South of Heaven

by Ali Spooner

  Lindsey poked her head into the wheelhouse. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Sure, come in. What are the rest of the crew doing?”

  “Playing poker or watching television.”

  “I thought you’d be in the thick of a poker game, too.”

  Lindsey nodded toward the open water. “Not when I have a view this beautiful. Poker will wait until after dark. Oh yeah, Harvey sent you a thermos of coffee.”

  “Mind pouring me a fresh cup?”

  “Not at all.” She took the cup Kendra handed her and filled it with the steaming liquid.

  “Thanks.” Kendra took a sip and moaned. “He makes the best coffee.”

  The sound of the moan sent a shiver down Lindsey’s spine. That something so innocent had such a profound effect on her made her realize she was in trouble. She knew she was a goner, and she would do anything to please the woman smiling at her.

  “You look so serious, a penny for your thoughts?”

  “I was just thinking how exciting it is to be with you on this adventure.” Whoa, I hope she buys that line. I don’t think I can admit to her how I feel.

  “I’m glad you’re a part of it.”

  Lindsey nodded. “You think we’ll arrive in time to make a run before it’s too dark to see?”

  “I’m hoping so. I’m eager to get those new nets wet.” Lindsey could see that Kendra’s green eyes were alight with excitement. Damn, I love it when her eyes light up like that. Lindsey had to look away to keep the blush from rising to her face.

  “Keep an eye on things for a few while I get rid of some coffee,” Kendra said, and left the wheelhouse.

  “With pleasure.” She slipped into the captain’s chair as Kendra left. There was nothing ahead of them but open water and the horizon in the distance. A glance at one of the monitors showed clear skies ahead. Even the clouds hesitated at ruining the perfect blue of the sky.

  A half hour after returning, Kendra looked over to see Lindsey’s head nodding as she sat in the co-pilots chair. “You’ve got time for a nap before lunch if you want.”

  “I’m just not used to sitting still this long. I think I’ll go stretch my legs and see if Harvey needs help making lunch.”

  “I’m sure he’d love the help, see you soon.”

  Kendra watched Lindsey walk outside and lean over the railing, the wind ruffling her blond locks. Why does the word adorable come to mind whenever I look at her? It’s probably because she is adorable, and you’re falling head over heels for her. “Maybe so, but it wouldn’t work for us, and neither of us needs a heartache to deal with at the end of the summer. Better just to admire the view from afar, and keep my hands to myself.” She spoke aloud. “Good grief, I’m talking to myself now.”

  Lindsey looked up at that moment, and she smiled and waved as she started for the galley.

  After a leisurely lunch, the crew broke out the new nets and rigged them for shrimping. As the day grew long, Kendra glanced at the GPS system, and according to what she was reading, they would reach the boundaries of the red grid in another hour.

  When they finished with the rigging, she stepped on deck. “We’ve got another hour or so and then we can drop our first nets. Relax, and I’ll let you know when we arrive.”

  †

  Lindsey stretched out on her bunk, the gentle rocking of the boat lulling her to sleep. She was having the sweetest of dreams when the loudspeaker crackled and Kendra’s voice filled the room.

  “We’ve hit our spot.”

  “Not quite, but I was getting close.” Lindsey snickered to herself. In her dream, their bodies had locked in a passionate embrace as their mouths and hands were busily exploring one another. “I hope I can come back to that dream later.” She grinned as she stood to return to the deck where everyone was moving into position.

  Kendra gave the order to begin. It would take several minutes to lower and position the nets, and then she would begin the slow trawl forward, hopefully filling the larger nets with the cherished shrimp. The minutes ticked by slowly and when she felt the tension on the lines slacken, she knew they had reached the bottom. Her heart pounded in her chest as she opened the throttle and the boat inched forward.

  “Now we wait.”

  She was used to feeling the drag of filled nets within an hour of trawling, but when the first hour passed, she felt no pull. She continued for another hour and then gave the order to bring the nets onboard. She heard and felt the whine of the winch as the nets lifted, and she held her breath for several seconds before she realized what she was doing. She let the breath out slowly in anticipation of her first catch.

  The crew stared in disbelief as the first net rose to the surface and swung onto the deck. Kendra only had to look at their faces from the wheelhouse to know that their first net was nearly empty. Charlie pushed the bin beneath the net and Tim untied the rope. Several dozen reds dropped into the bin.

  Her heart plummeted and she felt a wave of nausea lurch inside her. The crew moved to the opposite side of the boat to empty the second net, with an almost identical result. She cut the engine and joined the crew on deck.

  Harvey was standing there with his head hung in what looked like disappointment for his captain.

  “Well, that certainly isn’t what I was expecting.” She groaned when she looked at the meager catch in the bin. “Barely enough for dinner.”

  “I think we just seasoned the new nets, Captain," Harvey countered. “We know all new equipment needs to be broken in.”

  “I was hoping full nets would have broken them in.” Kendra knew she had a worried expression.

  “The shrimp will come, Captain,” Lindsey said.

  “I sure hope so.” Kendra released a deep sigh.

  “Do you want to make another run today, Captain?” Harvey asked.

