“Got it,” I hollered back, lifting a thumbs-up high in the air just in case he couldn’t hear me.
He didn’t pay any attention to my response as he locked the back door to the charter boat office. I waited to see if he had more to say. Sometimes his directive came in two barked sections, minutes apart.
As Guy fisted his keys in his palm, he pointed a finger at Dash who hung out in his normal spot, sitting on a ledge at the end of a retail leasing complex, facing me. “Your old man doesn’t need to know I’m leavin’ early.”
This was a regular conversation between the two of them. Dash grinned from his perch on the property’s edge, his feet dangling, his arms hanging over the bottom rail. “Got it.” He gave his own thumbs-up to drive his oath home.
Guy checking out before the end of his shift was a daily occurrence. He hadn’t been caught yet, which probably meant it didn’t matter to anyone in charge.
As expected, Guy finally remembered he had more to say and pivoted around, walking closer to me. “We’re shorthanded on the booked charters next week. You’d have to be here by five in the mornin’ and stick around to do your afternoon duties.”
I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but I felt like there was a question in there. “Yeah, I can do it,” I said, beaming. I’d be out in the ocean, helping people fish, or probably just doing work no one else wanted to do, but still a dream come true.
“Will he be paid overtime?” Dash called out, inserting himself as my acting manager.
I shrugged at Guy’s burst of irritation as he swung his head toward Dash. “Yeah, I guess so now. And this is between me and my employee. Stay out of our business.”
Dash nodded approvingly and shot out his own thumbs-up. When Guy turned his exasperation back at me, he whispered loudly. Dash had to have heard. “Don’t you have any less annoyin’ friends?”
I don’t know why the question tickled me so much. Maybe due to this perpetual happiness following me everywhere I went. I snickered because the answer to his question wasno, I didn’t. Dash and I spent all our free time together, and I wasn’t looking to change my circle of friends.
“He’s just lookin’ out for me,” I finally answered pretty lamely and did my best to hide my joy. Guy rolled his eyes then pivoted on the heel of his old work boot. A perfectly executed move for someone with a sizable beer belly that made him as tall as he was wide.
“We’ll need to cap your time at thirty-five hours next week. You’re gonna work more than that, but I’ll catch up the next week. No one needs to know you’re workin’ that much.”
“Sure, it’s not a problem. Thanks for the work.” I started the sprayer back again.
Guy started for his truck with a carelessly given backhanded wave. Once he’d made it to the front parking lot, I finished the last section of the dock, keeping one eye on Guy’s truck until he left. My hand lifted off the nozzle as my excited gaze flipped to Dash. “I’m makin’ two hundred fifty dollars next week to fish.”
“And maybe that same amount the next week,” he piped in. “I’ll keep up with your hours and make sure they pay you properly.”
The idea of Dash managing Guy through the payroll process made my heart smile. The gruff, grumpy old man already had a distaste for office work. He was sure to be driven crazy by Dash watching over his shoulder.
“What’s your schedule next week?” I called out, bringing the hose back up to the porch to finish cleaning there. Missing Dash might be the only downfall to fishing all day.
“Same schedule. Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I’ll head over here when I see the boat come back in.”
“Cool.” Problem solved. Dash always had all the answers. I quickly lifted the nozzle and pressed, sending the high-power spray of water in his direction. I honestly lived to tease that guy. This round ensured a mess to his perfectly styled hair.
I got the normal reaction, a squeaky yell and a quick duck with nowhere to go. When I began cleaning the porch in earnest, my mind wandered to the idea of being paid to fish. Jeez, that’d be my best life. A more intriguing snapshot flitted around in my head. Dash with me on such a boat.
Maybe we should stick with my brand of fishing first. He was a little bit of a baby. Clearly he’d had a pampered life, but he was also weirdly grounded. He innately understood the heartbeat of the world and showed great compassion for everyone and everything. I didn’t mind doing the odd little tasks like killing whatever bug threatened him…
A loud whistle pierced my scattered thoughts, and I glanced in Dash’s direction. My hand lifted off the nozzle to better hear as he began to get to his feet. He pointed me toward the parking lot and started that direction. I instantly knew the car. My mom. Anxiety hit hard, showing the cracks in my happy place.
I absently dropped the hose to the pavement as I started in her direction. “It’s my mom.”
Dash’s sure steps stumbled as he swung his head in my direction. “You sure? Not a potential client?”
“I’m sure.” I kept going, lengthening my stride, trying to get to her before he did. I thought I might until he squared his shoulders and began walking with purpose as he ran his fingers through his hair. Like always, he held all the confidence in the world.
My mom pulled into a space, closer to him than me, letting the car idle as she opened the door and stepped out, looking all vice-principally in her pantsuit and small heels. She was pretty, at least all my friends back in Mobile thought so. They all talked about dating her which creeped me out.
“Hi, Mrs. Brooks. I’m Dasham. Beau calls me Dash,” he said, boldly, jogging the few steps separating them. He stuck his hand out to shake hers. Man, he had manners game and didn’t mess around. He appeared respectful and interested. My mom ate it up.
“Hi, Dash.” She gave him her real smile, not the practiced one she reserved for her students and their parents. He didn’t hesitate to give a genuine one back. “Call me Linda. I wanted to stop by and see where my son’s spending all his time these days.”
Most likely she meant with whom, instead of where, but tried to save me any possible embarrassment. I’d told her as much of the truth as I was willing to tell about my employment and my friendship with Dash, highlighting that he was the resort owner’s son.
