1Standard disclaimers apply. Some of these characters are owned by 20th Century Fox and some details have been gleaned from other Gamm-ers' stories (and to you I am very grateful). All other characters were invented by me, as was the plot. Please do not use any part or parts thereof without my consent. Time: June, July and August 1972. A sequel to "Captain Gregg and the Surprise." Thanks to Kathy, Susan, John Mortimer, Pablo Neruda, The Library of Congress. Are you kind? Suspend rational thought.
"And summer's lease hath all too short a date:"
-William Shakespeare
Summer's LeaseParker Hadley was glad to finally be in Schooner Bay. The drive up from Concord was long and hot. 'Has it ever been this humid the third week in June? And, good God, all the traffic, it's not even a holiday weekend,' he thought when he finally made it out of Massachusetts and into New Hampshire and then on to Maine. Schooner Bay had always been a sweet reprieve for the Hadleys. Kate and the boys had already been at the cottage a week and Parker marked his arrival on Knobs Neck as also the true arrival of summer. He didn't even want to think about driving back to Concord on Monday morning. As he stepped from the car, Parker took in a deep breath and looked out on the cove. His mind was starting to clear, the aggravations of work melting away.
She didn't so much love coming to spend the summer in Schooner Bay, as she found she needed it. And, with each passing year, she found she needed it more and more. Jack was thirteen now, Simon nine, and Kate Hadley, at 37, found her life was very often overwhelmed with the boys' school activities and Parker's responsibilities at the bank. This time at the cottage was her time. No schedules, no sports, no after-work cocktails, and best of all no high heels! Moreover, she found that living with the ghost of Parker's great grandfather, Zebulon Hadley, was a gift not a curse. Each year when she and the boys arrived, the rooms were aired out, furniture uncovered, cobwebs removed and the house in order. Grandpa Zeb was a gem, and she knew he enjoyed having his family there to visit. There were old chums to catch up with over the summer. Having grown up in Lewiston, Kate had so many friends nearby that she was never in want for company. The week of July 4 she and Parker would go from cocktail party to clambake to "booze cruise," enjoying the relaxed attitude of summer in Maine. She had also made a new friend in Carolyn Muir, the widow who rented Gull Cottage. When they had first met, Kate wondered what could have drawn a woman like Carolyn Muir, with two kids, to Schooner Bay. Carolyn had lived her whole life in Philadelphia and to make the move to live full-time in tiny Schooner Bay, a place Kate and Parker's Concord cronies considered little more than a quaint summer retreat, boggled the mind. Kate knew the lure of the town and the sea, but had heard horror stories about the condition in which Claymore Gregg kept Gull Cottage and she at first thought Carolyn Muir must have been an independently wealthy socialite rebelling against polite Philadelphia society by migrating to some northern backwater. Three years later, Kate found that Carolyn and her children only hoped to create a new life and that the quiet solitude of Schooner Bay was just the leasehold they had needed.
Then too, there was the commonality of sharing a house with a ghost. Kate had known about Captain Daniel Gregg for as long as she had been married, but she had never seen the spirit. Zeb, of course, knew him in both life and after, and reminded the family that the "poor man wants only to be left alone." Any attempts to sneak into Gull Cottage were thwarted by Zeb's insistence that all hell would break lose if anyone troubled the Captain.
Kate heard a car door slam and knew that Parker had finally arrived from Concord. 'Only 6:15, he did get away early.'
"Hi ya, hun,"
"How was the drive?" Kate asked handing Parker a gin and tonic.
"Grueling. Why the hell is there so much traffic this weekend?"
"No idea. It was a straight shot when we came up."
Parker pulled off his tie, kicked off his shoes and took his wife in a strong embrace. "Ah, lovely Schooner Bay. Summer has arrived at long last."
"It sure has." Kate agreed.
Carolyn Muir's mind was far from clear. Work was piling up on her desk, plumbing problems continued to plague Gull Cottage, and to top it all off Martha had been called down to Florida to attend to her elderly mother. Martha's sister telephoned the news that their mother had broken the other hip and needed constant assistance. Martha agreed to help relieve some of her sister's burden until nursing care was secured. The one bright spot in all the madness was Captain Gregg . . . Daniel. He had cheerfully stepped in to help as much as he could: "Unaccustomed as I am to household chores, I shall endeavor to assist in any manner possible," he told her the day Martha received the news of her mother's condition. But Carolyn found her best comfort from Daniel in the simple fact that they had grown much closer in the past few months. She was grateful that an easy air of familiarity was replacing Daniel's old formality. Indeed, Carolyn had reflected that the atmosphere at Gull Cottage was becoming more familial every day. This was a change she greeted without trepidation, but with genuine happiness. After four years, she was ready to get back to "normal" living; however normal a life she could have when her constant companion was a ghost.
