Smooth Sailing Read Online Free PDF Page B

This is a lot more fun than sitting on that ship.”
    Kaatje didn’t comment. There was nothing she could say about cruise ships that was complimentary. She just jumped back up to her seat, pulled her cap a little lower, and kept guiding the boat along the waves.
    They skimmed along for a half hour, with Laurie squealing like a baby every few minutes when water washed over her legs or they bottomed out in a deep trough. She seemed giddy with delight, and all of her previous stuffiness was gone. Finally, Kaatje slowed the boat down and they moved along at a very moderate pace. “I didn’t ask if you were wearing sunblock. You are, right?”
    “On my face.”
    “Go down below and grab some. It’s in a cubby on the starboard side.” When Laurie blinked at her, she added, “The right.”
    “Okay.” She went below and came back a moment later. “That’s a pretty impressive spread of food you’ve got down there. Expecting company?”
    “Yeah.” Kaatje let the sail billow while Laurie carefully applied sunblock to her wet legs. “Want a towel?”
    “No, I’m good. I’m drying fast. Who are you expecting?”
    “The people who reserved an all-day sail. Six of them.”
    “Is that why you weren’t looking for business?”
    “Partly. It’s almost impossible to fill the boat with people who didn’t sign up with a cruise ship or via my site.”
    “Isn’t it better to have a couple or a single?”
    “No, not really. It’s often more trouble than it’s worth. For one or two I might as well stay in bed.”
    “You’re losing money on me?”
    “No. The people who reserved pre-paid.”
    “And…and you’re going to keep their money?” She was sputtering with what looked like indignation.
    “Maybe.” Now Kaatje was getting annoyed. If some cruise-ship day-tripper thought she could climb aboard and dictate policies…best of luck.
    “Maybe what?”
    “You ask a lot of questions. Are you planning on going into the business?” This woman was so self-righteous it was comical.
    “No,” Laurie said as she continued to vigorously rub sunblock onto every exposed part of her arms and legs. “I’m just surprised you’d keep the money, given that they didn’t get to sail.”
    “I don’t like to screw people, but I don’t appreciate being screwed, either. If they’re nice and they have a good excuse, I’ll just charge them for my expenses. If they’re idiots”—she made a cutting motion across her throat—“their money is now mine.”
    “Still, they didn’t get to sail.”
    This was getting serious. It was time to lay out the facts. “I should give up six hundred dollars because they changed their minds or they weren’t in the mood? How do I recoup that?”
    “You could go out on the dock…”
    Kaatje knew her voice had grown deep and strong, but there was no reason to sugar coat this. This woman was questioning every tenet of her business…of herself. “That’s for those huge party boats where they drag you out to the most crowded spot, let you splash around in the sea for less than an hour, then drag you back…while letting you drink their watered down rum punch that gives rum a bad name. No serious sailors stand on the dock.” She could have spit just thinking about being in that class of boat. “That has nothing to do with sailing. Their big, belching diesel engines pollute these waters at an amazing clip. I’d give half my earnings to get those monstrosities out of the water.”
    “I didn’t know…”
    “No, but that didn’t stop you from having a very strong opinion about me and my work ethic.” She leaned over so Laurie could see her eyes behind her dark glasses. “An opinion that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
    “I’m sorry.” Laurie put a hand on her shoulder. “That was stupid of me.”
    “Yeah, it was. This is my business and I take it very seriously. I motored over to the dock and waited for an hour. Then I told every guy I knew to keep a lookout for the