the research rabbit hole. The planning and preparation that goes into a high stakes heist is quite remarkable.”

  “Speaking of heists, did you hear they’re going to make an Ocean’s Eight with an all-woman cast?” said Sheila. “I think Cate Blanchett is going to be in it.”

  “Ugh,” groaned Ambrose. “Why would they mess with a winning formula?”

  Sheila shook her head and looked up at Cate. “Well, I think it’s great but go on, Ambrose. Tell us about your latest crime fetish.”

  Ambrose looked around the table and then leaned in. “The Carleton Hotel in Cannes is a five-star, luxury establishment. It even has it’s own jewelry shop. At closing time one evening in 1994, three masked men went storming in with machine guns blazing. Patrons and staff scattered, running for their lives as you can well imagine. The thieves made off with over $60 million in jewels and were never apprehended. The jewels were never recovered. The best part, is that when police went in to investigate the crime scene with ballistics specialists in tow, they realized that not a single shot had been fired. The thieves had been shooting blanks the entire time.”