All was well.
After spending the night at her parents’ place, Summer and Greg got a bit of a late start for Bluestar Island. Her father appeared to be back to himself. Her mother, on the other hand, was overly protective and fussing over her father’s every move. They promised to see her the following week for the Bell wedding.
Summer enjoyed watching her parents. They made a perfect couple because even though they could drive each other crazy, beneath it all there was unwavering love. She wanted a relationship like theirs. She just didn’t know if it would ever happen for her.
Her gaze moved to Greg as he navigated the boat southward. The water was a bit choppy compared to their journey yesterday. They’d checked the weather before heading out that day. And there was rain headed their way, but it wasn’t supposed to reach Massachusetts until much later. By then they’d be home for Greg’s interview and then his shift at the Guppy.
Still the wind had picked up. A cloud moved in front of the sun. It cast the ocean into grayness. Summer could see more dark clouds moving in quickly. But even those gray clouds weren’t going to dim her good mood.
Her father was fine. She and Greg were friends again. Her business was growing. Everything was looking up.
As time passed Summer kept glancing upward. According to the radar, they should make it to Bluestar Island before the rain started. That was good because she didn’t want to be out at sea when the weather turned to rain.
In fact, she had been caught in rough waters before. It had been many years ago. And she refused to dredge up those horrible memories now. She mentally kicked the thoughts to the back of her mind.
“And what has you so quiet?” Greg glanced over at her from the captain’s chair.
“Uh… Nothing.” She wasn’t about to tell him about the direction of her thoughts, because she didn’t want to relive that scary moment.
“You must be so relieved about your father.”
She nodded. “I am. I hope this scare will convince him to slow down.”
“You know your father. I don’t think anything will convince him to slow down.”
“Sadly, I think you’re right.” And then a thought came to her. “I’ve been thinking about moving to Maine to be closer to my parents.”
“Are you serious?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought.”
“But what about your yoga studio? You’ve been working so hard to build it.”
It was true. Owning her own business was her dream. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I just hate being so far from them.”
“I’m sure they miss you too, but they seem happy. And I noticed your aunts all stopped by the hospital to be there for your parents.”
She paused to remember how her mother hadn’t been alone at the hospital. Even though two of her aunts couldn’t stay long, they’d promised to be back if her dad was admitted. But Aunt Vickie had stayed the entire time. “My aunts are great. Still… I just wonder if I made the right decision staying here on the island.”
“Only you can answer that question.”
She nodded. She appreciated him not telling her what he thought she should do. Greg had always been that way—even the time she and Josie had found an old row boat by the lighthouse. She’d been so certain they could patch it and it would be sea-worthy. Greg hadn’t disagreed. Instead, he’d pitched in and helped them.
The waves grew in size. Greg powered through them. The boat’s engine would rev up until they crested another wave. She tried not to let her panic show. Not that it would matter because Greg was totally engrossed in getting them to shore.
She glanced at the time, finding that it was almost four o’clock. They were approximately an hour away from Bluestar. Not good. Not good at all.
She continued to watch Greg as the rain started to pound on the windshield. Greg turned on the wipers. Luckily, the rain was light at that point. The wipers moved quickly over the glass.
Suddenly the boat’s motor started to make a loud rumble.
“What’s going on?” She turned to Greg, finding him adjusting the boat’s controls.
He didn’t say anything. He was totally absorbed in quieting down the motor. It coughed. It sputtered. And then there was silence.
A deafening silence.
And then the sunshine disappeared behind a solid wall of clouds.
“Greg?” She forced herself not to panic.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
Did he really? Because if not, they would be adrift in the ocean. No. No. She couldn’t think that way. He would get the motor started again. And then they’d be on their way.
“Greg, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” He tried starting the motor. There was no sound. He tried again and again. Then he turned to her. Her worry must have shown on her face because he said, “I need to check the engine.”
He climbed down the ladder to the deck. He moved to the back of the boat and opened the engine compartment. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
Memories of the past came rushing back to her. She had been trapped at sea. A gust of wind whipped her hair into her face, drawing her back to the present. Her fingers tucked the strands behind her ears. Her gaze searched the sky for a break in the clouds. There was none. Her stomach knotted up.
Greg could fix this. He’d worked with her father over the years on boat motors. He’d learned a lot from her father—enough to get them moving again.
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Can you grab my toolbox from the cabin?” He gave her specific instructions on where it could be found.
She moved swiftly. She found the toolbox beneath one of the benches in the dining area. She carried it up to the deck.
“Give me a Phillip’s head.”
Luckily, she’d been raised by her father to know what was in a toolbox. She reached inside and quickly located the screwdriver. He hadn’t mentioned a size so she handed him the medium-sized one.
Time seemed to slow down as Greg worked. She hated feeling so helpless, but she knew nothing about motors. All she could do was wait for Greg to ask for something.
The swells on the ocean were getting bigger. Weren’t they? Or was she letting her imagination get the best of her?
She needed something to do. But what? She was stuck on a boat—a boat that didn’t work. And she had nothing with her to keep her thoughts from dwelling on the predicament they found themselves in.
She leaned in closer to where Greg was working. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Just give me a minute.” He didn’t stop working to look at her. His screw driver turned one screw and then moved on to another screw.
She wondered if he knew what the problem was or if he was just guessing at what he was doing. She’d feel so much better if he’d let her know that he had it all figured out. Instead, he remained quiet as he focused on his task.
She had no idea how much time had passed when he finally said, “I need you to try and start the motor.”
“I can do that.” She moved swiftly to the little ladder and climbed up to the cockpit. She reached to start it but then hesitated. She turned around. “Are you ready now?”
“Yes!”
She said a little prayer, and then she turned the key. She strained to hear any sounds of the motor over the strengthening winds. She didn’t hear a thing.
She tried again. Nothing.
“Stop!”
She moved back down to the deck. Greg muttered to himself, but his voice was too low, and she couldn’t make out the words. She assumed he was venting and not actually talking to her.
Her gaze moved skyward. As she watched the clouds, she noticed there were two layers of clouds. The upper clouds moved slowly while the lower clouds scudded across the sky.
She never liked when the clouds started doing strange things. Even though the air was still warm, a chill raced down her spine. She crossed her arms and ran her hands up and down her upper arms.
Greg continued to work. Every now and then, he’d mutter something. He certainly acted like he knew what he was doing. She could only hope that was the truth because the clouds were thickening.
She glanced at her fitness watch. If they hadn’t broken down, they would be back at the dock. They would have been tied up and headed on their way. But instead, they were adrift in the middle of the ocean. The boat rocked from side to side as the swells grew in size.
She wanted to ask Greg how things were going, but she restrained her curiosity. She was certain he was doing everything he could to get them out of this situation.
“Try starting the motor again,” Greg said.
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She raced for the captain’s chair. Please work. Please work. Her hand had a slight tremble as she reached for the key.
She turned it. The motor didn’t so much as cough or sputter. It was dead.
At that moment, a strong gust of wind rocked the boat. They were in trouble. Big trouble.