Chapter 9
“BYE, SWEETIE.”
Cam
Ihurry up and finish getting ready since there’s only one bathroom in this house. How in the hell did four women live here with only one bathroom?
Gunner lies on the back porch while I prepare breakfast, listening to the sounds of Chevelle getting ready upstairs. There’s a lot of cursing and banging, but I ignore it.
Twenty minutes later she comes down, her hair in two braids, a tank top with the name of her company across her breasts and shorts that make me want to bite my knuckles. Especially when she bends over in the fridge to pack her cooler.
“Good morning. Hungry?”
She glances back at me. “You left the floor in the bathroom all wet and I almost fell on my ass.”
“Well, I made you breakfast to make up for it.” I shrug.
She grabs the Tupperware containers she prepared last night and leans her back against the fridge. “You’re being sweet. What’s up, Cam? We don’t do that.”
“You let me move in.”
“And you beat a guy up for me. We’re even.”
I frown at the mention of Derek. “Speaking of, how are you feeling—”
She holds up her hand to stop me. “I’m fine.”
I stare at her for a beat.
“I mean it, I am. I just had that one encounter and thankfully I’m out of that situation. I can’t imagine what women in abusive relationships go through.” She shakes her head, her forehead wrinkled.
“Are you sure?”
“I said I’m fine, Cam.”
“But if you needed to talk to someone—”
“I would. But honestly, I’m just glad it’s behind me.”
I nod then look at the eggs and bacon I’ve prepared, hoping she’s being truthful. “I already made too much, so this is your one chance to have my specialty breakfast.”
She accepts my change of subject and chuckles while zipping up her cooler and setting it on the table. “Is this what you make for all your morning-after girls?”
I plate our food on two plates, and she fills a to-go coffee mug.
“You assume I let them stay for breakfast.”
She shakes her head. “You’re such a pig.”
I place the plate in front of her and sit in the chair across from her. My knees almost brush hers under the small round table.
“Gunner sure is comfortable here.”
I follow her line of vision to the back porch where he’s soaking up the sun on his side. “Yeah, I worried he’d have accidents or something in the house since it’s new to him, but he loves it here. Probably ’cause he loves you.”
She smiles, and Jesus, what a smile. “He’s a great dog.”
“The one good thing I’ve done in my life.”
Her toes push at mine under the table. “Stop that. You’re going to make a success of your new venture while not putting my business under, right? You’ll prove to your dad you deserve to own the marina.”
I nod because I haven’t told anyone that I’m not even sure that’s something I want to do.
Most fishermen at the marina don’t like or respect my dad.
He controls so much and takes away so much of their profits when he buys their catches wholesale and distributes them.
I’ve never wanted to be a cutthroat businessman, but now in my thirties, it feels like it’s too late to go back to school.
I’ve pissed away so many years, only caring about the money and the expectation of living up to what my dad wanted for me.
And partying. There was a lot of partying.
“I smell something burning. You thinking hard over there?” Chevelle’s voice takes me out of my thoughts.
I fork my eggs. “Nothing, just how I’m starting this business from scratch.”
She rests her foot on the edge of her chair and wraps her arm around her leg. Her leg looks smooth and sun kissed, and I want to run my hand down it like some sick fuck with a fetish.
“I’ll figure it out. I always do.” I shrug.
She blinks and gets back to eating her breakfast. “Of course you will.”
The last thing I want is for Chevelle to feel sorry for me when she’s the one who went through such a huge ordeal with Derek.
“How are you really?” I broach the subject again, thinking maybe she’ll be more open now that I’ve opened up a bit.
She rises from the chair and takes her plate to the sink, rinses it, and puts it in the dishwasher. “Fine. Why?”
“I mean from Mandi’s wedding. Chevelle, if you need to talk to someone…” I finish my own meal and meet her at the sink.
“I told you, I’m fine. I just always seem to pick jerks.” She walks to the other side of the room and picks up her cooler. “Do you want a ride or are you going to walk?”
