Heart's Passage

by Cate Swannell

  "Sorry," Jo muttered. "Must have picked up some static."

  "No problem," Cadie said quietly. "Must be all the, um, electricity, around here."

  Jo grinned and moved away. Whatever else, the next three weeks are not going to be boring.

  The next few hours were filled with laughter and music as the passengers and crew started to relax and get to know each other while the moon climbed higher in the sky. The champagne flowed and inhibitions dropped, leading to a round-robin karaoke session loud enough to scare away the fishes.

  Jo chuckled. She had seen it a thousand times, but the sudden relaxation of a bunch of townies out on the sea for the first time never failed to make her smile. She tried to remember her life in the big city, but as was always the case when she was out here on the water, she found the details of those dark days hard to grasp.

  She looked up and found Cadie's eyes on her, a raised eyebrow asking her a question.

  I must have had the weirdest look on my face, Jo thought. She smiled back at the blonde, who grinned, reassured.

  She just had the strangest look on her face, thought Cadie. Like she was trying to remember something very sad and far away. I want to get to know her. I want to find out what makes her look so alone sometimes, when she thinks nobody is watching. A surprisingly depressing thought hit her. I wonder if three weeks will be enough?

  Jo struggled to keep her eyes open in the early morning heat. The tall skipper was perched on the rail at the stern of the Seawolf and about the only thing keeping her awake was the thought that if she dropped off she'd topple into the water. It had been a frantic few days since they'd picked up this new boatload of Americans. The novelty of being on a yacht had kept them on the move, sailing from anchorage to anchorage as the tourists got used to their new floating home.

  Hopefully soon they'll figure out that they've got plenty of time to see everything and we can settle in one spot for a while, Jo thought wearily. She knew Paul and Jenny were feeling the pinch a little too. The three crewmembers were up earlier and sleeping less than the paying customers in a bid to keep the yacht stocked and in good running order. At least when we stay in one place we can all chill out a bit.

  Jo glanced down at the chart in her hands. They were anchored off a tiny reef just east of the islands. The skipper carefully plotted their position and contemplated where they might reasonably head today.

  It was early enough for most of the passengers to still be asleep below decks. The exception was Cadie, who had made a habit of rising early, long before her partner.

  Don't blame her, Jo thought, casually watching the blonde as she made her way up the companionway and into the cockpit, stretching as she greeted the day. It's about the only time that grouchy bitch let's her out of her sight.

  The senator had proven herself to be a curmudgeon of the highest order. Her animosity towards Jo hadn't diminished even though the skipper had been very careful to keep her contact with Cadie down to a minimum. Jo wasn't happy about that. She'd continued to find herself drawn to the woman and the last few days had been filled with soft smiles and looks that had left the Australian feeling discombobulated in the extreme.

  "Good morning." Cadie smiled at her sunnily, her nose wrinkling in a way that made Jo weak at the knees.

  Good thing I'm not standing. "Hello there," she answered out loud, unable to stop her own grin. "Sleep well?"

  "Mmmm, like a baby, actually," Cadie replied. She stretched again, arching her back and reaching for the sky, her t-shirt lifting to reveal a toned set of abs. Jo tried hard not to look, but... but she's gorgeous, she finally admitted.

  "I think sleeping on the water agrees with me," the blonde decided, oblivious to the effect she was having on Jo. She looked around. "Gosh, it's beautiful here." The tide was low and the reef was clearly visible. "I wonder if I can persuade the others to stay put for a day. Can we walk on the reef?"

  Jo nodded. "Sure. You'll need a pair of sneakers you don't mind getting wet though. Coral is sharp and you can get a nasty infection from any cuts and scrapes."

  Alert green eyes pinned her. "Come walking with me now?" Cadie asked. She looked around as if worried anyone else could hear their conversation. "Before..." She tilted her head in the direction of the companionway. Come on, Jo. Apart from anything else I'm desperate to have an intelligent conversation with someone. The blonde took in the long, athletic body in front of her. Okay, so that's not my only motivation. She smiled at the skipper again.

  Jo blinked. Before Naomi wakes up, she finished the sentence in her head. "I'd love to," she replied, unsurprised by her own lack of hesitation.

