A Dolphin's Gift

by Watters, Patricia

  "Yeah, I enjoy it... more than you can imagine," Will replied. "Hearing the whales' chants and yodels is humbling. It reminds us we're not the only intelligent beings on this planet."

  After a while Mike grew restless, and Will took over the wheel. "We'll be docking at Campbell River tonight so you can try out your sea legs on land again," he said to Mike.

  Saying nothing, Mike climbed down the ladder to the salon.

  "No going on deck while we're underway," Nellie called down to him. A few minutes later, she peeked down into the salon to find Mike paging through The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse. She started to mention it to Will, but she had other, more pressing matters on her mind. "We need to talk about what happened at breakfast this morning," she said.

  "You mean about Mike seeing us on deck?" Will asked.

  "He didn't just see us on deck," Nellie replied. "He thought we were having sex."

  "Then we'll have to be more careful next time," Will said, while turning the wheel.

  "There won't be a next time," Nellie said. "What we were doing last night and again this morning, just before Mike came in, was foolish."

  "I agree," Will replied. "We definitely need to be more discreet, but we also need to discuss where our explorations should take us."

  Nellie looked at Will, puzzled. "You mean where we're going for your orca study?"

  "No, I mean personal explorations... What, when and where to touch and not to touch. Male to female. Boy to girl. Lips to lips or wherever they might be allowed to roam. I have definite ideas, but you might find them a little too investigative. I think we got a good start last night though. Places on you I suspect had been dormant for a long time definitely came to life, and this morning you let out a little sigh of pleasure when I was exploring what was under your robe."

  Nellie felt flushed and flustered and becoming aroused with the conversation. "I never intended for things to happen the way they did last night, or this morning," she said.

  His eyes still focused on the view beyond the windshield, Will commented, "That’s exactly why I want to set boundaries, so you’ll be comfortable with what we do—how often to hug, how passionate our kisses, where to hide while we map out each other’s bodies, that sort of thing."

  "And where to do it, I presume, though you didn’t mention that exactly."

  "Setting boundaries lets us know where to stop so we don’t do it," Will said. "You don't have any objection to hugging, kissing, body mapping, and wherever that takes us, do you?"

  Nellie looked at Will, miffed. "Wherever that takes us? There's pretty much only one place left to go, male to female, as you said. But you don't seem to understand how seriously I take making love." She hoped she'd impressed on him the importance of what they were discussing.

  "I'm being as honest as I can with you," Will said, in a tone that had lost all its humor, "and I want you to be honest with me. I won't push you, but I think you want to make love as much as I do, am I right?"

  Nellie sighed. "Yes—"

  "Then our only problem is when and where. With a pair of young eyes focused on us, it's going to be—"

  "You didn’t let me finish," Nellie cut in. "Yes, I want to make love, but I won’t. It’s as simple as that. Based on my reaction to your kisses, and the enjoyment I get from the things you do, any boundaries we set wouldn't work. The institute of marriage was set up to keep people like us from hopping in and out of each other’s beds and each other’s lives. It’s really a very good system, and I don’t intend to challenge the integrity of it now."

  Will sighed. "I disagree with you on that, but since I can’t seem to change your mind, I suppose I’ll be taking a whole lot of cold showers in the next few weeks."

  Nellie braced her hand on his shoulder and kissed him lightly, and said, "Thank you for understanding." His mouth flattened and he grunted his displeasure.

  Nellie turned and left. But after having admitted to Will that she wanted to make love, all she wanted now was to step into that cold shower with him and do precisely that.

  ***

  It was almost dusk by the time the Isadora pulled into Campbell River. After locking Zeke in the master stateroom to make sure he wouldn't slip out while they were on shore, Nellie clipped on Katy's leash and handed her over to Mike. Mike started out the door, but Nellie called him back. "We have to wait for Will."

  "You always have to be where he is," Mike said, disgusted. "We never get to do anything with just us like it used to be."

