by Aurora Rey
Before long, Mat approached a buoy with the color markings she’d described as hers. She cut the engine and reached over the side of the boat with the gunwale. She grabbed the buoy with her other hand and slid it into the pulley that stuck out from the top of the boat. “I thread the rope into the hydraulic lift and let it do most of the work.” She threw a switch and the rope started to feed through the contraption into a drawer at Mat’s feet. She wrapped her right hand around the rope as it came out of the water, sending muck and seaweed flying.
“Are you guiding the rope or cleaning it off?”
Mat smiled and Graham tried to ignore the heat that moved through her and settled right between her legs. “Both.”
After about a minute, a trap emerged and Mat cut the lift. With two gloved hands, she hauled the trap onto the wide rail of the boat. Graham counted four lobsters in one chamber of the trap. “We got some.”
Mat laughed. “Don’t count your lobsters before they’re inspected.”
Graham watched as Mat unlatched the top of the trap. She pulled one out and gave it the once over. “Nice male here.” She set it in one square of the gridded box behind her, then repeated with the second. “See the V?” Mat pointed to a notch in the tail.
Graham nodded. “Yep.”
“That means she’s a reproducing female. Back she goes.” Mat threw the lobster overboard.
Graham was about to ask for explanation when Mat pulled the third lobster out. “Now this one doesn’t have a V, but she’s got eggs.” Mat gestured to the cluster of black on the underside of the lobster. Then she took a small metal tool and cut a notch into one of the flipper shells at the end of her tail. And back into the water she went.
“Okay, I get why you don’t keep reproducing females, but I don’t know the system.”
“Anytime a female is caught with eggs, she gets a notch cut in her tail. That makes her illegal to possess. It takes about seven years for the V to grow out, which is about how long she’ll reproduce. So anytime you catch one with a V, she has to go back. And if I catch a female with eggs that isn’t marked, I notch her and throw her back.”
Graham nodded. So complicated. She understood why they did it that way, but still. Complicated. “You end up throwing back half of what you catch.”
Mat shrugged. “It feels that way. Probably more like a third.”
“And what about this last one?” Graham eyed the lobster. It was a big one and, based on the claws, looked to be female.
Mat grabbed it by the tail, but she locked onto the wire mesh of the trap and didn’t budge. Rather than yanking, Mat picked up one of the small crabs that had come up with the trap. She held it in front of the lobster and, sure enough, the lobster let go to grasp at it. Mat looked at the tail, then flipped it over to check the underside. “No eggs, no V. She’s coming with me.”
Graham couldn’t help but snicker at the saying. “That’s funny.”
“You’d be surprised what we come up with out here to entertain ourselves.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Now we bait.” Mat took a salt-cured skate from the bin at her feet and speared it, belly up, on the stake in the middle of the trap. She latched the trap closed, but instead of dropping in back in the water, put the boat in gear. “I use GPS to put them back in the same spot every time.”
“That’s genius.”
“I don’t know about genius, but it’s efficient. I’m all about efficient.” They went a short distance, and Mat shoved the trap overboard.
“So, one down, one hundred and forty-nine to go.”
Mat tipped her head. “Give or take. How do you feel about banding?”
Graham eyed the two lobsters in the box and decided this was not the time for complete honesty. “You tell me how to do it without losing a finger and I’m your girl.”
Mat picked up the larger of the lobsters, squeezing each claw shut. “Get them closed, then switch to grab both in your left hand.” She moved the lobster then picked up a tool that looked like a pair of pliers. “Grab the band and pry it open. Slide on, twist, release.”
Graham watched as she banded one, then the other claw. Then Mat dropped it into the large barrel to the side of the table. “You make it look easy.”
“I’ll hold this one so you can get a feel for it.”
Graham took the plier thing and slid a band onto it. She got it over the claw, but fumbled the twist part. She got it on the second try, then managed the second claw more smoothly. “I’m not sure how you do this and hold it at the same time.”
“Practice.”
Graham grinned. “I hope I get lots of practice today.”
“You and me both.” Mat made a note in a pad on the ledge next to the wheel and they were off. They got to the next buoy and Mat repeated the process of hauling the trap aboard. This one only had two lobsters, but both were keepers. “Want to try and band them yourself?”
Graham nodded, hoping she looked more certain than she felt. She tried to mimic Mat’s movements and managed to get the lobster secure and in her left hand. She almost had the first band on when the lobster flicked its tail with more force than she anticipated. Both the lobster and the bander hit the deck. To her complete embarrassment, she let out a squeal. “Sorry.”
Mat laughed, but it seemed more empathetic than judgmental. At least, Graham hoped it was. “It’s okay. I still have those moments.” She bent down and grabbed what Graham had dropped. “Do you want to try again?”
“One, you don’t have to say that. Two, absolutely.”
She handled herself better on the second try and managed to get both lobsters in the barrel. Mat showed her the tracking system she used. “If you can band and do that, I can handle the rest.”
Graham frowned. “That doesn’t seem very helpful.”
“It’s super helpful. I promise.”
Graham wasn’t convinced. “Okay.”
