"Okay," she said, throwing him a kiss.
Pete gave her a wink and went outside into a calm grey world of uneasy dawn.
Smashed yucca and drifted sand showed him that the storm had been as wild as any he had seen in these waters. He noted the low black clouds above the pines and the silence of the morning. He knew it would only be a short while before the wind and rain began again.
He was surprised to see that his boat seemed to be all right. It was beaten badly about the fibreglass hull, but seemed to be seaworthy still. After inspecting the Sea Stud, Pete walked back to the clearing and looked in on the girls.
Cathy had fallen back to sleep and had her arms under her head. Olive, in the sleeping bag next to her, had half-tumbled out of her cocoon. Her naked breasts and shoulders were visible to Pete, standing there silently.
He felt a tightening of his scrotum.
How old was Olive? he thought. Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough. He could see the shape of her young body in the sleeping bag. Damn. Wouldn't that be nice, though? He left the adobe before he lost control of himself and his reason. But he filed his thoughts about the young Olive Baker for future reference or need.
He could smell the rich aroma of the coffee before he got back to his own adobe.
He was blunt as he put down his rifle and joined the threesome huddled before the Sterno stove and the bubbling coffee pot.
"This is just a lull. That damned storm's going to hit here again with about ten times the force it had before. I thought we might try to make it back to San Felipe, but after looking at the weather I'm convinced it would be risky-if not downright dangerous."
He squatted before the trio and took a proffered cup of coffee from Bunny. He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. Then he looked over the rim of his steaming cup at Jim Baker. His eyes were cold and unfriendly and Jim's looked sad and uncertain. Good, Pete thought. It would not do to get into an argument with him now. But he had the feeling that dark things were brewing in Jim's mind. He shook it off and looked at Darlene. She gave a shrug as if to say that nothing had been said about last night and she didn't know how her husband felt.
Pete blew on his coffee and took a sip.
"So we're stuck here awhile?" Bunny asked him.
"It looks like it. Another day or two. Maybe more. These storms are unpredictable out here. The short ones do a lot of damage but the long ones keep you buttoned down."
"Well, let's make the best of it," said Darlene.
"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Jim asked sarcastically.
Pete gave him a sharp look of reproof, but kept silent.
Darlene saw the look and bit her lip to keep herself from replying with an equally sarcastic remark.
Bunny smiled and spoke, "Is anyone hungry? Maybe someone had better check on the girls while I cook a big breakfast for everyone. Spam and dried potatoes or something."
Darlene's face brightened. Jim looked glum as he looked down into his coffee cup.
"I looked in on them," Pete explained. "They're still fast asleep. But cook up some breakfast. It'll make everyone feel better." He looked again at Jim and this time Jim looked up and knew that he was being scolded.
"Yes-yes," Jim said, "that might be good. For all of us to eat." He sure looks miserable, Pete thought and smiled to himself. The trouble with Jim was he didn't know how to live.
Darlene got up while Bunny busied herself cooking breakfast. "I'll get the girls ready and bring them over," she announced.
Darlene left the adobe and Bunny and Jim were left with Pete. Pete lit a cigarette and drank his coffee. Bunny bustled around and lit the big Coleman stove. Jim turned on the portable radio. XETRA news came in strong and the three of them listened to the announcer drone on.
"Leave it there, Jim," Pete said. "That's a good strong station out of Tijuana. Has the news twenty-four hours a day."
"Okay," Jim said, glad at this civility from his boss. It helped relieve a lot of the tension that perhaps only he felt.
Outside, they could hear the wind building up again and the room was noticeably darker. Bunny gave Pete a smile and a wink. He knew what she meant. She had scored with Jim and that made things about perfect. Good lord, Jim must have a set of morals that were as strict as his double entry bookkeeping system. Accountants! They were useful but they had limited vision. Darlene was a nice piece and she was married to a wet blanket. Pete would have laughed except that he had found this was the normal thing instead of the odd ball one. The most incongruous people seemed to mate up and try to make a go of marriage. Even he and Bunny had been pretty different. Or thought they had. Until they had joined the swap club. Maybe they weren't so different after all. Maybe Jim and Darlene were more alike than they knew…
His thoughts were interrupted by the XETRA news announcer's voice speaking about the storm situation. He pricked up his ears.
"…left the Ensenada area early yesterday morning," the announcer was saying, "and winds of 150 knots caused the storm warning flags to be hoisted from La Paz to Newport Beach in California. Late yesterday afternoon the storm ripped across Baja California bringing death and destruction to populated areas. Guadalupe and Valle de Trinidad suffered heavy casualties as did the fishing town of San Felipe located on the Gulf of California. A group of United States citizens were reported missing in the storm. Peter Lonsdale of California, on a fishing trip with his family and others not identified, was reported lost somewhere in the gulf. Authorities have not been able to conduct a search because of the storm conditions still prevailing over much of Baja and the coast of Mexico. The weatherman predicts more strong winds and the tropical storm is expected to last for several more hours. In other news…"
"They-they think we're dead," said Jim, a look of surprise on his face.
"Missing, Jim," Pete said, not without kindness.
"Heavens? What must our friends think? Our folks? Oh, I hope my mother doesn't have heart failure when she hears that news."
"That news is from Tijuana, Jim," Pete explained. "The L.A. stations probably won't even mention us. Relax. Your mother'll be okay." Before Jim could reply, Darlene came back with the two girls. The rain had already started up again and the wind was rising in pitch.
"Golly, it's cozy in here," said Olive, shaking out her hair. She wore a light parka that didn't hide her considerable breastworks, and shorts that revealed her fine young legs.
"Yeah, really groovy and all," echoed Cathy, who was dressed in a sweatshirt of her father's and a pair of jeans cut off above the knees.
Again, Pete felt that tightening in his scrotum, as he looked at Olive Baker. Right now he didn't care if the storm lasted for a week. He wanted to part those legs of Olive's and put his log between them until the come ran down them like a river of milk.
CHAPTER TEN
The breakfast and radio broadcasts about their predicament seemed to bring everyone in the adobe together for awhile. At least the tensions were not apparent after they had all eaten together and cleaned up afterwards. Late in the morning, the girls went back to their cabin while Pete, Jim, Bunny, and Darlene played cards and drank tepid beer. The more Pete drank, the more difficult it became for him to concentrate on the gin rummy game. He kept thinking of Jim's daughter, Olive.
Later, when everyone in the foursome was fairly drunk, Pete got up, swaying slightly. "I'm going to check out the boat," he announced.
"Good," said Bunny. "I'm beat. Think I'll take a nap." She gave him a look that told him to stay close to her.