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“Okay, brother. Thanks again for taking this job. I hope that it isn’t keeping you from anything else.” Matt paused, as though leaving me room to object. But my mind was back on Melissa and Jackson and thinking that there was nowhere else I’d rather be. “If you have another job or commitments coming up then let me know and I’ll see about getting a replacement. I know a few other guys in the business that I trust.”
“No way. I’m staying put. Melissa and Jackson are my responsibility now, and I’m not going to walk out on them.”
“Good. I think that’ll be the best thing for everybody.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. My mind was spinning with all of the information he’d dumped on me in regards to the custody case and the more I thought about it the more determined I became.
Melissa wasn’t going back to California until her son of a bitch ex was either locked behind bars—or dead.
29
Melissa
“Well? What do you think?”
I turned around at Chase’s question and smiled. “I think it’s perfect.”
The last few days of life on the boat had made all of us a little stir crazy, so when Chase suggested we start looking for a more permanent place to stay, I jumped on the idea wholeheartedly. We went ashore, wandered through the markets, took in the sights, and even had lunch together at a quaint local restaurant. The first restaurant we’d gone to since leaving Cabo. At the end of the day Chase had taken us on a boat ride over a small, but fast-paced, canal to an island that had an even smaller town than Manzanilla.
Jackson loved the boat ride but became even more excited when we landed on the opposite side. He insisted it was a pirate village and wanted to go off in search of buried treasure. Chase reigned him back in and promised that we would find the treasure soon enough.
Which led us through the village, up a small, stone path and after stepping through some seriously thick foliage, he revealed a small cottage nestled among the lush green landscape.
With the thatched roof and rustic wood siding, it looked more like a treehouse but it was set on the ground with just a few steps leading up to the front door. Despite the rustic exterior, on the inside, the small house was immaculate with smooth, well-worn wooden plank flooring and simple furnishings.
The walls were painted with a soft blue that was a soothing contrast to the green jungle surrounding the house. The lush surroundings were visible from the large windows throughout the house. The cottage had two small bedrooms, an eat in kitchen, and one full bath—with a garden tub situated under the shower head—and a back deck that gave a postcard perfect view of the tranquil setting.
“We can really stay here?” I asked Chase after another sweep around the cozy space.
He smiled warmly. “Would I really bring you here if we couldn’t?”
I smirked at him. “Well you are a bit of a troublemaker,” I teased. I took a small step toward him and ran my hand up his bicep. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Chase leaned into me and breathed in the scent of my shampoo. When his lips reached my ear, he grazed the sensitive skin before whispering, “You’re welcome. And for the record, you are by far the troublemaker.”
I laughed softly at his response and turned my head into his, pressing a soft kiss against his lips.
We jumped apart at the sound of thundering feet coming down the hall and seconds later Jackson burst into the room, his arms flung wide and a cartoon-big smile on his face.
Chase and I both laughed at his comical expression. “What say ye?” Chase asked, shifting into his pirate’s impersonation. “Ye ready to throw down the anchor and be landlubbers for a while?”
Jackson laughed at Chase’s overwhelming silliness and I rolled my eyes at the two of them. “Does this mean there’s going to be a cease-fire on all pirate talk? Because I’m not gonna lie, that would be a selling point for me right there.”
Chase reached over and poked at my side. “Hey now, are you saying you don’t like all of our pirate fun?”
Jackson folded his arms. “We won’t have the boat anymore?”
“We’ll still have the boat, buddy,” Chase answered. He appeared to be just as surprised by Jackson’s sudden mood change as I was.
Personally, I couldn’t wait to get off the boat and have a proper house again. Especially one with a bathtub.
“You promised we’d go fishing again, remember?” Jackson insisted, his tone indignant.
Aha. So that was it.
Chase smiled at Jackson and squatted down in front of him to match his height. “Of course I remember. What do you say we go out first thing tomorrow? This will be a different kind of fishing than we did on the boat. Who knows what we’ll catch!”
