Page 59 of Found at Sea

Fletcher had told Horace that he and Alek were exploring the island, and if I knew them like I thought I did, I knew they’d be in a swimming hole somewhere away from everyone.

“Captain,” a woman greeted me, slightly bowing her head. She was probably around my age and had raven black hair and the darkest eyes.

“Have you seen a redhead pass through here?” I asked, leaning against her market stand. She sold jewelry and other small trinkets, and I moved a gaze amongst the items.

“Red hair? Oh yes.” She smiled and gently clapped her hands. “Hair of fire is so rare. He and another boy went to the cove.”

Fletcher really was exceptional. But not only for the shade of his hair.

I was about to walk away, when one item caught my attention, and I stopped to further admire it. It was a small bird made of silver with carved designs in the wings and had a ruby in the center. The bird was attached to a leather cord.

“Do you like it?” she asked. I nodded. “It’s a finch.”

“A songbird?” I asked, looking up at her. A certain someone reminded me of such a bird.

“Yes, Captain. Very good.” She picked it up and placed it in my hand. “A necklace such as this would make a fine gift for a special maiden.”

I smirked. “Or a special man.”

Her eyes widened before her smile grew larger. “Yes. A man with hair of fire?”

“How much?”

After she told me the amount, I gave her the coin before dropping the finch into my pocket. A bit impulsive, maybe, but Fletcher had touched me in ways I’d never thought possible.

I wasn’t certain what the emotion was yet, but it was strong. The bird might make him smile, which was worth any price she could’ve given.

Having an idea of where the cove was, I headed that way. A path lined with colorful stones led into the forest—not the dark one we’d visited the day before, but a more lively one where the birds chirped and the insects buzzed—and I followed it for a while.

As I neared the opening in the trees up ahead, I heard music. And singing.

“Sing louder!” Alek shouted. I walked out into the sunlight and saw him floating on his back in the water. “The fish cannot hear you.”

“Do fish even have ears?” Fletcher asked. He was sitting on a rock near the water’s edge holding his lute. He was also shirtless, showing off his subtle muscles and slight tan. “Probably for the best if they don’t. My singing might scare them away.”

“Rubbish,” Alek said before splashing water at him.

Fletcher quickly moved his instrument out of the way before voicing a string of curses at the younger man.

I smiled at his feistiness and kept walking forward. When he began playing, though, I halted in step. Other than the one time aboard my ship when I’d walked up on him, I’d never heard him sing and play simultaneously.

“You choose the rose, love, and I’ll make the vow,” Fletcher sang as he strummed the lute. “And I’ll be your true love forever.”

The melody was sad and caused a weight to settle over my chest. And his voice…gods his voice…was more beautiful than anything I’d ever heard.

Alek spotted me first. With the surprise of it, he sank under the surface before coming back up and rubbing the water out of his eyes. “Captain Flynn.”

The music stopped as Fletcher flung around to look at me too. If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a deep blush in his cheeks. But it could’ve just been from the sun. His surprise shifted to the playful attitude I was used to.

“I thought I told Horace to tell you to mind your own business,” he said, turning on the rock to see me better.

“Since when do I listen to any man?” I said, walking closer. “Especially when it’s from a runt like you.”

Alek snorted and then dove back under the water when Fletcher shot him a glare.

“Is there something you want, Captain?” Fletcher asked, lifting his chin with a defiant expression.

You, I nearly said.