Sink or Swim by L.A. Witt

Author:L.A. Witt [Witt, L.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2018-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

Base traffic was a snarled mess as always, but eventually I made it to the parking lot by the piers. After I got out of the car, I saw Kimber on her way to the pier, so I fell into step beside her.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey.” She smiled, but didn’t seem like she was feeling it.

I was immediately concerned, but didn’t press. I’d quickly learned that Kimber wasn’t one of those people you pried information out of. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. If she didn’t, she’d clam up even harder the more anyone tried to get it out of her. She dealt with enough shit on this job without also having to tell me to mind my own business, so I left it alone.

In silence, we continued up the pier and onto the ship. I nearly paused on the quarterdeck to salute the petty officer of the watch and request permission to come aboard, but caught myself. It was an old habit still ingrained in me from my active-duty days, and it didn’t help that all the other Sailors and officers were doing it. And really, it wouldn’t even be out of line for me to do it now that I was retired, but my coworkers would have a field day ribbing me over it.

Except for Kimber. Because she just seemed . . . like she wasn’t even here. Her eyes were down. Her expression was dark.

Shit. I didn’t want to pry, but I was worried.

So, halfway down the passageway to our shop, I said, “Hey. Hold up a second.”

She stopped and turned to me, eyebrows up but eyes still distant. “Hmm?”

I studied her, then glanced around to make sure none of our coworkers were within earshot before I spoke. “Are you okay?”

The speed at which she dropped her eyes answered the question.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I said. “I’m just worried about you. You seem kind of . . . not here.”

Kimber chewed her lip. She looked up the passageway. Then down it. When she was apparently satisfied we were alone, she leaned against the bulkhead between a closed hatch and a fire extinguisher. “I’m just stressing about the shit with the guys.”

“The way they’re talking to you?”

She nodded. “You know Frank copped a feel the other day?”

My stomach lurched. “He what?”

“He . . .” Kimber rolled her eyes and let her head fall back. The clank of her head hitting metal sounded painful, but she didn’t even wince. “I can’t prove he did it on purpose. He asked me to steady his ladder, and as he was going up, his hand . . .” She motioned at her chest.

I ground my teeth so hard they hurt. “Did you say anything?”

“What could I say?” she asked bitterly. “You know damn well what he’d say.”

I huffed out a frustrated breath. She had a point.

“See, this is why we can’t have women in here. If I bump into a dude, he doesn’t automatically assume I’m trying to feel him up!”

“She’s the one creating a hostile work environment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.