Page 32 of Buck (Diver Downeast #2)

The whole trip had just sucked, but at least it was over.

Bobbie stared up at the inky blackness above as she sailed south, toward home, wondering what she was going to do in the future.

Things couldn’t continue as they were, that was for sure.

Monsieur Provard had gone from being an arrogant blowhard, to a narcissistic tyrant, and that wasn’t going to fly.

Checking her position to make sure her auto-pilot was keeping her on the right track, Bobbie settled back on her cockpit bench with a regretful shake of her head. If she had to end things with her Canada gig, it had been a nice run.

Reyghan, secure in her safety harness which allowed her access to the cockpit and her own little area down below, jumped up to settle on Bobbie’s lap, lending a modicum of comfort that had been severely lacking at her job earlier.

“Hey, girl,” Bobbie softened, stroking the puppy’s ultra-soft ears. “We’ve got a problem, don’t we.”

She made it a statement because, yeah, her new companion couldn’t exactly answer.

Bobbie snorted. “This is the first time I’m actually glad that weather is moving in tomorrow, urr, later today, and that we had an excuse to leave early.” Night sailing was normally soothing, but after everything that had happened at the mansion in New Brunswick, Bobbie was still on edge.

She leaned forward to her computer and once again checked her position. She wouldn’t be surprised if a new cluster-fuck popped up, but her boat was behaving perfectly.

She’d left Provard’s pier three hours ago, and it would be at least seven more before she arrived home. Six before she had cell phone coverage and could talk to the man whose voice she desperately wanted to hear.

Funny. She’d endured fifteen years of not having Buck in her life, but now he was the first person she thought of when shit that needed airing, roiled around in her brain.

Maybe it was because he was always so calm.

Or maybe, for the first time in forever, she was finally learning how to trust again.

Either way, she really needed to have him talk her down, right the hell now.

Bobbie eyed the sat phone that hung just inside her open, cabin door, and chewed her lip. She kept the set onboard for emergencies only.

She sighed. This wasn’t a physical emergency, but…what about her mental state? Shouldn’t she be worried for her emotional well-being? Wasn’t that enough to bend her rules a little?

Her fingers itched to pick it up and call Buck.

Even though it was just after one AM, she knew he wouldn’t mind being pulled from sleep. If she waited a couple more hours, though, that would just be cruel; to drag him from slumber at stupid-o-clock in the morning.

“I’m going to do it,” she told Reyghan.

The little dog gave one sharp bark, and Bobbie laughed. “I’m so glad you agree.”

She placed Reyghan on the deck, then walked down the single step into the entryway of her cabin. Opening up the little door of the glass-fronted cabinet that secured the device in a semi-watertight environment, she pulled it out.

Once Bobbie had it in hand, she went back out under the stars to regain her seat. Reyghan jumped up next to her this time, snuggling in.

“Oh. You think this might be a long call, huh?”

Bobbie didn’t feel crazy talking out loud to her four-legged companion. Hell, no. Sometime while sailing, she conversed with the seagulls or with the white-sided dolphins that occasionally swam alongside her. Beggers couldn’t be choosers for company when you were a solitary sailor.

Opening up her cell phone, she perused her contact list and found Buck’s number.

One would think since she’d fixated on him, that she’d have it memorized by now, but she’d never been one of those numbers’ nerds. Dates and figures flew out of her head faster than Reyghan could devour one of her new treats.

Keeping her screen on, she keyed the digits into her sat phone, then pocketed her cell as the larger device rang.

“H’llo?” Buck’s voice mumbled.

Yup . He’d been sleeping.

“Hey, Buck. It’s Bobbie. I’m sorry to wake you up.”

“Bobbie.” He was instantly alert. “What’s happening. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Sort of. Uh, maybe?” Now that she had him on the phone, she wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Just having him in her ear was going a long way toward calming her down.

“Don’t downplay on my account. You wouldn’t be calling from an unknown number at this time of night if things were okay.”

Bobbie gave out a strained laugh. “It’s my sat phone, and yeah. You’ve got me there. I guess I… I needed someone I could use as a sounding board.”

“You’ve got me,” he said without hesitation.

She could hear him shuffling around, and assumed he was getting out of bed. Her mind momentarily wandered to what he would or wouldn’t be wearing, but she somehow managed to force that picture away as she pondered how to start.

“I, uh, actually weighed anchor about three hours ago, and I’m on my way home,” she began.

