Passionate Choice

Chapter 9.3

The engine throbbed into life. Keith reappeared and went forward to drop the sails. The boat surged forward. Islands grew bigger and more distinct. She could make out the shapes of houses and other buildings. By the time the mainsail was furled, the sail cover in place, and the foresail reefed in around the forestay they had reached the harbour entrance. Keith went down to call harbour control on the radio to ask permission for entry, as was the rule at Nassau. He stayed down below for a while, making it impossible for her to continue a conversation with him and she wondered ruefully if he was doing it deliberately. He had met her again, the situation had not been to his liking and so he had left and she had been foolish enough to follow him.

Within half an hour, they were docking at the same slip at which they had docked three and a half years ago. The same rich master was there to take their lines. The buildings of the harbour club were just the same. The same palm trees clustered in the courtyard about the swimming pool. There was even the same tall, leggy woman with long blonde hair coming along the dock and calling out to Keith in a clear, high voice. The only difference was that the woman was pushing a buggy in which a sun-hatted child sat.

Oh, it was too much to face, thought Selena miserably, as she ducked down into the cabin so we not to be seen by the woman who was now kissing Keith affectionately. She couldn't go through it again. She couldn't leave him and fly back to England and spend weeks, months regretting having left him. But what could she do?

In the cabin, she hastily took out the pair of Keith's shorts she had been wearing and pulled his over-sized T-shirt off. She had just dressed in her own white pants and sleeveless shirt when she heard footsteps on the deck and the voice of the woman called Sora coming nearer. The woman was on board.

There was no way of escape. She had to stay there in the cabin, making a pretense of getting everything ship-shape, putting away the charts they had used in the drawer beneath the chart table.

"Sora, I'd like you to meet Selena Mason who has been crewing with me from Puerto Plata. Selena, meet Sora Walker, my brother Tim's wife."

Selena turned slowly, hoping her amazement was not showing on her face and tried to smile at the blonde woman who was carrying the toddler in her arms and eyeing Keith's crew with a curiosity she didn't bother to hide.

"Hi, Selena. This is Daniel Walker. Shake hands with the pretty lady, Daniel, and say 'hello'," said Sora.

The little boy put out a chubby and rather sticky hand to Selena and burbled something which could have been, "Hello, pretty lady". His soft skins had a golden sheen and his long-lashed eyes were a brilliant ice-blue.

"Hello, Daniel," Selena said. "Hello to you too, Sora. I didn't know Keith had a sister-in-law."

"Oh, Tim and I have been married nearly three and a half years." Sora, who had greenish-grey eyes that twinkled with good humour, grinned suddenly and impudently. "I was supposed to meet you once before but you left before we could get together. You might have come to my wedding if you'd stayed on, but there was something about a degree you emanated to get and which was more important to you. By the way, your luggage has arrived at the house. So, why don't you come along there now with me and Daniel in my car? I'm sure you're longing for a bath or a shower and a change of clothes. Keith will come along after us. His car is parked there."

Selena turned to Keith. He was leaning against the chart table, hands in the pockets of his shorts and seemed to be completely unconcerned with the conversation.

"Will that be all right?" she asked. "Should I go with Sora?"

"Sure." He shrugged. "I'll see you later."

She followed Sora ashore and only once looked back at the Jellyfish but Keith had stayed below. Supposing he didn't come along after them as Sora had suggested he would? Supposing he decided to stay on board the yacht rather than come to a house where he knew she would be? What would she do then? Leave Nassau without saying goodbye to him? Without making another attempt to clear the air between them with more explanations?

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