Читать книгу That Summer Thing - Pamela Bauer - Страница 9

JUST AS IT HAD BEEN all those years ago, the Queen Mary was docked at the small private marina just south of town. As Ed’s Jeep traveled across the gravel road with nothing but blackness on either side of it, Beth tried unsuccessfully to suppress a shiver. She couldn’t help but remember the last time she’d been down this road. She’d been with Charlie, on her way to what he’d promised would be a night she’d never forget. Little had either of them known how true those words would be.

“Here we are,” Ed announced, turning into a small parking lot. “If you wait a second, I’ll get a flashlight and light the way.”

She did as he suggested, remaining in the Jeep until he’d retrieved a portable lantern from the back. As she climbed out of the vehicle, he aimed the beam of light toward the ground. “Watch your step.”

Beth stayed close to him as he led her onto the pier and over to the houseboat. “So this is it?” she said, thinking that it didn’t look as big as it had when she’d been a teenager.

“Like I said, it’s changed since you were last here. Abraham spent a pile of dough remodeling it. Wait until you see all of the conveniences he added.”

Beth saw what her brother was talking about when they stepped inside. The salon had a white leather sectional sofa that allowed occupants a good view of the water, as well as the big-screen TV built into a cabinet against one wall. Next to it was a stereo system and a VCR. All the windows had custom-made deep blue drapes that matched the carpet beneath her feet.

“This is nicer than my apartment,” she said, admiring the oak cabinetry in the galley. She fingered the shiny black front of a microwave suspended beneath one of the cabinets.

“The guy had the bucks to spend and he liked nice stuff.”

Beth sat down on one of the high-backed stools next to the bar and twirled around. “It’s hard to believe all this was someone’s toy, isn’t it?”

“It’s your toy now,” he reminded her.

She shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would he leave something like this to two people who haven’t seen each other in fifteen years?” The question had been nagging her ever since she’d received the letter from the attorney stating she was one of Abraham Steele’s beneficiaries.

He sighed. “Who knows what motivated him to leave any of the River Rats anything? Whatever the reasons for his bequests, the fact remains you own half this place.”

“Yeah, me, who never liked the river,” she stated dryly.

“Well, lucky for you, Charlie does.”

Beth knew all too well how much her ex-husband enjoyed the river. The memory of a fifteen-year-old boy splashing in the water surfaced in her mind. She had gone down to the river to look for Ed, who was supposed to be fishing with a couple of the other River Rats. To her surprise, the boys weren’t dangling their lines in the water. They were skinny-dipping.

There had been four naked bodies frolicking in the river that day, but Beth’s eyes had only noticed one. Charlie’s.

At thirteen, she’d had a limited knowledge of male anatomy, gained mainly from science textbooks and baby-sitting ten-month-old Billy Benson. The shock of seeing a nude teenage boy had frozen her to the spot.

She wasn’t sure how long she had stood there staring at him, but as she raced back to her house on wobbly legs, she knew that from that moment on, she could no longer regard Charlie as the boy next door, the boy who was good friends with her older brother, Ed, the boy who walked her and Lucy to the school bus stop. Things had changed.

To the rest of Riverbend he might still look like her second big brother, but to Beth he had become something more. Every time he smiled at her, she’d felt warm inside, and when he casually touched her, she’d gotten all tingly. It had been the beginning of an infatuation that would last through high school.

She shook her head, hoping she could toss the memories aside as easily as she flipped back her hair. “He must be remarried by now.”

“Do you really want to know the answer to that question?” Ed asked with a lift of one eyebrow.

Beth didn’t. For fifteen years she’d avoided asking any questions about Charlie Callahan. Ignorance had been bliss while living in another state. But now she was in Riverbend and she needed a few answers. Only a few.

“I think I should know his marital status, since we’ve inherited a boat together, don’t you?”

Ed sighed. “All right. He hasn’t remarried.”

So he was single. The rumor she’d heard a couple of years ago hadn’t been true. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her jangled nerves. “Maybe I should just give him my share of the boat. It’s not like I will have any use for this place after this weekend.”

“Now, that would be foolish.” He spread his hands. “Look around you. Abraham Steele wanted you to have a share in all of this. As your brother and your lawyer, I can’t let you give it away. Especially if the only reason you’re doing it is to avoid a confrontation with your ex-husband.”

“I’m not,” she fibbed. “I just don’t want the hassle of dealing with this right now.”

