Treasure of Love Read Free Page B

end.
    “Guys, are you still there?” Jack said.
    “We’re here,” Brad said. “We just can’t believe it.”
    “I know what you mean,” Jack replied. “Here comes the good part.”
    Brad and Mac listened intently as Jack continued.
    “Do you guys want to crew the boat with me?” Jack asked.
    Before Mac could answer, Brad said, “Hell, yeah.”
    Mac laughed and said, “Well, I guess you have your answer.”
    Jack chuckled. “Now listen, guys, there will be work involved. You’ll have meals to prepare, laundry to wash, decks and equipment to clean, and all the other stuff that goes along with a charter.”
    “No problem,” Brad said. “When do we leave?”
    “Don’t know yet. They don’t even know I’ve accepted the job.”
    “When will you let them know?” Brad asked.
    “I have until six o’clock tonight to let them know, but I’m pretty damn sure they’ll want to leave as soon as possible.”
    Mac jumped in. “Wait a minute, what do we get out of this?”
    “You mean besides the adventure of a lifetime?” Jack said.
    “Well yeah. I mean, it sounds like fun, but it will be work.”
    “Okay, here’s the deal that Dax and Dona and I agreed to,” Jack explained. “I get a quarter of the take, which could be as much as two and a half million dollars, but I have to cover all the up-front expenses. And if we come up empty-handed, they will only cover half of what I’ve already spent.”
    “That sucks,” Brad admitted.
    “But to lower my risk and make this a little easier on my wallet, what if I give you a quarter of my take, which could be upwards of seven-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollars, and in return, if we do come up short, you pay for half of my half of the expenses? That way, each of us is only on the hook for a quarter of the expenses.”
    “Deal,” Brad shouted.
    Mac chuckled. “Can we at least talk about this, Brad?” he asked.
    Brad gave Mac the pleading look he’d seen so many times in the last few years.
    “I guess we’re in,” Mac said. “Let us know when they want to leave.”
    Jack heard Brad yell at the top of his lungs, but couldn’t see the kiss that followed. “Will do,” he chuckled. “Now I’ve got to call the Powers’s, and tell them we’ll take the gig.”
    “Hey, Jack, before you hang up,” Mac yelled. “Was Powers as much of an asshole as you thought?”
    “He far exceeded my expectations,” Jack responded.
    Jack heard Mac laughing in the background and Brad still yelling as he ended the phone call. I guess they really were ready for another adventure.
     
     
    J ACK spent the rest of the day readying his boat for the three-day charter he had to get through before they would embark on their new adventure. His thoughts drifted between the details of the expedition and fantasizing about the money and what he would do with it. He took a gamble and waited until five after six to call Dona. He didn’t want to seem too anxious, but if he was honest with himself, he did it because he knew it would piss Dax off, and he wanted to show him who was in control.
    He removed Dona’s card from his wallet, dialed the number, and hit the send button. The phone rang only once when he heard, “Dona Powers.”
    “Hi, Dona, this is Jack, Jack Cameron.”
    “Hi, Jack.”
    “Is this a convenient time?” Jack asked.
    “Of course,” she responded. “We’re just about to board our plane back to Portland.”
    “Oh,” Jack said. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d be back home by now.”
    “Almost,” she responded. “We wanted to meet with the other boat captain before we left Skagway,” she explained.
    Jack felt the blood drain from his face. Oh shit, I hope I didn’t blow this.
    “And how did that go?” Jack asked with as much calm as he could muster.
    There was suddenly silence on the other end of the line.
    “It’s after six o’clock, Jack,” Dona said calmly. “You’ve obviously decided against our offer.”
    I’ll be damned, they’re calling