Sara resumed her search and found a cooler filled with cans. “I’ve never heard of Meister Bräu. Is it an imported beer?”
“I doubt it. All I know is that it’s cheap. But I don’t care. Hand one over.”
Sara handed him a beer and opened one for herself. “Ugh, this is awful.”
“Yeah, I know.”
They rode in silence for a while, eating Cheetos and drinking beer. The combination of the drone of the motor, bumpy ride, hot sun, and bizarre food began to make Sara feel queasy. She’d never gotten seasick before, but there was a first time for everything.
Zack glanced over at her. “Are you okay? You look sort of…uh…green.”
“Can we slow down for a minute?”
Zack eased the boat down to trawling speed and Sara staggered to the back. Standing up may have been a mistake. She leaned over the side and spewed the noxious orange contents of her stomach into the lake.
Wiping the back of her hand across her mouth, she stood for a moment, watching the orange goo disappear behind them in the wake of the boat. Standing wasn’t a good option, so she got down on the deck and lay spread-eagled on the floor of the boat, in an effort to encourage her stomach to stop doing pirouettes. Olivia jumped down from her perch, sniffed at Sara’s face, and retreated under the seats.
The rumble of the engine stopped and when Sara opened her eyes, Zack was crouched down next to her. “That was nasty. Do you feel better?”
“I think the Cheetos didn’t agree with me.” She squinted up at him through her eyelashes. “I just need a moment to collect myself.”
He sat down cross-legged, picked up her hand off the deck, and clasped it between both of his. “I’m sorry you feel bad.”
She shielded her eyes with her other hand and turned her head to look at him. “I think that’s the most compassionate thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Hey, I said you were sexy before.”
“That’s not being compassionate. That’s being horny.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” He stroked her hand. “I hope you’re okay. It figures Ozzy would stock up on crappy food. Even I normally eat better than that.”
“I’m sure you do.” Sara sat up and put her arms around her knees. “You certainly look better than he does.”
“Aww, you’re such a flatterer. I’d kiss you, but then again, barf is not a turn-on.”
Sara laughed. “It’s not. Maybe I’ll have a drink of water.”
“Actually, I’m hot. I turned off the engine and we’re just floating here. No one is around and the contents of your stomach are way, way back over there. How about if we take a swim?”
“That might help. I think I might smell bad.”
Zack stood up and took her hand to help her upright. “You look less green now.”
“Now who’s the flatterer?”
He reached down, slowly pulled her t-shirt up over her head, dropped it on the deck, and kissed her neck. “Mmm, salty.”
Enjoying the sizzling sensuous tingle of his lips on her neck, Sara pulled his t-shirt off and put her hand on his chest, stroking it gently. “Yes, definitely better than Ozzy.”
They slowly and methodically removed the rest of their clothes, lowered the ladder, and got into the water. Olivia stood on the deck observing as they splashed around in the lake.
Sara removed her hair elastic, dove, and surfaced again, enjoying the feel of the cool water on her hair and bare skin. “This feels wonderful!”
Zack wrapped his arms around her and entwined his legs with hers. As his hands roved under the water along her curves, he murmured, “So do you.”
Once they’d exhausted themselves swimming, Sara and Zack climbed out of the water and flopped onto the deck, breathing heavily. Zack rolled onto his back. “This is great. I’m starting to see why people spend gazillions of dollars on sexy boats.”
Sara closed her eyes, enjoying the prickly sensation of the sun evaporating the water from her bare skin. “I know what you mean. If I win the lottery, I’m definitely getting one of these.”
“Hey, we could still find the treasure.”
Sara rolled over onto her side. “I’m not counting on that. We were there. I don’t suppose you’ve had any epiphanies lately, have you?”
Zack moved to face her. “No. You’d be the first to know.”
Sara flopped back flat on the deck and closed her eyes again. “Okay, until that changes, my meager teaching salary precludes any sexy boat purchase.”