Carolyn let out a long sigh as she sealed the envelope containing her just-completed article for "Down East" magazine. She was pleased that the editor had asked her to continue her series on small-town Maine life, but she feared the well of weird and quirky tales from the characters in Schooner Bay would soon dry up.
"Anything I can do to help, my dear?" came Daniel's deep and mellow voice.
"I just finished my article, that's all. Another job out of the way," she said. "Aren't you supposed to be in the midst of lesson 204 on how to identify a jib stay from a stanchion?"
"The lesson has been concluded for the day," the Captain said.
"Uh oh, that sounds like trouble. What happened? Mutiny on the Surprise?"
"Mutiny? On my ship? Never. We are only preparing for the Schooner Bay Regatta, not the Marion to Bermuda Run," Daniel said. "The kids are mooring the boat and should return shortly. I came ahead to see how you are?"
"Well, I am doing quite nicely." Carolyn smiled at Daniel and held out her hand to him.
Daniel interlaced his fingers with hers and pulled her up off the chair. "I am pleased to hear that." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Mmm, salty," Carolyn whispered, "Lots of wind out on the bay, today?"
"A fair bit." Daniel smoothed his hands over Carolyn's hips, drawing her close before covering her mouth with his. He felt Carolyn's hands come around his shoulders and her fingers curl into the hair at the back of his neck. He loved that; the feel of her hands on him.
As their kiss deepened, Carolyn felt a familiar stiffness against her. "Kids will be back any time," she whispered.
"Can't help it," he replied. "It's what you do to me." His hands came down to caress her rear end. He placed kisses down her neck and Carolyn felt herself falling under his spell again.
"Never mind, Candy, they're in here… smooching." Jonathan's voice broke into their reverie.
Carolyn smiled at Daniel as she pulled away from him. "Hi, old buddy," she greeted her son.
"Mom, when's dinner? I'm starved."
"Whenever we decide what we want," Carolyn responded.
Candy walked into the bedroom, "No more frozen pizza. I am going to turn into a pizza." She flopped down across the bottom of the bed. "Can we have some real food for a change?"
"Well, everything Martha made before she left is gone. And you two always complain about my cooking, so we're stuck with 'un-real' food," Carolyn answered.
"Captain, maybe you could make something. You made those potato things once and pancakes," Jonathan reminded the spirit. "And, that would sure beat frozen pizza."
"For the twenty-seventh time this week," Candy muttered.
"I'm going to remember how much you hate pizza when you start begging for it when Martha gets back," Carolyn laughed.
"Oh, Mom."
"I suppose I could conjure up some pancakes, but do you really want that for dinner?" the Captain asked.
"Sure, why not?" was Jonathan's response.
Daniel looked at Carolyn for her approval. "Pancakes it is," she assented.
Carolyn was always surprised that Daniel knew how to cook anything. Somehow she could just never see him deigning to submit to such a domestic task, but she knew that in his life he had to fend for himself on many occasions and when he was at sea, often times, had to provide for a whole crew of hungry men. She really should have never been surprised by the myriad of practical tasks he could perform. He reminded her that he had personally designed the galley of Gull Cottage. "My talents are endless, my dear," was always the response he gave when she remarked about another job he performed around the house.
This evening, she found she enjoyed watching him in the kitchen as he prepared the pancakes and chatted easily with her children, or should she say 'their' children, for she had found that they really did think of the Captain as a dad. She knew he was pleased by their obvious affection for him. In some ways, Jonathan and Candy had been responsible for bringing Daniel out of his self-imposed exile from the living. Oh, she harbored no doubts that the love they shared was a huge motivator in his world, but she also knew that her children had the power to bring a smile to his face as much as she did. The thought that Daniel could love another man's children as he did convinced Carolyn that she was meant to come to Gull Cottage. The Fates had truly conspired to bring her to this place; to bring them together.
"Well, mates, I reckon that we have a little less than five weeks to get in top form for the Regatta. I think next week we really have to get busy on spinnaker practice," the Captain stated. He flipped over the pancakes that he was cooking. "Who's game for manning the spinnaker on the downwind leg?"
"It's gotta be Candy, I'm already handling the main and the tiller," Jonathan answered.
