Page 33 of Barging In

Clem gave her a slow, playful smile. “Both, of course. Come on.” She moved down the galley, putting things in cupboards and nudging cooling cakes to the back of the worktop. “I could do with topping the batteries up. Florence eats up power.”

“I must admit, I have no idea how these things work,” Victoria replied, grateful for a change in subject so she could compose herself.

Her eyes caught one of the cakes as she passed, a lemon drizzle with a crisp layer of lemony sugar on top. Her mouth watered.

"Well, running the engine is a bit like running a car: The alternator charges the batteries while the engine’s running.

I use a lot of appliances, though, so the time Florence spends cruising isn’t nearly enough to generate all the power I need in a day.

I’ve got solar panels across the roof, which help top things up, but I still have to plug her into shore power at the house overnight to fully recharge the batteries. "

“Sounds like a lot to manage. It must be stressful.”

“It is,” Clem said, climbing the steps to the stern.

“How do you deal with water?” Victoria asked. She took the last sip of espresso and popped the cup in a bin as she followed behind. It was considerably better than what they served at the wharf.

“I have a five-hundred-litre tank, so it lasts a few days. I fill up from the garden hose, and there are a few filling stations about. But yeah, I’m constantly thinking about it.

Even when everything is full, you can’t catch a break.

I always have to keep an eye on my usage.

If Florence was just a home, running out wouldn’t be so bad, but with the business, I can’t run out of water, gas, or electricity. ”

“It’s not a lifestyle I could manage,” Victoria said, feeling overwhelmed just listening to her. “I like my amenities on tap.”

Clem sniffed out a laugh. “The problem is I do, too. We definitely take them for granted when we have them.” She started the engine and manoeuvred them away from the bank and down the canal. “We have to turn around a little way down here; it’s a bit of a nuisance but all par for the course.”

Victoria gripped the railing that surrounded the stern to steady herself against the moving boat. “It’s fine. I’m in no rush,” she reassured her, having no idea what the time was thanks to her dead phone and decision not to wear her watch last night.

“So, when did you decide you weren’t so keen on narrowboats?” Clem asked.

“A girls’ holiday at uni. I endured it for a week and vowed never again. I was dubious to begin with; they’re so small, airless, cramped.” She took a breath. “It’s the combination of floating on water and it being a bit of a scramble to get out of two fairly small exits.”

A boat passed them, sending a slight sway through the deck. “This, too,” she said, steadying herself against the stern.

“Couldn’t you have left?”

Victoria rolled her eyes and grinned. “No, and I have hormones to thank for that. I endured it because, well, I had a crush on a friend. It stayed one-sided, as it always seemed to back then. Who wanted to be out and proud under Section 28? We hid ourselves. Some of us married the nearest man we found vaguely attractive who didn’t look like he’d kill us and hoped for the best. All so we could pretend we were normal .

” She gave a thin smile. “Then you grow up, the world changes, affords you some rights… and you find yourself trapped anyway.”

Realising she had perhaps revealed a little too much, Victoria bit her lip.

“You aren’t trapped, Victoria.”

Victoria squeezed the railing as frustration began to take hold. Had Clem not listened to a word she said? Or simply not understood?

She was about to correct her when Clem added, “Stuck, maybe. Wedged somewhere awkward, where a step the wrong way feels like falling off a cliff edge.”

Victoria loosened her grip, the tension easing in her fingers. Clem was trying. She didn’t fully grasp what was at stake, but she was at least reaching for it.

“Something like that,” she conceded.

“Can I ask… have you ever told anyone about you and Drew? About your situation?” Clem asked gently.

Victoria shook her head. “I’ve never had anyone to tell.”

Clem’s eyebrows knitted together. “What about Jasper?”

“I don’t want to worry him. Although I’m sure he suspects something is wrong. Especially after spotting Hannah waiting in Drew’s car, and the fact that we didn’t arrive at the party together.”

“Oh. But surely he’d understand?”

“Maybe. But I also employ him. His whole life is in that museum. He knows if we don’t make improvements, then we could close, but as for my marriage problems, why drag him into something he can’t fix? Especially when I have no intention of losing the wharf.”

