The Night Charter Read Free

chick?”
    “Yeah, but it’s okay. She seems to know what she’s doing.”
    “Did you talk to her about what we want?”
    “Not yet,” Parker said. “I just told her we wanted to do a night charter for some fishing. It didn’t seem like the right time to get into the rest of it. I’m going back tomorrow to give her the deposit.”
    “Don’t wait too long to get down to business,” Matt said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
    “I’ll do it. Let me talk to her a little bit and see how it goes.”
    “Dad! I’m putting it on the table!” Lauren called.
    Parker put his hand over the phone. “I’ll be right there,” he said, and then he spoke to Matt again. “Don’t worry about anything. I have it covered.”
    “All right, man. Talk to you again tomorrow.”
    Parker killed the connection and put the phone back in his pocket. His mind was weighed down again, but then he went to the little dining room and Lauren made him forget about all of it.

Chapter Four
    I N THE MORNING Camaro took a half-dozen businessmen out into the deep water to search for mackerel or swordfish or anything else that might be biting. One of them managed to hook a wahoo early on, and he wanted to keep it, but it went back into the water. “What am I supposed to show off at home?” he asked.
    “Take a picture,” Camaro said, and that was all. Camaro’s trips were strictly catch-and-release. Everyone knew this going in.
    They got lucky here and there over a few hours, but the men were as interested in drinking as they were in the fish. Camaro did not let them get sloppy and put a curb on them when they went to their cooler one time too many. There was more grumbling and talk about refunds, but she reminded them it was money up front and no refunds. They were more subdued after that.
    She got back to the marina a little after two and let the men off. She thought to warn them about driving off buzzed, but they had probably heard enough from her already. If they wanted to end up wrapped around a pole or in the back of a police car that was their business and not hers. Camaro’s responsibility stopped the moment they stepped off the boat.
    When they were all gone, she broke out the hose and cleaned off the deck. She got an old towel and wiped down plastic and wood and metal alike. She checked the bait locker and made a mental note of what she had to stock. Afterward, she got a sandwich out of her personal cooler and ate it in the shade with a little bag of chips. Watching the men put away beers had put her in the mind for one, but there would be no drinking while she worked.
    She lay down for a short nap. It was four when she heard Parker calling from the pier, and she got up to meet him. He stood beside the boat in a different shirt and nearly identical shorts, his feet tanned in his sandals, the barest hint of white flesh peeking out from underneath one strap. Camaro saw herself reflected in his sunglasses. “Hey, there,” Parker said. “Sorry I’m late.”
    “You’re not late,” Camaro said. “I told you three o’clock or so.”
    “Well, I’m here now.”
    “You want to come aboard?” Camaro asked.
    “Sure,” Parker said, and he stepped over onto the deck. He looked over the fighting chair and made an admiring sound. “I can’t wait to sit on this baby. Is that teak? Is this thing an old classic?”
    “No,” Camaro said. “It’s just a nice chair.”
    “I’m gonna land the big one,” Parker said.
    “That’s what everybody says. Come on in. Let’s get you out of the sun.”
    They went inside and stood in the little galley. Parker dug in his pocket and came up with four fifty-dollar bills. He laid them in front of her on the counter. “That should cover our deposit,” he said. “But I don’t know what night it’ll be yet. I’m sorry about that.”
    “I said you get a week, so you get a week,” Camaro said. She took the money and put it away. “It’s your charter.”
    Parker fiddled with his thumbs