"Sure, no problem, I was reading about flying the spinnaker last night in the handbook we got from the yacht club." Candy's tone did not belie the fact that she was nervous about the task, but she would never let that be known, she was her mother's daughter, after all.
"Excellent. On Monday, we'll start with the rudiments of packing the spinnaker in the turtle," the seafarer announced.
"Shouldn't we start with setting the spinnaker pole or something?" Candy asked.
"If the spinnaker isn't packed correctly, your task in getting it prepared to fly will be hampered. Let's start at the beginning and go from there," the Captain replied. "But, Jonathan, you'll have to help handle the spinnaker sheets, too. I believe we have plenty of time to figure it out before the Regatta."
Carolyn sat and listened as the three chattered away about the Surprise and sailing. Buying Daniel that sailboat for his birthday had been one of the best investments she had made since coming to Schooner Bay. They had all enjoyed it so much in the last few months and Daniel had acquired a kind of inspired attitude about life, such as his was now, that it made her smile just to think about it.
After dinner, Daniel suggested to Carolyn that they take a walk down on the beach as it was nearing low tide. He had come to the realization of late that he very much enjoyed strolling along the beach in front of Gull Cottage with her. Ordinarily, if he wanted to get somewhere he just materialized there, but now, he found much pleasure in simply doing things the "mortal" way. He knew Carolyn enjoyed it, too. Plus, any chance to hold hands with her was one he would take.
"Thanks again for making dinner more palatable tonight," Carolyn said. "I have to admit that I'm just as tired of frozen pizza as the kids are."
"I hardly consider pancakes a gourmet feast, but it was a pleasure to help." He smiled at her. "And, I got to spend some more time with the kids. It's been great fun working with them to get ready for the Regatta. They are both becoming quite comfortable on the Surprise." His voice held more than a measure of love and pride.
"Well, they do have the finest sailing instructor in New England," Carolyn stated.
"True," Daniel agreed, of course.
They walked slowly along the shore, stopping now and again to watch the gentle movement of the tide as it receded from the beach, exposing more of the soft brown sand. It was a very pleasant night, not too hot and not at all cold and a soft breeze was blowing just enough to keep most of the midges away. When they stopped again to look out at the water, Carolyn wrapped her arms around Daniel's chest and leaned her head against him.
"You all right?" he asked, a bit surprised by the abruptness of her movements. He rubbed his hands over her back.
"Uh huh. I just wanted a hug."
"Oh, well, anything I can do to oblige." He kissed the top of her head and pulled her a little closer.
Carolyn snuggled against him. "This is a very nice way to spend an evening."
"Aye," Daniel agreed. After several moments he bent his head down to meet hers, "I want to kiss you," he whispered.
"Please do." Carolyn slid her arms around his neck.
Candy and Captain Gregg had the spinnaker spread out across the grass in the side yard. The bright colors of the sail were reflected all around them by the sunlight.
"The top part of the sail, that's where it is attached to the halyard. That's the head and then at the bottom is where the spinnaker sheet and the guy are attached on the clews," the Captain began.
"Gotcha," Candy replied.
"Now, when the sail is set, the guy runs from the aft up to the spinnaker pole to the clew, now it's called the tack and that edge of the sail is called the luff because it's the leading edge of the sail." Captain Gregg rattled off the terms as though he were making small talk.
"Uh, okay," Candy said. It all sounded Greek to her.
"The other clew has the sheet attached to it and that edge of the sail is the trailing edge or the leech. So, that is what we will call them."
"Yup, with ya so far," Candy lied.
"The green hem is which side of the boat?" he asked.
"Uhmm… wait, I know this," she stammered. "I know, the starboard?"
"Right. So the red hem is the port side. White hem at the bottom."
The seafarer showed Candy how they were going to fold the edges of the sail, like an accordion, each fold coming back on the one before it. They tied the head and the clews together to keep the sail together. Then they packed it in the bag middle first so that the hems were sticking out of the top.
"Got it?" Captain Gregg asked.
"I think so. I mean I see that packing it with the middle of the sail in the bottom of the turtle means that the edges are ready to attach first, right? But, I am not sure how this is going to work on the Surprise. I mean how am I going to get this thing attached to the lines?"
"We have to practice that part." He dumped the sail out of the bag. "Let's do it again."
Captain Gregg made Candy fold and pack that sail so many times that she thought she would never want to see the blasted thing again.
"When do we actually get to practice flying it?" she asked.