  “No, Harvey. I think I’ll take us a bit farther out. We’ll call it a night and start fresh in the morning. We can eat those tonight if you’re up to boiling them.”

  “Will do, Captain. You heard the Captain, guys, let’s get moving.”

  The crew went into motion, cleaning and storing the gear for the night while Kendra stalked back to the wheelhouse, shut the door, and started the engine. “Fuck,” she growled as she opened the throttle to move the boat forward. She struggled to hold back the tears that filled her eyes.

  Lindsey looked at the closed door and then glanced at Harvey.

  Harvey shook his head. “Give her some time to deal with her disappointment.” He handed her a bucket of shrimp. “She’ll lick her wounded pride and be good to go in the morning. At least I hope she will.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. Do you want me to get these ready to cook?”

  “That would be great. We’ll finish up here and I’ll be in to help.”

  Kendra’s eyes burned with hot tears as she stared out the window into the setting sun. “Where are you hiding?” she growled, her words echoing in the room. She prayed that she hadn’t made a huge mistake bringing the crew to fish for reds when they were having a record brown season. With her confidence sinking to rock bottom, she did the one thing she knew would help her failing spirits. Kendra called home.

  “Hey, honey, how was your day?”

  “It was horrible, Dad. Have I made a mistake coming out here?”

  “Absolutely not. Settle down and tell me what happened.”

  Kendra struggled to hold back her tears making her voice quiver with emotion. “We arrived in plenty of daylight to make a first run. I just knew we would bring up filled nets, Dad, but when they came up, they barely have enough to feed us tonight.”

  “You’re probably still just too far north. Go deeper into the Gulf and start over in the morning. Most of all, stop worrying so much. They will come. You’re much too good a captain not to find them.”

  “I pray you’re right, Dad. I’d hate to have another repeat of today. I could see the disappointment on the crew’s faces, and I never want to see that again.”

  “T
hat’s the spirit. Now you sound more like the daughter I know and love so much,” Kevin soothed. “There will always be bad days in every season. Like a passing storm, you just have to ride them out.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I knew calling you would pick me up.”

  “You call me anytime. I always want to hear from you.”

  “I’ll call again tomorrow, hopefully with better news.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to hearing all about it. I love you, Kendra.”

  She felt her frown turn to a smile. “I love you, too.”

  “Get some rest. Tomorrow’s a new day.”

  “Yes, it is. I want to take us another hour south and then I’ll call it a night. Sleep well, Dad.”

  “You too, honey. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  She hung up the phone and realized her dad was right. In her eagerness to start the season off well, she had erred in starting too far north. “Tomorrow will be much better,” she promised herself and watched the last shimmering rays of sunlight disappear.

  When she was satisfied that she had driven as far south as she dared, Kendra cut the engine and dropped anchor. She set the alarms to monitor their position. Confident they would sound if the boat drifted off course during the night in the Gulf currents, she recorded their position and closed her logbook. She turned off the overhead in the wheelhouse and smiled at the illumination of the control panels in the eerie darkness.

  Kendra stepped into her private sleeping quarters, just off the wheelhouse. She washed her face in cool water to hide any remnants of her tears, and then joined her crew for dinner.

  †

  “Something is smelling really good,” Kendra announced when she entered the galley.

  “The shrimp are almost done and Lindsey’s working on some hushpuppies.” Harvey handed her a cold beer. “You can join the others at the table and we’ll be done in just a few.”

  She took a seat beside Charlie.

  “Hey, Captain.” He looked at her with a sheepish grin. “Are you up for some cards tonight?”

  “I think I’ll pass tonight, Charlie, but thanks for the invite. We’re going to have a long day tomorrow, so I’m going to get some sleep.”

  “It’ll be a good day tomorrow, Captain. I can feel it,” Tim replied.

  “I think I was just too overeager to get started, and we weren’t far enough south to be on the shrimp.”

  “That’s what we’re thinking, too.” Harvey placed a steaming pan of boiled shrimp in the middle of the table. “Tonight we get to sample what the next few months have to offer us.”

  “You have to admit these are beautiful shrimp,” Kendra remarked.

  “They taste like miniature lobsters.” Lindsey brought a pan of hushpuppies to the table. “Anyone need a fresh beer?”

  “Bring us all a round,” Kendra requested.

  †

  Kendra left the crew to clean up from dinner before they started their poker game. She walked onto the deck to stretch her legs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on board after dark. The lines hanging from the outriggers swayed with the rocking of the boat as waves lapped at its sides. She was standing along the railing, gazing out at the reflection of the moon on the water when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Lindsey beside her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, today was a big disappointment, but tomorrow will be better.”

  The hand on her shoulder was warm and comforting. She was pleased that Lindsey didn’t remove it right away.

  “You’re a good captain, and we all know that you’ll find the shrimp, so go easy on yourself.”

  “Thanks, that means a lot.”

  “Is there anything I can get you?”

  “Thanks, Lindsey, but I think I’m going to call it a night.”

  “Rest well, Captain, I’ll have a big pot of coffee ready for you in the morning.”

  Kendra smiled lighting up her face. “Thanks. Goodnight, Lindsey.”