“You get bequeathed a boat we used to call the floating palace and you don’t want it.” He shook his head in disbelief.

She looked about the place in bewilderment. “What would I do with something like this?”

Ed shrugged. “Take off on a river adventure?”

“No, thank you. I’d probably get seasick. Remember that time Dad took us out on Lake Michigan when we were kids?”

“Everyone was a little queasy on that trip because the waters were rough. You won’t have to worry about any motion sickness tonight. You’re docked. This boat isn’t going anywhere.” He pulled open the door to the built-in refrigerator. “This is on, but it looks like there’s nothing inside but a few cans of mineral water. Should I take you to a convenience store so you can pick up a few things?”

She shook her head. “It’s all right. As long as there’s mineral water, I’ll be fine. Besides, if I have food here, you might forget to come get me.”

“I won’t forget,” he assured her. “Do you need a tour of the boat, or do you remember where everything is from all those parties the River Rats had here?”

“I didn’t party with the River Rats, or have you forgotten?”

“Ah, yes. You were always afraid we were going to get caught sneaking onto the boat, weren’t you?”

“I wasn’t officially a River Rat.”

“No one was officially a River Rat, Beth. You lived in the neighborhood and you hung out with the rest of us.” A faraway look came into his eyes. “Gosh, we had some great parties on this boat. Do you suppose Abraham knew what went on when he was out of town?”

“Probably.”

“Jacob never got into any trouble—at least none he told us about.”

The image of a fair-haired boy popped into Beth’s head. Jacob Steele had been the unofficial leader of the River Rats, the golden boy of Riverbend. Even though he was Abraham’s son, he wasn’t allowed to bring any friends onto the boat that Abraham considered his private retreat. That hadn’t stopped the River Rats from using it when he was out of town.

“That’s another thing that bothers me about this bequest,” she told him. “Besides the fact that we’ve been divorced for fifteen years and shouldn’t be sharing anything, Charlie and I shouldn’t get the boat. It should go to Jacob. He was Abraham’s son.”

“A son who didn’t even come home for his father’s funeral,” Ed reminded her.

“Whatever happened between him and his father must have hurt him deeply. Jacob’s not the kind of guy to turn his back on his family without good cause.”

“None of the River Rats are, Beth. Sure, we got into a few scrapes when we were growing up, but we were all pretty good kids.”

“Abraham must have thought we were special. He included all of us in his will,” she said, running a finger along the shiny countertop.

He chuckled. “Yes, I now have a vintage 1957 Chev and you have half a houseboat.”

“At least your gift will fit in your garage. I don’t have a lake or a river for mine.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re spending the rest of the summer here.” He waved a hand at her. “Come. I’ll show you a few things.”

She followed him around the cabin and listened as he explained the water system and electrical circuits. “If you get too warm and don’t want to open the windows, you can turn on the air-conditioning. The control’s next to the instrument panel,” he said, slipping into the captain’s seat to point out the various gauges.

“For someone with no experience of houseboating, you sure seem to know an awful lot.” She eyed him suspiciously.

He gave her a sheepish look. “I have a little experience,” he admitted. “I was here with Charlie one day recently and we took a ride on the river.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Without asking me?”

“I only went because I wanted to protect your interest. It was my duty as your legal representative.”

Beth thought it was more likely that he went along because he wanted to spend time with Charlie. She didn’t tell him that, however. She might not be able to stop her brother from remaining friends with her ex-husband, but she certainly didn’t have to hear the details of their friendship.

“The master bedroom’s in here,” Ed told her, opening a door on the other side of the bathroom.

“It’s all right. You don’t have to show me.” The last thing she wanted was to look inside the room where she and Charlie had made love—even if it had been remodeled since.

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“Aren’t there beds below?”

He led her down a small flight of steps to the lower cabin, which had two bunks, both covered by brightly patterned quilts in a kaleidoscope of colors. There was also a small cedar chest and a built-in wardrobe.

“This isn’t quite as fancy as the master bedroom,” Ed commented as she opened a narrow closet.

“No, but it’s cozier.” She sat down on one of the beds to test its firmness. “I think I’ll feel less like an intruder down here.”

“You have every right to be here, Beth,” Ed stated firmly.

“So you keep telling me, but for whatever reason, I still feel like I’m sneaking onto a houseboat that’s off-limits.” She stretched her arms over her head, then sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just tired. What time should I expect you in the morning?”

