Page 174 of At First Catch

He doesn’t list all of it, but I can hear the details inside the silence.

And I know Nolan well enough now to understand what it costs him even to say that much.

This isn’t just about money. It’s about identity.

About finally loving something and being terrified that saving it means changing it into something unrecognizable.

“You don’t want that,” I whisper.

“No.”

The answer is immediate.

Certain.

The first fully certain thing he’s said all night.

Somewhere along the way, this place stopped being business entirely. Now it’s personal. Coral Bell Cove is full of places people would overlook if they only cared about shine. Things that hold history in their bones.

Nolan fell in love with the marina because it survived. Because it still mattered even damaged. Maybe because some part of him recognized himself in it.

I swallow against the sudden pressure in my throat.

“What happens if you say no?”

The question changes the room.

Nolan’s body goes still beside mine. His hand tightens around my fingers.

The rain suddenly sounds louder against the glass.

“I don’t know,” he admits finally.

My heart aches so badly I have to move closer.

I can’t fix this for him. I can’t make the numbers kinder or the storm season gentler. I can’t make the investors want less.

But I can be here.

I can keep proving, over and over, that loving him doesn’t mean expecting him to have every answer. I slide one hand lightly along his jaw, my thumb brushing across his cheek.

The touch makes his eyes close for half a second.

Like relief hurts too.

“You know what I think?” I whisper.

His eyes open again, and he shakes his head once.

“I think you’re carrying the weight of this entire town on your shoulders because you finally love something enough to fight for it.”

Emotion flashes across his face. He looks wrecked by its accuracy.

“But Nolan?” I say.

His gaze locks on mine.

“You don’t have to decide the future of your entire life alone.”