They fell into silence, both lost in their thoughts, until a boat came towards them in a narrow stretch. Clem expertly navigated past them, offering a wave as they passed.

“You’re a natural at this,” Victoria commented.

“Yep, it’s in my blood,” Clem said, staring into the distance. “I’ve steered bigger boats. My parents’ is a wide-beam. That’s over twelve feet.”

“I must admit, when you mentioned a hotel boat yesterday, it was the first I’d heard of one.”

“There are a few about. If you can manoeuvre one that big, you can handle anything,” Clem said, her posture sharpening. “Have you ever steered one?”

“No. I managed to avoid it on my week-long trip. Not that I’d remember even if I had. It feels like a lifetime ago.”

“Come.” Clem stepped back from her spot next to the tiller, one hand still gripping it. “Have a go now.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t,” Victoria protested, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, even though she was tempted.

“Come on. For me?” Clem urged.

Victoria felt Clem’s hand around her waist, gently drawing her towards her body.

It was impossible to refuse Clem when she was this close, and Victoria was enjoying the feeling of her fingers pressing into her too much to resist. She let Clem take control, manoeuvring her beside the tiller and placing her palm on the wooden handle.

Clem’s warm hand settled over hers, firm and guiding.

Their closeness was making Victoria’s chest heavy, and Clem’s breath ghosting over her neck only weighed on it further. She knew she should pull away the moment goosebumps prickled across her skin; instead, she leaned in slightly, allowing Clem to take charge.

As they rounded a bend, Clem gripped her hand harder, but as they came onto a straight stretch she removed her hand entirely.

Victoria jumped with surprise. Without Clem’s touch, everything felt a little less certain.

Her pulse quickened, and a tightness squeezed her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

As if reading her concern, Clem placed her hand back over Victoria’s. Her body pressing in close again only served to make everything worse.

“You’re doing great,” she whispered in her ear.

“I think that’s enough,” Victoria said finally, extracting her hand from under Clem’s and stepping away. “I don’t want to be responsible for sinking your boat. You might go back to hating me.”

“I never hated you, Victoria.”

Victoria arched a brow, questioning.

“Not totally, anyway,” Clem added.

She huffed a quiet laugh. “Well, I’m sure your parents would have something to say about it.”

“Oh, no doubt.”

“How do they feel about your recent life changes?”

Clem chuckled. “Don’t get me started.”

Victoria tilted her head, urging her to continue.

“Well, Mum doesn’t stop going on about everything I gave up, but she’s coming round — even more now she knows about Florence. I’d kept it as a surprise for her until their recent visit. My dad is fairly nonplussed about it all. He wants me to be happy, though I think deep down he worries.”

“I imagine to them money equals security.”

“Money isn’t everything,” Clem countered with a shrug. “I’m a lot happier now, even if I’m more stressed by everything. It’s hard to find that happy medium in life.”

“Mmm,” Victoria mused, wondering if a happy medium was what she had. “As you said last night, you now have the added pressure of not being able to sell Florence.”

Clem hummed. “I didn’t expect it to be a bed of roses, but early starts, late nights, on my feet all day — it’s a bit of a grind.

I’m constantly walking into things. Baking in the wharf’s kitchen reminded me of what I’m missing: space .

And I can feel myself getting more frustrated by the lack of it.

” She sighed. “I’m sure I just need more time to adjust.”

“You said yourself that you weren’t sure if Florence was the right choice. What if it wasn’t?” She pulled her lips to one side. “What do you want out of life, Clem? We talked a lot last night about my pathetic life, but?—”

“We barely discussed mine?”

Victoria nodded. “Surely you can’t spend the rest of it serving cake and coffee out of a hatch. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but I know you well enough by now to think it’s not going to float your boat forever.”

“Good one,” Clem said with a small smile. She paused, thoughtful. “I want to be part of something, but something good. I love drawing people to something… making them happy with cake. Maybe this was a pipe dream, and some things are best left as ideas. Not every dream has to become reality.”

“Sometimes we need to change something. If it doesn’t work out, change it again. There’s no shame in it. If Florence isn’t working for you, follow your heart,” Victoria said wistfully.

“Like you did here? To the wharf?”