  Ten minutes, and a short dinghy ride, later they were on the reef, picking their way through the small pools formed when the tide uncovered the coral plateau. Both women were in shorts and t-shirts. Cadie had a small backpack on, containing sunscreen and her camera, while Jo carried a length of an old broomstick handle. She'd learned over the years that tourists were insatiably curious about what was under rocks and coral overhangs, and were not necessarily good at listening to warnings about touching things.

  Cadie spied something in the pool she had just stepped into and bent over at the waist to get a closer look. "Jo," she called out. "I think I've found an octopus."

  The skipper made her way over, pleased to see that Cadie, at least, had absorbed the warnings and hadn't tried to touch the creature. When she reached Cadie's side, Jo bent down as well. She didn't see it at first but then her eyes adjusted. One sandy-colored tentacle poked out from under a lip of coral.

  "Well spotted," she murmured, smiling at Cadie.

  "He was out in the open and then he scooted under there when he saw me," the American said. "Is he friendly?"

  Jo crouched down for a closer look. "Not particularly," she replied. "He's a blue-ringed octopus. Small, but nasty. They bite and they can spit venom."

  "Wow. Blue rings?" Cadie peered closer. "I don't see any."

  Jo swung the stick around and shortened up her grip on it. "Not now," she said. "But if I do this..." Gently she slid the handle under the tentacle, probing back under the overhang. Abruptly the octopus shot out, wrapping itself around the wood. Brilliant fluorescent blue rings flashed and flared across the creature's pale yellow skin in an aggressive display of color.

  "Ohhh," Cadie gasped. "Pretty. In a sneaky kind of way." She laughed and Jo joined in as she carefully unraveled the little animal from the stick. Quickly it scuttled back under the protective lip of coral. "Was that a young one? It was so small. I always pictured octopuses—octopi?—to be bigger than that."

  Jo stood up to her full height again. "No, six inches is about as big as that species get," she explained. "Packs a punch though if he gets a good enough bite in."

  They moved across to the next pool, stepping from one piece of clear sand to the next.

  "It must be something, living here are all the time," Cadie said.

  "It has its moments," Jo replied noncommittally. Something in her was reluctant to give away too much personal information. I like how we get on right now, she thought. If she finds out too much about me, that'll change, for damn sure.

  Cadie opened her mouth to ask another question, her curiosity piqued by the tall skipper's reticence. But before she could form the words her foot slipped and she felt her weight sliding down and backwards.

  Jo saw it coming but didn't have time to warn the blonde as her foot headed for the deceptively solid-looking rock. Instead she moved quickly to wrap a strong arm around the American's waist, catching her as she lost her balance. The movement brought them close together, close enough to feel the warmth from each other's bodies, and to breathe each other's air.

  For long, golden seconds they hovered in that tingling limbo between restraint and recklessness, the attraction between them almost palpable.

  "Urn, thanks," Cadie whispered as Jo gently helped her regain her feet. She was lost in the wide blue gaze just inches from her.

  "N-no worries," Jo mur
mured. They were close enough for Jo to feel Cadie's heartbeat, strong and fast under her fingertips. "S-sorry," she said, reluctantly letting the blonde go and backing off a little. Damn, this feeling is so... strong.

  "No, it's... um... it's okay," Cadie replied hesitantly. Her own hand was still on Jo's forearm and she wondered at the steely strength under the warm skin. She let her fingers stroke gently against the fine hairs she found there. Cadie felt her mouth go dry. Hoo boy.

  Somewhere a bell started ringing and the noise startled both women, bringing them back to reality as they stepped away from each other. Jo, who was facing the Seawolf, looked over Cadie's shoulder, her stomach lurching at what she saw there. It was the senator who had rung the bell that hung near the port helm station and now the stocky woman stood with her arms folded. She glared at them across the deep stretch of water between the yacht and the small reef.

  "What is it?" Cadie asked, seeing the color drain out of Jo's face.

  Jo sighed. "Trouble," she answered grimly. Cadie turned and looked back, her shoulders slumping at the sight of her angry partner.

  "Shit," she muttered.

  At that moment Jenny emerged from below decks and waved at them. "Breakfast's ready," she yelled across the water.

