by Annie Rains
Jack started to tell him they weren’t sneaking around, but that’s exactly what they’d been doing. “Grace didn’t want to tell you. She wanted to wait until after the tournament.”
Noah looked at him, anger still lighting his features. “The tournament?”
“This thing means a lot to her.”
“You kept a secret like this from me because of a stupid tournament?”
“She was afraid you wouldn’t do it, and we need you, bro. You’re one of the best.”
Noah started laughing. “Well, guess what? You just lost me.” He started his truck’s engine, reached past Jack for the door’s handle, and pulled.
Jack stepped away. “You don’t mean that,” he said before the door slammed—pretty much in his face. Realizing that Noah was just angry enough to maybe run him over, too, he stepped out of the way as Noah’s truck reared back, then shot forward. “Damn it.”
Grace was waiting at the door when he reentered the office. She looked broken. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her.
“It’ll be okay.”
“Really?” she asked, hope sparking in her brown eyes. He didn’t want to crush it. Hope was a fragile thing. He knew that from experience. When he’d discovered that Chris had fallen overboard in the spring, he’d held out hope that his friend was still out there. Chris was a tough guy. He didn’t give up. A little water would never hold him down.
“Really,” Jack said, quietly pulling Grace to him. She wrapped her arms around him, softening into him. He’d make this okay. Brotherhood was a bond not easily broken. Jack just worried about the bond Noah and Grace had reforged. Maybe that one wasn’t so resilient.
Chapter 17
Krista plopped down in front of Grace at their regular table at the café the next morning. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot, and there was one loose hair hanging down from her standard low-hanging ponytail.
“You look like maybe your night was worse than mine,” Grace said, only half joking. There was no way Krista’s night had been worse than hers.
Krista submitted to a yawn and reached for her cup of coffee. “I binge-watch Meg Ryan romantic comedies when I’m upset. Last night was You’ve Got Mail.”
“I love Sleepless in Seattle,” Grace said.
“And French Kiss.”
Grace sipped from her own coffee. “When Harry Met Sally.”
“Yesssssss!” Krista said, perking up. Then she slammed her hands down on the table and threw her head back, re-creating one of the movie’s most famous scenes. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Grace covered a laugh and looked around the room. Good thing no one was seated nearby right now. It was still early. The fishermen came much earlier than this and the businessmen and -women came much later.
Krista giggled and took a healthy bite out of her cream cheese bagel. She’d told Grace that she was attempting to eat healthier by getting this instead of the muffin. Being a nurse, Krista knew that was BS. She worked long hours on her feet all day, though. She could eat as many calories as she wanted and still be thin. “So tell me, why was your night so long?”
The memories landed a blow to Grace’s chest. They’d briefly left her as she’d laughed with her friend. Now they were back in full force. “Noah is mad at me.”
“What a coincidence. I’m mad at him,” Krista said, eyes darkening.
“You’re always mad at him. I’m serious. He’s really mad at me.” Grace swallowed and set her muffin down. She wasn’t hungry anymore. Her stomach grew bitter.
“What’d you do?” Krista asked.
“Jack.” Despite herself, a little smile curved on Grace’s mouth.
“I’m sorry. You did Jack?…Ohhhhhhh. You did Jack?”
Grace pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “And Noah kind of overheard us.”
Krista’s eyes rounded.
Grace pulled her face into her hands. “Oh geez. This is so mortifying. Noah heard us having sex in the office bathroom.”
“What?” Krista said, nearly shouting.
Grace shushed her and looked around again. “Quiet.”
“The bathroom? That’s kind of disgusting.”
“Not really. It was more of a shower. We had sex in the shower.”
“Oh.” Krista cocked her head. “Well, that’s kind of romantic, I guess.”
“Not when your kind-of brother overhears. He’s pissed because we hid it from him.”
“I told you this would happen.” Krista pointed a finger.
“Not the time for I-told-you-sos.”
“Right.” Krista pulled her hand back and reached for her coffee. “Okay. Well, Noah has a temper, but he cools off pretty quickly. Usually. He doesn’t like secrets, though. I once knew him to not speak to someone for five years because of a secret. He’s still not speaking to that person, actually.”
Grace frowned. “Not helping. I may need you to talk to him for me.” Grace didn’t like to ask for favors, but this was important. “I’m afraid he’s going to drop out of the tournament. And I know if I win the money, Mr. Tomlin will sell the Beatrice back.”
Krista’s eyes slanted sympathetically. “I don’t think Noah will listen to me.”
“Yes, he will. He thinks the world of you. He told me.”
Krista looked up. “Really?”
Grace nodded. “On Friday night when he came over to talk about how bad he screwed up with you.”
This made Krista smile.
“So will you help me? Please.” And now she was begging, something that Grace Donner never did. “I’ll owe you.” That’s another thing Grace Donner typically refused to do. Owing people was like a slow suffocation in her mind.
“Fine.” Krista glanced at her watch and pulled her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to him after my shift is over, even though I wanted to stay mad at him a little while longer.”
Grace blew out a breath. “Thank you.”
“Can’t make any promises, but I’ll try.”