“How about if you give me a call when you wake up? That way if you want to sleep in a bit later than usual, it won’t matter. You have your cell phone, right?”

She nodded. “It’s in my purse.”

“Good. Now lock the door behind me and get a good night’s sleep.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek, said good-night, then headed back to his Jeep.

After twelve hours in the car and with a headache throbbing in her temples, Beth wanted to follow her brother’s orders, but ever since she’d stepped on the boat, she hadn’t been able to shake the uneasiness that lingered from her past. Even though remodeling had made the Queen Mary barely recognizable, it was still the place where she’d made what had turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.

She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to give in to the temptation to remember that night fifteen years ago. She was tired, she needed sleep, and she would not let the past haunt her. Not now. Not here.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and put an Enya CD in the stereo system, allowing the soothing sounds to flow around her. And just in case Enya failed to lull her to sleep, she pulled a bottle of pain-relief tablets from her purse. When she opened the refrigerator to get a can of mineral water, she saw one lone beer on the bottom shelf. Michelob. Charlie’s favorite.

Seeing that can was a reminder that he had been on the houseboat only a few days earlier. He’d walked barefoot on the carpet that was beneath her feet, stood on this very spot with the door open, contemplating the contents of the refrigerator.

“We’re not trespassing, Beth,” he’d told her when she’d expressed reservations about being on the boat the night of the spring formal. “Abraham said I could use the place if I wanted. That’s why I have a key.”

She remembered the smile on his face, the gleam of desire in his eyes as he’d pulled her along the wooden pier. It hadn’t taken much convincing to get her to spend the night with him on the boat. Little had she known that that one night would bring so many changes to her life.

Her dress had cost a small fortune—a sapphire-blue satin off-the-shoulder gown that had swished when she walked. And after two hours at Clip Curl and Dye, she had never felt more confident. One of the stylists had managed to make her short boyish curls look glamorous and chic, her makeup as professional as a cover girl’s. But it was the glitter that Beth had loved. It had dusted her bare skin in a most enchanting way.

She remembered the look on Charlie’s face when he’d picked her up for the dance. She’d fantasized a guy looking that way at her—as if she were the only girl in the world for him.

Then her dad had barked, “Don’t forget she’s only sixteen, Charlie.”

She could have died of embarrassment. Because she’d been accelerated, she was the youngest in her class. All the other girls were seventeen and eighteen. Academically it had been easy fitting in with the older girls, but socially she’d had problems. Having eighteen-year-old Charlie Callahan as her date for the dance was her chance to be accepted, and she didn’t need her father to throw a bucket of cold water on the evening.

Not that he really could have. Charlie made sure she had a night she’d never forget. Any worries she’d had about what people would think were cast aside when they were voted the cutest couple at the dance. At midnight, when the chaperons had chased everyone home, Charlie hadn’t taken her to the pizza party at Josh Parker’s house. Instead, the two of them had gone down by the river for a moonlight picnic.

Beth knew now they should have gone to the party with the rest of their classmates. As her father used to say, hindsight is twenty-twenty. If they hadn’t been alone in the moonlight, they would never have kissed, and if they hadn’t kissed, they wouldn’t have touched, and if they hadn’t touched, they wouldn’t have…She shook her head, not wanting to think about that night.

She wouldn’t think about it. She closed the door quickly, leaving those memories in the cold. She opened the can of mineral water and poured its contents into one of the crystal goblets she’d found in the cupboard. Then she shook two of the pain-relief tablets from the bottle. They were extra strength, with an additional ingredient to induce sleep.

It was time for her to stop worrying about what she would encounter in Riverbend. She knew that if she took the pills, she’d be a bit groggy in the morning, but she didn’t care. At least her headache would be gone and she wouldn’t toss and turn in an unfamiliar bed. With a long gulp of the sparkling water, she swallowed the tablets.

Then she turned up the volume so the Enya music could be heard in the cuddy. As she lay flat on her back staring up at the dark ceiling, she closed her eyes and waited for the music to calm her active mind.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about Charlie. When she closed her eyes, she saw him. Shirtless. Drinking a beer. Staring at her with that look that used to make her feel as if she was standing on the edge of a steep cliff. The last thought she had before she fell asleep was to wonder why he had never remarried.

