Read Online Strawberries in the Sea by Elisabeth Ogilvie - Free Book Online Page B

reminds me, I’d better change the beneficiary on my life insurance. If anything happens to me I don’t want to be paying for the honeymoon.”
    â€œDon’t talk like that, Ro.”
    â€œIt’s better than bawling, isn’t it? And it’s being practical, isn’t it? Well, I’ve got to get back to my digging, if I can locate a spade.” She snorted. “See, I’ve reached the point where I can call a spade a spade.— Jude. Thanks for telling me the news. I’m sorry if I’ve made a mess for you.”
    â€œGood Lord, girl, you haven’t made a mess for me . Be careful now. When Con comes for the boat, don’t fight with him. Let him take her, and then you settle down and enjoy the place and get over him. He’s not worth the powder to blow him up State Street.”
    â€œSo long, Jude. Give my love to Lucy and the boys. And thanks for calling.”
    She was trembling after she hung up, and leaned against the wall in the dim, empty store looking out at the bright harbor beginning to flash under a northwest wind. Sea Star was steady at her mooring. So Con’s coming for you, she thought. Why didn’t I ask Jude when , so I wouldn’t have to see him? But she wouldn’t call Jude back and ask, she couldn’t be sure of keeping the shakiness out of her voice.
    She walked to the end of the wharf and looked down. Mark Bennett stood on the lobster car smoking his pipe, and watching two small boys who lay on their bellies with their arms overboard.
    â€œI’m through,” Rosa called down. “How much do I owe you?”
    â€œI’ll let you know when the bill comes in.”
    He came up the ladder, and as he reached the top and stepped onto the wharf he gave her a surprisingly warm and youthful smile. “I know who you are now. Jude told me. True McKinnon’s girl, used to sit on a nail keg in the corner and eat ice cream, too bashful to move.”
    â€œThat was me, all right.” She nodded at the boys, “What are they doing?”
    â€œManufacturing excitement. Trying to catch pollock by hand. Stevie’s been reading about tickling salmon.”
    â€œ Really tickling?”
    â€œSo he claims. So far they haven’t found a pollock who likes his belly tickled.” They began to walk back up the wharf.
    â€œWho put my boat off?” she asked. What else had Jude told him? She tried to decide if he was being exceptionally kind, as to a child or a mental patient. “I meant to come see to her, but I was so dead tired I overslept.”
    â€œOne of my nephews, I’m pretty sure. Seems like I heard his father say something about it.”
    â€œI’m much obliged. I want to thank him.”
    â€œYou’ll see him around. They’ve got the fishhouse this side of yours.” They came out of the shed and stopped, looking across at Sea Star . “She’s a great boat. I remember when True first came out here with her. He was like a kid, he was so happy.”
    â€œYes, he loved her. He had one good year with her, anyway.” She was herself again; it was only Con, or speaking of Con, that could shake her up. “How can I order a couple of cylinders of gas?”
    â€œI always keep some extra on hand, they use a lot of it out here. When Ralph Percy comes in from setting traps I’ll get him to haul up two with his tractor, and hitch them up for you.”
    â€œHe must be the only atheist if he’s out working on Sunday.”
    Mark laughed. “Nope, he’s just making up for the time he lost last week when he drove his wife and kids to Vermont to visit her folks.”
    In the store she ordered a bag of lime for the toilet, paint for the seat, cleaning and washing supplies, and what groceries she could think of without a shopping list. Then she was embarrassed because she’d come without money, but he told her she could pay later, and he would send the heavy stuff