  Once in her quarters Kendra stripped out of her clothes and slipped into shorts and a T-shirt. The crisp sheets felt good against her skin as she stretched out in the comfortable bed. She felt the emotional drain on her body as she closed her eyes and let the movement of the boat rock her to sleep.

  Lindsey stood for a while after watching as Kendra entered the wheelhouse and disappeared in the darkness. Finally she whispered, “Goodnight, my sweet Captain,” into the breeze, and then walked back into the galley to join the card game.

  After losing four hands in a row, she decided to retire for the night. She couldn’t concentrate on the game and bid the crew goodnight. In spite of her best efforts, her thoughts kept drifting back to Kendra’s smile when they talked earlier on deck. If you only knew how that smile of yours affects me. The grin grew on her face as she walked to her bunk.

  Chapter Eight

  The morning dawned brilliantly with the sun shining brightly and a cool breeze blowing across the deck. As Harvey predicted, Kendra chose to skip breakfast, so the crew set the nets and the trawl began while they cooked and ate breakfast.

  Lindsey buttered two slices of toast and slathered apple jelly across them as Harvey filled a thermos of coffee. “I’ll take it while you guys finish breakfast.”

  “Good luck getting her to eat that toast,” Harvey replied with a chuckle.

  “I can only try,” she replied and left the galley.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  Kendra looked up to see Lindsey in the doorway. “Sure, come on in.”

  Lindsey placed the toast next to Kendra and unscrewed the lid on the thermos. “Hand me your cup, please.”

  Kendra reached for the near empty cup. “I told Harvey I didn’t think I could eat breakfast.”

  “That’s what he told me, but the acid from the gallon of coffee you’ll be drinking this morning will only irritate your stomach, so please eat. I slaved over the hot toaster to make it for you and I put your favorite jelly on it, too.” Lindsey smiled.

  Her smile is too adorable to ignore, and she is trying to take care of me. Kendra reached for a slice of toast. “Just because you worked so hard,” Kendra joked as she took a bite.

  “Thank you.”

  Kendra could hear the tone of genuine concern in Lindsey’s voice in spite of her teasing. “This does taste good.”

  “I’m glad you like it. Just give me a holler if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks again,” she replied and watched Lindsey leave the wheelhouse.

  †

  The crew positioned the bins to prepare for bringing in a haul. Kendra’s smile grew when she heard and felt what she was waiting for. The boat gave an audible groan, signaling something of substance was filling the nets. She felt her heart lifting as the crew readied to bring up the nets.

  Thank you, God.

  She brought the boat to a crawl and lifted the microphone for the speaker system. “Crank them up, Harvey, and let’s see what we’ve got.”

  He waved to her from the deck and pushed the switch to activate the winch.

  She found she was holding her breath again, but blew it out with a sigh when the winch groaned with strain. Kendra cut the engine and walked out on deck just as Charlie and Tim guided the first net on board.

  The net was ninety percent filled with the precious shrimp, and the crew cheered with excitement at the size of the catch.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Harvey shouted.

  A smile stretched across Kendra’s face. “Let’s get them processed,” Kendra instructed and returned to the wheelhouse. A smile of relief crossed her face as she returned to her chair to watch the crew.

  The catch filled up the bins. Lindsey and Charlie started bagging the shrimp for freezing while the rest of the crew brought up the second net, and prepared them for the next run. Each bag held ten pounds of shrimp when filled, a quart of water added before sealing each bag to speed the flash freezing process.

  Ti
m and Charlie emptied the second net and reset it before lowering it overboard. They watched the net sink beneath the water, signaled Kendra that they were ready, and then joined the rest of the crew in processing the shrimp. Kendra began the trawl again.

  Kendra watched as Harvey approached the wheelhouse sporting a large grin. When he opened the door, she heard Lindsey holler out, “Let’s get cracking.” She shook her head and chuckled at Lindsey’s exuberance.

  Kendra loved the smile on Harvey’s face when he entered the wheelhouse. “How’d we do?”

  Harvey grinned as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “I was given the honor of informing you we had a great first haul. We filled one hundred and ten bags. I knew you’d do it, you’re definitely on the shrimp now.”

  “Hot damn.” She grinned and lifted her hand for a high five.

  Harvey slapped her hand. “I hope you bought enough bags.”

  Her face froze in doubt. “I bought a thousand.”

  “If this is going to be any indication of how our season is going to go you better go ahead and call in an order to double that for next week.”

  “That will be a call I’ll gladly make, but let’s see what the second run nets.”

  “This isn’t a fluke, Captain. It’s going to be great.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Harvey. It means a lot coming from you.”

  “My pleasure, Captain.” He smiled. “With your permission I’d like to pull out some steaks for dinner tonight.”

  “Absolutely, Harvey, we need to celebrate.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Kendra watched him go, a spring in his step. She wished her dad could have been here to celebrate with them.

  By sunset, they had managed four runs. Kendra would have been comfortable with ending the day at three, but the crew, stoked by their success asked her to make one more. That’s all it took to convince her. At this rate, they would fill their shelves with the remaining bags in two more days and be ready to head home a day earlier than planned.