“JEEZ, CHARLIE! The sun’s not even up yet!” fourteen-year-old Nathan Turner grumbled as he carried his duffel bag out to the pickup.

“Best time of the day. Wait until you see what sunrise looks like on the water.”

“I only got five hours of sleep last night. Isn’t there a law against dragging kids out of their beds without the proper amount of sleep?” the boy muttered belligerently.

“Not when it’s the kid’s fault because he stayed up half the night playing video games,” Charlie tossed back at him.

Nathan was uncharacteristically uncooperative as they loaded the pickup with fishing gear and supplies. He was not happy to be up so early. Actually he hadn’t been happy since Charlie had seen him sitting in the courtroom yesterday morning.

“Hey! Be careful with the bag. There are eggs inside,” Charlie said as the teen tossed a paper sack of groceries into the truck as if it was a bag of garbage.

By the time they were ready to leave, Nathan’s squinty-eyed frown had become a stubborn scowl. Charlie was losing patience. “Look, I realize this is earlier than you’re used to getting up—”

“No kidding.”

Charlie ignored the sarcasm. “But we only have two days to spend on the houseboat. If we wait until noon to go out, we’ll miss the best part of Saturday. You do want to take the houseboat on the river, don’t you?”

The only response Nathan gave was a grunt, but to Charlie it sounded like a positive grunt, which he took as a good sign.

“It should be a perfect weekend to be on the river,” Charlie said cheerfully. “If it gets as hot as they’re predicting, you’ll be able to swim right off the back of the boat.”

Mention of the houseboat had Nathan’s scowl softening, although he was reluctant to let Charlie see. He turned away, bunching his sweatshirt into a ball and propping it between his head and the window to use as a pillow.

Charlie didn’t say anything, but continued driving. It was hard to believe that this disgruntled teen with the streak of blue in his hair and the gold ring through his nose was the same clean-cut kid he had been a surrogate parent to for the past four years. What had happened to the even-tempered, happy-go-lucky Nathan?

His grandfather blamed it on the group of boys Nathan called his friends, but his grandmother insisted the moodiness had more to do with puberty. Charlie could see the obvious signs of adolescence. Nathan’s voice had changed, he’d grown four inches in four months, and it wouldn’t be long before a razor would be needed to take off the light coating of peach fuzz on his chin. Charlie was inclined to think they were probably both right, but suspected the boy’s rebellious behavior also had a lot to do with losing his mother.

After several minutes of jostling and fidgeting, Nathan said, “I don’t see why I couldn’t have taken a shower before we left.”

A shower? This from the kid who had barely raised a wet cloth to his face, let alone taken a shower, the last time he’d stayed with Charlie.

“We’re going down the river, not to the video arcade,” Charlie answered. “It’ll be like that camping trip we took last summer. Remember? Guys are allowed to be slobs on camping and fishing trips, as long as there aren’t any women around.”

His reasoning brought another sound of disgust from his temporary ward. “I hate that stupid judge. If it weren’t for him, I’d be home in my own bed.”

It bothered Charlie that Nathan didn’t want to be with him in Riverbend. In the past he’d complained about there never being enough time for the two of them to be together. Now that the judge had ordered him to spend six weeks in Riverbend, Nathan acted as if it was a punishment, not a reprieve.

Maybe that was why Charlie’s voice was a bit harsh as he said, “You’re wrong, Nathan. The reason you’re not home is that you chose to use someone else’s property for target practice.”

“I said I didn’t try to break those windows, but nobody believed me. Just because I hang out with the BDs, everyone wants to think I’m a juvenile delinquent,” he muttered sullenly.

“Who are the BDs?”

“What do you care?”

“Because I’m your buddy. Or have you forgotten?”

That took a bit of the sting out of his attitude. “They’re the bad dudes.”

Charlie frowned. “And you’re one of them?”

“I want to be. And I was just getting to where they would accept me when you had to drag me here.”

“I didn’t drag you here,” Charlie refuted. “You were ordered here by the judge because of something you did, not because of what I did. And I really don’t think being in a gang is a good idea.”

“They’re not a gang, just some guys who hang around together. They’re my friends and they’d do anything for me. I can count on them.” The defensiveness in his tone made Charlie uneasy.

“You can count on me,” he said firmly.

Nathan gave a snort of disbelief. “That’s why you’re making me get up with the cows.”

“You mean chickens,” Charlie said, trying to inject a little humor into their discussion.