"Maybe later this week, the weather has to be mild. If it's too windy or the sea's too rough it will be hard to learn to set the pole and get the lines attached." He put his hand on her shoulder, "But, I know you'll be ready. You've got this part down. Think you could pack the chute in your sleep?"
"I think I'm going to dream about it," Candy laughed.
"Perfect. It's going to have to be smooth, you'll be hoisting shorthanded with Jonathan at the tiller keeping the main out of your way and trying to help with the guy and the sheet."
Over the next two days it either rained or was too windy for the crew to go out in the Surprise and practice with the spinnaker. Candy wanted to spread the chute out in the parlor and practice folding and packing, but her mother told her there was not enough room. So, she and the Captain went over diagrams of how the sail was rigged.
Jonathan watched and listened while practicing tying a sheepshank knot. The Captain told him that every man on his crew needed to be able to tie that knot in less than ten seconds.
"Would there ever be a time when we wouldn't fly the spinnaker, Captain?" Candy asked as she studied the drawing he had made of how the spinnaker pole needed to be parallel to the deck and how the sheet came down the port side of the boat and the guy was rigged down the starboard side.
"Yes. The spinnaker is only effective when flown off the wind in at least a beam reach. If the wind is too heavy, the spinnaker may overpower the boat." He leaned back against the sofa, "So, Jonathan, keep in mind that with the spinnaker up, you will lose some maneuverability. You are going to have to know where all the other boats are and Candy, you'll have to help keep a look-out."
"Right. First job of the skipper is to steer to avoid a collision," Jonathan said tying the knot again. "I think that was under ten seconds, Cap."
"Tie it again," the seaman said. Jonathan tied the knot again. "Twelve seconds. You'll get it."
"So, how will I know whether or not we are going to use the spinnaker? Will you give us a signal or something? I mean you will be there watching won't you?" Candy asked.
"Of course, I'll be there. I wouldn't miss this race for anything. But, I cannot be on the Surprise with you. Once we get a chance to practice it, then we can discuss strategy," the spirit said.
"I have a strategy: beat the tar out of that Danny Shoemaker. I don't care what else we do, but we have to beat that creep." Jonathan tossed the rope with the sheepshank to the Captain. "How's that?"
"Well done, lad. Try the Good Luck knot."
"You said that knot wasn't good for anything," Jonathan replied.
"It's not, but it's a fun one to tie." The Captain tied the knot in a few seconds. "Easy." He handed the rope back to the boy.
"For you."
Carolyn had been standing in the doorway to the parlor. "Well, is this sailing school open to anyone?"
"Hi Mom," Candy answered. "The Captain and I were just going over these diagrams."
"So, the lessons are proceeding despite the miserable weather?"
"We have to make the best out of the situation," Daniel said. He gestured for Carolyn to sit next to him on the sofa. "How goes the article?"
"Oh, it's finished, mostly; I just need to proofread it. But, I needed a little break." She curled her feet up under her. "I do have some news."
"What?" Jonathan and Candy said in unison.
"The Hadleys have invited us over for a clambake on Saturday."
"Cool! Real food! Mrs. Hadley is a great cook!" Jonathan remarked.
"Yah, we had some groovy brownies the other afternoon," Candy added.
"Only because you were sitting next to Jack," Jonathan snickered.
"Shut up!"
"You like Jack Hadley…"Jonathan laughed. "And, he and Mark Helmore are racing in the Regatta together."
"So, big deal." Candy stuck her tongue out at Jonathan.
"Now, you two," Carolyn scolded. "So, if there is sailing practice on Saturday, it needs to be over by three-thirty."
"Aww, geeze, Mom. We moor the Surprise right in front of their house," Jonathan said.
"You will need to change clothes and get cleaned up before we go over. Anybody in the mood for Chinese tonight?"
"Eating it there or bringing it back?" Candy asked.
"Bringing it back," her mom answered.
"Okay. I'll have sweet and sour chicken."
"Jonathan?"
"Hmmm, just shrimp fried rice," the boy said, he was still tying the sheepshank knot.
"Daniel?"
"Oow, uh… that spicy one with the peanuts… what's it called?" the seafarer asked.
"Kung Pao chicken is the one with peanuts," Carolyn replied.
"That's the one. And, get some of those dumplings from the last time," he added.
"Yah, those dumpling things are great, Mom, get those," Jonathan agreed.