Grace stood up, too. She had to work as well. Hopefully all the deliveries would go smoothly today. She’d thought having a stressful day on the job yesterday had worked in her favor. It’d certainly seemed so when Jack had gotten her naked in the shower. Not so lucky, she thought now.
She made the short drive to work, calling to check up on her mother on the way. Mrs. Smith was driving her mother crazy, which Grace suspected her mother kind of enjoyed. They were like the female version of The Odd Couple. It was good for her mother to have someone, though. She’d been right that Grace had been mothering her. Her mother didn’t need that from her. She needed Grace to be a daughter.
She needed Grace to win the tournament and buy back the Beatrice.
—
At 2 P.M., when Grace usually expected Noah to come in, a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties came inside instead. Grace recognized him as part of the temporary crew that Noah wasn’t quite satisfied with.
“Hey. I’m Doug. Noah asked me to come in and give you the updates on today’s catch. The shipment’s already at the fish house. It’ll be ready to go out in the morning.” He handed her a piece of paper with the numbers.
Grace nodded, feeling deflated. “He couldn’t come in himself?” Like he did every day.
“He said he was busy.”
“Right. Well, thank you.” Grace placed the information on her desk. “I’ll schedule the deliveries.”
“Great. See you,” Doug said, turning and heading back out.
Grace watched him go. Noah was right. The guy wasn’t a true fisherman. This was probably just a summer job to him, unlike the rest of the Sawyers. Unlike her. She liked working here. She didn’t want the tension she’d caused between herself and Noah to affect her role in the business. What if she had to stop working here?
Fear bubbled to the surface.
What have I done?
Maybe she was just as good at destroying things as her mother was.
—
Jack had powered through the day, wor
king with Tristan on their latest project. Then he’d returned home and continued working on the small boat he was constructing in his garage. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with it yet. Or if the thing would even float when he was done.
Now he was showered and heading over to Castaways for a beer.
His phone rang in his pocket. Tristan’s number crossed his caller ID. “What’s up?” he asked, pulling the phone to his ear.
“You tell me? Did you call social services on my dad?”
Jack’s foot lifted off the gas pedal. Weren’t those calls supposed to be anonymous? “What happened?” Jack asked, not committing to anything.
“I told you that stuff in confidence. I thought we were, you know, friends.”
“I’m an adult and you’re still a kid, Tristan. I know you don’t see it that way right now.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been talking to me about how to be a man and now you’re calling me a kid? I’m calling your bullshit.”
Jack took a steadying breath. “What happened?” He turned into a grocery store parking lot and parked so that he could attend to his call.
“Some social worker came to my house and asked me and my dad a bunch of questions. That’s what happened. And now I’m being kicked out of my own home. Dad is pissed and he wants me gone.”
“You’re a kid. He can’t do that.”
“Well, he is. And my friend says the room I was going to rent is now being rented by someone else. I’m homeless and it’s all your fault.” The kid’s voice softened.
“Did he hit you again?” Jack asked, suddenly worried. He tried to think of where Tristan lived, but wasn’t sure. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”
“Don’t you think you’ve done enough? Just forget it. I’m going to go man up, like you taught me. Maybe someone could teach you a thing or two about being a man.”
Jack’s jaw hardened as the phone clicked and he heard silence. He cursed as he tossed his cellphone to the passenger seat. Why was everything suddenly going to shit in his life? Noah wasn’t talking to him, Grace was upset, and now Tristan hated his guts and was apparently homeless because he’d tipped off social services. But he hadn’t had a choice. He cared about the teen.
Jack beat a hand across his steering wheel, then cursed again as pain seared through the side of his wrist. He sucked in a breath and blew it out, then pulled his truck back onto the road, heading in a different direction. He’d thought he would stay away from Grace at the office today, on the off-chance that Noah was there. Seeing them together at the scene of the crime might not help things. But screw it. Things couldn’t possibly get worse, so he might as well see Grace, because she made things better in his world.
Before pulling in, he made sure Noah’s truck wasn’t around. Then he parked and headed inside. Grace wasn’t at her desk. She wasn’t in the bathroom or the supply room, either. Jack walked over to her desk and took a seat to wait for her. She’d probably stepped outside for air.
Jack tapped the mouse pad on the company laptop to cut the screen saver and check his email. Grace’s personal email account was up, which was fine by him. The Sawyer Seafood Company was a relaxed work place. As long as people did their job, they were allowed to check their email and social media when they had the chance. He moved the cursor to minimize the current screen, then paused when he saw an open email from a sender named Garrison Tomlin.
Jack stared at the name for a moment, trying to remember where he knew it from. He knew he shouldn’t, but he continued to read.
Dear Miss Donner,
The boat isn’t for sale.
Regards,
G. Tomlin
Jack read the email again. What boat wasn’t for sale? He clicked the previous email—the one that had prompted Mr. Tomlin’s response, again knowing that he was nosing in business that wasn’t his.
Dear Mr. Tomlin,
I would like to speak you regarding purchasing a boat that you own—the Beatrice. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Grace’s phone number followed.
