Read Online A Matter of Time by David Manuel - Free Book Online Page B

got hooked on it, real quick. Only the love of a good woman, like
Care Away
, could ever cause you to leave full-time racing.
    Her turn. Trying to think of something to say, she noticed a few small, white scars around his knuckles and remembered him
     telling her before about his solo voyages across the Atlantic. “The last time you went, the time to the Med—how long did it
     take?”
    “Thirty-eight days. But I had good westerlies; it can take longer.”
    “Thirty-eight days!” She shook her head in wonder. “What was the first thing you saw?”
    “My landfall? Gibraltar. Northern Pillar of Heracles.”
    “Did you break out champagne?”
    “I never drink at sea.”
    “Not even a beer?”
    He shook his head.
    “Why?”
    “Too risky. You run your boat right—good seamanship—not much is going to go wrong. But when it does, it happens quickly. You’ve
     got to be sharp, make the right decision immediately.”
    “Were you ever—frightened?”
    “Nope.”
    “Not even by a hurricane?”
    He thought for a moment. “Well, if I know one’s coming, obviously I’m going to get out of its way.”
    “You listen to the radio for warnings?”
    “If I have a reason. You build up your intuition out there. Develop a sixth sense. I keep a log. Every two hours I note the
     cloud conditions, sea conditions, heading and reckoned speed. And the barometer. If it’s falling fast, and the high cirrus
     are beginning to fan out, you better believe I’m going to tune in WWV! At six past the hour, they give the Atlantic warnings.
     I also use their time tick to reset my watch, for the sextant.”
    She shuddered. “I don’t think I’d like solo sailing.”
    “You never know till you do it,” he shrugged. “It’s overcoming the last fear barrier. You find out what you’ll do when your
     life depends on the sum of your decisions.” He smiled. “It does anyway, but it’s much more obvious when you’re alone out there.
     Or climbing above eight thousand meters. Or going up a rock face without a rope.”
    She frowned. “You’re a thrill junkie.”
    He thought about that. “I suppose so. I’m hooked on racing, that’s for sure.”
    “But
Care Away
isn’t a particularly fast boat, is it?”
    “Is she,” he corrected her. “
Care Away
is a person—avery likeable lady, once you get to know her. She’s also my home. And I want my home comfortable, a good cruiser I’m happy
     to spend all my days in.”
    Amy frowned. “I still don’t see how you can—”
    “Do both? In my apartment over on St. David’s, which I use mainly for keeping stuff—I’ve got two bikes—a skinny-tired one
     for going fast, a fat-tired one for cruising. All depends on what I feel like.”
    There was indeed more to this
gleama
than met the eye. Best to find out how much more. “Thirty-eight days,” she marveled. “Ever get lonely?”
    He looked at Grotto Bay, barely visible in the distance. Then returned his gaze to her with a half smile. “Not lonely, exactly.
Care Away’s
good company. The best. And there’s always something that needs doing. But some days, when there’s not much wind—”
    She finished it for him, “You wouldn’t mind having someone to talk to.”
    “Yeah,” he admitted. “I suppose so.”
    “But then, after the doldrums, you’d have to put up with them.”
    He laughed. “Exactly!”
    She circled her finger on the table. “Was there ever anyone you—felt really good about having on board?” She paused and thought,
     now he’s going to think I’m getting personal. She took a deep breath. Well, I am.
    But to soften it, she quickly added, “I mean, on a really long trip.”
    He carefully chewed the last of his fish before replying. “I took my nephew out for a few days, a year ago. It was my brother’s
     idea; Ian thought Eric should get to know his Uncle Colin.” He smiled sadly. “I don’t think he counted on the boy having so
     much fun. We had a ball!He was only nine, but I’ve never