Again Nathan turned toward the door and tried to position his head against his makeshift pillow. Charlie gave him his space and kept quiet.

That didn’t stop him from thinking about the teenager. Had he made a mistake sticking his neck out to help the kid? When he’d left for West Lafayette yesterday morning, he hadn’t expected to be returning with the fourteen year old in tow. It was one thing to have Nathan spend two weeks with him; quite another to have him spend half the summer.

Ever since Nathan had gone to live with his grandparents, distance had prohibited them from spending much time together. Until yesterday Charlie had thought that they had a pretty good relationship. Now he could see that the two of them had grown apart, and it saddened him, because at one time they had been like father and son.

As the truck ate up the miles, Charlie thought back to those days. He had just turned thirty, and at his surprise birthday party he’d been warned by his friends that the big three-O could cause a man to change his entire way of thinking.

Charlie had laughed and told them how wrong they all were. The reason he was still single and doing all right was that he worked hard Monday through Friday and made the most of his weekend playtime. The latter had been accomplished mainly with women who weren’t looking for the house with the picket fence, two kids and a dog.

But shortly after his birthday he’d found himself reflecting on his life and came to the conclusion that something was missing. Although he wasn’t about to change his life-style, he did want to do something different. When one of his friends mentioned that the local Big Brothers program was having trouble finding volunteers, Charlie decided to answer the call.

He could still remember that first day he’d met Nathan. He’d expected that things would be awkward, that Nathan would be a bit reserved, maybe defensive about not having a father. He wasn’t. He was just like any other kid and reminded Charlie of himself at that age. So full of energy. So eager to learn everything he could about the world around him. Unlike Charlie, who’d had a great relationship with his father, Nathan had never known his dad.

They soon became best buddies, and before long, Nathan’s mother, Amy, joined them on their outings. They were the closest thing to a family that Nathan had ever known, and it wasn’t long before he was asking Charlie if he could call him Dad. Charlie saw no reason he couldn’t, for he truly did feel like a father to Nathan.

Charlie knew that Nathan harbored the hope that one day he would marry his mother and become his real father. For Charlie, who’d never expected to entertain such a thought, it had come as a shock when he’d realized Nathan’s idea wasn’t so outrageous. He had no reason not to believe that, in time, he and Amy might find happiness together.

But then one night Nathan called to tell him his mother was sick—real sick. Charlie went over to see what was wrong. It didn’t take a doctor to see that she was seriously ill. He rushed her to the hospital, where she died two days later from bacterial meningitis.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed. Nathan’s grandparents became his legal guardians and took him home with them to West Lafayette. Charlie knew that Amy’s folks were good people and would give Nathan the kind of family he needed—something he couldn’t do without Amy.

Charlie vowed to remain a part of Nathan’s life, acting as a father figure whenever he could. Which wasn’t often. Construction was booming in Riverbend, forcing everyone at Callahan Construction to work long hours.

No matter how hard Charlie tried to make his visits with Nathan special, he could feel the bond between them weakening. Nathan no longer had that childlike eagerness in his voice when they talked, and gone was his enthusiasm for “hanging out” in Riverbend.

Charlie glanced at the boy beside him and felt a wave of guilt. He hadn’t kept his promise to Amy. He’d let work and the fact they lived in different towns keep him from being the father figure he should have been. Maybe the judge’s ruling was exactly what they both needed to put their relationship back on track, to help them reestablish the bond that had allowed Nathan to call him Dad.

“We’re here,” Charlie announced as the truck came to a stop next to the pier where the Queen Mary was docked. Dawn was brightening the sky, changing it from darkness to deep purple, which was the precursor to a beautiful sunrise. Charlie hoped nature’s beauty would lighten Nathan’s mood.

It didn’t.

As the boy awoke from his nap, he said, “Why couldn’t we just stay home?”

Charlie had to bite his tongue. “What do you think of that sky?” He nodded toward the horizon. “Isn’t that a beaut?”

“‘Red sky in morning, sailors take warning,’” Nathan recited ominously.

Charlie said, “We’re not sailors. We’ll have a roof over our heads should it rain, and an engine to get us to shore.”

Nathan mumbled something under his breath as he fumbled with his seat belt.

“There she is. The Queen Mary,” Charlie boasted as they climbed out of the pickup. “How’s that for a floating palace?”

Nathan shrugged. “It’s all right, I guess.”

