Chapter 9
LUKE
Standing on the pier, I watch Hannah’s boat pull away from the dock.
The Mariah heads out into the channel with a small group of couples on board for what looks like a dinner cruise, and I shift my weight onto my good leg and keep my hands in my jacket pockets.
We haven't spoken since that afternoon on her boat when everything between us exploded.
I thought putting some space between us the past two weeks would bring some kind of clarity, but instead I feel more drawn to her than ever.
It's like she's sucked me into her gravity and I'm powerless to do anything but fall.
It makes this situation messier and more complicated.
I should be deciding what to do with Dad's business before my leave is up and I have to go back, not getting tangled up in some fling with a woman who clearly hates me.
I turn and head back to the office where the paperwork on Dad’s desk still waits for me.
I've spent the last few days sorting through more of his files and making calls to keep the marina running.
The repairs on pier two move along slowly, but every time they get a breakthrough, something else happens to cause costs to rise.
I'm not liking that part one bit, but what choice do I have?
I won't take free money from Hannah's benefactor no matter how many times it's offered.
This is my land, and I'll handle it myself.
I sit down at the desk and open another folder when I hear footsteps on the pier outside. A moment later, a gentleman steps through the door wearing a sharp suit and carrying a leather portfolio under his arm. He gives me a wide smile and closes the door behind him.
“Luke Maddox,” he says, “good to finally meet you in person. I’m Calvin Dorsey.”
I stand and shake his hand firmly, but I'm not that pleased to see him. “Mr. Dorsey. What can I do for you?”
He takes the chair across from the desk without waiting for an invitation. “I wanted to speak with you about this property. Your father and I had several conversations before he passed. He was seriously considering my offer to purchase the entire plot.”
I sit back down and keep my face neutral.
“Is that so?” Without having been here, there's no way for me to know if he's being honest or just trying to manipulate me.
But it isn't like Dad had security cameras up to go review footage.
I can only go with my gut, and right now my gut is saying this man is up to something.
Dorsey opens his portfolio and slides a sheet of paper across the desk.
The numbers on it are impressive. He offers more than twice what the land and buildings are worth on the open market.
“Frank was ready to move forward. He understood that the marina needs significant investment to stay viable. I can provide that investment. You could walk away with enough money to start fresh anywhere you want.”
I scan the offer, but I don't believe a word he says about Dad. My father loved this place even when it gave him trouble. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not looking to sell right now.”
Dorsey leans forward. “I spoke with your father multiple times. He showed real interest. The repairs alone will cost a small fortune. Why carry that burden when you can cash out and let someone else handle it? I have plans that would bring new businesses here and create jobs for the town. Everyone wins.”
He lays it on thick about the conversations with Dad and how close they came to a deal. But the more he talks, the less I trust him. Something about this man feels wrong. The name Dorsey sounds familiar too, but I can't place it, though the memory nags at me.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell him, but I don't know how much more thinking I can do. I've already been considering all my options for the past three weeks and this man's name has not once crossed my mind.
Dorsey smiles again and stands. “Take all the time you need. My offer stands. Call me anytime.” He leaves a business card on the desk and walks out, but he leaves a bad taste in my mouth long after he's gone and I pick up my phone to start scrolling.
Something about that name is too familiar. I know I've heard it before, though I'm not sure where, and if anyone would be able to help me, it’d be one of my buddies from the service. We saw eight tours together, and if I've heard the name, so have they.
I go through my contacts until my thumb stops on Sergeant Major Elias “Rico” Ramirez. Rico and I served together for years. He has a way of digging into things and finding the truth. Beside the fact that I trust him more than almost anyone.
I tap his name, and the phone dials and starts ringing as I lift it to my ear.
Rico picks up on the third ring. “Maddox. You still breathing over there on the rainy coast?”
I lean back in the chair and rub my leg. “Barely. How you been, Rico?”
“Can’t complain. Got the wife and kids driving me nuts like usual, but I'll be back on a ship in a few days. What’s going on? You don’t call just to shoot the shit.”
He's right. To them I'm known as a man of few words. I speak when I have to communicate and I observe the rest of the time. So I get right down to it. “I need you to look into someone for me. Name’s Calvin Dorsey. Runs Dorsey Investments. He showed up at my marina today offering to buy the whole place and all the land. Claims he was in deep talks with my dad before he died, but I don’t buy it.”
Rico lets out a low whistle. “Dorsey. That name rings a bell. Give me the details.”
I tell him everything. The offer amount, the way Dorsey pushed about Dad being ready to sell, and how the whole thing felt off.
“The numbers are way too high. He says he wants to bring in new businesses and create jobs, but my gut’s telling me he’s up to something.
I need to know if he’s legitimate or if he’s trying to pull one over on me.
” My eyes track out the window to the horizon where boats pass offshore in the distance.
If Dorsey is doing something fishy, Rico will be the one who can help me figure it out.
The man is a whiz at hacking and computer work.
“Alright, I’ll dig around a little. I still have contacts who can run a quiet check. Financials, past deals, any red flags. You said he mentioned your old man?”
“Yeah. He laid it on thick. Said they were close to a deal.
But Dad never said a word to me about selling.
And if you knew my father, you'd know that sounds farfetched.
" Anyone in this town would know that, which is why it sounds so fishy.
Dorsey isn't from around here, but if he were, he wouldn't be trying to pull the wool over my eyes.
Rico stays quiet for a second. “I’ll start tonight. Send me that business card info if you have it. And trust your gut. If something feels wrong, it usually is.”
“I appreciate it, Brother. How long do you think this'll take?” I sit straighter, feeling pain throb up through my hip, which I rub away.
“Give me a few days. I’ll call you when I have something solid. You holding up okay with the marina and everything else?”
I let out a breath and rub my temple. “It’s a lot. But I’m managing. Got some repairs going and a few other complications.” At least he didn't ask me about Dad directly. I'm not a fan of talking about my feelings.
Rico chuckles. “Complications, huh? Sounds like there’s a woman involved.”
“Just focus on Dorsey for now," I grumble.
“Copy that. Watch your back out there.”
We hang up and I set the phone down. The conversation leaves me feeling a little calmer. Rico will find what there is to find. For now I have to keep moving forward with the marina and figure out the rest as it comes.
I sit there staring at the desk, and Hannah slips back into my thoughts again.
I don’t understand how one woman can take up this much space in my head.
Part of me still expects her to hate me forever because of Nick, and most days, I think she should.
But then she goes and kisses me, and we end up with hot, fast sex, and it throws me completely off balance.
I’ve spent years learning how to push feelings down and keep moving, but she makes that impossible.
I rub my hip and lean back in the chair, closing my eyes to picture her face under that pier when she was on the verge of tears over this festival.
She carries so much pain about her brother and I carry the same guilt every single day.
It should make anything between us impossible.
Instead, it feels like something we both have in common that we both need to heal from—possibly together.
I don’t know if I’m being stupid or if this is the first honest thing I’ve done in a long time. All I know is I want to find out what happens when we stop fighting long enough to see where this could take us.