On a Starlit Ocean by Charlotte Nash

Author:Charlotte Nash [Nash, Charlotte]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781925775211
Publisher: Flying Nun Publications
Published: 2020-04-20T16:00:00+00:00

Two hours later, when the whole world had turned to night, Erin was in the front cabin, curled around a wrinkled Jilly Cooper novel with a map light clipped to the pages. An hour ago, the jetty had been alive as a fishing boat offloaded part of its catch. Now, there was nothing but the gentle liquid tinkling of the waves, and the growling of Erin’s stomach.

Shoving an old chandlery receipt into the book, Erin threw the two balled-up chip packets she’d already emptied towards the bin and prowled back to the pantry. She kept the light off, but she didn’t need it. The contents were the same as ten minutes ago when she’d last checked – half a packet of stock cubes, a jar of satay sauce, and an open packet of biscuits that were stale, because she’d never sealed them properly. She’d been lax in provisioning, eating too many dinners during the long work days with Troy, Benny, Kit and Shelly on Tristan’s account. She couldn’t go up to the cafe now; she’d be spotted, and that would get back to Skye and Tristan.

She pulled down the satay sauce, which had expired in 2016. She’d eaten some bad stuff over the years on long sailing journeys, but this was a new low. She was just contemplating pulling out her fishing gear when she heard creaking footsteps on the jetty. She put an eye to the port window. A dark shape stood beside the boat. She hadn’t even heard them coming. Only Skye was that sneaky.

“Hello? Erin?” Alex called.

Relieved, she mounted the cabin stairs and stuck her head out the hatch. He was wearing a pair of cut-off track pants and a t-shirt with a ripped collar, completely at odds with the dark leather bag in his hand.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

“Well I exhausted the courtesy bread at the cafe and I’m here to exact my revenge as the stood-up date,” he said, in good humour. “Seriously, Travers said you had a migraine. Came to see if you needed anything.” He lifted the bag and shook it.

Erin hesitated for a bare second. “Hurry up and come in here before someone sees you.”

Erin gripped her hands on the tiny galley sink as Alex climbed down the cabin stairs. Even in the dim reflected jetty light, she could see the frown pulling at his brows. Looking around the dark cabin, he said, “You have photophobia?”

“What’s that?”

“The light hurts your eyes.”

“Oh, no. I’m not really sick.”

“Oh, so you did stand me up.” A pause. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No ... I’m avoiding Skye. She was having dinner with—it doesn’t matter. I didn’t want to go, so here I am, pretending a migraine like someone in a bad movie.”

Alex slid the doctor’s bag onto her table and sank into a couch seat with a chuckle. “Seems a bit extreme.”

“You don’t know Skye. She is a force of nature. This is easier, believe me. What do you have in there, anyway?”

Alex ran a hand fondly over the bag.

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