Charlie knew the boat was more than all right, no matter what the surly teenager thought. “Come on. The sooner we get this stuff onboard, the sooner we’ll be cruising on the river,” he said, lifting a duffel bag from the back of the truck.

Emptying the truck caused less grumbling than loading it had, giving Charlie hope that even a teenager wasn’t immune to the lure of the river. They left the fishing rods and tackle box on the deck, then carried their duffel bags and groceries into the main cabin. Nathan said nothing other than to heave a sigh when Charlie told him where to set the food.

Although the teenager tried to pretend he wasn’t impressed by the comforts on board the boat, Charlie didn’t miss the way Nathan eyed the entertainment center. “Not bad for a prison, eh?”

The teenager shrugged. “If you’d told me there was a TV, I would have brought my video games along.”

“We’re going to be too busy having fun. We won’t have time for TV.” Charlie didn’t mention that he’d already decided to rent a Nintendo and some other games after the weekend.

“Who listens to this crap?” Nathan asked, lifting a CD case from the entertainment center.

Charlie glanced at the Enya CD. “It’s not mine. Must have been Abraham Steele’s or one of his guests’. Now make yourself useful and put away those groceries, while I get the boat ready.”

Nathan wandered over to the captain’s console. He plunked himself down on the chair and examined the controls. “Am I going to be able to drive?”

“I may let you take the wheel once we’re away from the dock,” Charlie answered, pulling the cord that opened the blue draperies across the front of the boat.

“How far up the river are we going?”

“Here. I’ll show you.” Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “This is a marine map. Shows all the hazards on this section of the river. It’s important that we keep it handy at all times.”

He spread the map out on the console, noting the way Nathan studied it curiously. It was the first time the kid had actually shown any interest in their adventure. Maybe it would turn out to be a good weekend, after all, Charlie thought.

“We’re going to stop right about here,” he told Nathan, pointing to a hook in the river. “As soon as you’ve put away the groceries, I’ll give you a lesson in navigation, all right?”

Again the shoulders shifted, but the hostility was gone from the teenager’s face. “Can I use the bathroom, or do I have to wait until the engine’s running?”

“No, go ahead. Flush away,” Charlie told him, indicating the door to the head. While Nathan was inside, Charlie checked the fuel gauge and water supply.

He was on his knees connecting a wire that had come loose on the control panel when he heard Nathan say, “Your girlfriend left something in the bathroom.”

Charlie straightened. “I don’t have a girlfriend.” From the silly smile on Nathan’s face, he knew that it was something the teen found amusing.

He went to see for himself. A bright red bra hung on the doorknob. The first thought that crossed Charlie’s mind was that Mitch Sterling had had a woman onboard when he’d used the boat last week.

“Well, that sly old…” he began, then noticed Nathan’s rapt attention. “Must be from a previous guest,” Charlie said, snatching the bra from the doorknob and shoving it into the vanity drawer. “Follow me.”

He opened the door to the master bedroom and tossed his duffel bag onto the bed. “I’ll sleep here.”

“Where do I sleep?” Nathan asked.

“You have two options. One is the cuddy below. There are two beds down there. It’s private, though a little cramped. The other is to use the sofa bed.”

Nathan looked at the white leather sofa. “You mean it’s one of those you pull out and have to make every night?”

Charlie nodded. “You’d probably be more comfortable below.” Nathan glanced down the stairway. “It is rather dark down there. The windows are more like portholes.”

He could see the boy considering the possibilities—downstairs in the cuddy with little natural light, or on a sofa in the salon with a big-screen TV. He had no doubt that the teenager would opt for the sofa. That way he could watch television as he lay in bed.

“I’ll sleep up here,” he said sullenly, as if it was a sacrifice to sleep on a sofa bed.

“All right. That’s fine with me. Now get that food in the refrigerator and I’ll prepare us for departure. We need to disconnect the shore cable and switch over to the generator before we leave.”

Nathan shoved cans into the cupboard, acting as if putting away the groceries was some sort of penance. Charlie left him alone and went off to tend to the tasks that needed to be done before launching the boat.

A short while later he announced, “We’re ready. We can either navigate from in here or go up to the flybridge. What do you think?”

Nathan shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Then we’ll go up to the flybridge.” Charlie headed for the steps leading to the upper portion of the houseboat. Nathan followed.

