Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Highland
“Shiver me timbers,” Tunk called out as he stepped onto the ferry, making the girls break out in a fit of giggles.
Tunk stayed teaching the girls all this boat lingo even if I told him a lot of it was only used in the movies.
No real boat or ship captain actually used a lot of the phrases.
But the girls always got a kick out of it, so I had grown to ignore him instead of correcting him.
Since I switched my schedule around, I was on the late-night crew, meaning the girls were with me.
I knew I had their camp coming at the end of the week, so I wanted to double check the inventory myself of a couple things, like the life jackets for the kids.
I always kept a normal amount of kid sizes on a regular basis, but I was taking on triple the number of kids on one ride.
And I would need all the assorted sizes to accommodate all the kids that day.
“Uncle Tunk!” the girls sang.
“What’s up, fool.” I offered a nod, not breaking my count and attention away from the case I was still going through.
“Ain’t shit, I was down this way working. I rode by the beach house first, then figured y’all would be here.”
“Yea, I switched my schedule to match theirs. We not at the house yet though. But I thought you worked for the cuddle buddy lady? What happened to that? I still can’t believe that’s a real thing. Who pays someone to cuddle them?” I laughed every time I said that shit aloud.
“Haha, man, I told you about calling her that. She’s cool people for real and takes pride in helping others. She also has a name, which I told you before.”
I stopped counting as I tried to recall it because he had but it never stuck. I remembered what she did more though. I shrugged and went back to doing what I was doing while the girls began to hang off him.
“Liv.” The name had me stopping dead in my tracks.
What are the chances of this being the same one?
It can’t be. Crescent Falls is too big for it to be that small.
“Ooh, Uncle Tunk, we know Ms. Liv. I’m even best friends with her son Jo-Jo and everything. He goes to my camp,” Ceona boasted. I watched Tunk’s eyes grow big in excitement, confirming what I feared.
It’s the same damn one.
“What a small world, that’s the one I work for. And you said best friends with Jo-Jo? Isn’t he the coolest kid ever?” Tunk asked as he shot a side eye attached to a sly smirk my way.
“Yes, and Ms. Liv. She always brings us snacks. Daddy brought us slushies today though.”
“Aight, Cece, we gotta have some secrets as a family now, dang. How about you and Neela tell Uncle Tunk about the fair that you want to go to.” It was fair and festival time here in Crescent, and between the mainland and the island, the girls had plans to hit them all.
The girls began to bounce and jump all around, talking over each other in a loud tone. I couldn’t make out a word they were saying, so I knew Tunk didn’t understand shit either, but knowing that the subject was off Olive worked for me.
I went back to minding my business because I couldn’t even explain what the issue was with Tunk knowing that I was instantly attracted to Olive upon meeting her.
Yeah, grow the hell up, Highland. You’re grown and she’s grown.
Ceona calling my name pulled me out my thoughts and my eyes off the last set of life jackets.
“Ooh, yeah, Daddy, can we invite Ms. Liv and Jo-Jo to the fair? We could play all the games together and get on all the rides and eat cotton candy and everything.”
This time when I looked at my brother, he was proudly wearing a sly smirk, letting me know he’d put her up to this.
“Sure, we’ll ask them later,” I said, hoping to end this until my daughter let out another secret I was trying to hold onto a little bit longer.
Why?
“You can call and ask her right now, you have her number. I saw you get it at the park.” Tunk chuckled loudly before he caught himself.
“Later, Cece, I’m still working. How about you and Neela go double check that the knots are secure on the boats so we can go home.” The sound of her kissing her teeth and her little feet stomping off let me know she now had an attitude and had left the ferry with Neela following her.
“You wanna tell me what the issue is with me knowing you met Olive? Is it because you’ve been talking about baby girl’s profession all these years?”
“No issue, I met her. I think I was just shocked that it was the same person. Our kids became friends at camp. Yes, I got her number, but it’s only for the kids to set up playdates. They’ve started playing together, even after camp. Did Pops mention her to you?”
“Naw, he met her too? Damn, so everybody’s been blessed to meet Olive. She really is cool as hell though. And stop ragging on her job, as weird as it sounds, she helps a lot of people.” I would have to take his word; I still didn’t understand it though.