  Mike's behavior disturbed Nellie. After his session at the helm while Will talked about his whale study, Nellie thought Mike's feelings toward Will were beginning to soften. But his resentment was still evident, and he made no attempt to hide it.

  "Honey, life is always changing," she said "We're changing. Nothing stays the same, and we have to learn to adjust to the changes." She realized this was pretty philosophical for Mike, but she felt some satisfaction in her own words.

  Mike fixed determined eyes on her. "I don't have to adjust to anything," he challenged.

  "What do you mean by that?" Nellie asked, alarmed.

  "I'll run away and move in with Ernie in Medford. He said I could."

  Nellie felt a rush of panic. Mike said earlier he'd run away if Will didn't stay away from her, and just the night before he saw them kissing on the deck... an maybe more, from his comment about them making babies, so apparently those thoughts were still there. But, he couldn't run away while they were at sea, and while they were in Campbell River she'd watch him closely. "Does this have to do with Will?" she asked. "Or are you homesick for Medford?"

  "I'm not homesick," Mike said, agitated. "Only sissies get homesick."

  Nellie studied Mike's sober face and the determined set of his mouth. "Then it's Will."

  "I don't like him," Mike said. "He's not like Daddy."

  Nellie drew in an exasperated breath. "He's not Daddy," she said. "So why should he be like him?"

  "I don't know. Can we go now?"

  "Yes, but I expect you to stay with me and not wander off." She wasn't getting through. Every time she tried to reason with Mike, it turned out the same. She realized Will was only part of the problem. Any man who tried to step into Richard's place would meet Mike's opposition. She also knew she couldn't live with the fear of Mike running away...

  "Everything's secure out here," Will said, as he poked his head inside the door. "Let's go."

  Once on deck, Will took Nellie by the arm to help her hop ashore. Catching the disturbed look on Mike’s face, she pulled her arm free and said, in a hushed voice, "I'll explain later."

  In downtown Campbell River, they separated for a while. Nellie took Mike to check out the many souvenir shops, where they bought a kite, a book on tide pools, a Campbell River tee shirt for Mike, and buckets and shovels for collecting rocks and shells on the beach at Beaver Bay, and Will went off on his own. They met up again at a pizza pub, where Katy curled up on the sidewalk, her leash tied to a bench, and Nellie, Mike and Will went in to eat. It was after eight by the time they strolled back toward the Isadora, Nellie walking beside Will, Mike ambling on ahead with Katy. "What was the problem earlier," Will asked, "and why do I get the impression that I'd better not touch you again, ever?"

  Nellie had made a point of keeping out of Will's reach whenever he was near. "It's Mike," she said with a sigh. "He's talking about running away to Medford."

  "He's trying to manipulate you."

  "He's upset." Nellie clasped her hands behind her back while considering their options. She wanted Will to be a part of her life, if not through marriage, then something long-term and leading in that direction. But right now, the odds were against that happening unless she and Will could start to build a true relationship, which would mean some minimal physical contact. But Mike would have to be excluded from seeing it until he began to accept Will's presence in their lives. He would in time, but it was too soon to expect that to happen. "You said a lot of things earlier about..." she stopped.

/>   "Making love or setting boundaries?" Will asked.

  "Well, setting boundaries." Nellie said. "I’ve been thinking about that, well reconsidering."

  Will squeezed her elbow and released it before Mike could turn around and catch him touching her. "I was hoping you’d see things my way," he said. "Besides, you owe yourself a life beyond your son."

  "I have no life beyond my son," Nellie said. "He is my life. What I'm talking about is a private life when he’s not around, setting boundaries for that."

  Will gave her a sideways glance. "What did you have in mind?"

  Nellie shrugged. "I don’t know, hugging, kissing, a little light… well, you know."

  "If you mean exploring each other’s bodies, I’m for that. But what if, like you said, boundaries don't work? I can tell you right now that if you ever let me make love to you, I'd never be satisfied with cold showers again."

