Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Kylie greeted the Whites again, happy to see the returning customers.
Lisa hugged her. “We had the most fun the other day. Probably our favorite outing in all our years coming to Driftwood Bay. It was fun only sharing the excursion with Zane. What a nice young man.”
She felt her cheeks heat. “He is very nice. Maybe we’ll make a fisherman of him yet.”
“And maybe more than a fisherman?” Ben asked, his eyes twinkling. “It seems you two hit it off.”
She thought of just how well they’d been matched during sex last night, not to mention how much she enjoyed being around Zane.
Kylie reminded herself that their relationship would be short-term as she said, “He’s a great guy, but he’s from New York.
His life is more than a world away from mine in the Bay. ”
“You don’t have to stay here forever, Kylie,” Lisa said earnestly. “You’re young. You should pursue other things.”
“I’m thinking about it,” she confided, recalling how Zane said he would hire her for Wagner Enterprises.
Kylie had never thought about leaving Texas—and she would never ask for Zane to find her a job at his father’s company—but it might be time to truly stretch her wings.
While she enjoyed being outside every day, she needed more of a challenge than she currently experienced.
Especially since her parents were pushing her from the nest, she might want to consider applying to places beyond Texas.
She hadn’t really ever traveled and would love to see New Orleans. Seattle. San Francisco. Chicago.
It was time to take out her résumé and polish it.
Start looking at what was available at LinkedIn.
She would never leave during high season, but once Labor Day passed?
A new job and hopefully a new life awaited her somewhere.
While it would be hard to say goodbye to her family and friends in the Bay, she could always come home for regular visit.
Besides, once Zane left the Bay, Kylie thought things would get pretty lonely around here. A fresh start would do her good.
The group of brothers and their two cousins boarded next, and Kylie introduced herself and the Whites to them. Dad came down and gave the newcomers a quick tour, letting them know where the head was located and extra rods and reels. They went through the usual safety spiel and then were off.
Fortunately, the day passed quickly. Kylie had made plans to see Zane this evening.
The ten-hour charter came into port right on time, with Dad and her cleaning and sorting the fish quickly.
The Whites took theirs, saying Neville had made a wonderful meal from their last catches, and shared with her that they were having dinner with Nellie and him tonight, eating from the fish they brought.
“Tell them hi for me,” she said.
“We will,” Ben promised.
The other group took their fish in hand, and Kylie accompanied her dad back to Rodfather, preparing the ship for tomorrow’s outing.
She got home a few minutes before seven and found Zane sitting on her porch stoop.
He stood, brushing the seat of his pants, and she saw he had a bottle of wine in hand.
“Don’t touch me,” she warned. “I’m fish-slimy. And sweaty. But you can come in and crack open that bottle while I take a quick shower.”
“Happy to do so,” he said, following her inside. “You said you’d probably be home by seven, so I thought I’d head over this way. Can I call in a pizza order for us?”
“I’m famished. That would be great.”
“Any toppings you want? Or don’t want?” Zane asked.
“No anchovies. No jalapenos. Anything else is fine.”
“Got it,” he said, pulling out his cell as she headed to the bathroom.
She turned on the water and waited for it to heat as she stripped from her sea clothes.
When Zane didn’t appear, she decided he wouldn’t be joining her, so Kylie quickly showered and toweled off.
She dressed and spritzed on some perfume and slipped the elastic tie from her hair, brushing it until it shone.
Entering the kitchen, she heard the rap on the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Zane said. “Wine’s already poured.”
Gratefully, she picked up one of the waiting glasses by the stem and took a sip.
“This is incredibly smooth,” she said as he appeared, a giant pizza box in hand.
He placed it on the kitchen table and opened the cardboard box. “I got the special. Three meats and four veggies. Hope you’ll enjoy it.”
Kylie saw pepperoni, sausage, and Canadian bacon, as well as mushrooms, black and green olives, and onions. “Looks yummy. I’ll grab some waters for us. And plates. Have a seat.”
They ate a leisurely dinner, sipping the wine as she asked about his day. He told her about his meetings with Bill and Barry Blaise, the tennis pro.
“I’ll get around to different departments over the next few days. I also had lunch at one of the restaurants and spoke with my dad. I needed to fill him in on everything we worked on yesterday.”
