Waters Edge

Chapter 12

"A chief stew offering to turn over laundry, has the world ended," Verity said with a smile, "I'm happy to turn over laundry, and as the official 3rd stew since I have the least experience out of a very experienced team," she added and that was helpful that she was willing to be the 3rd stew when she knew more than that.

"Okay, awesome, so if I have Verity with me for lunch service, would you be happy to do the late, Tara?" I asked her but I was more than happy to do the lates.

"I'm totally happy to do the lates," she assured me.

"Sweet, then this charter should go by super easy," I said, feeling relieved, "so I just have two things that I want to bring up about how I run an interior," I told them, "number 1 is hair tied back and out of the face when you're on deck, in a ponytail or a bun or braid, just keep it back from your face," I told them both.

"I'll sort it before they arrive," Verity assured me, "and the second?" She asked me.

"If you have an issue with something then come to me directly and we will work out a solution together, I am happy to defer to you guys on matters in the interior if it will make the charter and us as a team run smoother," I told them and I'd always found that a better way to do things, something I'd learned early on in being a stewardess.

I finished up some final things and Verity sorted her hair out before the Captain summoned us all to the dock. "Nervous?" Charlie asked me.

"I wasn't until you just said it," I told him and the guests were approaching, him cracking a smile at my growing nervousness. "You're a dick, Charlie," I said, fiddling with my jewellery behind my back.

"I'm Captain Travers," the captain introduced and shook the primary's hand. It revealed a very distinctive scar on his forearm, a scar I'd seen before and hadn't seen in five years. I'd always recognise it because I was there when he got it.

"Noodle."

The old nickname just slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. "Edgeli?" He questioned, "you got so big!" He said and we hugged.

"So did you," I said and pulled him back.

"And people now actually call me Tom now," he added and I would be professional with him on board, calling him Tom not Noodle, "I always wondered what happened to you," he said, "I had good money on you becoming a cartel hit woman with Rex," he told me.

"Don't, those boys have been spouting conspiracy theories about what I've been doing in the years I left," I told him. "We'll catch up later though," I added because I was working for him right now.

"Of course," he agreed and moved down the line. I took a breath then reengaged stew mode for the quick boat tour for safety's sake then got ready head out of the dock. I wanted us to be docked out at sea in time for lunch.

"So EJ, how do you know Noodle here?" His soon to be fiancée asked me.

"We're from the same small town, Neptune Waters," I told her as I poured her some more champagne.

"I was good friends with her brother, Jonnie," he contributed, "Our lovely stewardess here was the Elizabeth Taylor of our town," he added and I was going to kill him.

"Elizabeth Taylor?" Another of his guests questioned.

"You know it's June Carter, Tom," I corrected him and topped up another glass.

"The June Carter and Johnny Cash of Neptune Waters are EJ Addison and Teo Valdez," Tom said, "in love from the moment they first met, her leaving town broke his heart and the boy never recovered from it," he said and I never meant to do that to Teo; I was just too wrapped up in my own business to think about what me leaving would do to him.

"Okay so maybe I am Elizabeth Taylor," I reluctantly, "we may be back together after I moved back in with the other EJ," I confessed.

"Good, that boy, well man, has always been good for you," Tom said, "and how's the baby EJ?" He asked.

"The cutest thing on the planet, like oh my god and my nephew even scored a goal in an actual soccer match," I told him.

"The universe is clearly ending," he said and I topped off his drink too. "The Addisons are all baseball savants but they cannot play soccer to save their lives," he explained to his guests and got up, "I know you have other things to get up to but it really is great seeing you, Edge," he said and hugged, and I hugged him back.

"You too, Tom," I said, "where's the ring?" I whispered.

"Inside my wash bag," he responded and I would go secure it in the safe whilst the other two were unpacking them.

I excused myself and went down to the master guest cabin. I found the engagement ring box and moved as fast as I could towards the bridge to put the ring in the safe. "So you know the primary?" Captain asked me.

"We grew up in the same small town on the California coast, he was a good friend of my middle brother before he died," I told him as locked that ring safely away until dinner. "I haven't seen him in years but I'm glad he made a success of himself, good man like him deserves it," I said and I couldn't help my eyes going to my tattoo for Red. I'd been thinking about him a lot since getting back with Teo and renovating the hotel.

"How old were you?" Captain asked me.

"Just about fifteen, one day I had two big brothers the next I only had one, he was there and then he was just...he was just gone," I said and I tried to snap back into Stew face.

I got back down to the sun deck, made sure the drinks were topped off before leaving them in the capable hands of my second stew to radio the deck crew, make sure the water toys went out the moment they could when we were anchored out at sea.

"What you looking at?" The bosun asked me.

"I don't know, something's coming in on the wind," I told him, "I just...I don't know what it is," I said and I couldn't tell what was coming for once.

"You're one of those, aren't you?" He asked me.

"One of those?" I questioned.

"A sea nymph."

I'd heard the term before but my hesitation in responding made him think I didn't know how he was insulting me in such a misogynistic way, "a stew who thinks she's a deckie," he explained like I was a dumb blonde and that was bullshit.

"I've been on boats since I was a toddler and I've been working on them since I was ten, I'm not a sea nymph, I'm an old sailor," I said and I just walked away from that conversation. Something was coming but I didn't know what and I really didn't like it. I couldn't do anything about the feeling until I worked out what it was telling me but I decided to go set up for lunch service instead until I worked out what the feeling was.

"You got a face on you, EJ," Charlie commented as I walked into the galley, "so what's wrong?" He asked me.

"Bosun is a misogynist and called me a sea nymph," I told him I didn't need to go into more detail than that for Charlie to get the point.

"Did he not see your old man feet?" Charlie asked me.

"It's old sailor tattoos on my lovely stewardess feet," I corrected him, "so we'll probably do late lunch today," I said and made myself a coffee.

"I'm doing platter style so you can set plates on the table when you set up," he told me and I looked out the port hole, "you still got a face on you," he added and I shrugged.

"Something is on the air, I just don't know what," I told him and I really didn't like it. It felt bad, like very bad in a way I hadn't ever felt before in all my years at sea.