  Nellie pursed her lips, annoyed that every suggestion she made seemed destined to fail. "Then just forget I mentioned it," she said, perturbed. "I'm too tired to think about anything except settling Mike for the night and crawling into bed. Alone."

  Although she’d had a moment of weakness in broaching the subject of boundaries with Will, she was glad she'd finally come to her senses. Playing hide-and-seek on the Isadora, while trying to find a place to hunker down with Will and test the limits of their boundaries, which would fail, would put them in constant danger of Mike discovering them together. And who knows what he’d find them doing the next time that happened. She sighed. Love was a complication she just didn’t need in her life right now.

  CHAPTER 7

  On arriving back at the Isadora, Will was the first to realize something was wrong. "I'm positive I locked the door," he said on finding the door to the salon unlocked and ajar. "Did either of you come back to the boat after we left?"

  "No," Nellie replied. "Mike and I stayed together the whole time. Maybe the door didn't catch and it swung open when the boat rocked."

  "Maybe so," Will said. But the fact was he knew he'd locked the door. He'd made a point of checking it after he'd closed it. "You two stay here," he said. "I want to look around and make sure no one's aboard." Stepping inside, he flipped on the light. Nothing seemed disturbed. After checking every place where someone could hide, he motioned that things were clear.

  After Nellie sent Mike off to get ready for bed, Will said, "I'm going to look around some more. I want to make sure Zeke's still in the master stateroom."

  "I'll be there as soon as I get Mike settled," Nellie said. A few minutes later she found Will in the galley crouched on the floor in front of Zeke’s cabinet, peering inside. "Why are you looking in there," she asked. "I locked Zeke in my stateroom before we left."

  "The door was open," Will replied. "But he's not in here either."

  "How could the door to my stateroom be open?" Nellie said. "I'm absolutely sure I closed it before we left so Zeke wouldn't get out. I even rattled the handle."

  "That may be," Will said, "but it was open when we got back. Zeke," he called in an anxious voice. He returned to the master stateroom and checked behind the desk and in the locker and to his relief, found Zeke crouched under the curved seat at the bow. He grabbed Zeke by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out from under the seat, then carried him to the galley and put him in his cabinet, and Zeke curled up in his box. On closing the cabinet door, Will turned to Nellie, who had followed him into the galley, and said, "There's no doubt someone was aboard, and whoever it was has a key. The door to the salon wasn't forced."

  "Who could have keys?" Nellie asked. "We have the only two sets, don't we?"

  Will's brows gathered in worry. "I thought so. But maybe your uncle gave a set to someone else. He rented the boat out a few times, and the locks have never been changed."

  "Well, I don't want to stay here tonight if there's someone prowling around who might come aboard while we're sleeping. It could be the man with the gun," Nellie said. "He asked Mike where we were going, so he might have followed us here, for whatever reason."

  "I agree," Will replied. "If it was just me, I'd stay and wait for the guy to come back, but with you and Mike aboard I'm not going to take any chances. Meanwhile, get Mike settled for the night and stay with him so he doesn't go off, while I check with some of the people around here and see if anyone spotted someone coming aboard or hanging around the dock. I also want to call the Port Townsend police and see if they ever found the man with the gun."

  "When you do, tell them that someone broke into the boat so they can file a report."

  "There's no sign of forced entry, so there’s nothing to report," Will said.

  "Nevertheless, I want you to tell them someone trespassed."

  After Will questioned the few people on the dock, none of whom had seen anyone board the Isadora, he called the Port Townsend police on his cell. It was no surprise to learn that the man with the gun hadn't been found, and since no crime had been committed, the police weren't pursuing an investigation. There was still no information on the stolen car, which the police reported had remained parked where Nellie last saw it.

  Will felt uneasy, and he didn't want to alarm Nellie unnecessarily, but she needed to know what was going on. "It looks like the man with the gun may have left Port Townsend," he said. "The big question is, what does he want with us, and why? Meanwhile, let’s get underway. I want to be well away from here by dawn."