  Jo waved back as they headed back towards the dinghy. "I'm sorry, Cadie," the skipper said as she pushed the small tender back into deep water, holding it as the blonde stepped aboard.

  "Don't," Cadie replied, more sharply than she intended. She softened her attitude, mustering a weak smile. "Don't, Jo. It's not your fault, okay?"

  Jo didn't say anything until she was settled in the stern of the dinghy and had the motor running. She swung the tiller and pointed them towards the Seawolf. "You're the client, Cadie, and I'm the employee," she said quietly. "I should know better." How the hell do I stay away from her? Fuck.

  They pulled alongside the yacht and Jo held the dinghy steady as Cadie jumped easily up onto the transom. Naomi had watched them every second and she stepped forward, roughly grabbing her shorter partner's upper arm. Jo bit down on her tongue, hating the possessive way the politician treated Cadie.

  Damn it, Jo, get a grip, she thought as she watched Naomi lead Cadie below decks. She shut down the engine, tethered the dinghy, and clambered aboard the yacht.

  Jenny watched the interaction between the senator and Cadie, and was nonplussed to find her skipper scowling as Jo approached. "Trouble, Skip?" she asked.

  "None of our business, Jen," Jo muttered, moving past the brunette and heading for the solitude at the bow.

  Jo stayed out of the way for the rest of the day, busying herself with any little chore she could find in the bowels of the Sea-wolf. Thankfully, the Americans decided to stay by the little reef for the day and it was fairly easy to avoid contact. The skipper felt bad for Cadie, who bore the full brunt of the senator's bad temper, but there was nothing she could do that wouldn't worsen the situation.

  Discretion is the better part of valor, and all that crap, she thought as she sat in the gloom of the sail hold, far forward and deep in the yacht's hull. Ostensibly she was checking the Seawolf's spinnaker, but instead she had flopped down in a foul-tempered heap and taken a long, badly-needed nap.

  Jen knows where I am and she'll yell if I'm needed, she reasoned before she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

  Paul tapped her on the shoulder seconds later, it felt like.

  "Hey, snoozy." He grinned at her as she shook the cobwebs out her head.

  "What's up?" Jo eased the stiffness out of her long legs, wishing she'd found somewhere more comfortable to fall asleep.

  "The loopies want to head back to Blue Pearl Bay for the night, Skip." The big man laughed at her befuddled expression. "You've slept the day away, mate. Dinner will be ready by the time we get there." He slapped her lightly on the thigh. "Come on."

  "Wha... bu... Jesus." Jo rubbed her face as Paul pulled back out of the hatch. She hoisted herself up onto the deck after him, standing and stretching as she took in the late afternoon position of the sun. Ah well, at least we got them to stay put for almost a whole day, she reasoned as she helped Paul haul the mainsail up on deck and started rigging it for the trip back to Hayman Island.

  Everyone was in or around the cockpit. The cheerful lights from the cabin, and those strung up in the rigging, gave everything a friendly glow. The sail back to Blue Pearl Bay had taken an hour and a half and all on board were ready for the dinner Jenny had prepared. Jo had been too busy to have to deal much with the passengers and it was only now that everyone was settling in for the evening that she girded her loins for trouble. She warily walked into the light, wondering just what kind of mood the prickly senator was in.

  "Evening all," the skipper murmured, moving to her usual spot just in front of the helm.

  Jenny handed her a plateful of pasta and grinned down at the skipper. "Get all your chores done, sleepy?" she asked cheekily.

  "Oh shut up," Jo growled good-naturedly. "Or I shall have you keel-hauled."

  Jenny giggled and moved away, making sure the rest of the passengers were getting their dinners organized. Jo glanced over at Cadie, oddly gratified to find green eyes already fixed on her. The blonde threw her a wavering smile and Jo felt a pang, knowing it had been a difficult day. She was about to smile back when Naomi leaned forward, blocking her view of Cadie.

  Jo sighed and returned her attention to her food. Get your mind back on the job, Madison, she chastised herself. You've got no business causing this kind of trouble.

