Chapter 25
“BYE, BOYFRIEND.”
Cam
I’m at the warehouse, working on the new boat, when my cell phone rings. My dad’s name flashes across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Cam, it’s Dad.” As if I didn't know.
“Hey.”
“I was wondering if I could come by and talk to you.”
“Come by where?” Usually he’s summoning me to his perch at the marina.
“Wherever you want to meet.”
The last place I want him to be is here. He’ll probably judge the space. I can only imagine the list of things he would say I need to change.
“Okay, how about a restaurant? When?” I ask.
“The sooner, the better.”
“Well, I’m at the warehouse for Five Seas right now, but I can get back into town in a bit.”
“Do you mind if I come to you?”
What the hell is going on with him?
“There’s a restaurant attached to the marina. It’s casual. We can meet there.” I am not letting him into this warehouse.
“Okay, I’ll be there in an hour for lunch.” He hangs up.
For some reason, I feel uncomfortable about this meeting. It’s as if my intuition knows something is coming, and I might not like it.
I text Chevelle even though I’m sure she’s out on a charter.
Me: My dad just called and wants to meet with me right away.
No response, which I expected. She’s busy working.
Me: I can’t imagine what he wants.
I set my phone on the table, now unable to concentrate on what I was doing before my dad called.
For the next hour, I don’t get any work done.
I start just to stop and worry if he has something he’ll try to use over me to get me back in the family business.
My dad didn’t get to where he is without being a little underhanded.
I’m actually thankful when it’s time to meet him, just so I can get whatever this is over with.
The restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall place that serves great fish, fries and hushpuppies. Not my dad’s style, but then again, he did ask to come my way.
My phone rings right when my hand meets the door. I relax when I see it’s Chevelle.
“Hey,” I answer.
“I’m so glad I caught you. No matter what he wants, remember you’re doing what you love. Don’t let him steer you away from that, okay?”
I smile at how much she sounds like a motivational coach. “I know, and I won’t.”
“Maybe we’re overthinking this. Maybe he wants to mend fences.”
“Yeah, right.”
She’s silent. Probably because she knows as well as I do that the probability of that is slim. “Call me as soon as you finish. I have a break for an hour before a four-hour charter, but I could sneak a few texts if you need me.”
“Thanks.”
“Cam, you’ve got this.”
I nod although she can’t see me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
We hang up as I see my dad park his Range Rover in the lot. Figuring I want to have the pick of where we sit, I walk into the restaurant and take a table by the window. I sit with my back to the wall, so I’m prepared for anything.
The waitress, Bella, greets me first. “Hey, Cam.”
Since I come here three times a week now, most people in the marina know who I am and what I do.
“Hi, Bella, just a Coke and…” I signal to my dad, who’s crossing the room.
He takes off his suit jacket and puts it on the back of the chair.
“Can I get you something?” Bella asks him.
My dad looks at where the menu is posted on the wall. “Just an ice water actually.”
“I’ll be right back.” Bella’s braids bounce as she goes to get our drinks.
He looks around and out at the marina. “This is a nice place. Not as many slips as we have, but…”
“Yeah, it’s smaller. They don’t get the fishing boats we do. But they had room, and I didn’t want to be in Sunrise Bay.”
“That was a question I wanted to ask you the day you told me about all this. Why were you so worried? I’ve seen those boats, Cameron. They’re exceptional.”
I shrug.
He sighs and steeples his hands. “Listen, your mother and I had a long conversation the other night. She made me realize that maybe I’ve been too hard on you.”
I open my mouth to speak, but Bella comes over with our drinks. We both order the daily special of fish, fries and hushpuppies.
“Dad, I—”
“No, please let me finish. This is important.” He pauses.
“The marina has been in our family a long time. I was different than you. I was eager to run the marina. My dad was hard on me like I am on you, and I followed in his footsteps because I thought that’s what you do.
The more you rebelled, the harder I pressed you. ”
I don’t say anything but sip my drink. Hearing my dad talk about something he thinks he should have done differently is surreal—it almost never happens.
“I never bothered to ask you what you wanted, and when you disappointed me, I felt like you were disrespecting me, oftentimes on purpose. A lot of times, it felt like the whole town knew you’d rather be with the Greene family than your own.
That hurt me. But instead of talking to you about it, I was angry.
If you love building wooden boats, then okay, you should do that. ”
He looks out the window a little wistfully, and I get the feeling it’s because he can’t handle looking at me after being so open and vulnerable.
“I never meant to disrespect you. I thought I wanted to run the marina too. I never saw myself doing anything different. Until it wasn’t fun anymore.
Until I saw how some of the decisions we’d make would affect people.
I don’t like the business side of it, Dad.
The one where we have to kick people out or watch families suffer while we take such a huge cut of their catch.
Restoring and selling boats… it’s not the same.
I still need the education you gave me, but I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone when I’m just selling a luxury item. ”
He sighs. “You think I enjoy that? It’s the worst part of the job. But it’s part of business, and it has to be done.”
“It’s the part I hate.”
“Well, clearly, if you stayed in the position, you’d bankrupt the marina.” He smiles, so I know he’s saying it in jest. “Paying their slip fees for them isn’t helping. Not long term.” He gives me a hard glare.
Guess he figured out about Rowdy’s bill.
He laughs. I’m not sure the last time I heard my dad laugh. “When I saw that, I was proud and pissed all at the same time.”
“You should also know that the reason I didn’t want to start the fishing charter business is because it would compete with Chevelle.”
His head rocks back. “That’s my second reason for coming here. I see you two around.”
“We’re together now.”
“I know.” He nods.
Bella brings our meals and sets them in front of us. I dig in right away.
“That’s another area I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorry, Cam.”
“It’s okay. It ended up not really affecting her business. Those two boats are for different kinds of people and budgets.”
He nods. “I went a little crazy when I ordered it.”
We eat our meals quietly for a bit. I’m not sure where our relationship goes from here.
“Your mom would like to have you and Chevelle over for dinner.”
“I’m sure Chevelle would like that. Just let us know when.”
He nods and splits apart his fried fish. Then he drops both pieces, wipes his hands, and looks at me. My body tenses over what he might say.
“I’m proud of you, Cam. You did what not many have the guts to do.
You put yourself out there, not knowing what the outcome would be.
I have no doubt Five Seas will be a great success.
” He picks up his water, and we clink our plastic glasses.
“Now, where do I order one? I can get to the front of the list since I’m your father, right? ” He smiles.
I can’t help but grin back. “I’ll see what I can do.”
After lunch, my dad shakes my hand and pulls me in for a hug. “We need to do this again. That was the best fish I’ve ever eaten.”
I nod. “Okay.”
Feeling a little lighter, I watch him walk back to his Range Rover. Maybe now that I don’t have to have a business relationship with my dad, we can learn to be father and son. I text Chevelle, asking her to call me when she has an opportunity.
My phone rings in my pocket as I walk back to the warehouse. “Hey.”
“I’m just about to board my boat. Good meeting or bad meeting?” she asks.
“My mom wants us over for dinner, and he wants to order a boat from me.” I’m still speechless.
“So good meeting!”
“Yeah, definitely a good meeting.”
“Oh, that’s great, Cam.”
I’ll need more than one meeting to be confident he’s really changed, but I can’t help but feel hopeful. “Yeah, it is. Now go on your charter and I’ll see you at home tonight.”
“We’re going to celebrate! Bye, boyfriend.”
I laugh. “See you, girlfriend.”
We hang up as I get to the warehouse, finally able to concentrate on getting the next boat finished.
Who am I kidding? I just daydream about going home to Chevelle. I’m one lucky bastard.