South of Heaven (6 page)

“Just give me a holler when you’re ready.” She carried the bucket onto the dock.

Kendra immersed herself in baiting the traps and tying lines to them from the spool of rope she’d brought from the house. She lowered the first of the traps into the water and tied it off to one of the pilings. The water was tinted pink from the bloody carcasses and she felt herself smiling, knowing the scent of the fresh blood would attract the crabs.

Lindsey swapped out buckets with her. The large head from her dad’s catch filled up a bucket on its own.

“We’re almost done with the smaller catches,” Lindsey said as Kendra placed the large head in a trap. “If that doesn’t catch a dozen crabs, I’d be surprised.”

“I sure hope Dad has a plan for the all crab he’s going to be catching with this many traps.”

“I do,” Kevin said from the boat. “Gene down at the market guaranteed he’d buy as many as I can catch. I thought it would be a good way to spend my mornings. He wants them live so I don’t even have to clean them.”

“The trash fish we catch in the nets should keep you set for bait,” Kendra told her dad.

“That’s what I’m hoping and if I need to, I can do a bit of surf fishing while you’re out for reds or hook up with another of the shrimpers.”

“You are going to retire one day, Dad, right?”

“I’ll still be retired, but I can’t sit at home all day, or play golf all the time. I’ll do things at my pace though, so stop your worrying.”

“I’m not worried.” Kendra chuckled. “Let me drop this trap and I’ll come help you two with the last one.”

By the time they finished fileting the last fish, they had two large coolers filled with filets. “That’s a lot of fish,” Kendra groaned as she hefted one side of the cooler. “Lindsey, would you mind going to the truck to get the dolly? There’s no need to break our backs if we can use equipment to do the hard work for us.”

Lindsey nodded and rushed down the dock for the dolly.

“We talked about having a fish fry at the end of the red season,” Kevin said as Kendra watched Lindsey striding to the truck.

“Good idea. I don’t think we could eat all these by ourselves before they start to burn.”

“Yep, that’s the idea. I’ll start planning once the time gets closer,” he said. “I’ll bait and hang the last two traps if you want to help her load the coolers.”

“Deal, you’ve already got crabs creeping in toward the traps. Don’t be surprised if you have a bunch caught by the morning.”

“That’s fine by me.” He grinned. “I’ll probably have to use everything I make on golf balls.”

“Good point.” She laughed and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. She stepped back on deck when Lindsey returned with the dolly.

†

“I’m going to shower and catch a nap if you ladies don’t mind,” Kevin said when they returned to the house.

“No problem, Dad. We’ll get these fish bagged and in the freezer.”

“I can go ahead and whip up some coleslaw, too,” Lindsey chimed in. “I’ll mix up the hushpuppy mix as well before we get cleaned up. Then we’ll all be fresh and ready to cook and eat dinner.”

Chapter Five

Kendra stretched her legs out in front of her and took a long drink from her beer. Kevin and Lindsey sat across from her as a cool breeze blew across the porch.

“Thanks, ladies, for a wonderful meal, but I think this old man’s going to call it a night.”

“I won’t be too far behind you, Dad. This is going to be a busy week.”

“That it is, but an exciting one, too,” he added with a sparkle in his eye. Turning to Lindsey, he warned. “I’d get a good night’s sleep. She’s going to work you like a dog to prove your worth to the crew.”

“Yes sir,” Lindsey answered. “I pretty much reckoned she would, so I’m right behind you.” She stood to follow him into the house.

“You two go ahead. I’ll lock up and set the coffee pot.” Kendra watched them walk to the door.

“Goodnight, you two,” Lindsey said and slipped past Kevin into the house.

“You want some breakfast in the morning?” He looked back at his daughter.

“Just some coffee and toast.” Kendra stood and stretched.

“I’ll have it ready when you come downstairs. Goodnight, honey.”

“Night, Dad, sleep well.”

“You too.” He slipped inside the door.

Kendra watched as the light came on in his bedroom. It still felt strange for her to go out without her dad on the boat, but he deserved a chance to retire after all his years on the water. The long days of hard work had taken a toll on his body. She cringed whenever the arthritis in his joints made him limp painfully as he walked even short distances. She prayed that retirement would permit his body to heal enough to allow him some physical relief. Her heart felt heavy, weighted with concern for her father, as she entered the house and locked up for the evening.