“I’ll get a boat and take you out with me. We could bring actual food. It would be fun.”
“That sounds lovely, but you don’t live here.”
Zack rolled closer and ran his fingertips downward from the base of her neck. “Yeah, well in the meantime, I can think of other fun things we could do here on the boat right now.”
Sara opened her eyes again and smiled at the focused attention Zack was giving various parts of her anatomy. “I can too, and what you’re doing right now is quite thrilling. But I see where you’re going with that idea, and it’s not going to happen.”
“You were pretty friendly when we were swimming in the lake. I liked what you did. Very creative.”
“Friendly is one thing, sex is another.” She raised her eyebrows. “I’m a former nurse and currently a teacher. You’ll never find a bigger proponent of safe sex than I am.”
“Oh yeah. Bummer.” Zack pulled his hand away and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “There’s gotta be a drug store in Alpine Grove, right?”
“Yes. And beds.”
“Mmm. Pillows.” He sidled up next to her, put his head on her shoulder, and ran his hand down the side of her body, settling his palm on her hip. “Soft pillows.”
Sara closed her eyes again and stroked his back. It was so relaxing lying in the sun with the gentle rocking of the boat that she didn’t want to move. They didn’t have towels, so she should air dry before getting dressed again.
At a sudden movement from Zack, Sara jerked awake. Had she actually fallen asleep? Okay, maybe she was more tired than she thought. She extricated herself from Zack and sat up. “We can’t just lie here, floating around, and napping. We need to get back to town!”
Zack moaned in response.
She looked down at him. “Are you all right?”
With a puzzled look, he sat up. “I had the weirdest dream.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. All I can remember is that it was strange and I’m sure I’ve dreamed it before. There might have been a fire. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “This is like the treasure thing—I can almost remember it. My brain must be so incredibly screwed up.”
Sara touched his cheek. “You might be a bit sunburned, too.”
He put his hands on the sides of his face. “Great. I’m half sunburned, aren’t I? That’s so creepy. Little kids are gonna run away from me crying.”
Sara grinned. “Or they’ll think you’re cool—like a character from a science-fiction story.”
“I’ll just say I’m half Martian.”
“I can tell you that the kids in my class would love that, although I think Venetian would be more accurate, since Venus is closer to the sun.”
“You’re a really good teacher, aren’t you?”
“Well, second-graders seem to think so. Speaking of which, we need to get going. I have so much to do when we get back. But first, I need to check your leg. The bandage is all wet and I should change it.”
Zack made a face. “Do you have to?”
“Yes. And I’d like you to go to a doctor when we get back. Alpine Grove has a small medical center, and I’m sure there’s someone who can check it out.”
“I don’t like doctors.”
“I don’t care. That laceration has been subjected to countless less-than-ideal conditions. There’s only so much I’ve been able to do.”
“Fine.”
“Do you want to take off the bandage or do you want me to?”
&
nbsp; Zack turned his leg to look at the back. “I’ll do it. Man, I hate this part. My leg is gonna be totally bald.”
They stood up, put on their clothes, and Zack spent what seemed like hours removing the old bandage. Sara tried not to be impatient, but she desperately wanted to get home. She missed Holly and she wanted to talk to Bob at the camp about her job. It would be such a relief to be able to do everyday things again, like go running and play Frisbee with her dog.
After Sara had applied a new bandage to his leg, Zack returned to the wheel. He fired up the boat engines, which woke up Olivia, who emerged from her shady spot under the seats. Sara picked up the cat and settled her into her lap. Olivia began purring softly as Sara stroked her soft fur.
Aside from checking her compass a few times, Sara remained seated next to Zack enjoying the view of the lake and reflecting on the past few days. What a bizarre experience. Being marooned with a business consultant didn’t happen to a girl every day.
Returning to civilization with Zack was likely to be awkward and uncomfortable in many ways. In normal day-to-day life, they probably would never talk to each other, much less have the type of intimate conversations or contact they’d shared during their time out in the woods.
