Page 7 of The Sailor

“Jack is your employee?” Marit asked, as they started walking toward his apartment.

He had a container of risotto he’d brought for Marit in his hand, and he was suddenly very glad he’d packed more than he thought she’d eat. There was more than enough for his mom to try, as well. “Yeah. He’s in his mid-fifties, a veteran, and grumpy as hell.” He chuckled. “It’s a good thing I don’t need him to work directly with customers because I’d be bankrupt in a week.”

“He can’t be that bad,” Marit said with a small laugh.

“The other day, he went out to get more rolls because we ran out, and when he came back it was especially busy. He walked up behind a woman with two small kids and growled ‘Move,’ instead of saying ‘Excuse me.’ He scared the kids and they started crying. The woman was offended, of course, and she stormed off. And that’s just one incident.”

Marit giggled. “Oh my,” she said.

Zach returned her smile, loving the carefree sound of her laugh. “Yeah. He’s a great cook. Can follow directions to a tee and doesn’t try to deviate from any of the recipes I give him. Which makes him invaluable. But dealing with customers . . . let’s just say it’s not his forte.”

“You like him,” she observed.

“I like him,” Zach agreed. “He’s got some amazing stories from his time in the Marines, and he’s a tough old bird. Doesn’t care what others think of him, and he doesn’t need a lot of material things in his life. He’s single, lives in a trailer, and there’s a heart of gold underneath the gruffness he shows to the world. He rescues injured and stray animals. Rehabilitates the wild animals if he can and releases them, and finds good homes for the dogs and cats.”

“He sounds amazing. A lot of the guys I’ve worked with in the past sound like him. Rough around the edges and not politically correct, but if push came to shove, they’d give you the shirt off their backs.”

“Exactly,” Zach said. “Which is why I put up with his . . . not-so-great customer-service skills.”

They approached the small lot behind the house where Zach’s studio apartment was located, and he went to the passenger door, opening it for Marit. She nodded at him in thanks and sat. Zach went around to the driver’s side and put the bag he was carrying in the back seat, then climbed behind the wheel.

On the way to Lobster Cove, he kept up a running commentary about the area and the places they passed along the way. Marit was quiet, nodding and looking interested in what he was telling her. When they pulled onto the curvy road that led to his childhood home, Zach told her all about the wreck Britt and his mom had endured not too long ago. About how the brakes in the CR-V were cut and the steering tampered with.

“Oh my gosh! They’re okay?” Marit asked.

“Yeah. Thankfully it was high tide, not like now. If they’d gone off the side during low tide, things could’ve been a lot worse. We aren’t sure when the court date will be for Otis and Camden, for the kidnapping and attempted murder of both Mom and Britt, but you can bet we’ll all be there when it happens.”

“Wow,” Marit breathed.

“No one fucks with my family and gets away with it,” Zach said earnestly. “The Youngs are tight. Which is why my brothers and I all came home after Dad died. Mom couldn’t run all the businesses on the property herself. Chad was the one who had the idea, and honestly, it hasn’t been without its ups and downs, but I’ll never regret coming back. I love Maine, and I love my family. It’s been nice to get to know my brothers as adults.”

“Are they going to be here tonight?”

Zach heard a note of . . . something . . . in Marit’s tone. He wasn’t sure what it was. Trepidation? Regret that she’d agreed to come with him? Fear? Whatever it was, he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“Probably just Chad. After the shit went down with Otis—who was Mom’s accountant—she made the decision to end the Lobster Cove Rentals business. Chad and Britt will move into the larger of the guesthouses on the property, a two-bedroom, after this tourist season is over. They’re living in the main house right now. Knox and Linc have their own places near Rockville.”

Marit nodded.

“Have you met my brothers?” Zach asked, pressing a little to try to figure out why she seemed so nervous.

“Not that I know of. Why?”

“No reason. They’re good men. Knox was in the Coast Guard, and he works for them now as a contractor. Linc was a fighter pilot in the Air Force, and he . . . well, he doesn’t do much right now, as far as a job. He helps at Lobster Cove, and he’s busy fixing up the old house he bought. He was medically discharged, so he has a good pension from the Air Force. And Chad was in the Army.”

“Huh. Four branches of the military?” Marit asked.

Zach grinned. “Yup. But of course, the Navy is the best.”

To his relief, she chuckled. “I’m sure if I ask your brothers, they’ll all disagree.”

“Of course they will. But they’re wrong.”

Whatever it was he thought he heard in her tone was gone now, which was a relief for Zach. But he still wondered what seemed to worry her about his brothers.

“Here it is,” Zach said, as he approached the long driveway that led to Lobster Cove. He and Marit had been talking so much, he’d forgotten to call to tell his mom they were coming by. He knew she wouldn’t care, though. She’d be overjoyed to see him, and even more so to meet Marit.

Zach smiled when he saw the sign by the road. It was old, but he loved it. It was nostalgic, seeing it every time he came home.