“I’ll take a ride as long as you don’t mind Gunner coming along too.”
Hearing his name through the screen door, he perks up and whines at the back door.
“Are you kidding? He’s more welcome than you.” She lets him in, and they head to the front door.
Chevelle has always prided herself on keeping her emotions to herself.
There were years of therapy after her mom’s accident, and Fisher would tell me about the nightmares she endured.
How no one could convince her not to blame herself for what had happened.
And I know that still to this day, the guilt is there inside her, along with the grief.
I wish I could unleash her from the pain, but I have no idea how.
I head out of the house, locking it behind me. Gunner is in the front seat.
Chevelle rolls down the window. “Gunner called shotgun.”
“Like hell. Get in the back.”
Gunner tucks his tail and walks through the center of the two seats and lies down in the back.
“So bossy.” She shakes her head.
“You should see me in bed.” The statement comes out naturally and I’m not imagining the way her cheeks redden.
I think someone might be thinking about me bossing her around in bed. Good. Because it’s pretty much all I’ve been thinking about since I moved in, and I can’t help but feel like we’re reaching a breaking point.
A text from my dad on the way over tells me he has three-day charters booked for this weekend. What happened to me getting the business and starting it from scratch? He just can’t find it in himself to trust me.
We arrive at the marina, and instead of heading to the air-conditioned offices, I’m heading to a luxury fishing boat.
“Have a good day.” Chevelle smiles, continuing to her own boat. “Must be someone important to get that slip.” She glances over her shoulder at my new boat.
“I have demons in high places.”
She laughs.
Gunner follows her until I whistle, and he returns back to me. We board the boat, and in the wheelhouse, I turn on my computer. I need a name, a social media presence, and a logo. I take out a pad of paper and make a to-do list.
For the majority of the day, I hammer out the details of what I need in order to be out from under my dad’s thumb. It’s about time I do something for myself. Who would’ve thought the best thing I could’ve done for myself was knock out Derek Latrell?
I decide to take a break, walk the docks, and take Gunner to the grass along the side to do his business. Chevelle returns with what I’m surprised to find is a group of three women. She’s laughing with them as they dock.
“Oh, do you ever have some eye candy out here,” one of them says.
“That’s just my brother’s best friend,” Chevelle says.
I’m oddly offended by Chevelle’s remark but happy that her clients like what they see.
“And he’s got a dog.” Another woman whistles like I do.
Gunner stops, his eyes fly up, and he runs off in the direction of the noise.
“Gunner!” I yell, but it’s too late. He’s already waiting patiently for Chevelle to tie the boat up.
When she finishes, she calls him over and pets him, nuzzling his face. “This, ladies, is Gunner Baker, the cutest yellow lab you’ll ever know.”
“Come here, Gunner,” the whistling woman calls.
He jumps into Chevelle’s boat and licks the woman’s face, allowing her to smother him.
“He’s as cute as his owner,” the other one says.
The three ladies are probably in their early forties. All attractive and outdoorsy types. You can tell by how comfortable they seem on the boat that this isn’t their first fishing charter.
“Tell us, where do we find more guys like you?” the third one says, redoing her red hair in a ponytail.
“At any of the local bars,” Chevelle says, stepping off the boat and putting her hand on my shoulder as if she’s offering me up. “You’ll probably see him in the flesh at one of them.”
The women’s gazes roam up and down my body. “That would be nice. It is a girls’ trip.”
“Where else are you ladies going?” I ask because they’re tourists and flirting with tourists brings them back to our small town, which is always good for the local economy.
“We’re hiking tomorrow. You don’t happen to be a guide, do you? The guy we talked to had that same deep voice.”
“Sorry, ladies, if I took you hiking, I’d probably get you lost and eaten by a bear. My bet is that Denver Bailey is taking you. Great guide. You’ll have a lot of fun.”
Gunner makes his way around each of the ladies. Chevelle hops back on board her boat and finishes collecting all their stuff.