When she first met Zack, she’d detested his sarcastic and slightly arrogant personality. Yet now she found him interesting and funny. Would she dislike him again when they returned to the real world? It was a somewhat depressing train of thought because the answer was probably “yes.”
If nothing else, Sara’s odd wilderness adventure had led to attention from an attractive man, which had helped to buoy her battered confidence. She had gone so long without any interest from a man that she’d started to feel like a bossy, organized leper.
After crossing many miles of open water, the boat traffic began to increase, which indicated they must be getting closer to the marinas. Zack slowed the boat and glanced at Sara. “So, I was thinking we’d park the boat in some visitor boat parking somewhere and kinda nonchalantly walk away.”
“Is there such a thing as visitor parking for boats?”
“There’s gotta be. This place has tons of tourists and the marina has a restaurant. You’ve got to put your boat somewhere if you aren’t paying the big bucks for your own slip, right?”
“I suppose. I wish I knew more about these things.”
“I wish I knew more about docking a boat. Guess we’ll find out if I can do it.”
“My advice would be to go as slowly as possible.”
“This is starting to look familiar.” He pointed. “I think my car is at that marina down there.”
He navigated the boat toward the crowded facility and they entered the no-wake zone extremely slowly. With a grin, he said, “Hey look, that way to visitor parking. We’re so there!”
Zack steered the boat toward an open spot and turned to Sara. “Hey, I think we have to throw those plastic thingies over the side, or you whack the boat on the dock.”
Sara stood up and settled Olivia on the seat. “Okay. We have to tie it up too.”
She threw the white plastic tubes over the side of the boat and went up to the bow to collect the rope. Turning to Zack, she shrugged. “What do I do?”
He cut the engine. “Jump out on the dock and pull the boat in.”
“I’m not sure we’re close enough.”
“Hey, you’re the athlete.”
Sara climbed over the side railing and leaped onto the dock. Although the take-off was fine, the landing didn’t go as well and she fell forward onto her hands and knees.
Zack leaned over the side. “Are you okay?”
“Everything except my dignity is intact.” With a quick glance to see if anyone had noticed, she yanked on the rope and began wrapping it around a cleat. “Throw me the rope from the back and I’ll tie that up.”
Zack did as instructed and then threw the dry bag to her.
Sara looked up at him. “Hand me Olivia.”
“Uh, you might want to pick her up. She’s giving me the kitty stink eye.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake.” Sara clambered back aboard, gathered up Olivia, and returned to the dock. “Feel free to leave the Cheetos here.”
He chuckled. “Fine by me. I’m not sure I ever want to eat those again after seeing what they look like on the way out.”
As casually as possible, they walked along the docks through the marina. Sara looked down at Olivia, who was putting up with being carried for the time being. A man walking by gave her an odd look and Sara smiled politely and nodded hello. Carrying a cat around a marina probably was a bit unusual.
She kept her gaze straight ahead, until she had to step around an older man with long gray hair who was sitting on the dock with his back leaning against a post, drinking a beer. He was wearing a threadbare blue t-shirt and beige pants that had countless pockets and appeared to be almost as dirty as Sara’s shorts. With a half-hearted wave, he said, “Hey, pretty kitty.”
Zack glanced at the man, but didn’t say anything as he increased his pace. “My car should be up there in that parking lot.”
“Thank goodness. I’d like to get out of here. I feel like everyone is watching me.”
“So far, there’s only an old dude who likes your cat.”
“Maybe it’s because of what you told me about being homeless, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever noticed someone sitting around like that here in Alpine Grove before.”
“Hey, there are worse things than hanging out at a marina. That actually wouldn’t be too bad, now that I think about it. Lots of rich tourists. Back when I was singing for my supper, I could have made serious bank with this kind of crowd.”