“I have a small area where I’m experimenting with two traps on a line. I’ll let you help haul those if you really want to.”
Graham tried not to look too eager. “I’m here to help, whatever that is.”
Mat steered them around, hauling the first thirty traps she had planned for the day. She stole glances at Graham, both to make sure she was doing okay, but also to appreciate seeing her in this new capacity. She was a quick study and not squeamish—more than Mat gave her credit for when they first started out. They weren’t moving as fast as when Dom was with her, but they were making good progress. “I’m going to take us to another area if you want to sit for a minute.”
Graham smiled. “I’m good.”
“I’m going to take your word for it. You have to tell me otherwise.” When she pulled up to the next buoy, she hauled in a pair of traps. She slid the first down the rail and set the second one in front of herself. “Like I said, I use almost all single-line traps. I’m experimenting with a few doubles, mostly to see if I lose fewer of them over the course of the season.”
“That makes sense.” Graham moved to stand in front of one of the traps.
“You really don’t have to do this part if you don’t want to.”
Graham squared her shoulders. “I can do it. I want to.”
Mat watched as Graham adeptly opened the trap and pulled out its lone resident, a good-sized male. Graham set it in the banding box and, without hesitating, grabbed a skate and speared it onto the spike. She discarded two small crabs and a bit of seaweed, then latched the trap shut. “It looks like you got this.”
Graham smiled with confidence and more than a little flirtation. “Does that mean you’re glad you brought me along?”
Mat took a second to look Graham up and down. She looked as comfortable in the fishing gear as she did in the bright green dress she’d worn the night before. Mat found the looks equally appealing, a fact that caught her off guard. “Very. You’re a natural.”
“I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a lobsterwoman, but I appreciate that.”
Mat curled her
lip. “Lobsterman. There aren’t a ton of women in the profession, but it’s a pretty universal agreement not to separate ourselves by gender.”
Graham nodded slowly. “Thanks for clearing that up. I definitely don’t want to break the lobsterman code.”
Mat chuckled. “Don’t worry. We cut the newbies some slack.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Graham gave her freshly baited trap a pat. “Well let’s keep moving, then. These traps aren’t going to haul themselves.”
“Yes, ma’am.” They did another forty traps and Graham didn’t miss a beat. In between spots, she banded and made notations in the book. She moved from one side of the boat to the other with ease. Mat decided to tell Dom he had some competition. “How about we take a break for lunch?”
“You brought lunch?” Graham’s eyes lit up.
“Nothing fancy. I make a pile of sandwiches at the beginning of the week and keep them in the fridge.”
“I’m not picky at all and completely starving.”
Mat felt a twinge of guilt for not stopping sooner. “You should have said so.”
“Oh, no. I’m no dummy. I know you work until the boss says it’s time for a break.”
Mat pulled sandwiches and two bottles of water from the cooler. “Graham.”
“Kidding. I didn’t realize I was hungry until you mentioned it. Promise.”
Mat didn’t believe her. She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. The truth was, they’d developed a nice rhythm and she’d lost track of time. Despite her plans to tease Dom, she didn’t know how she felt about that. “So, um, we can head in if you want to.”
Graham finished chewing a bite and looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “Haven’t we barely finished half a day’s work?”
Mat regretted telling her how many traps she hauled in an average day. “Yeah, but you’ve worked crazy hard already and I don’t want to take advantage.”
“Wait. You’re not paying me?”
They hadn’t discussed payment. And, honestly, Mat hadn’t thought about it. But Graham had done more than some of the day laborers she’d taken out in the past. “No, that’s not what I mean at all. Of course I’ll pay you.”
Graham erupted into laughter then. “You should see your face. You looked completely horrified.”
“I—”
Graham shook her head, but continued to laugh. “Is it the idea of paying me or not paying me that you find so distasteful?”
“Neither. I feel bad that we didn’t talk about it ahead of time.” A fact that made Graham seem much more like a girlfriend than Mat wanted to admit.
“I didn’t offer for the money. I wanted to help. And I love to learn new things.”
It should have been a relief that “spending time with you” wasn’t part of that list. Instead, it made Mat feel like a heel. “Well, I appreciate that. But I’m not about to let you work for free. Going rate is twenty percent of the proceeds.”
Graham shook her head. “I couldn’t possibly. I’ve not earned that and we both know it.”
“You’ve done more than you think.”
“How about you make me dinner instead?”
Mat smiled. “You want me to cook your share?”
“I wouldn’t say no, but it doesn’t have to be lobster.” Graham looked at her seductively. “I’m mostly angling for another date.”
Graham seemed to bounce effortlessly between affable sternman and flirtatious minx. It left Mat feeling unbalanced and she couldn’t decide whether she liked it. “I would have asked you out again either way. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“Not why I offered, I promise. And I really have had a good time.”
Mat nodded. “How about I pay you and make you dinner? It would make me feel better.”
“Fine. You really don’t have to, but fine.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for being so stubborn.” Mat took their trash and stuffed it into a bag.
Graham offered her a playful shrug. “I come by it naturally. I’m Irish.”