“So, are you cooking these for dinner?” Chevelle asks, holding up the fish they caught.
“If you go through those doors at the inn”—she points at Mandi’s Sunbay Inn—“there are people who will help you turn these into filets, and there are recipe cards with some seasonings you can buy. They’ll even wrap and freeze any extras for you to take home with you. ”
The eyes of the one with the wedding ring gleam. “Oh, that’s so fun.”
The other two groan. “We’re going to stay in this town forever.”
“Well, the eye candy in there might be even nicer than the one right in front of you.” Chevelle smiles at me.
“Was that a compliment?” I ask.
“For Gunner, yeah.” She puts her face into his neck and nuzzles him. “He’s great eye candy.”
We both look up and all three women are staring at us.
“You two are cute,” the red-haired one says. “You could’ve told us if we were stepping on your toes.” She steps out of the boat and onto the pier.
“Brother’s best friend, remember?” Chevelle thumbs in my direction.
“We heard you,” the one says. “My first crush was my brother’s best friend.” The one woman continues to look me up and down. I’m not sure she’d care if Chevelle said I was hers.
“Anyway, ladies…” Chevelle passes them their bags and fish. “It was a pleasure having you aboard, and I hope you visit us again soon.”
“You’re the best ever. We’re going to tell all of our friends, but not my husband,” the married one says. “You’re too gorgeous to be in a boat with my husband for two hours.”
“Oh, Jen, please. Look who she has to admire all day.” The brunette gestures at me. “She wouldn’t want Matt.”
Chevelle laughs. “Go so you can shower and enjoy dinner. If you eat at the inn while you’re in town, tell them Mandi’s sister sent you and you’ll probably get a free dessert.”
The three women all giggle as they walk down the pier.
“I feel objectified.” I hand her the hose from the dock and turn on the water.
She starts spraying down the boat. “It’s about time you feel the way I do all day. Now that you’re a captain, you better get used to it.”
I help Chevelle clean her boat because I don’t have much else to do.
After we’re finished, Rowdy wanders over. “So, you’re goin’ into our business, huh?”
I nod. “Appears so.”
“Well, I was thinkin’ about how to make you feel like one of us, so here yah go.” He tosses a bag at me, and I catch it.
Opening the bag, I see the fish costume I’ve sometimes seen people wearing at the entrance to the marina when they’re trying to sell the fishing tours. “And?”
“Need to earn your spot, so you have to wear it.”
“I’m not wearing it.” I hold the bag out in his direction, but he doesn’t take it.
Chevelle high-fives Rowdy. “Love it.”
I set the bag on the deck. “How about a bet to see who has to wear it instead?”
No way Chevelle will back down, but I can see Rowdy throwing around his longtime status as a reason he shouldn’t have to wear the costume.
“Okay, whoever has the least pounds of fish caught after this month wears the costume for an afternoon.” Rowdy knows he’s going to win. He knows all the hot fishing spots.
I’m pretty sure the people my dad booked are probably coming aboard strictly for entertainment and not for catching fish. But I won’t turn down the bet even if I have to wear the costume. “I’m in.”
We all shake hands.
“Oh, this is going to be fun. I can’t wait.” Chevelle waves at her next charter, a foursome of men heading toward us. “Beat it, boys, my next charter is here.”
I growl even though they’re older and step out of the boat as the men approach. Rowdy heads over to his boat.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cameron Baker, the owner of the marina.
We’re happy you came to enjoy a day of fishing.
My girlfriend, Chevelle, knows all the great spots.
” I wave in her direction and Chevelle’s jaw drops.
“I’ll see you out there, honey.” I look at all the men.
“I have my own charter, so you never know when I could just pop up.”
The men get the hint quickly to not try anything with Chevelle.
“Bye, sweetie.” Chevelle pushes me when they all turn their backs to get on the boat.
I laugh and whistle for Gunner, who follows obediently. Chevelle flips me off as she starts the boat and steers it toward the bay. God, I love seeing her riled up. One day that’s gonna bite me in the ass.