“Which is about seven hours earlier than normal, am I right?” he questioned astutely.

“You are,” Bobbie confirmed.

“And I’m assuming since you don’t sound exactly thrilled, it wasn’t because you wanted to be home sooner.”

“Again, correct,” she validated on a sigh.

Buck didn’t beat around the bush. “Tell me what happened,” he demanded.

Bobbie almost didn’t know where to start, but with Buck’s stolid presence on the other end of the line, she began her tale of woe.

“When I arrived at the dock yesterday, uh Monday. Sorry. I keep forgetting it’s already Wednesday morning.

Anyway, Monday, late afternoon, it wasn’t Allain from the kitchen who met me as per usual.

It was the major domo of the mansion, or head lackey, or whatever Monsieur Provard calls the arrogant ass who attends to him.

I’ve never been given the guy’s name.” She focused to continue.

“The dick told me the boss wanted to speak to me as soon as I arrived. Before I left my boat, I instructed him to make sure everything made it to the kitchen and into the walk-ins so it didn’t go bad when I powered everything down.

“He sniffed at me like I was giving him a job that required too much effort, but luckily Allain spotted me at that moment, and came outside to take care of it.”

“So, no food spoilage,” Buck guessed.

“Nope. That wasn’t the problem.”

“Okay. I’m still here.”

“When I was escorted to Provard’s study, the man was behind his desk, and he gave me that smarmy perusal he always does that gives me the creeps.” No, she hadn’t told Buck that the prick had stroked her hand during her last visit.

Bobbie thought Buck growled low in his throat, anyway, but she couldn’t be sure.

She went on. “He told me to have a seat, which was a first when discussing menu items. In the past when he’s had something to impart, I’ve always been left standing. It kind of freaked me out, but I complied, because really, what choice did I have?”

Bobbie wished she’d told the man she was too busy to palaver, but she hadn’t. So…

“He immediately told me that he was down a guest that night for their party; that the head of some governmental department needed a companion for the evening, and that I was it.”

“What the fuck?” Buck burst out.

“Exactly what I was thinking, but couldn’t say,” Bobbie agreed.

“I had to be much more diplomatic. I told him that the meal I was planning for the evening was something I needed to oversee, and that I couldn’t possibly shirk my responsibilities.

When he just sat there, looking at me imperiously, I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, so I mumbled on about also not having any proper attire with me. ”

“Don’t tell me,” Buck snarled. “He offered you clothes.”

“He did. It was like he never heard the first part of what I said, so I reiterated the cooking bit of business, and do you know what he told me?”

“I can’t even guess.”

“He said that my cooking was good, but nothing that his kitchen staff couldn’t handle.

Nothing his kitchen staff couldn’t handle ,” she repeated incredulously.

“What the fuck? I’ve been cooking for him for a year, and he drops this bombshell, now?

If that were truly the case, why has he kept me on at such an exorbitant salary? ”

There was no answer for that, as she kept spewing. “So, you know what I said,” she added, irate all over again.

“You told him to stick it, and you… Wait. You didn’t walk the hell out because you said you left three hours ago, which means you were there until ten o’clock.”

“Yeah.” Bobbie deflated. “I’m an idiot. Or at least I was for a while.

Dollar signs kept dancing through my imagination, then incinerating themselves before they made it into my pocket.

It was like…poof. Bye-bye autonomy. I hate to say it, but what that prick pays me is more than I make slaving away with the parties I do for the entire rest of the week. So I…compromised.”

“Not happily, I can tell,” Buck gruffed.

“No. Not at all. I told him I still needed to do the prep, even if he thought my skills weren’t necessary, and that I’d then get things set up so Allain could take over.

But then I told him about Reyghan; that she was on my boat, needed my attention, and that I’d be taking short breaks throughout the duration of the night to make sure she was okay. ”

“And?” Buck prodded.

“And he went ballistic. It was…shocking.” Bobbie could still hear the tirade and quoted him. “ You brought a dog on my property without my permission? That was not in our contract. You agreed to always come alone. ”

“We’re talking about a puppy here,” her voice rose. “So I attempted to reason with him. I told him I hadn’t known I was going to have her until a few days ago. That this wasn’t planned.”

The next words out of the asshole’s mouth had chilled her.

“His response was… get rid of it .”

Playing the flat statement over again in her head didn’t make it any better.