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“Why did you burst out laughing? What I said wasn’t funny. You basically want me to be a home-wrecker.”
Laughing, she held up her hands in defeat. “Definitely not, Everleigh. I would never condone that kind of behavior.” More laughter ensued and she grabbed her chest. “But I think there’s been a misunderstanding. And I have a strange feeling I’m about to throw someone under the bus.”
I had never been so lost. “What are you talking about?” I demanded.
She motioned toward the couch. “You might want to sit. There are some things I think you need to know.”
10
JENSEN
On the way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Everleigh. She knew where I lived and that my phone number was the same, so she could contact me if she wanted to. The question was . . . would she? I’d have to tell her the truth about me and Michelle at some point.
My phone started ringing, so I grabbed it from the center console and saw Trisha’s name on the screen. It had to be Seth since his phone was at the bottom of the ocean.
“Hey,” I answered, holding the phone to my ear.
Seth cleared his throat. “Thought I’d call and see what you’re doing. Trisha made a lot of chili over here, and we wondered if you wanted to come eat.”
I had just pulled into my driveway and was about to shut off the ignition, but going over to Seth’s was just what I needed. So, I put my Bronco in reverse and backed out onto the street.
“I’ll be right there. There’s something I want to talk to you about anyway.”
Seth lived further down the island near the pier, which was a little more populated. He chuckled into the phone. “Oh yeah? You giving me a raise?”
I snorted. “You just got one, greedy ass. Did you not notice it on your paycheck?”
With Seth being my first mate, I paid him very well. I knew it wasn’t easy for him to leave Trisha for long periods, especially now that they were about to have a baby. That was the way of life for a fisherman, though. My guys knew the risks and sacrifices they had to make before taking their jobs.
Most of my crew used to work for my father and they were loyal. But luckily, I had men calling almost every day looking for jobs. I don’t think I’ll ever have a problem filling positions which was a good problem to have.
Seth burst out laughing. “Okay, fine, I noticed the pay increase. That’s another reason I called; I wanted to thank you.”
That made me smile. “You’re welcome. You deserve it.”
“Got that right,” Seth agreed. “I know how to bring in the business.”
Seth was a guru at marketing. Because of him, McLean Charters started bringing in extra income by offering deep-sea fishing excursions on top of our regular work. There were a lot of extra hours involved, but my crew was ready for it.
We’ve taken people out to sea from all over the world who wanted to try catching some of North Carolina’s top saltwater fish. Then afterward, we’d direct those who caught fish to head to The Beachcomber restaurant, which Seth’s aunt, Debbie Carroll, owned. There they could get their freshly caught fish cooked to order.
Once I was on the main road, the smell of rain became apparent. I looked toward the ocean and could see dark clouds on the horizon.
“Looks like we have a storm coming in,” I told Seth.
“Well, hopefully, you got that top up on the Bronco. Don’t want you having to redo the interior because you let it get flooded.”
Luckily, the top was up and secured. “It’s up,” I assured him. “I don’t want a repeat of the past.”
A big storm had rolled in once, and I’d left the top down. As a result, the wind ripped it apart, and all the rain flooded the inside. It took a lot of work to fix the water damage.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Seth asked.
A smile spread across my face. “Guess who I just saw?”
“Holy shit,” he gasped. “It was Everleigh, wasn’t it?” I turned off the main road toward the pier. Seth’s house was only a couple of blocks from it.
“Yep. I might’ve done something I shouldn’t have.”