“Yes, exactly,” Victoria replied. “It was literally an escape for me. Like you said last night, it was brave. I do see that. I also see that I have people relying on me now for their jobs, and I have to make it work. But I don’t regret it for one second. ”

“Implement some of the things I told you and you’ll be fine,” Clem said, nudging her arm gently. “If you know your consumer, you’ve got a good chance of getting it right.”

“Well, about that…” Victoria hesitated, turning to face Clem properly. “Your ideas were great — the ones I can remember anyway — but the thing is, I have no idea how to implement them. Would you help me? I could hire you as a marketing consultant or something?”

“Oh.” Clem blinked. She fell silent for a moment before replying. “I have my business. I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel.”

“You can set your own hours, work around it. I can be as flexible as you need so it doesn’t interfere.

It might even help see you through the winter.

If you hate it or it doesn’t work for you, then you’ve not lost anything.

” Victoria stopped for a breath, adding more gently, “You were alive when you were talking about all your ideas. I need someone like you. We worked well together for the party, didn’t we? ”

Clem didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“So?”

“Can I think about it?” Clem asked, scrunching her face.

“Of course. Would you let me show you around the wharf whilst you think? There are parts you've not seen. I assume you haven't been to the museum yet.”

“No, funnily enough, I haven’t had time.”

“Would you come by sometime? Take a look. No pressure,” Victoria said, her voice careful, afraid to hope. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Clem off.

“I’d like that. No promises, though.”

“Wonderful. I’ll ask Jasper to give you a tour.”

“Oh.” Clem’s face fell .

“Then I can show you everything else,” Victoria added with a smile.

Clem’s expression softened, clearly content with that arrangement.

As they reached the jetty, Clem pulled over and cut the engine. She jumped onto the bank, securing Florence with a rope.

“Thanks for the lift,” Victoria said, taking the hand Clem offered as she stepped onto the jetty.

“Anytime.”

Victoria couldn’t help but grin at what she now thought of as Clem’s signature phrase.

“And thanks for everything you did yesterday. I haven’t forgotten I owe you dinner.”

“Good,” Clem said with a playful tone. “That reminds me, I have something for you.”

She disappeared inside. A minute later, she reappeared holding a plastic container.

“Here, I baked you a lemon drizzle for your birthday.”

Victoria’s hand flew to her chest. “Oh, Clem.”

The urge to hug her came so fast and so strong that she didn’t have time to overthink it.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Clem, holding her close for a moment, then another and another.

Clem’s grip tightened against her own, their rigid bodies softening into each other.

Tension Victoria hadn’t realised she’d been carrying slipped away in the warmth of the embrace.

Eventually, she pulled back and pressed a soft kiss to Clem’s cheek. A flush rose on Clem’s face. Either she’d held on too tight, or Clem had enjoyed the embrace as much as she had.

Victoria took the box gently from her, placing her purse on top, and turned towards the gate. As she unlatched it, she swivelled around .

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Clem replied, climbing back aboard, her broad smile unmissable.

As Victoria made her way up the path, she found her eyes were damp.

She wiped them as the low thrum of an engine drifted after her.

Florence was sailing away and with her, Clem, leaving a hollow ache inside Victoria.

No one had ever baked something for her before.

Drew hadn’t even given her a birthday present.

He probably thought his presence at the party was gift enough.

She forced her mind away from him to somewhere more pleasant… back to that hug. Was it wrong, she wondered, to imagine more? To picture herself in Clem’s arms, that warm, tingling rush spread through her chest; the way Clem wrapped around her, made her feel safe and, more than anything, seen?

And what if she let her thoughts drift further?

To kissing her. Peeling away her clothes.

Touching her bare skin. Would that be cheating?

How would it feel to wake up beside her, skin to skin, limbs tangled in quiet contentment?

It stirred something deep inside her, something she thought had long since gone quiet.

A longing. A desire. But should she even be thinking about Clem like that? Wasn’t that wrong?

But why should she hold herself back from something she wanted? Drew hadn’t; he did whatever he pleased and more. So why not her?

Because she wasn’t him. That was why.

With a resigned sigh, she headed on up the path, leaving the thought — and Florence’s fading engine — behind her.