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The problem is that only one girl has caught my attention. I’m trapped in Marissa’s web, and there hasn’t been a woman since I met her. Hell, there hasn’t been a woman since my best friend’s wedding three weeks ago, and that’s saying something. I’m not sure yet what that is, nor am I ready to dissect it. Nick doesn’t need to know I’m off my game a bit or that I’ve been sidetracked by a beautiful blonde with alluring green eyes.
Opting to forego that tidbit of information, I reply with, “What’s up?”
“Meg and I were thinking. It’s silly for you to drive all the way here, just to drive your boat back down there. Plus, I’d have to drive your truck, and Meg would have to bring our vehicle so we can get back home Monday night.”
I have to admit, it’s a lot of unnecessary vehicle jockeying.
“What did you have in mind?” I ask, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
“I’ll bring the boat.” I open my mouth to protest, but he continues before I can get a word out. “Before you start bitching, you know I could drive it just fine. Meghan will bring her car down, and we’ll only be making one trip. You won’t be going back and forth, which is completely needless.”
He has a point. It’s not that I don’t want Nick to drive my boat down. Hell, the asshole has captained it plenty of times back home, including in and out of the marina, but he’s never taken it without me. Suddenly, I feel like I’m relinquishing my truck to my sixteen-year-old kid who just got his license.
“We were talking about heading out early tomorrow morning,” he adds, breaking through my thoughts. “I can be there by two.”
Having my boat arrive on Saturday instead of Sunday is a plus. I could get a few hours of work in that morning while I wait for my friends to arrive. Then, we’ll have Saturday and Sunday nights on the boat to hang out, plus the days to sail. It actually is a pretty good idea.
“Fine,” I say begrudgingly.
“Really? I thought you’d put up more of a fight. I had an entire speech prepared to follow up with your first no.”
Dick.
“I’ll call the marina and have them get it ready for you. Just don’t scratch up my baby or I’ll have to beat the shit out of you on the mat,” I reply, referring to the mats at my karate dojo. Nick and I work out together most mornings, and sparring with my friend has always been one of my favorite things to do. He’s not quite to the degree of black belt as me, but he can hold his own when we face off. Being away from Jupiter Bay this week has taken a toll on my routine. If I’m not careful, I’m liable to fall into an undisciplined pattern, and that’s another distraction I can’t afford.
“When was the last time you beat the shit out of me?” he mouths off through the line.
“Last week.”
“You kneed me in the balls,” he yells.
“Don’t act like you didn’t love your wife fawning all over your swollen nads. She probably made it up to you five ways to Sunday that night.”
Nick chuckles. “That she did, my friend. That she did. Anyway, she’ll be there by noon. She wants to visit with Mary Ann and meet her cousins.”
That’s right, I forgot she hasn’t met Marissa yet. The grandparents were here right after the fire, along with Ryan and Jaime (he’s a contractor who put her in touch with some names he knew in the area), but Meghan and the rest of her sisters haven’t met them yet.
“Sounds like a plan. You guys can stay on the boat with me,” I say, knowing that I’ll give up the master suite in the below deck for them.
“I’m not in the mood to listen to you screw your way through Rockland Falls, man,” he says, immediately grating on my nerves. In his defense, he doesn’t know that I’m not already sleeping with half the female population in town, but the assumption still pisses me off a little.
“No parties, no women. I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends this weekend. I haven’t seen you much since the wedding.” I leave out the part about inviting Marissa along for the ride.
That seems to catch him off guard. He stumbles over his words, probably because he’s never heard me offer to leave extra female guests at home in favor of hanging with my friends. I almost tell him about Marissa, but decide to leave that one for later. He’ll start asking me questions I’m not prepared to answer, and I’m just not ready to get into the big, heavy shit right now.
“Sounds good, man. I’ll text you tomorrow when I’m getting close,” he says.
“Take care of my baby.” I know he will, but I feel the need to remind him.
“And you take care of mine,” he replies, his words confident and full of love.
Now I’m the one to stumble.
Is he talking about Meghan or…
“Yeah?” I ask, completely surprised, yet suddenly so very happy for my best friend.
“Yeah,” he says, the happiness radiating through the cell phone.