Once on top, Charlie stood behind the control panel. “We’ll crank this baby’s engine and get moving.” He turned the key in the ignition, producing a low hum.

“It’s pretty quiet, isn’t it?” Nathan said as the engine sprang to life.

“She purrs like a kitten,” Charlie agreed. “You ready?” Nathan nodded and Charlie slowly maneuvered the boat away from the dock.

The sky had become a vivid pink, thanks to the dawn’s paintbrush. “See what I mean about the sunrise?” Charlie commented as the sky’s resplendent colors reflected on the river’s surface.

“It’s kinda spooky. It’s almost like the air is painted pink,” Nathan said, losing his insolence long enough to be a bit awed by nature.

Charlie understood his sentiment. “When I’m in a boat this time of morning, I feel a little bit like I’m on a mystical journey. Better enjoy the show before it disappears. It’s already starting to fade.”

“I’m hungry. What’s there to eat?”

Charlie smiled. Beneath the streaked blue hair and nose ring lurked a regular kid. “As soon as we get to our fishing spot, we’ll anchor and I’ll cook us some breakfast. Until then, why don’t you go down and get yourself a doughnut and a glass of milk?”

“I’d rather have a soda and some chips.”

“Whatever,” Charlie mumbled, and watched the boy disappear into the cabin. His last thought as the blue head bobbed out of sight was that it was going to be a long six weeks. A very long six weeks.

BETH WASN’T SURE what woke her. Maybe it was the sound of a motor humming in the background. One of the neighbors mowing the lawn perhaps. As she opened her eyes, however, she realized that she wasn’t in her own bed or even in one of her brother’s. She was on the houseboat. Her houseboat.

And it was swaying ever so slightly, something her brother had told her wouldn’t happen. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing ever so carefully, worried that she might experience a bit of motion sickness. To her relief she didn’t.

Thinking the wind must be responsible for the slight sway of the boat, she reached for the curtain behind the bed and pulled it aside to look out the rectangular porthole. To her surprise, there was a rather large expanse of river between her and the shore. She padded across the room to the opposite side of the boat and lifted the curtain on the other narrow window.

A gasp escaped her as she realized that the boat was no longer at the pier. Had the wind become so strong that it had broken loose from its moorings? Suddenly her brain put two and two together. The hum of an engine, no pier in sight. The boat was moving!

Her heart beating rapidly, she scrambled up the steps to the salon. Seated on the white leather sofa with the TV remote in his hand was a teenage boy. He wore baggy carpenter jeans and his shirt was open, revealing an expanse of flesh. He was at the gawky stage—caught somewhere between man and child—with long, lanky limbs and an awkwardness only time would eliminate.

“Who are you and why is this boat moving?” Beth demanded.

He looked as surprised by her appearance as she was by his. “I’m Nathan. What are you doing on my dad’s boat?”

His dad’s boat? “This is not your father’s boat. It’s my boat and I don’t know what makes you think you can just take off with it.”

“We didn’t know you were on it,” he said weakly, then, gaining his courage, added, “You shouldn’t be on it. It belongs to my dad.”

Fear caused Beth’s skin to prickle. “I’m going to get my cell phone and call the police. You just can’t get on someone else’s houseboat and take it for a ride.” She was about to head back down to the cuddy when she heard a man’s voice.

“Nathan, I could use your help. Come on out here.”

The voice was vaguely familiar. Beth’s stomach plunged. “What’s your father’s name?”

Before the boy could answer, the man called out, “Nathan! Did you hear me? Get out here. Now!”

When the boy would have moved, Beth raised a hand and used her schoolteacher voice to say, “You stay right here and answer my question. What is your father’s name?”

“You’re going to be in big trouble, lady, when my dad finds out you stowed away on his boat,” the teenager said, getting bolder by the minute. “This is private property and…” He stopped, his eyes on the sliding door behind her.

By now Beth’s heart was in her throat. She swallowed with difficulty, then turned to see a man step into the cabin. He was big, brawny and bare-chested. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes and his jaw was un-shaven.

Beth didn’t need the boy to tell her his father’s name. It was Charlie Callahan, her ex-husband, looking lean, tanned and even more attractive than he had fifteen years ago.

She had often thought about what they would say to each other when they did finally meet again. Now she knew. There was no, “Hello, Beth, how are you?” No, “It’s good to see you.”

The first words out of Charlie’s mouth were angrily uttered. “What the hell are you doing here?”