“Right.” Mat reached over to tug gently at her hair. Now that the sun had come out, it shone like fire. Although she’d intended to be playful, Mat’s brain took a turn and she imagined having Graham’s hair in her hands while they were in bed. She swallowed, shook the image away. “Right.”
They worked for another couple of hours, checking close to a hundred and twenty traps. Graham never said a word about being tired, but she started to fade. Stubborn wasn’t a trait she typically found appealing in a woman, but Graham’s tenacity had a definite appeal. As did her curiosity, and her unwavering enthusiasm for learning anything and everything.
When Mat suggested they call it a day, Graham didn’t argue. Mat took that to mean she’d officially worked her too hard. She felt bad about that, but otherwise had no complaints. Not only had they had a productive day, she’d had fun. As Mat steered them back toward land, Graham sat on one of the narrow benches. She turned her face to the sun and closed her eyes. Even in the grubby fishing clothes, she was beautiful. Watching her left Mat aroused and unsettled.
Once they reached the marina, Mat called her uncle and they unloaded the day’s catch. She tried to convince Graham not to worry about cleanup, but she insisted on helping. “All in a day’s work,” she said.
After everything was cleaned and stowed, she and Graham walked toward the lot where Mat’s truck was parked. The relaxed comfort that had defined most of the day was gone. Mat had never been in this situation with a woman before and couldn’t decide what her next move should be. She wasn’t tired of Graham’s company, but going home together felt entirely too domestic. “Would you like me to drop you at your place?”
Graham rolled her head from side to side. “That would be great.”
It was exactly what she wanted to hear, so it made no sense for her to be disappointed. Mat reminded herself of that fact twice on the short drive to Graham’s place. When they got there, Graham turned and gestured at the borrowed clothes. “Okay if I return these to you later? I promise I’ll wash them.”
“Of course.” Mat wanted to kiss her, but they were both dirty and smelled of fish. “I really can’t thank you enough for today.”
Graham waved a hand. “Nonsense. I badgered you to let me come.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”
“I find that part difficult to believe.”
“It’s true, I swear. Dom and I have an agreement not to go out alone.”
Graham seemed to take that much as true. “That’s good.”
“I’ll, um, I’ll text you tomorrow?”
Graham’s smile was tired, but warm. “Sure.”
“I’ll have your cut of the profits then.”
“All right. But I’m still going to insist you make me dinner.” She offered a flirtatious wink, and then she was gone.
Mat waited for Graham to go inside before she pulled away. From the drive home to the shower once she got there, Graham didn’t leave her thoughts. It had been such an unusual day, she still didn’t know what to make of it. And as she sat on her sofa in boxers and a tank top, sipping a beer and wondering what to have for dinner, images of Graham—naked in her bed, basking in the sunshine, wearing Dom’s rubber pants and banding claws like a pro—filled her mind. The desire was still there, perhaps even stronger than before. There was something else, though, something she couldn’t put her finger on. Not an unpleasant feeling by any means, but it left her unbalanced. And if there was one thing that made Mat uneasy, it was having her world tilted beneath her.
Chapter Ten
Graham slid into the bath and sighed. Every muscle she had ached, including a few she didn’t know she had. As the heat from the water seeped into her bones, she felt her body relax. She was pretty sure she’d never been so exhausted in her entire life. How in the world did Mat do that kind of work every single day?
Graham closed her eyes and allowed memories of the day to play through her mind.
There was the look on Mat’s face when Graham pulled on Dom’s rubber overalls, the respect in her eyes when Graham didn’t flinch at baiting the trap. There was the sun and the ocean and learning a whole new way of earning a living from the sea. But more than anything, she loved the moments when she could simply watch Mat work. She seemed so comfortable, so utterly in her element. Sure, she had plenty of confidence in the bedroom, but there was something about seeing Mat on the water that made her seem complete, whole. Graham hadn’t known it when she offered to spend the day hauling traps, but she was grateful for having the chance to see Mat that way.
Graham opened her eyes and sighed. Grateful was one word to describe it. Others popped into her head. Words she’d told herself didn’t apply to what she had, what she wanted with Mat. They’d connected. Connection didn’t have to equate to feelings, or imply anything deeper. Still. Graham couldn’t help but wonder how many people Mat let into that part of her life. They hadn’t really talked about it, but she got the impression Mat didn’t do so often, or lightly.
She’d actually been surprised when Mat agreed to take her along for the day. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing that gelled with the idea of a casual hookup. But Graham had offered before she was awake enough to second guess herself and Mat hadn’t probed her motivations. That could mean she was more into Graham than Graham realized. Or she simply didn’t want to lose a day of work.
Did it matter?
Graham shook her head. It didn’t. She liked spending time with Mat. She’d learned that included doing things other than having sex. If it happened again, great. If not, well, hopefully at least the time in bed would continue. Not to be sex-crazed, but that was sort of the point of this whole thing anyway.
Graham pulled herself from the tub before the water cooled completely. She pulled on a pair of cotton pajama pants and a tank top and padded out to the living room just as Jess walked in the door. She set down her things and looked at Graham with a sort of excited curiosity. “Please tell me you’re just getting home after an entire day of sexual escapades.”
Graham laughed. “Not quite.”
