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“Making me turn into a puddle at your feet?”
“Yes.”
I choked on a laugh. “You’re certainly sure of yourself.”
“Is there a reason that I shouldn’t be?”
His eyes were wide and unassuming, but I knew there was fear in that question buried deep. He’d had every reason to fear, as the only other relationship he’d really worked at had bitten him in the ass. I never wanted to make him feel that way. If we were in, we were all in.
“No,” I told him truthfully. “You can always be sure of me.”
His smile softened as he leaned forward for one more kiss. “Always have been.”
He reluctantly released me, and we returned to Marina’s. I changed out of my suit and into a different kind of suit—bright pink with strings on the side. Then, we went to the docks, where we’d promised my Hartage cousins that we’d go out with them on the water.
The sailboat was just large enough for the lot of us to be out. Jacob had closed the shop down for the day until they had sunset tours. But we had the whole day until then. Mom had packed a cooler full of sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. Marina and I took the bow of the sailboat and lathered ourselves with tanning oil, like it was old times. She was way ahead of me on her tan, and I was a little afraid that I’d burn, even with sunscreen.
“Remember when you used to drive the ice cream boat?” I said as I leaned back against one elbow.
“I still do sometimes,” she told me. “On busy summer weekends, I can make nearly as much in tips as I do that week at work.”
I snorted. “Ridiculous.”
“You know rich guys like to tip big to pretty girls,” Marina said with a wink. “Plus, I don’t even make bad money at the center.”
Marina worked as a small business advocate for a nonprofit. She’d majored in business at UNC, thinking she would run Hartage Boating with her family, but she’d been called to help others who were suffering under the weight of giant corporations. I felt a little bad that I was trying to work with Holden Holdings, considering her history with Nolan and her hatred for big businesses.
“Hey, you’re not mad that I met with Nolan, are you?”
Marina rolled her eyes. “No. Of course not.”
“I know you have history.”
“Ancient history,” she amended.
“And it’s your job to get more small businesses in the city.”
“Yes. You’d still be a small business in the city.”
“On his property.”
Marina rolled over to face me. “There’s a reason he’s doing well, and it’s not just because he has so much fucking money. I want you to succeed, Mia. Don’t worry about my feelings.”
“Okay,” I said softly. I nudged her. “How did you ever date him? He was super intimidating.”
“Says the girl who dated the literal owner of Percy Hotels.”
“Fair,” I said with a laugh.
I dropped the subject of Nolan Holden because it was clear that Marina had her own struggles with him.
Eventually, Mom walked to the bow of the boat to bring us sandwiches. She plopped down next to me, and Marina got up to grab us drinks.
“Perfect day on the water,” she mused.
I nodded. “Yeah. I miss it here.”
“But you’re not going to move here,” she said.
“What do you mean? If I get the property, I’m going to need to be here to run it.”
She smiled at me and then brushed my hair back. “I love that about you, Amelia. I always have. The tenacity to get it done, no matter what. But you love that boy.”
I wanted to protest, but I hardly could. We’d only been dating weeks, but I’d loved him for so much longer.
“You’re not going to leave him behind, even two hours away.”
“Why do you think I’m up here?” I asked in frustration. “I’m going to open a shop here.”
“You still can, and you should,” she encouraged me. “You can do anything you put your mind to, but this isn’t where you belong. Trust me. I’ve known how you’ve felt about him since you were kids.”
I glanced behind me to see Ash drinking a beer with my cousins and laughing with my uncle. It all felt so … right. But he would never belong here. He would always belong to Savannah. Even when he’d gone away to Atlanta, there had already been a Talmadge Properties. It wasn’t happening in Charleston.
“I don’t want to lose him,” I said. “It’s taken us this long to get here.”
“I know. I want you to know that I understand. Marina will understand too.”
My stomach twisted. All of our plans about moving in together felt so long ago. But would I give it all up for a guy? I’d still have my shop. I could still open one in Charleston. I’d just run it from Savannah, right? Would I be doing this for a guy?