  Dinner went by pleasantly enough and soon Paul pulled out his guitar, launching into a series of raunchy sea shanties designed to loosen everyone up. The copious amounts of alcohol being downed by most of the Americans did plenty to help that process along as well. Jo noted that Cadie was keeping her wits about her, though. Interesting.

  Cadie watched as Naomi and her friends kept drinking as the evening progressed. She felt oddly detached from the group and she had her own reasons for wanting to stay alert and sober. It had been a difficult day, with Naomi barely keeping her temper in check for most of it. Cadie knew that chances were the alcohol would make her partner less inclined to be polite as the night went on. She wanted to make sure she was capable of dealing with anything the senator might throw at her, literally and figuratively, when they were alone.

  The good news was that as Naomi became more and more intoxicated she was paying less and less attention to her. And that meant she could get away with watching Jo. The tall skipper was quietly sitting against the base of the portside wheel, one arm wrapped around her knee. She seemed lost in thought and Cadie drank in the planed features, the blue eyes turned dark in the half light. I wish I knew what was going on behind those eyes, the blonde pondered.

  "C'mon, Skip. Your turn," Paul said, nudging Jo from her reverie.

  "Aw, give me a break, mate. It's been a long day," Jo said reluctantly.

  "And what better way to round it off than with a song or two from the Pied Piper of the Passage..."

  "The Siren of the Seas," Jenny chimed in.

  "The Mariner of Melody," Paul said.

  "...Miss Jossandra Cristie Madison," they both chorused.

  "Oh, shut up," Jo said good-naturedly. "All right, fire it up."

  "Which one?" Paul asked.

  Jo thought for a moment. "That new ballad we were practicing the other day."

  "Rightio." He played the introduction and Jo began singing, her rich alto floating out across the bay.

  Cadie felt the notes tingling up and down her spine. Ohhh myyy...

  Jo shut away her natural self-consciousness and tried to pretend there was nobody listening. Nobody, but Cadie. She closed her eyes and gave her voice full rein as she weaved her way through the slow song.

  The last notes faded away into the night air and Jo turned back to a boatload of wide-eyed tourists, one sea-green pair in particular. Applause broke out.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" Therese asked
bluntly. "You could be making real money."

  "Nah," Jo said. "I only sing when I'm inspired. And money doesn't do it for me anymore." She smiled.

  "So what inspired you tonight?" Cadie asked quietly. She tried to ignore the dark look she was getting from her partner.

  Jo hesitated before answering. "Well, I make an exception when Paul and Jen gang up on me like that," she said, wishing she could say what she was really thinking.

  "She knows we'll toss her overboard if she doesn't," Paul said. He and Jenny shared a laugh.

  "It wouldn't be the first time." She nudged him with her shoulder.

  "Well, I'm ready to call it a night," Naomi said, abruptly. "Coming, sweetheart?" She reached out a hand to pull Cadie up off the deck.

  "Um, sure." Cadie stood and followed the senator down to their cabin. She turned back just before the companionway. "Goodnight, everyone. Thanks for a lovely day, guys." She beamed at the crewmembers.

  "No worries, mate," Paul said.

  Jo just nodded and smiled as each of the passengers made their way below decks.

  "Boy, the senator's a real kill-joy, isn't she?" Paul asked quietly once everyone was below. Neither Jenny nor Jo saw any reason to contradict him. "Whose turn is it to sleep on deck?"

  "Don't worry about it. You two take the cabin, I'll take the deck tonight," Jo said.

  "You don't have to tell me twice, Skipper," he grinned. "Come on Jen, you know how you love being in a confined space with me." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Jenny rolled her eyes. "One snore from you, bucko, and you're out on your bum."

  "G'night, guys."

  "'Night, Jo-Jo."

  "'Night, Skipper."

  Jo waited till all seemed settled below, and then she took a last stroll around the deck. It was a humid night, with the barest whisper of a relieving breeze. She made her way forward and double-checked the anchor line, then found a relatively flat piece of deck near the forepeak and stretched out. Most people found sleeping on deck a glamorous, even romantic thought. For about 10 minutes, until they discovered that not much of a boat's deck is flat or clear of fittings. But Jo had never minded it. She sat down and stretched out her long legs with a sigh.