Page 36 of Captain's Orders
"You've met her." Lindsay hesitated. "It's Maddie."
The name didn't land. "Which Maddie? I don't know any Maddies except for my cousin in Kansas and the older woman who works at the marina. Is it her?"
Lindsay shook her head. "It’s Maddie McDean."
Dani looked at her and Lindsay held her gaze, calm, hands threaded together on the table, waiting for her to react. Dani burst out laughing.
"Maddie McDean. Maddie from our charter?" She laughed again when Lindsay nodded. "Maddie the superstar? Straight, last I checked."
"Yes, Dani. That Maddie. And trust me, she’s not as straight as everyone thinks."
Dani wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Lindsay, Lindsay. You're not doing very well. A secret for a secret? Come on. This isn't a secret. It's some kind of weird fantasy."
"You've noticed me being on my phone more, right?" Lindsay said.
"Sure. You've been super protective over your phone and I could tell your head was in the clouds but this is silly. I'm not that gullible."
"You know what?" Lindsay reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. "Fine. Fine. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this but here we are."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling my girlfriend. You're getting proof."
Lindsay pulled her earbuds out of her bag, handed Dani one and slipped the other into her own ear.
Dani put it in while Lindsay angled the phone so the screen was facing only the two of them and tapped the contact saved asUrgent Deliveries, which made Dani chuckle again. Sheplayed along though, expecting one of the crew members to pick up, wearing a Maddie wig.
But then the unthinkable happened. Maddie's face filled the small screen between them. Dani blinked once, then again, as though that might rearrange the pixels into someone else. It didn’t. Maddie was in a hotel robe, hair up, leaning back against pillows.
"Hi babe," she said.
"Hi yourself." Lindsay smiled. "I'm at the Sunset Café with Dani. I've just told her about us, like we discussed, but she thinks I'm pranking her."
Maddie waved into the camera. "Hi, Dani. It's nice to see you again."
Dani was staring, unable to answer.
"You okay?" Maddie asked.
Lindsay answered for her. "She's not okay. I think we broke her."
Maddie laughed.
"Anyway," Lindsay said, "are you going to be up for a bit? The others will be here in twenty and I'd like to slip around the corner and call you properly. I don't want to leave Dani by herself right now in case a stiff breeze knocks her over."
"I'll be up." Maddie's voice softened. "I miss you."
"Miss you too. Twenty minutes."
Maddie waved at the screen one more time. "Bye, Dani."
All Dani managed was an awkward smile and a hand-lift that came out closer to a salute.
Lindsay hung up, dropped the phone on the table, and turned to her. "Dani, where are your manners? You could at least have said hello. Something. Anything."
Words were still not happening.
"Okay, fine. Let's change the subject because this is clearly too complex for you. So, you and the captain. Spare nothing, I've earned every detail."
