The Starboard Knife

They hadn’t met in secret for over a month. He’d called, but she’d ignored him and struggled to find the right words to tell Je

Earlier, when Je

Erica soaked a washcloth and used it to wipe away the mascara that had left black streaks underneath her eyes. She popped an extra aspirin into her mouth, washed it down with the bottled water, and then used the mouthwash to get rid of the nasty, leftover taste of beer.

Erica looked at her reflection one more time. “You’ve got to tell her. Do it tomorrow.” She found a terrycloth robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door, put it on, and when she walked back toward the bed, a voice in the darkest corner of the room startled her.

It said, “Do what tomorrow?”

Erica yelped and strained to see who it was. “Oh, hey. Jesus, you scared me. What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?”

PART FIVE

Je

They looked up at her—the three of them smiling brightly—and waved her over. None of the disbelief or blame was there, as it had been the night before, and they’d either passed it off as a drunken mix-up, or they were doing a damn good job of hiding their true feelings about the altercation.

She poured herself a mug, grabbed a breakfast bar and a banana and then sat down with them. They didn’t ask what happened, and she didn’t offer. Instead, they chatted about how beautiful the morning was, how lucky Alex was to have all his millions handed to him, and whether or not Chet would ever get back into the ocean after having the shit scared out of him the day before.

Not long after, the others straggled up from below. Sharon and Laura came up with sleepy eyes and their hair back in ponytails. Mark and Terri trudged up the stairs looking exhausted and ready to go home. Je

Alex must have slept in his captain’s chair in the cockpit, because Je

They ate, drank their coffees, and nursed their hangovers. Whining, holding their temples, and keeping their sunglasses on even in the shade of the dining area.

“Too bright. Hurts too much.”

“God, my head is pounding.”

“I need more coffee.”

“Did anybody happen to bring some horse tranquilizers?”

“Where’s Erica?”

“Oh, shit,” Wade said, “I almost forgot she was here. Want me to go check on her?”

Alex shook his head. “Nah, let her sleep it off a bit.” He tipped the brim of his mug toward Je

Je

“It’s okay, honey,” Sharon said, patting her arm.

“No, it’s not. I really hurt her. I guess—I don’t know, I guess I just…I don’t even have an excuse. Honest to God, it was so crazy, like I was watching myself do it—like it was somebody else up there on the table.”

Terri crossed her arms and flicked her head toward Je

“Oh, my God. Would you shut the hell up?” Mark stood and stuck his finger in Terri’s face. “I’m sick of your stupid psycho-babble. They are. I am. Enough.”

“Sit down, Mark.”

“No.”

“I said, sit down.”

“Nope. I’m done with this. You went too far, and I’ve put up with it long enough. Nobody wants to hear you run your mouth, Terri. I mean, for God’s sake, why are these people even friends with us? How in the hell do we get invited for a weekend on some millionaire kid’s yacht—no offense, Alex. How, huh? Why do they want us here? It’s certainly not to listen to you yammer on and on about how smart you are and how you know what’s best for everybody else. Look at us, look at our lives. You don’t know shit, Terri.”

The other’s watched, amused, amazed, and a little bit proud of Mark for taking a stand.

Terri slapped his hand away. “I’m telling you for the last time—”

“Or what? What’re you go

Terri stood up, shoved Mark out of the way, and couldn’t hide her tears as she went below. He stood there, frozen in place, watching her, moved like he was going to follow, and then stepped back. Moved forward again. “Honey, wait.”

Wade reached over and grabbed Mark’s arm. “Don’t, man. Hold your ground.”

“But—”

“You did a good thing, bud. Let her cool off a bit.”

Mark let his shoulders drop. “Yeah, okay. Yeah. Good idea.”

“Felt good, didn’t it?” Wade asked, gri

“Honestly? That was better than sex. I mean, from what I remember.”

Je

“Must be something in the water,” Laura said.

Chet got up from the table. “Yeah, us.”

Twenty minutes later, with Terri still below deck, they all ventured back into the ocean, Chet bravely, the rest willingly. After a short, invigorating swim, and once they were all on board, Alex suggested that they try fishing. Chet and Wade agreed, and the ladies decided it was a good time for more ta

Alex searched the storage closets for the rods and reels he’d picked up ages ago, but never used. He bumped his head when a terrifying scream came up from below deck, loud enough to be heard over the ocean wind.

Heads turned, focusing on the stairs. Muscles tense and ears cocked toward the sound.

Je

“Yeah, was that Terri?”

Je

She clawed at Je