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“I did apologize.” Dune sighed heavily. He had never been in a position like this before and honestly hated feeling like he had done something wrong because of someone’s infatuation with him. “I wish we could banish him from the island.”
“This isn’t Survivor,” Wilson said with a chuckle. “It’s not like we can take his idol away and say, ‘the tribe has spoken.’”
“Is that what happens?” Dune asked, having never watched the show.
Wilson shrugged. “I’ve only seen bits and pieces and always seem to catch the tail end of the show. It’s never appealed to me. The whole living on an island while people are filming you is weird. Plus, I think it’s all staged.”
“It’s Hollywood. Of course, it is.” Dune wasn’t big on watching television or movies unless the weather was bad, and he couldn’t be on the boat. Prior to being with Caroline, he couldn’t remember the last time he sat down and turned the TV on. Since they had spent time together, he found cuddling on her couch was one of the best ways to end his day.
Wilson finally got the strings clear of each other and turned each pack on. “Shit,” he muttered as he headed toward the bucket. “Yes!” He held up a package of batteries and began changing each set to make sure none would die.
“What are you going to do with those?” Dune asked as he continued to clean.
“I’m going to string them up over the metal bars of the awning. If I put one string on each bar, we can still close it for any daytime runs.”
“Maybe we should have a smaller mimosa cruise on this thing.”
“We could. Or private parties or tours. The list is endless as long as they’re not more than a couple hours out. The no bathroom on board is a sort of a buzzkill.”
“True.” Dune finished cleaning and then made a list of things he would need from the store to complete Wilson’s idea. He left the barge and went to one of the other boats to grab the Bluetooth, synced his phone, and played some music.
“Maybe the younger crew can take over the tours today,” Wilson suggested as he finished the last string of lights.
“I don’t see why not,” Dune told him. “They’re ready and if we’re here, we can be wherever they are in the event of an emergency.”
“Good, because I think the barge needs a bath.”
Dune laughed. “She literally lives in the water.”
“She does, but her sides are dirty, and she hasn’t been out in a bit. Let’s take her over to the garage, clean her up a bit and fill her tank.”
“Yeah, I’m game. We need some supplies anyway. Now that you’ve started this, my mind is running crazy with ideas.”
Wilson slapped Dune on his shoulder. “I knew Mr. Romantic was in there somewhere.”
“That’s Captain Romantic Blue Balls to you.”
“Right,” Wilson said, laughing. “How could I forget?”
Wilson navigated the barge toward the other side of the bay where they docked and made their way toward the main box store on the island. Inside the store, Dune pushed the cart, while Wilson added what he thought they needed. Dune questioned everything. He swore Wilson forgot who paid for things.
“Why do we need more lights?” Dune asked after Wilson added ten boxes to the rest of their stuff. “And a new charcuterie board?”
“Our extra board is at the bottom of the ocean.”
“How?”
Wilson shrugged. Dune huffed. He was always the last one to find out about accidents. “Better grab another then.”
Wilson didn’t hesitate and added another board to their growing pile. “What else?”
Dune looked and then steered their cart toward the cracker’s aisle. “I think I’ll put together a meat and cheese tray.”
“Add some fruits. Grapes are good to have,” Wilson added.
“You’re turning into a party planner.”
“Ana gives me a list when we’re running low on stuff. I’ve sort of memorized what she makes me buy.” Wilson said this as if embarrassed and Dune noticed.
“You know, I should probably have everyone work with Ana a time or two. This way we can all fill in for each other if necessary.”
“Are you going to put Ana on one of the boats?”
Dune shrugged. “If she wants to go, she can. The last time she tried, she got seasick. A crew member is easy to replace most days. Replacing her is hard.”
“I hear ya. It was nice when Caroline worked with us and learned the ticketing system.”
“Yeah.” Dune sighed. Having her at work was nice and a bit unconventional. Still, even though she lacked experience in boating, she brought a lot to the table elsewhere.
They paid for their goods and kept the bags in the cart as they walked toward the other end of the complex, which had the box store, a discount store, a couple of shoe stores, a jewelry store, and stationary place that sold everything you could think of.
