Captain for Hire
Golden sunlight shone on the rolling hills in front of Urquhart Castle. Gail spread the picnic blanket and Flynn set their basket of sandwiches and wine on the grass.
"Look! Fresh meat." Tabitha pointed to a tour group getting off a bus by the castle. She ran a hand over her shaved head. Since her hair was going to grow back, she had wanted it all to be the same length, so Gail had helped her take the plunge. It had been a nice girly moment, and Gail had always wanted a younger sister. Even if she had a potty mouth.
"There's a nice-looking teen boy down there." Flynn winked at Tabitha. "Why don't you go say hi?"
"No offense—" she glanced at Gail, "—but I don't date Americans."
"Who says he's American?" Gail opened the basket and brought out a plastic bag full of grapes. Were they that easy to spot?
"Look at his Justin Bieber haircut and poofy sneakers." She gave Gail a pained expression. "So American."
"You do have to admit he's pretty cute." Flynn popped a grape in his mouth and grinned.
Tabitha sighed. She'd already gained a few pounds, and her chubbier cheeks made her face even prettier. "You just want to get rid of me so you can make out with Gail."
Flynn shook an admonishing finger. "That's not true." He made a teasing face. "You're just afraid he doesn't dig baldies."
Gail almost choked on a grape. That had been a little harsh. "I think the shaved head brings out your green eyes and makes you look tough, like Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta."
Tabitha shrugged, but her lips curled as if she took it as a compliment. "Fine." She stood and brushed off her jeans. "No kissing while I'm down there, okay? You've embarrassed me enough today."
Flynn crossed his chest with his fingertip. "Cross my heart."
"But don't hope to die." Tabitha waved him away and started down the hill. "I've had enough of that already."
"Man, she's a handful." Gail handed Flynn his sandwich and they watched her strike up a conversation with the boy as he leaned on the side of the tour bus.
Gail had made the sandwich just the way Flynn liked it, with extra mayonnaise. She watched with pride as he took a bite. She'd never made sandwiches for anyone before.
"You're telling me. Just wait until you see her mad."
Gail pulled the tin foil back from her veggie sub. "That's something that hopefully won't happen for a long time."
"Depends on how long you're planning to stay."
Although Flynn said it like an afterthought, Gail knew he was probing. It was the perfect time to offer the proposition she'd been mulling over the past week.
Gail swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "So, what are you going to do next? Still planning on continuing to give those tours?" He'd cancelled all the tours for that weekend.
Flynn shrugged. "I haven't thought too much about it. I've been focusing on helping Tabitha get back into the swing of things."
"Must be difficult to go back after what's happened."
"Yeah. I keep thinking about how it will take another twenty years for Nessie to wake up. Can I bring people out there knowing they won't see a thing?" He shook his head. "I'm not so sure. I'd feel my tours were a sham."
"Tell you what." Gail put her sandwich down. Nervous energy shot through her body, stealing her appetite. "I'm in the market for a captain for my boat. It's an ocean-going research vessel, so it would be different than Loch Ness. More bumpy. Maybe a little more boring at times. Wanna give it a try? You could come to America with me, or I could have you sail it here."
Flynn smiled. The teasing sparkle in his eyes didn't give anything away. "Depends…"
"On what?" Gail was ready to agree to anything.
"If we can go looking for mermaids."
"You're not serious, are you?"
Flynn shrugged. "Guess you don't want a captain that badly then."
Gail leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Mermaids it is."
Flynn threw his sandwich behind him and pulled her close. Gail closed her eyes and ran her hands up his neck, threading them through his thick hair. His perfect lips were on hers and her reaction was primal, insistent, wanting more.
Tabitha would have to forgive them.