Carolyn telephoned the restaurant and placed the order and she and Candy went to go pick up the food, leaving Daniel and Jonathan to set the table and organize drinks for everyone. Twenty-two minutes later, Candy and Carolyn returned from town. The foursome sat around the big table in the kitchen, dishing the food out of those funny paper cartons that Chinese food invariably came in. Half the fun in eating it was sneaking bites of what everyone else ordered. Captain Gregg's fork lurked close to Carolyn's sesame chicken, and he waited for her to look away so he could spear another piece off her plate.
"Do you mind not eating all of mine?" she asked laughingly.
"I haven't eaten all of yours. Besides, you've had a good portion of mine after you said you only wanted one bite." He snitched another hunk of chicken off her plate.
"Next time I'm just going to get two orders of sesame chicken," Carolyn declared.
"Spoilsport," Daniel responded as he moved on to Candy's sweet and sour.
"Hey, Captain! Eat your own!"
"See, that's why you have to get something he won't eat." Jonathan asserted. He sneaked Scruffy a bit of dumpling.
"Oh, don't you want yours any more, lad?" the Captain leaned across the table and nabbed a forkful of Jonathan's fried rice.
"Cut it out!" the boy barked reaching over to try to stab the spirit with his own fork.
By ten-fifteen both Candy and Jonathan were in bed and Carolyn was giving serious consideration to getting to sleep at a decent hour. It seemed that she had been up late most of the last week trying to meet one deadline or another, and very often her sleep was disturbed by the delight of having a certain sea captain sharing her bed.
Carolyn stood by her desk looking down at the pile of notes for her next article wondering which magazine would pick it up. It would be a good article and could be worked into a series, and she had Kate Hadley to thank for it. Kate had supplied her with a box full of old family documents and business records related to Zebulon Hadley's business as a sail-maker in Schooner Bay. Carolyn really wished she could get a chance to talk with Zeb about his experiences before she wrote the article. Maybe on Saturday she would.
"My dear," Daniel said softly as he materialized next to her. "Are you thinking of retiring for the night?"
"I am, Daniel. Is there something you need?"
"Well, it's really more of some unfinished business from this evening," He replied.
"Oh yes, what's that?"
Daniel held out two fortune cookies to her. "We forgot these after dinner."
Carolyn met his steady-lidded gaze with her own. "I see. Well, thank you for bringing them up."
"I thought you might want something a little sweet before you went to bed."
"I think I would." Carolyn reached out and took one of the cookies from Daniel's hand, letting her fingers linger over his and she felt the slightest tingle as they did.
"Ladies first," Daniel said with a slight bow of the head.
"So kind." Carolyn cracked open her fortune cookie and removed the fortune. She read the motto aloud. "'Never forget a friend, especially if he owes you.' That's a pretty good one. I wonder who owes me." She gave Daniel an impish wink.
He smiled back at her, a shy smile that Carolyn found irresistible. "I believe you left part out."
"No, that's the whole fortune."
"As I recall, you told me that these adages are best read with the words 'in bed' added at the end. I am reminded of a certain feast of Chinese food that occurred in a cabin by a lake in the woods."
Carolyn laughed softly. "Right you are. How could I forget? In that case: 'Never forget a friend, especially if he owes you . . . in bed.'"
"Ah, very appropriate. Now, mine. 'A pleasant surprise is in store for you . . . in bed.'" Daniel read the words with calculated calmness. "I believe that mine is quite appropriate as well." He dropped his cookie onto the desk and encircled Carolyn's waist with his arms. "If I am not very much mistaken, I may be the friend who owes you."
"And I should be expecting a pleasant surprise?" She brought her arms around his neck and clasped her fingers together.
"It may not be a surprise, but I will do my utmost to ensure that it is pleasant," Daniel's voice was low and mellifluous.
Carolyn pressed her lips to his in a playful buss, "With you, it's always pleasant."
"Pleasant is as pleasant does," he whispered
Saturday arrived with slightly overcast skies, high humidity, and light wind. The captain and crew of the Surprise assembled in the hall before heading over to the cove. "Please be back by no later than three-thirty," Carolyn reminded them. "We don't want to be late to the Hadleys."
"Aye, aye," the trio said in unison, snappy salutes offered.
Carolyn chuckled at them. "Now, shove off, and have a great time." Each received a kiss, the Captain's lingering a little longer than the others.
They raced for the cove, Candy cradling the spinnaker turtle in her arms. Captain Gregg met them at the dock, the dinghy in the water waiting for them.
Once they were out on the bay, they headed over to where they knew the marker buoys would be set up on August 5th for the Regatta. The water was a little choppy, but calm enough to allow for a first run at flying the spinnaker.
