“So, Palm Bay, here we come-” She told him.
“Yeah. You’ll like it. You know, they also have a pretty good farmer’s market on the weekends.”
“How often have you been there?”
“Too often to count.”
“Where does your High Tide Harbor fall in? Seems to me it’s a tourist spot, isn’t it?”
“Touché,” he said. “High Tide Harbor’s special. It nearly went under a few years ago. Tons of foreclosures due to financial malfeasance on the part of the main bank in town. Took a lot of people coming together and fighting to save it.”
“Sounds like an interesting place.” Not that much different than most cities and towns she supposed. “It looked lovely when I saw it on a TV special. The one they aired about a celebrity chef and his wedding.” She could remember the images clearly; the coastal town with expansive beaches, high cliff sides and cypress trees outlining the rocky shores. There was a historic inn painted a bright summer yellow with white shutters and trim, perched at the highest point overlooking the town. The Glistening Coin Inn. From the moment she’d seen it on screen, she’d wanted to go there. Somehow, she’d forgotten about that.
“Every year from October through December, the eucalyptus trees there are filled with butterflies. Thousands upon thousands.” David said. “There are other towns in the area that get their share, as well, but they are hoping to bring tourists in year-round with the new sanctuary that’s being built. Especially in November, when they have a month-long butterfly festival.”
“Sounds promising.” Bonnie said excitedly, “And sounds like a place i would definitely love to visit”
David nodded. “It is. It’ll include a nature education center, as well. Its location is perfect, right near Duskywing Farm, an organic outfit run by one of the locals, Calliope Costas. If we don’t go anywhere else before we leave, we have to make a stop there. Calliope’s…well, Calliope’s got a special manner with flora and fauna.”
“Flora and fauna?” Bonnie laughed.
“Hang around Calliope long enough and you start speaking her language. It’s a good place, Butterfly Harbor. A happy place. It’s not perfect, of course. But it comes pretty darn close as far as I’m concerned.”
“You’ve come here a lot, haven’t you?”
“That’s right. Used to come here with Rick…Never knew a man more proud of this town, more proud of the residents too.”
“You really miss him…I mean Rick?”
The cloud that passed over David’s face was one Bonnie had seen many times before in her own mirror.
“Yeah I do. He died fighting a wildfire. One of those freak wind changes that steals a life away in the blink of an eye. Two lives in this case. Rick and his partners…He left behind a daughter…She is in college now and I look after her…”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but even against the wind he heard her.
“Thanks. He was a good man, but he was an even better father…to me too. Anything that’s good about me is because of him.”
An odd clunking sound emanated from somewhere below and behind them. An instant knot of unease tightened in her belly. David eased up on their speed until they came to a stop. With barely a flicker of concern, he turned off the engine. “Let’s see what’s going on.”
It was one thing, Bonnie thought as she watched him descend to the lower deck, to be told they could have engine issues. It was another thing to actually experience it in the middle of the ocean. A part of her knew she should stay out of the way, but another part of her was curious. She was, after all, along for the ride, and while she knew the basics about sailing-admittedly with a sailboat-there wasn’t any reason she couldn’t learn more.
She followed him below and found him wedged into a closet that was jam-packed with electrical wires, gauges and boxes. Everything was covered in a lot of dust, which he was blowing off with every wire he lifted to check.
“I just want to make sure it’s not electrical before I dive in to look at the engine.” He kept testing wires as he spoke.
“What’s worse? Engine or electrical?” Bonnie asked.
“Neither is great.” His brow furrowed in concentration. “I took a good look before I made my final offer. Really thought she’d make it at least a couple of days before I ended up with issues. Hand me a rag, would you?”
He held out his hand, so she hurried to the kitchen, found a ratty towel under the sink and passed it to him. As he started to use it, she knew it wasn’t going to do him much good. She returned to the spot under the sink to grab a paintbrush she’d seen in the back corner.
“Here. Let’s try this.” She reached across him and began brushing away the dust and debris . It was quicker than the towel, and did a better job.
“Great. Thanks.” He flipped open a fuse box and ran his fingers down each outlet. “Nothing feels unusually hot.” He bent down, then quietly asked for the brush, which she handed over.
“Ah, okay. This could be the culprit.” He motioned to an exposed wire barely hanging on to its connection. “I saw some electrical tape in one of the drawers. It looked ancient,” he continued, as she was already retrieving it, “but it should work or at least for a little bit.” She bent down next to him, handed him the role of shiny black tape.
“A woman of hidden talents.”
“I told you.” The memories came fast, like a spinning film reel. “My grandmother was a very self-sufficient woman. She told me there’s nothing a man can fix that a woman can’t. You need me to tear that for you?”
“Yeah, if you can.” He winced as she accepted the tape, deftly tore off a piece and handed it to him. Soon he was pinching the sticky stuff around the wires.
She shifted closer, her arms tight between his chest and the electrical panel. “Do you see any other exposed wires?”
“No.” He inclined his head so that it hit the back of the cabinet. “I’m going to take a quick look at the engine, though, just to be sure.” He braced his hands on his knees and shoved himself up. “Not exactly the pleasure cruise you were expecting, I’m sure.”