Six
She wasn’t a violent person, but if these dock-blockers were more friends Russell had forgotten to tell her about, Mackenzie was going to fly to Belgium and beat him over the head with a planner.
“I didn’t think Bailey Jo would really show up,” was Russell’s first excuse. “And Liam – that one’s on me. I thought he was coming next month, but this is better. He might shoot a documentary about Lottie, and hey! Maybe you guys can be friends.”
Mackenzie had no need for friends. She needed to quell the deep, uneasy nausea that started as soon as she got out of bed. She needed to find a solution for the bags under her eyes, one that was more realistic than getting better quality sleep or drinking less coffee.
She needed Russell to finish shooting his stupid vampire romance movie so he could come back and deal with his own mess, so she could get back to her real life and work a stable job with sane people.
The only benefit of this whole fiasco was her mom getting to go to Europe. It was her first time overseas and apparently she was having the time of her life.
The rest of it was a major inconvenience.
Joey touched down on the water and turned to her. “I don’t think I can get close to the dock. Maybe you can—”
“Pull up next to their boat. I’ll jump on.”
He laughed. “Good one.”
“I’m serious. Can you do it?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I think I can do a float-by, but I don’t want you to injure yourself.”
“The only person I’m going to injure is them. ”
The plane slowed, nearing the largest of the boats. Mackenzie popped her door open and perched, muscles tense.
“Ready, set…”
She jumped, flying through the air headfirst, landing on the deck on her forearms and with a grunt.
The pain was nothing compared to the feeling of flying she had for that one magnificent moment.
Mackenzie stood, dusting her elbows off.
“What was that?” A guy rushed toward her, pink sunglasses on his face and a neon green drink in his hand.
She cocked her head to the side. “Hi there. I’m Mackenzie.”
“No shoes on the deck, Mackenzie, ” he said, mouth hanging open. “Seriously.”
“Well, you’re seriously blocking my dock, so…that’s on you.”
A second guy appeared, flanked by two women. They could’ve been twins with their matching white swimsuits, their dark hair shining halfway down their backs.
The new guy lurched forward. “You can’t just get onto our boat! You’re harassing us.”
Mackenzie took a step away from his hot, rancid breath. His eyes were red and he swayed as he stood. “I’m not harassing you. I’m telling you to move these boats. We’ve got supplies coming in today and the dock can’t be obstructed.”
One of the women snickered. “Get off our boat or we’ll call the police.”
Resorting to threats! So, not friends of Russell’s, then.
Mackenzie reminded herself to take a deep breath and looked at the woman. Her long, purple fingernails were wrapped around her cellphone, the camera pointing directly at Mackenzie.
The last time she’d been filmed by someone like this was when she’d worked at Target in high school and someone tried to return a visibly stained pirate costume on November first.
“Please call the police,” Mackenzie said, smiling. “Your boats will be impounded and auctioned off and I’ll have peace again.”
The first guy scoffed. “Are you threatening me? Do you know how much money I make in a day? It’s more than you’ll make in your lifetime.”
“And you’re so incredibly charming, too.” She took a steady breath. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to move before I call Chief Hank myself and tell him to bring the tow boat.”
Was there a tow boat? Mackenzie had made it up, but it got them to be quiet for the first time since she’d jumped on the boat.
Maybe the silence meant the little hamsters in their heads were running in their wheels. If there even were any hamsters.
It was best to leave with the last word. She would call Chief Hank anyway. He had real authority.
She took a step forward. Neither of the guys budged, so she shimmied between their shoulders. She was stepping off the boat and onto the dock when a sharp, cold chill ran down her back.
Mackenzie spun around. One of the women stood with an empty cup in her hand and a smirk on her face. “Oops!”
“Dude, not on the seats! Get a towel!” the red-eyed guy yelled. “Now!”
The sticky-sweet drink dripped down her back. Mackenzie straightened her posture.
“Fourteen minutes,” Mackenzie said before turning back to the dock.
Liam towered above her on the dock, his hand outstretched. “Are you all right?”
She hoisted herself up and dusted off her hands. “I’m fine, thanks.”
She walked down the dock. Liam followed.
“They were quite rude to you.”
She sighed and pulled out her phone. “They were.”
Thanks to Granny, she had Chief Hank’s private number. She rang and he answered. “It’s Hank.”
“Hi Chief, it’s Mackenzie. I’m on Stuart and some bros blocked our dock. I thought they might be friends of Russell’s, but they’re not friendly at all.”
He laughed. “Do you need me to send the sheriff boat up to scare them off?”
“Maybe.” She paused. An engine revved. “They might be leaving.”
“Let me know if they don’t.”
“I will. Thanks.”
She hung up and crossed her arms over her chest.
Liam squinted over the water. “Looks like you scared them well enough.”
“All in a day’s work.” She turned and looked at him. “You look surprised.”
“Well,” he said slowly, “I just watched you jump from a moving plane onto a hostile boat.”
“Oh.” She paused. She shouldn’t say it. She shouldn’t antagonize.
But she was on a roll.
“Just the average day in the life of a nepotism hire,” Mackenzie said airily.
He sucked in a breath, his eyes fixed forward. “You heard that, then?”
She turned away, walking off the dock and onto land. A flash of cold washed over her body – maybe the adrenaline leaving. Or maybe the ice cube that had gotten down her shirt.
She wiggled until it broke free. “I did.”
He rushed after her. “I was clearly in the wrong and taking out frustrations that had nothing to do with you.”
“Mhm.” She stopped walking, but he didn’t.
Liam nearly toppled her over. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, I am truly sorry. We got off on the wrong foot, and it was my fault. Actually, maybe a bit of Russell’s fault, but mostly mine—”
A laugh escaped her and she looked down at her feet. Amazing she hadn’t lost a sandal on that dive.
He continued. “There was no excuse for it.”
The first boat pulled out of the dock, the second close behind.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said.
She’d just wanted to get her jab in. She didn’t want to solicit an apology from him. He must think she cared. How embarrassing for them both.
“I hope we can still be friends, if only because I’m terrified of your Rambo-level skills in dealing with boorish men.”
“As you should be.” She smiled. “Have a nice day, Liam.”
She left him standing on the dock. It was time to find the foreman and give him the good news.