"Whenever you're ready Jonathan, come about and we'll head downwind," the Captain said.
Jonathan looked out on the water to see what other traffic was out, and spotted nothing close to them "Ready about, hard alee!" Jonathan gave the command and brought the boat around, the main boom shifting from one side to the other, on a tack so that the wind was coming over the starboard side.
Candy and the Captain were up at the bow with the spinnaker. "First, let's lower the jib, so we can see what we're doing," Captain Gregg said. He and Candy lowered the jib and secured it. "Now, clip the spinnaker halyard on to the head of the chute." He showed Candy how to make the connection. He had already rigged the craft so that the lines were in place and the spinnaker pole was ready to be attached to the mast. "Next, attach the two sheets." They clipped the lines to the outside, bottom edges of the triangular shaped sail and made sure that they had a clear run to the aft of the boat. "Set the pole here on the mast ring,' he said, helping her attach one end of the spinnaker pole to the mast. "The other end clamps on the outboard end, which is now called what?"
"The guy," Candy answered as she clamped the end of the pole onto the clew of the sail.
"Correct. So the other side is the what?"
"The sheet." She smiled at him because she knew she had it right.
"Perfect." Captain Gregg returned her smile. "Now, this part is important and you won't have much time to do it, but you have to make sure the pole is parallel to the deck by raising or lowering it with these two lines, the topping lift and the downward guy." He showed her how pulling on one line made the pole go up and the other down. He let Candy even out the pole, making sure it was set correctly on the starboard side.
Next they pulled the guy through the end of the pole and prepared to hoist the spinnaker. The processes were done with deliberation on this first run, the seafarer affirming that during the race things would have to move very quickly indeed. Captain Gregg reminded Jonathan that he needed to concentrate on steering and not get lost watching Candy work the spinnaker. Then he gave the command to hoist and he and Candy raised the chute. The bright colors of the sail rippled in the wind as it filled and the seaman showed Jonathan how to make sure the sail was trimmed, as the boy would have to handle that aspect of the task.
The Surprise moved faster than it had been, the balloon of the spinnaker filled with wind, propelling them downwind. "Well done, mates! Very well done," the Captain congratulated his crew on their first attempt at flying the spinnaker. They went through the process of lowering the spinnaker on the jibe, and re-hoisting the jib. It was all part of what Candy would need to do on the day of the race. With the spinnaker stuffed back in the bag for safekeeping, they practiced changing tacks until it was time to head back to the mooring. "Strict orders from the Admiral not be late, remember," Captain Gregg said with a smile.
They made it back to the house at three-fifteen with plenty of time to clean up and change clothes. Daniel materialized in the main cabin at the telescope. Carolyn was not in the room, but he heard her open the door a few moments later.
"How was the sailing?" she asked walking to where he was.
"Very nice. We had a productive day. Candy is an excellent foredeck crewman and Jonathan did quite well with the tiller and the lines," he said, and Carolyn did not miss the smile on his face or the tone of pride in his voice.
"Wonderful. I know they have been so excited to finally see that spinnaker fly." She smoothed her hand over his arm. "We need to be at the Hadleys for four-thirty."
"Oh, so soon?"
"Well, Kate said cocktails first and then dinner. Sounds delightful. I could use a cocktail," Carolyn nodded at the three envelopes on her desk that were ready for posting.
"Well done, my dear! You finished the articles this afternoon."
"Yes. I'm caught up on work until I start putting together the series on Zebulon Hadley's sail-making endeavors."
"Ah, right, you were going to try to speak with him about that," Daniel and Carolyn moved over to the settee. "Would you like me to talk with him first?"
"Well, I had hoped you would talk to him this evening," she said.
"Oh…well…Carolyn…I had not planned to attend this function." His tone was very flat. "I have no desire to…mingle with the Hadleys."
"Daniel, you were invited, too. I told them you'd come with us," Carolyn responded, her voice stern. "It's not as if they haven't seen a ghost before. Why Kate says even Zeb's wife appears now and again. Of everyone in Schooner Bay, I think you be the least intimidated by Kate and Parker."
"Intimidated? I am not intimidated by anyone!" He blustered and stomped over to the mantel. "Confound it, woman. How many times do I have to tell you that I want privacy?"
She stared at him, knowing that when he was in this kind of mood, she'd never get him to relent. "I wish you'd change your mind, Daniel." She walked to him and trailed her hand down his chest. "It would be lovely to have an evening out with you."
Daniel just harrumphed at her.