“Don’t you like me?”
“Of course I like you Claire…its just that….”
She leaned over, and kissed him hard on the mouth, and to Jim, it felt like the bottom fell out of the boat, “You shouldn’t have done that Claire, I…”
She kissed him on the mouth again, and he went weak in the knees, “I gotta go see to the boat.” He fled to top side. He reset the sails, and looked out over the water. Something had happened when she kissed him. It was like a spark jumped back and fourth between them, and it left him disturbed. He had never felt that way in his life. He wondered if she had felt it.
“Jim!” He heard her call from below.
“What?”
“Come on back down, I won’t hurt you.”
“I ain’t coming back down there Claire.”
“The stew is burning on the stove.”
“For heavens sake, turn the burner off!”
“Its your stove Jim.”
“Oh fer….” He went below, and turned the burner off on the stove, and shoved the pan to the back of the stove.
“You didn’t answer me…will you go out with me when we get back? You said my father might be trying to keep me out of trouble.”
He sat down again beside her on the bunk, “Claire; it's not that I don’t like you. It's just that this has been just a job to me from the start. It’s a business deal between your father, and me, and it involves a lot of money. I’m just some yokel he hired to get his daughter back.”
“Well, I think you should be paid to do the job you accepted from my Dad, but when the job is done, it's done, and the obligations to him are over. Jim, I’m not some little spoiled rich girl. My Dad has taught me the world of business since I was practically in diapers. I’m not naive nor am I a fool, and you are the only person I’ve ever met that is worthy of my Dad’s honor. I’m sorry I forced a little kiss on you, but my Dad also taught me how to get things done. My Dad told me he liked you over the phone.”
“He did?”
“Yes, and I’m not letting you just walk away from me…ever. Now will you go out with me, or do I have to go out with you?”
He looked at her, and what he saw was a tough woman, instead of a eighteen-year-old spoiled rich kid.
“Ok, we’ll see how this goes Claire.”
She kissed him again, and this time he returned the kiss, and big Jim Grady was lost in that kiss.
It was two AM when he threaded the Dancer through the intracoastal waterway to the docks in St. Pete. The docks were quiet with the only sound of a barking dog who lived next door, and kept an eye on the comings, and goings in the marina.
Fulmar grabbed the bow line while he tied off the stern. Claire climbed out of the cockpit to the docks, and Fulmer grabbed her, and hugged her tightly.
“If you want to come with us Mr. Grady, we can settle up tonight.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll come by in the morning Mr. Fulmer; I'm beat.”
“Of course, goodnight Mr. Grady.”
“Goodnight sir.”
He watched them walk to the beamer, and get in, and then watched until the tail lights disappeared; he went below, and climbed into his birth, and was asleep in minutes.
The next morning he drove to Fulmer’s house on Treasure Island. He stopped the old truck in the driveway. He got a piece of card board out of the bed of the pick-up, and laid that under the engine. He prayed that it would catch at least some of the oil leaks.
He looked around at the house, and yards of the place, and he couldn’t imagine the money it took to buy, and maintain such a place. He looked at the large motor yacht tied to the docks a few feet from the house, and he felt out of his element in such surroundings. He rang the door bell, and Maria answered the door, “Oh, Mr. Grady, please come in.” She smiled.
He walked into the foyer, and felt even more out of place, “I’ll tell Mr. Fulmer you are here, Please sit in the study; it may be a few minutes. Coffee for you?”
“Thanks Maria, yes, I’ll have some if you don’t mind.”
He sat in the same chair for five minutes before Maria came in with two cups, and a carafe of delicious coffee, showering him with more smiles.
“Thank you for bringing our baby home Mr. Grady, we will always be in your debt for what you have done for us.” She walked quietly away. He didn’t know what to think about her words as they sounded rather strange coming from someone who was obviously a servant to a rich family.
“I see you have coffee Mr. Grady.” Fulmer said as he walked into the room. He was already dressed in a suit, and tie. He sat down, and poured himself a cup from the same carafe, “How are you feeling this morning Jim…may I call you Jim?”
“I’m fine, how is Claire…uh…your daughter?”
“Oh, I see you are on a first-name basis with Claire. My daughter can be…shall we say…a little forward?” He smiled.
“No disrespect Mr. Fulmar.”
“Oh, not at all Jim.”
“I hate to talk about money as we will always be indebted to you Jim, but it is only fair to you to settle up.”
“Yes.”
Fulmer got a check book out of a box on the coffee table, and scribbled a check, which he handed to Jim. He whistled when he read the amount, “That’s a hundred, and fifty thousand dollars you wrote Mr. Fulmer!”
“Yet it doesn’t begin to pay you what I owe you Jim. They would have killed her when they got the money Jim, and you know that as well as I do. The money is my heart of generosity to you.”
“I’m just thankful I was able to help Mr. Fulmer.”
“My daughter is also quite taken with you, I told her I would tell you it’s ok to date her. Does that put you at ease about that matter Jim?”
“I think maybe it was because I was the first one she seen that would help her, that’s all.”
“You are wrong. My daughter knows what she wants, do not make a mistake, I think she will love you Jim, as all my family will.”
“I don’t know what to say sir.”
Claire walked into the room, “Say about what? What are you two up to?”
“I think we are up to our knees in alligators.” Jim laughed, and he knew his vagabond days were over.
The end
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