†

The sun crept above the horizon as the crew worked in unison to set the nets, and Kendra found herself smiling at the ease with which Lindsey had fallen into rhythm with the crew. She watched them work through the wheelhouse window until Harvey turned and gave her the signal that the nets were set. She was ready to begin the slow trawl through the smooth waters to gather shrimp in the nets. Kendra eased the boat forward as the crew disappeared into the galley for fresh coffee, while she started to trawl.

Kendra smiled when Harvey stepped inside and handed her a cup of steaming coffee.

“Thanks. We’ve been blessed with another beautiful morning.” She nodded toward the golden orb rapidly filling the sky with light.

“Yes, we have. I hope this weather holds out all season.”

She saw Lindsey step out of the galley and walk over to the railing sipping her coffee.

“How she doing?” she asked.

“Like she’s been on this boat for years.” He grinned. “She works well with the men, and gives their teasing right back at them. She’s a good fit if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Kendra nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “The last thing we need is drama, especially if we’re going to be in tight quarters for days at a time.”

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I think she’ll pose a challenge to the younger men to outwork her and that’s good for the rest of us,” he stated. “She knows her way around a shrimp boat and I don’t think she’ll tolerate them cutting any corners.”

“Not that you would either.” She smiled. “I know just how tight a crew you run, remember?”

“You still thinking we’ll do four days this week?” he asked.

“Yeah. If we have a few good days I’ll call it a week so we can get the new equipment installed and the boat ready for deeper waters. You and the boys can enjoy a long weekend and be well rested for next week.”

“That sounds good. Everyone’s excited to start the red season.”

“Me too, Harvey.”

“I’ll give them a break for a few more minutes, and then we’ll set up the sorting bins. Do you want us to keep any fish or crab caught in the nets?”

“Dad’s going to need some bait for all those crab traps he bought, so keep any trash fish we get for them. You and the boys can take home any decent food fish or crab we catch. We filled our freezer with some nice grouper this weekend.”

“Kevin was bragging this morning that he caught a sixty pounder.”

“He did and it took both of us to hold that rascal up to the scales.”

“I would have loved to see that smile on his face.”

Kendra grinned, pulled her phone out of the holster, and handed it to him. She had saved the photo Lindsey had taken to use as her background. Both she and her dad were sporting huge smiles.

“That’s a good shot.” Harvey handed the phone back to her. “Definitely a keeper.”

Kendra wondered if he was talking about the fish or the photograph as he turned and left the wheelhouse.

Outside she saw the crew milling around the deck and heard Harvey holler, “Let’s get the sorting equipment ready to go,” before he disappeared into the galley. She
 
also watched Lindsey crossing the deck carrying what looked like an empty coffee mug. Kendra watched her move with a confident stride as she disappeared inside the galley. Then Kendra returned her gaze across the open water.

†

The groan of the winch promised full nets as Harvey began to bring them up from the floor of the Gulf.

“That’s such a sweet sound.” Kendra spoke aloud in the wheelhouse, knowing their first run of the morning would be a good one.

Kendra heard the cheers from the men as the nets broke the surface. That confirmed her thought. She watched them rush to place the bottom of the first full net into the mouth of a large cart and pull the tie releasing the bounty. The cart filled to its brink with healthy brown shrimp.

The activity continued as Lindsey and Charlie began pushing the filled cart to the sorting table to dump the contents, while the men worked on preparing the empty net for another run. Charlie moved the now empty cart under the remaining net, and the release of the tie filled it once again to the brim. He pushed the cart to the sorting table where he and Lindsey began sorting the different sizes of shrimp while the rest of the crew prepared and lowered the doors and nets into the water for a second run.

Kendra saw Harvey signal her that the nets were in position and moved the boat forward as the crew continued sorting
 
the first run’s catch.

A holler from the deck made her turn her head around in time to see Charlie picking up a large ray from the cart. He rushed to the side of the boat and hurled the angry creature back into the water. Happy to see that he completed the task without the barbed end of the ray’s tail stabbing him, she watched as Charlie hurried back to the sorting table.

The first run had filled half of the containers with the large shrimp, and she knew if the next run was as good, their day would end earlier than normal.
The shrimp gods are smiling down on us.
She guided the boat forward as they started the next run.
Let’s hope this lasts all summer.

 
From the wheelhouse, Kendra watched her crew work with pride. Harvey and Lindsey had disappeared into the galley while the rest of the crew stored the full bins and placed the cart in position for the next haul. Charlie dumped two buckets of small shrimp off the back of the boat, so they could grow to a size large enough to harvest. She watched as the others stored several buckets of fish and crab in the cooler for the crew to take home.