“Yeah, the girls let that part slip last night. Apparently, all last week, he spent time at the park letting the girls play. Of course Jo-Jo and Olive were there. This is how I even learned she was giving the girls snacks and making sure they were good.” I stared, spaced out for a moment, flashing back to earlier when Neela, my baby girl, ran to Olive for comfort instead of me.
It has only been a couple of weeks since they met her and Olive and her son had already made an impression on my girls.
“Yeah, that’s Olive, she’s one of those PTA moms who goes above and beyond for the kids. Shit for real, for everyone around her. She even brings me breakfast in the morning, shit coffee too sometimes.” I didn’t like the smug grin on his face, almost like he was trying to make a bid on her.
Fuck that, she’s mine.
Yours?
Hell, I wanted her to be.
“Man, stop taking from that lady and do for her. Act like Pops raised a man in your ass.”
He waved me off. “Shit, I tried. I told Olive to stop, and I could handle that part for her, but she said something about feeling weird taking food from her employee. I get coffee sometimes, but she’s so used to doing it all and being it all for herself and Jo-Jo that taking care of people is all she knows. ”
I tilted my head to the side, remembering Jo-Jo’s dad was in the military.
Damn, so she’s out here all alone? Who takes care of her?
“Speaking of that, what’s the deal with Jo-Jo’s dad?”
Tunk shrugged as we both moved to exit the ferry.
“I don’t know much, just that he’s never here too often. He comes but it’s always only about his responsibility as a father. I mean, to my knowledge they’re cool though. Like on some friend shit. I’ve never even caught them in an argument. Why you ask though?”
Before I could respond, Neela and Ceona were running back toward Tunk and me.
“We checked, Daddy, all by ourselves,” Neela said as she wrapped her tiny arms around my legs.
Ceona still had an attitude and I knew I had to apologize for my behavior toward my baby girl.
“Thank you, my sweet girl. Did everything look good, Cece?” She nodded and I knew the best way to fix this situation was to do something I had been dying to do since she locked her number in my phone.
“Good, how about we call Jo-Jo and Ms. Liv to see if they’re free to go to the fair tomorrow night?” That had her eyes looking up to meet mine as a smile spread across her face.
Tunk mumbled to himself, probably something slick, as I pulled my phone out and hit her name, letting it ring a few times before her soft voice rang out. I quickly put it on speaker, then like a sucka ass muthafucka, I passed it to Ceona to do the hard part.
Scary ass.
We walked close together, hands brushing every other step.
The temptation to grab and hold hers was wearing me down.
The kids walked in front of us. Well, not Neela who was in the wagon Olive had thought about bringing for her.
How she knew I wouldn’t be prepared had to be women’s intuition or something.
We had just arrived at the fair here down in the Falls.
“Thank you for inviting us, Highland. Jo-Jo had just mentioned coming here. When we got home last night, I was going to suggest it to you when you called to schedule their next play date. But, of course, Ceona beat both of us. I don’t know about you, but I was tired of the park every day.”
“No problem. I don’t think we would be here right now if you turned us down.
Cece was adamant about including you and Jo-Jo in this activity.
I’m glad y’all were able to make it. It’s nice to have another person with us, well, people.
Ya know you and Jo-Jo.” I was rambling and this was embarrassing.
Olive snickered lightly.
“I get what you mean. Jo-Jo’s dad lives out of the country, so if I don’t do this with my best friend Byrdie, then it’s just me and Jo-Jo. So, yeah, this is nice. And now I don’t have to try and squeeze my ass on those little rides with him, thanks to Ceona and Neela. Y’all came just in time.”
“And it’s a nice fat ass too.” I snapped my mouth shut as soon as I realized my inner thoughts escaped my mouth.
I glanced over at Olive who was now rose red on her full cheeks, with her bottom lip in her mouth, doing her best to hide her smile while I closed my eyes, hoping to take back the last five seconds and my loose tongue.
Really, Highland, it’s a nice fat ass?
I mean, it is, but that’s not the point.
At this point, I couldn’t blame anyone but myself if this was Olive’s one and done time in my presence after that fucked up comment.
And judging by the silence, she might be contemplating that idea too, fool.
I had no idea why the hell I would say that shit, then I remembered the view of her ass the first opportunity I had time to gaze upon it. It made sense but was still far from appropriate to mention at this moment.
There was a pregnant pause before Olive cleared her throat and responded.