Jack swallowed, trying to make sense of what he was reading. The Beatrice was a boat named after his mother. The one that Tammy Donner had sold. She’d claimed that she didn’t remember to whom she’d sold it. How did Grace know who the owner was? And why was she trying to buy his family’s boat?
The realization hit him like a Mack truck plowing straight through his chest. This was why she wanted to enter the East Coast fishing tournament. This was why she wanted the prize money so badly. She wanted to buy back a boat that her mother had stolen and sold off.
Anger built inside him, but he wasn’t sure why. The boat was supposed to represent his mother, but instead it represented Tammy Donner’s betrayal. And somehow Grace’s, too.
The front door to the office opened and Grace walked in. “Hey.”
Jack swiveled the chair to face her.
She hooked a thumb behind her. “I just stepped out for some fresh air. I didn’t realize you’d be stopping by today.” A smile swept across her face. “Not that I mind. What’re you doing?” Her gaze moved to her open laptop.
Jack felt a jab of guilt, but his agitation right now was stronger. “Why are you trying to buy back the Beatrice?”
“You’re looking through my personal emails? Is that how you treat people who work for you?”
“You don’t work for me,” he said, remembering how he’d treated the one employee who actually did work for him right now. Calling CPS had been justified, though. And reading Grace’s email had been innocent. He hadn’t meant to stumble across her exchange with Garrison Tomlin.
She crossed the room and shut the company laptop. “All right, then. Is that how you treat the women you date? Because that’s not okay with me.”
“I’m sorry, but now I need to know.” He stood and moved away from her desk to pace the room. “If you knew where my mother’s boat was, why didn’t you tell us?” He worked hard to keep the edge out of his voice. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Had she?
“Because I didn’t know. Not until recently when my mother—” She paused and plopped into the desk chair he’d been seated in a moment earlier.
“Until your mother what?” Jack asked. He stopped pacing to stand right in front of her.
Grace shook her head. “She came to me a few weeks ago and asked me to fix things.”
“Fix things?” he repeated. “What things?”
Grace met his gaze. “Things she regrets. She asked me to fix things before she died, which is just crazy, because the doctor says she’s in great health aside from the Parkinson’s. She’s not dying anytime soon.”
“What things were you supposed to fix for her, Grace?” Jack asked again, trying not to get upset, but wherever Tammy Donner was concerned, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Grace’s eyes widened at his harsh tone. “What she did to your family. She asked me to make things right. This seemed like the only way you would ever forgive her.”
Jack’s jaw clenched. Whether it was reasonable or not, he was pissed all of a sudden. “That’s why you’re doing this tournament? Because your mother asked you to?”
Grace shook her head quickly. “No. This wasn’t her idea. It was mine.”
Jack nodded. “Well, it was a bad idea. I agreed to get back on a boat again to help you, not your mom. Because I thought you needed the money. I never would’ve done it if I thought this was about relieving Tammy’s guilty conscience.”
Grace’s eyes were wet with tears.
He fought the feeling that he was being a total jerk in this moment. Tammy was the jerk here.
“I never said what I needed the money for,” Grace said.
“No, but you sure did let me take a few wild guesses. You were out of work and needed this job because you couldn’t afford your mom’s medication. For all I knew, your mom racked up a mountain of debt that you needed to take care of, too.”
Tears slid down Grace’s cheeks. “Whatever con
clusion you jumped to is not my fault, Jack. I never lied to you.”
He knew he was probably overreacting, but he couldn’t calm himself. Between Tristan earlier and now this, he felt like he was going to explode.
Grace stood and took a few steps toward him. “This is for us as much as it is for my mother. Don’t you see? We can never be anything until this feud between our families is put to rest.”
Jack stepped back. “A boat won’t put it to rest, Grace…Noah is out of the tournament. And I am, too. It’s over.” He held out a hand to keep her from drawing any closer. “Suddenly I need some air, too.” Turning, he walked out of the building, down the steps, unsure of where he was going, just sure that he needed to go before he said or did anything he’d regret.
Because not everyone had a daughter like Grace who’d attempt to fix your mistakes.
Chapter 18
Grace had a feeling this fight wasn’t going to end with her and Jack in the shower. She sat behind her steering wheel in the parking lot, resisting her tears. She would not cry. Nope.
Tears burned behind her eyes. She was supposed to meet Krista and Abby tonight for Thirsty Thursday drinks. Drinking would mean crying right now, though. And crying on her friends’ shoulders was unacceptable. She wouldn’t spoil their fun.
One tear slipped away and slid down her cheek, landing on her lips. She swiped it away and took a deep breath. Both Noah and Jack were out. Her shot at the tournament was over. Just over.
Grace started her car and drove home in a fog. She walked inside her empty apartment and stripped off her clothing. Her phone rang, but she ignored it until her conscience took over. What if the call was about her mom? What if her mother needed her? She would always pick her mom if given a choice. She was her only family. “Hello,” Grace said, holding the phone’s receiver to her ear.
“Why aren’t you answering your phone?” Krista asked immediately. “Are you okay?”
“Debatable.” Krista, of course, was implying physically. The nurse in her was always checking on the physical. This problem of Grace’s, however, was about a guy.
“What do you mean? The fact that you reached the phone means you can call 911 if needed.”