A tall man with blonde hair and a teal t-shirt from Kauai walked by, turned, and said, “Ms. Winston! I didn’t recognize you at first.”
Sara stopped with a sense of dread. “Ah, hello, Mr. Petrino. It’s nice to see you again. How is Eddy doing?”
“He’s great. We’re about to go out on the boat. All summer, he’s been saying, ‘Ms. Winston says this, Ms. Winston says that.’ I sure hope he gets such a great teacher for third grade.”
“Oh, I’m sure he will. Mrs. Bear is wonderful. He’ll love her.” Sara wasn’t sure if she should introduce Zack. Mr. Petrino undoubtedly hadn’t recognized her because she was bedraggled, wearing dirty clothes, carrying a cat, and hanging out with an oddly sunburned man who was as disheveled as she was. “Um, this is my…uh…friend, Zack.”
Zack smiled and held out his hand. “I was just telling Sara that she must be a wonderful teacher. I guess your son agrees.”
Mr. Petrino shook Zack’s hand. “Yes he does. He loved second grade and can’t wait to go back to school.” With a glance at the boats, he turned back to Sara. “I’ve got to run, but it was good to see you. Have a great day.”
“You too.”
Sara readjusted Olivia in her arms and scuttled off. Zack hurried up alongside her. “Hey, slow down.”
“We have got to get out of here before I meet anyone else I know. How completely mortifying. I hope I don’t see him at Parents Night this fall.”
“Aww, don’t worry about it. He likes you, and it sounds like his kid likes you even more.”
Sara shook her head. “I haven’t washed my hair in days and because of my clothes, I look like I was buried alive.”
“People always look grubby after a day at the beach. I’m guessing a day on a boat would be the same kinda thing, right?”
“Where is your car?”
“Right over there. It’s the boring gray sedan that looks like a rental car.”
Sara walked up to the car and looked at Zack. “Well?”
“Uh, this might require a few of the skills I used on the boat.”
“Are you saying you don’t have your car keys?”
“They fell out of my pocket. Maybe Ozzy found them before he stabbed me. I dunno.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’
m not stealing it because this is my car. I rented it fair and square. Just stand around with the cat and try to look inconspicuous, okay?”
Zack walked around to the other side of the car and as he passed by the hood, he ripped the radio antenna off. “Oops.”
Sara turned to look. “What are you doing?”
“Stand right there.” Zack walked over to her, bent the antenna, and did something else while Sara tried not to look too interested. With a quick motion, he rammed the wire down next to the window into the door. Sara heard a small popping noise and then he opened the door. After he got into the car, he reached across to unlock the other side. “Come on, get in.”
Sara got into the passenger side and put Olivia in the back seat. Clearly relieved to be released, the cat jumped up onto the ledge under the back window and glared at her. Sara made a face. “I’m sorry Olivia. We’re working on it. I promise I’ll buy you some grossly expensive cat food soon.”
Zack bent down under the dash and did something while Sara stared straight ahead, pretending to look extremely interested in the restaurant sign beyond. The engine started and Zack sat up. “Well, that was easy. Good thing rentals are such cheap pieces of junk. If they keep adding technology to cars, I won’t be able to do this anymore.”
“What a shame. You’ll have to give up your life of crime.”
“Hey, I told you. It’s my car, so there’s no crime happening here. I’m reformed—it’s like I’m a totally different person.”
“Except for that boat you just stole, Captain.”
“Hey, that was your idea.”
“Oh yeah.” She grinned. “I guess it was.”
“Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.” He glanced at her as he pulled up to a stop sign at the marina exit. “So I guess the gentlemanly thing would be to take you home, but I have no idea where you live.”
“I have a small rental house in Alpine Grove.”
“So uh, which way is Alpine Grove? I don’t remember how I got here.”
“It’s north of the lake.”
He turned to glare at her. “Come on. We talked about this. North is not helpful. Should I go left or right?”
The Treasure of the Hairy Cadre (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 8) Page 13