  ***

  Will studied the radar screen. The rotating beam indicated they were in the middle of a wide channel and no vessels were ahead of them, but he noted that two vessels trailed off their starboard quarter about two miles behind. If they were being followed, he’d know by morning. He'd keep a close watch. If anyone pulled up alongside and came aboard with a gun, though, there was nothing he could do to defend Nellie and Mike, short of beating the hell out of him, if he could first disarm the guy. But he'd cross that bridge when and if he came to it.

  Meanwhile, he had a channel to navigate. The last thing he needed was to ground the boat. He checked the scan on the depth finder display. The bottom was still out of range. He didn't mind negotiating the narrows in the dark—the Isadora had good navigational equipment—but he was starting to feel drowsy from the monotonous drone of the engine and the blackness ahead. He'd push on though. He was anxious to be away from Campbell River. If the intruder was the baldheaded man, he had a gun and they didn't. Nor did they have the security of police protection if needed. He hadn't mentioned it to Nellie, but the Coast Guard responded only to calls from distressed vessels, those in eminent danger of sinking.

  He poured coffee from the thermos Nellie brought up to him earlier and took a long slow sip. It had never seemed so lonely in the wheelhouse before. Actually, he realized he felt lonely whenever Nellie wasn't around. But he'd insisted she sleep so that in the morning, when they anchored, she could keep watch while he slept for a couple of hours.

  He thought of her asleep in her big wide berth and wished he could crawl in up with her. He could imagine wrapping his arms around all those female curves and holding her against him after they'd made love, and sleeping with her in his arms. He glanced at Zeke, who sat beside the radar screen, and reached over to scratch the tabby's head. "Do you sometimes feel your love life is lacking?" he asked, the sound of his voice easing the drowsiness. "No, I don't suppose you do. I hope you don't hold your operation against me, but it was for your own good." Zeke arched his back, stretched his front legs and let his sleek body ripple down to his back legs. Then he jumped onto Will's shoulders and settled around his neck. Will scratched him behind the ears. "But sex isn't everything," he continued. "In the long run it's companionship that matters."

  Will wasn't sure that was true. Although he and Nellie hadn't made love, he couldn't imagine the day he wouldn't enjoy it with her. But it seemed appropriate to tell Zeke it wasn't everything. He scratched Zeke's throat and Zeke raised his chin. "There's a lot to be said for companionship," he continued, f
eeling purrs reverberating. "Nellie's a great companion. And Katy is a pretty good-looking woman too," he added almost as an afterthought.

  He realized Zeke had stopped purring, and he qualified his statement. "I know she's not exactly your type, but sometimes the ones we think are the least likely are the ones who get our attention. Take me for instance. Who'd ever think I'd be chasing after a woman with a kid? God, what a woman. What a body." He concentrated on Nellie's female assets, and soon there was no question, he was awake in more ways than he needed right now. He took another sip of coffee, but the warmth did nothing to ease the problem below his waist.

  Zeke's claws came out, kneading Will's shoulder. "Thanks, old buddy," he said. He dipped a shoulder, dumping Zeke onto the chart table. "But even that won't distract me now."

  "Will?" Nellie called up the companionway. "Is Mike up there with you?"

  "No. Just Zeke," Will called down.

  "Oh." Nellie appeared at the top of the ladder. "What time is it?"

  Will glanced at the clock on the control panel. "Almost two-thirty." He reached for her hand, helping her into the bridge. "How come you're not in bed?"

  Nellie shrugged. "I couldn't seem to fall asleep."

  "That bed too big and empty for you?"

  Nellie smiled. "Maybe."

  Will checked the depth finder. Noting that they were out of the narrows and in the middle of a wide channel, with little chance of running aground, he slipped his arm around Nellie and pulled her against him. "I was getting drowsy," he said, "but now I'm awake, in more ways than one, which is good, I think."

  Nellie rested her hand on his belly. "Just for the record, so am I."