“Trav.” He gives me a cheeky grin.
“Okay, Trav. What brings you to Wren Cove?”
“Money. Believe it or not, the fishing industry can be quite lucrative. I can make more money out on a boat than I could ever hope to make in a factory, which is about all I’m qualified to do at this point. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the open ocean and the fresh sea air over being stuck inside any day.”
“You sound like my dad.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m quite fond of your father. We all are.”
“He’s a good man.”
“Randy is the best. I wish I had a father like him.”
“He was tough on me growing up. Still is, really. But I know there isn’t a thing I could ask of that man that he wouldn’t do for me if I really needed him to.”
“And isn’t that what a good father does? Tough when he needs to be but would walk through fire for you too.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I smile, surprised by how easy he is to talk to.
I just happen to choose that moment to look down at my phone that’s sitting face up on the table, realizing that my break is nearly over. A part of me wants to say screw it and stay. I’mconvinced that I could sit here and talk to Trav for hours if I were able to.
“Well, as much as I hate to cut this short, I should probably head back. It’s a fifteen-minute walk and I only get an hour break.”
“I’ll walk you back. I mean, if that’s okay.”
“I’d like that,” I say, surprised that I actually mean it.
“Cool.” He finishes off his coffee in one gulp, setting his cup on the table before pushing to a stand. “Shall we?” He extends his hand to me, and I take it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. “You want to get a to-go cup for that?” He gestures to my latte, which has barely been touched with the exception of a few sips.
“No, I’m not much of a coffee person if I’m being honest.”
“Then why did you order coffee?” He gives me a bewildered look, that dang smile making another appearance.
“Because you asked me for coffee. It seemed weird to get anything else.” I shrug.
“You are something else, you know that.” He chuckles.
“So I’ve been told.” I smile up at him, having not realized until this exact moment how much taller than me he actually is.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to work. We don’t want to ruffle Penn’s feathers too much.” He guides me toward the door, holding it open for me before following me out onto the sidewalk.
“I don’t think his feathers could ruffle any more than they already are where I’m concerned.” I can’t stop myself from saying.
“So when you say you two dated in high school... Was it serious? Just trying to figure out if I need to watch my back, is all. Penn’s a good dude and all, but men are territorial creatures.” He grins, bumping his shoulder gently against mine.
“It was about as serious as it gets.”
“I see. And who broke whose heart?”
“Well, if you ask him, I broke his heart.”
“I’m asking you.”
“I think the breaking was mutual.”
“Sleep with one eye open is what you’re telling me.”
“If you value your life,” I tease with a soft laugh. “In all seriousness, I don’t think you need to worry about Penn. He’s made it pretty clear how he feels about me.”