“Was he upset?” she asked, worried that Zane had taken the brunt of Alexander Wagner’s anger.
“Not as much as I thought he’d be. I told him about the new ferries which would be put into action so that we could cover more crossings.
He thought that a good investment. I sent him pictures of the one we’re leasing, as well as information about the one undergoing construction now.
” Zane paused. “Dad told me to stay in the Bay as long as it took to accomplish everything.”
Her heart sped up. “How long might that be?”
“I think I can stick to my original plan and leave after Fourth of July. Already, Tidewater is running smoothly. I’ll have the critical feedback I need once Sullivan and company stay this weekend, plus the additional comments of those being comped next week.
He’s done a good job of pulling together an eclectic group to sample the resort and its amenities.
I like a mix of ages and genders because each group identifies with different needs and praise or criticize different aspects. ”
Zane reached for her hand. “I still wish you could come this weekend.”
“Me, too,” she said. “But summer weekends are our bread and butter. The charters. The sightseeing cruises.”
“I want to take one of those sightseeing ones.”
His remark reminded her of the opening at the end of the month. “Oh, I tentatively booked a fishing charter for you and Neville. Last day of June. Eight hours. It would mean closing the diner for a day since I know he’s the only cook.”
“I’ll talk him into it,” Zane promised. “It’s something I want to share with him, an experience he’s never had. Plus, it’ll give Gran a day to herself. She never has that luxury. And I’m paying this time.”
“I know,” she said. “You can call Mom and set up payment directly since the slots weren’t booked on the website. Usually, that’s when people use their credit card for down payments or even payment in full.”
“Gramps is going to be tickled doing this. Thanks for remembering.”
“I’m just glad we had room available for you to do this with him.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Even though my grandparents are in terrific shape for their age, I always worry that when I come to see them a couple of days each summer, it’ll be the last time.
” Zane sighed. “I guess that’s why I’m so big on taking this deep sea fishing expedition with Gramps. Before it’s too late.”
He took a sip of wine. “Changing subjects. How was your day? I know you were supposed to see Ben and Lisa again. Who out-fished who? My money’s on Lisa.”
Kylie laughed. “Definitely Lisa. Who did you expect? She’s got the magic touch when it comes to fish. Some people are fish whisperers. Lisa’s one of them.”
“Done with the pizza?” he asked.
She nodded, so he closed the lid and placed the box in her fridge.
“Sorry I didn’t think to order anything sweet to top off our meal.”
“I keep dark chocolate in the freezer,” Kylie revealed. “I usually eat a piece after dinner each night. My little treat to myself.”
“Hmm, a dark chocolate girl.”
“The darker, the better.”
She opened the freezer and removed two pieces, handing him his square. “It goes well with wine.”
“Then I’ll pour us another glass.”
Zane did so, and they took them to her small living room, setting the wineglasses on the coffee table as they took seats on the couch.
“Sullivan crafted a coffee table for Gran. She’s over the moon with how it turned out.”
“I didn’t know he made furniture. Is that some new boarding school elective?” she teased.
“He learned the art of crafting furniture from his grandfather. Sullivan used to go visit his grandparents every summer. Until he didn’t.
” A look of distaste crossed Zane’s face.
“Messy story. A wicked mom who hated her in-laws. Mrs. Shepherd kept Sullivan from them, and then they wound up dying a year later. He’s not close to either of his parents.
His dad does work at Wagner Enterprises, but they rarely see one another. ”
She shook her head. “I can’t imagine being at odds with my family. I love my brothers so much. I enjoy working with Dad. Mom is not just my mother. She’s a true friend.”
“I’m close to my dad. Always have been.” He paused. “My mom left when I was really young. She’d just given birth to my little brother, and Harris went with her.”
Sympathy filled her. “That must have been hard, being separated from her.”
“Maybe. I don’t really remember. I don’t think I missed her.
Dad definitely made time for me. I did have to go stay with her, per the custody arrangement, a few times a month.
The thing is, she was rarely home when I would arrive, via one of my Dad’s servants, because neither of them wanted to even see one another.
For the entire weekend, I would be stuck with Harris and a maid.
Or her personal secretary, who didn’t give a flying fuck about kids, much less one who didn’t live in the household.
My mother died in an accident. After that, Harris came to live with us. ”