They were halfway into the next run when Lindsey emerged from the galley with a plate stacked with sandwiches and chips, and carrying a tall glass of sweet tea. She brought them to Kendra. “Here you go, Captain,” she said, placing the plate and glass down on a small workspace.

“Thanks, Lindsey.”

“You’re welcome. Give me a call in the galley if you need anything else,” she said before leaving the wheelhouse.

Kendra picked up half a turkey sandwich and took a bite.
Dessert would be nice.
A wicked grin crossed her face.
Damn I need to stop thinking like this. She’s only here for the summer, and when it ends, she’ll be gone, and I’ll be alone again.

Once more, the groan of the winch signaled a heavy load in the net as it slowly pulled the harvest from the floor of the gulf. A smile grew wide on Kendra’s face as she watched the crew, excited to see the bounty of shrimp hoisted on deck above the bins. Harvey, also wearing a huge grin, turned and gave her a thumbs up sign. This pass would fill their remaining bins and they could call it a day, and a good one at that.

Tim and Charlie busied themselves untying the nets, releasing the shrimp from the nets, and then they pushed the mounded carts and dumped them onto the sorting table. Harvey and Lindsey began sorting the catch as the others emptied the remaining net.

Harvey picked up a large shrimp that almost filled the span of his outstretched hand.

“Those are huge,” Kendra said, over the loudspeaker.

“A good day’s catch for sure,” he hollered back at her.

The sun blazed down on them and the lack of a breeze on the Gulf had the crew dripping with sweat as they toiled. Kendra turned the boat for home and picked up speed, hoping to provide a cool breeze for the crew. Her eyes were drawn to the olive-green tank top Lindsey was wearing, and she saw the salt stains from her sweat covering the fabric with flower-shaped designs that stretched across her back. She watched as Lindsey wiped her brow with her forearm, the beads of sweat glistening on her golden skin.

“Damn,” Kendra whispered, and tore her eyes from the handsome young woman to concentrate on guiding the boat home.

†

Kendra saw Kevin perched on the pier when she pulled alongside and the crew rushed to secure the boat. He whistled at the mounded bins of shrimp stacked neatly on deck, ready to transfer over to the seafood truck waiting at the end of the pier. He stepped on deck just as she emerged from the wheelhouse.

“You had a great haul today,” he stated as he walked toward her.

She nodded. “Two good runs and we filled every bin we had, with shrimp left over.”

“Should we cook up a batch for supper? We still have some slaw left over and I could fix some fries to go with.”

“That sounds great, Dad. I’ll bring a batch home when we’re done here.”

Harvey carried over a bucket filled with fish. “Captain Kendra told us you needed some bait for your crab traps. You want me to set this up on the pier for you?”

“That would be great, Harvey, thanks.”

“Did you have a good harvest this morning, Captain Drake?” Lindsey asked.

Kendra watched her father beam with pride. “Four dozen of the prettiest blues I ever did see.”

“Do we need to add some bait to your traps?” Kendra asked.

“Nope, they’re good until tomorrow. I’ll just hang the bucket off the pier for today. They will be good and ripe by tomorrow.”

“That they will,” Kendra agreed wrinkling her nose for effect.

Kevin chuckled. “I’ll leave you to it then. See you back at the house.”

Kendra saw her dad step onto the pier and pick up the bucket of fish, strolling slowly down the pier. Then she watched as the crew went into action. Harvey secured the nets while Lindsey slipped rubber boots over her shoes to begin rinsing off the equipment and deck. Tim and the others loaded the filled bins onto the waiting truck, returning with empty bins for tomorrow’s run.

Kendra strolled back to the wheelhouse to record the day’s catch and tidy up the boat. Once the crew was done for the day and on their way home, she’d take the boat to get it fueled and ready for tomorrow.

Lindsey watched her captain walk to the wheelhouse. With a deep sigh, she tugged at the thick hose and turned on the water to rinse off the equipment. She had just finished rinsing the sorting table when Charlie dropped the empty bins in the holder.

“You definitely win the wet T-shirt contest,” he teased with a chuckle.

The cool water had splashed up from the table to soak the front of her shirt and she felt her nipples harden as he drew attention to them. She felt a devilish grin form on her face as she turned the hose on the unsuspecting young man with a laugh.

“Hey,” he yelled, and ran out of reach of her hose.