That Summer Thing

Beth took his hand cautiously, eyeing Charlie suspiciously as she returned Nathan’s greeting.

“You haven’t told me what you’re doing here,” Charlie said to her, trying not to notice that, instead of short curls, her dark hair now hung in long kinky waves that fell to her shoulders in a rather tantalizing way.

“Obviously the same thing you’re doing—using my property.”

He didn’t care for the tone of her voice. Or the fact that he was responding to her scantily clad body. She wore skimpy pajamas made to resemble a T-shirt and shorts—very short shorts. Although she was still slender, there were curves that hadn’t been there fifteen years ago. She’d filled out in all the right places, and Charlie had to force his eyes away from her figure to her face.

She moved over to the windows and asked, “Where’s the pier?”

“In Riverbend.”

“We’re moving?” She pressed a hand to her stomach.

“No, we’re anchored.”

“This boat is supposed to be docked at Riverbend. You had no right to take it—or me—anywhere,” she said haughtily.

“Do you honestly think I would have taken it anywhere if I’d known you were onboard?” he countered. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at Ed’s place?”

“Because his guest room is occupied. Grace’s parents are here for the weekend.”

“So you came here to sleep?” he asked in disbelief.

“And why is that so hard for you to believe?”

“You’re not exactly crazy about the water.”

“It didn’t feel as if I was on the water when the boat was moored at the marina. Are you sure we’re anchored?” she asked, her hand flying to her midsection once more.

“We are.” She looked unusually pale, prompting Charlie to ask, “You’re not going to be sick, are you?”

“No, but I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.” She left in a hurry, slamming the door as she disappeared into the head.

“What’s she doing on a houseboat if she gets seasick?” Nathan asked.

“She said she wasn’t sick,” Charlie answered.

“She looked like she was gonna hurl.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Charlie said, although he really wasn’t sure of anything concerning Beth at this point in his life. When several minutes had passed and she still hadn’t emerged from the head, he went over to the door and knocked. “Beth, are you okay in there?”

“Yes.” The response was muffled. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“For Pete’s sake, Charlie, I said yes, didn’t I?” she snapped.

Maybe she’d changed physically, but emotionally she was still the same old Beth, hating it whenever anyone showed concern for her. She still didn’t want to admit that she needed anybody.

When he returned to the salon, Nathan had flopped down onto the leather sofa, sprawling in the way only a teenager could. “Does this mean we’re going back to Riverbend?” His expression brightened.

“There are places between here and there where she could get off the boat,” Charlie answered, which caused the sullen look to return to Nathan’s face.

“Wait a minute. You’re not dumping me off like some unwanted cargo,” Beth said from behind him.

He turned and saw that she had come out of the bathroom. Her face was still pale, but she looked ready to do battle with him, hands on her hips, eyes flashing.

“I’m not going to dump you anywhere,” Charlie told her.

“No, you’re going to take me back to Riverbend.” It was more of a command than a statement of fact. “Ed’s expecting me to be at the marina, not in the middle of a cornfield.”

“I wouldn’t leave you in a cornfield. I just thought that if the motion of the boat makes you feel sick, you might want to get off upstream. I’m sure Ed wouldn’t mind if he had to drive a little farther to get you.”

“I told you I’m fine,” she insisted. “And you haven’t told me what you’re doing here. Ed said you were at some trade show this weekend.”

“My plans changed,” he said, avoiding Nathan’s eyes.

“So you decided to use the boat without asking me?”

“I don’t recall you asking me if you could spend the night onboard,” he retorted. Again the look on Nathan’s face reminded Charlie that he needed to be careful what he said. He didn’t want the fourteen year old to see him in a shouting match with his ex-wife.

“It’s obvious there’s been some miscommunication,” he said in a calmer voice, raking a hand across the back of his neck. “You thought I was out of town and I thought you were still in Iowa.”

That piqued Nathan’s curiosity. He got up from the sofa and went to stand beside Beth. “I’ve never met anybody from Iowa before. What do you do there?”

“She works,” Charlie answered for her, trying to preempt Nathan’s interest, then addressed Beth. “So we both had plans for the boat for the weekend. Now what?”

“Obviously one of us will have to find another place to sleep tonight.”

“Since Nathan and I want to go fishing, I’m willing to buy out your interest for tonight,” he proposed.

“Meaning what?”

“I’ll give you the money for a motel.”

He could see she wasn’t happy with his suggestion. Nor was Nathan, who said, “I don’t care if we don’t go fishing.”

“But I do,” Charlie told him, annoyed that the teen was willing to let Beth have the boat. Nathan was gazing at her as if she was an ally, not an intruder. Charlie looked Beth squarely in the eyes and said, “Since you’re only looking for a place to sleep and we want to use the boat for recreation, wouldn’t it make more sense for you to go to a motel?”

One thing Charlie knew about Beth was that she wasn’t obstinate. Some women might have refused to find another place to sleep out of sheer stubbornness. Not Beth. Decisions were made after careful consideration—a trait he’d admired in her.

That was why he wasn’t surprised when she said, “You can have the boat for the rest of the weekend, but I don’t want your money. I’ll find another place to stay without your help. Now, if you’ll take me back to Riverbend, I’ll get off this boat and you two can have it all to yourselves.”

Charlie had won, but there was no thrill in the victory. “I appreciate that,” he said. “We’ll leave right away.”

“Thank you.”

Unfortunately her gratitude was premature. When Charlie sat behind the controls and turned the key in the ignition, the engine wouldn’t start.