Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
I followed him as we walked down the dock toward two couples. One was older, and they looked to maybe be the parents of the other.
“Good morning!” Brax called out. “I’m Captain Brax, and I’ll be taking you out today for your fishing tour.”
“I’m so excited!” the younger woman said as she wrapped a hand around the younger man’s arm.
The older woman shot her a frustrated look, but it was so quick I was positive I was the only one who’d caught it.
“This is my first mate and wife, Harlee. Harlee, this is Bradley and Wendy Peterman, and their son Rick and his fiancée, Trish.”
I reached my hand out to shake everyone’s before we started to make our way toward one of Braxton’s boats. It wasn’t one of the larger ones, since he was doing a private charter for this family. Thomas was still in Spain on his honeymoon, so Lance, another guy who worked for Brax, was taking out a larger group of people on one of the boats a little bit farther down the dock. I was truly so happy for Thomas, as was Brax.
Once we got to the boat, Brax went over the trip itinerary, safety rules, and other things that pertained to the charter. He also informed them that because this was a smaller boat, there wouldn’t be restrooms.
“How long will it take us to get to the fishing spot?” Bradley asked.
“About an hour, maybe a little less.”
“Bait?” Rick asked.
“Clams and squid,” I explained.
“Okay, let’s go get some fish,” Brax said as he nodded at Bobby, his second mate. Brax normally had two to three more crew members with him, but since this was a small, private group, it was the three of us working today.
After making sure everyone knew where to find drinks and snacks, we were off and heading out to sea.
Brax smiled as he said, “Hopefully we’ll see some white-sided dolphins on the way. Keep an eye out for them up toward the bow.”
“How big is this boat?” Rick asked me.
My mind went over everything Brax had told me last night about the particular boat we’d be using today.
“Twenty-eight feet. Three-hundred-and-fifty-horse diesel. She carries a hundred-and-fifty gallons of fuel…” My voice trailed off. “Oh, and twenty-seven miles of radar! It has that too.”
Brax looked at me and winked.
Once we were out of the bay, he picked up the speed and I quickly got lost in being out on the water. Brax had already taken me out a few times as he got each boat ready for the season. I had never had so much fun as when we were skimming across the water with the wind blowing through my hair. It was freeing. One look at Trish, and I knew she was feeling the same way.
“Are you having fun so far?” I called out to her.
She nodded. “This is going to be the best day ever!”
“I don’t feel so well, Rick,” Trish said, holding a hand over her mouth.
“Did you take the stuff I gave you?” Rick asked, clearly annoyed she was taking him away from fishing time.
One quick glance over at Wendy told me she was already frustrated with Trish, and we had only started fishing thirty minutes ago. Brax had mentioned there was a stiff northeasterly wind and since we were in about three-hundred-and-fifty feet of water, the boat was rocking pretty good.
“What if we can’t get back?” Trish asked as she sat in the back of the boat looking even more green than she had minutes ago.
“Trish, do you need anything?” I asked, sitting down next to her. Rick took that as his cue to get back to fishing.
She shook her head and leaned toward me. “I hate fishing.”
My eyes widened. “Then why are you here?”
Bradley called out, “Fish on!”
“I’m here because of Rick. He loves fishing, and so do his parents.”
“That doesn’t mean you need to like it. You’re allowed to have your own separate likes, and the same goes for him.”
She looked so unsure, my heart broke for her.
“When Rick’s parents mentioned chartering a boat for a private fishing trip,” she said, “I pictured something completely different, like much bigger. I thought it would be fun. But it’s freezing, the boat is all over the place, and I hate the smell of fish.”
“Okay, well, you’re certainly not in the right place then. Do you need a jacket? I have one with me.”
“Bobby, we need the gaff up here!” Brax called out. “We’ve got a great cod!”
I watched Bobby make his way to the front of the boat to get Bradley’s fish.
“What’s a gaff?” Trish asked.
“It’s a handheld pole with a sharp hook,” I said. “You use it to retrieve the fish from the water when it’s too big for the line to pull it out.”
Trish stared at me with a blank expression.