“T, where’s your key?” I ask softly.
“Mmm,” she mumbles, then burrows in closer to my body.
“Tawny, I need your key,” I say again.
“Purse,” she mutters, and I look down to see no purse. A glance back at my truck reveals it sitting on the floorboard.
“Shit,” I mutter. But there’s nothing else I can do, so I quickly carry her back down the path to my truck, grab the purse with one hand, and head back to the front porch.
It takes some juggling and jostling, but somehow Tawny doesn’t fully wake up while I get her key out and open the door. I leave it open behind me as I walk down the hall to her bedroom and gently lay her on the bed. She rolls over with a mumble.
I jog back, close my truck door and her front door, then take in a few deep breaths to try and quell my desire. I can’t do anything with her right now, she’s drunk and asleep, and I’ve got to get home. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about waking her up with kisses up and down her spine.
When I have better self-control, I walk slowly back to her bedroom. Standing in the doorway, I just look at her. She’s lying on her side and her long hair is spread out across the pillows. My eyes follow the curve of her body and it’s killing me to not climb in and wrap my body around hers.
Instead, I carefully remove her shoes and grab a blanket from the chair in the corner of her room to drape over her. A gentle kiss to her forehead is all I allow myself before walking back out to my truck.
When I get home, my dad is just coming out of the bedroom he shares with my mom. He closes the door softly before coming down the stairs to the kitchen where I am. He pulls two beers out of the fridge, handing me one. We crack them open, leaning against the counter in comfortable silence.
“Your friend get home okay?” he asks innocently enough, but I know he suspects something is up with me and Tawny.
“Yeah, all good.”
“You two together now?”
And there it is. My matter-of-fact father letting me know he is all too aware that I’m with Tawny again.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Don’t screw it up this time.”
He finishes his beer, sets the bottle down on the counter and walks out of the room without another word.
I wander out onto the back deck. Last year my mom convinced my dad to splurge on new outdoor furniture, so I sink down onto the cushioned chair with a sigh. Probably should’ve grabbed another beer, but I’m too comfortable to move now. And more alcohol seems as if might make it harder to figure the shit out that I need to.
I love Tawny and I love the island. That’s the easy part. If I’m being honest with myself, I always envisioned returning to the island someday. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I could have Tawny again. The life we once dreamt of — where we finished college, moved back to be together, got married, and started a family — had disappeared forever. Or so I thought.
Now that it’s all within my reach again, I close my eyes and let the fantasy of Tawny wearing a ring I’ve given her, pregnant with my baby, wash over me.Fuck,she’d be gorgeous pregnant. And there’s no one else I want to have a family with. Never has been, never will be.
With my heart easily sorted, all I have left to worry about is my company. I’ve been considering the idea of bringing on a foreman to handle on-site issues for the last year or so, ever since things started getting really busy. Doing so would alleviate some of the challenges that are inevitable if I relocate back to Westmount Island. But I know I’d still have to travel to the mainland a lot and I’m not sure how Tawny would feel about that. Would she come with me? Technically, she doesn’t have to be at the inn every single day, although I can remember from high school how much of a control freak she can be. I’m sure it’s no different with her work. Still, she could travel if she wanted to.
I open up my phone, scrolling through the short list of guys I had been thinking of for the foreman position. All members of my general labor crew that I’ve employed for a while, they’re good guys, trustworthy and skilled at their jobs. Truthfully, I would be happy to work with any of them, and promoting one of them would allow me to hand off most of the on-site work, leaving me free to coordinate things from a distance.
But is that enough for me? I enjoy the hands-on work, getting dirty on demo day, and watching things come together at the end. And I’m not sure if there’s enough work here on Westmount Island to keep me busy in the way I’m accustomed.
My gaze flicks out over the edge of the balcony and an idea hits me.Marcus.Ella’s husband has been building a whole new community on the north side of the island, but from what my dad has said, progress is slow as he tries to figure out the nuances of construction. He’s a numbers guy, not a brick-and-mortar guy. That’s where I could come in. I hope. Before I can second-guess my decision, I open a new text chat, grateful that he gave me his number over the phone earlier, and send him a message:
MAC: Hey Marcus, it’s Mac. Would you be open to meeting for lunch tomorrow to discuss a business proposition?
I immediately see the rolling dots that show me he’s responding.
MARCUS: Hey man, if you’re going to suggest what I hope you’re going to suggest, then yes, I am.
MAC: Not sure what that means, but I think we might be able to help each other out with something.
MARCUS: I think so. See you at Seas the Day at noon?
MAC: Great. Thanks for the opportunity. Sorry to bug you so late.
