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“Nate agrees the apartment on Palmetto is perfect.” Dee beams. “It’s my favorite one.”
“I liked that one too,” I offer. Her smile turns gracious. Nate’s smile is proud.
She bounces on the balls of her feet. “Do you think we should do it?”
“We can definitely consider it,” Walt says.
“I’m worried we’ll lose it if we don’t decide fast. It was the only open unit in the building.” She pouts.
“The deposit—” Walt starts.
“Is covered.” I wave a hand. “You might be new at this managing-your-own-money thing, but you have enough for deposit and first month’s rent, easily. And with your position at Nate’s site, you’re solid.”
Gratitude lights up Walt’s face.
“Even without the money you’re keeping for yourself?” he asks, taking advantage of our audience to convince me. Oh, but I’m the big sister here. I know what he’s doing.
“We’ll see.”
My brother acquiesces with a slight nod before turning to Nate. “Do you mind taking us back? Evidently we need to hustle over to Palmetto.”
“Yes!” Dee bounces some more. “I’m more of a land lover anyway.”
Walt hugs her close and corrects with, “Landlubber.”
“What?” She wrinkles her nose and he kisses it.
“Nothing.”
Okay. That was cute.
After Waltand Dee are on land, Nate takes us out onto the water again. I lose the cover-up and lounge on a bench on the deck of the yacht.
“You done good today, kid,” my captain says as he refills my champagne flute. We snacked on a packed cooler of goodies we brought with us. Odessa put it together. Chickpea salad sandwiches and homemade dill dip and cucumbers. Dessert is chia-seed pudding with fresh raspberries, but I’m saving it for later.
“What do you mean?” I sip my champagne.
“With Dee and Walt. Making sure he knew you weren’t going to fight him on the money. That’s a big step.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still going to look in on him.”
He hoists an eyebrow.
“Occasionally.”
Chuckling, he sits next to me on the cushioned bench. A few other boats are on the water, but far enough away that we have privacy. It’s peaceful.
“Why don’t you own a boat?” I ask.
“Too much hassle.”
“I never owned one either,” I tell him. “I worked too much to take the time.”
“That’s part of the reason I don’t have one.” He touches the gold embellishment on my bright pink bikini top. It’s shaped like a seashell and nestled in between my breasts. “I like this.”
“Thanks.”
His hand is wrapped around a beer bottle he rests on one wide thigh over his shorts.
