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“Oh, hell, I can’t wait to hear. I got us some beers ready.”
“Good. I’ll be there in a minute,” I said, chuckling.
A few minutes later, I pulled into Seth’s driveway, and he was already outside with two beers in his hands. He looked different from earlier this morning. He’d shaved off the long stubble on his face, and his blond hair had been freshly cut. His wife was a hairdresser and always took the clippers to him when he came home from long trips.
Shaking my head, I smiled as I exited my vehicle, slipping my phone into my back pocket. Seth brought over the beers and handed me one.
“Nice haircut,” I teased.
Seth ran a hand over his hair and smooth face. “You know how Trisha is. She hates all the hair when I come home.”
After taking a swig of the beer, I placed a hand on Seth’s shoulder, not even attempting to hide my grin. “You mean thepatchesof hair?”
I loved teasing Seth about his facial hair. He could never grow much in high school; when he did, it was in sporadic patches on his face. That was why everyone on the boat called him Patchy. It had been his nickname for the past fifteen years.
Seth flipped me off and took a sip of his beer. “One of these days, I’m going to come up with a good nickname for you.”
I shook my head. “I’m your captain. Better watch it.”
Trisha appeared in the front doorway of the house and waved. Her long, dark hair was braided to the side and her belly looked twice as big as it did when Seth and I left a couple of weeks ago.
“Hey, Jensen!” she hollered. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. I’m just waiting on the cornbread.”
I waved back and could smell the food wafting from the kitchen. “Perfect! I’m starved!”
It’d been over two weeks since I’d had a home-cooked meal and was one of the things I missed being away at sea. My stomach growled just smelling the chili.
Trisha looked up at the darkening sky and shook her head. “You boys might want to come in soon; this storm looks like it’s gonna be a doozy.”
She frowned, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and headed back inside. I let my gaze drift upward and felt a wave of contentment wash over me as I watched the clouds swirl together. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a streak of lightning forked through the air. I loved storms but didn’t like being out at sea when they came. My concern was always for my crew and their well-being. I had to make sure they were always safe.
Seth cleared his throat to get my attention. “Tell me about Everleigh. How was it seeing her again?”
As I turned my attention to him, I felt an anxious knot form in my chest. Taking a deep breath, I leaned against my Bronco and glanced down at my beer bottle.
“Well . . . she’s still as beautiful as ever,” I said with a smile, even though dread flooded my senses.
Seth’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and he pressed his lips together mischievously. “Any chance for you two? You should invite her over. I’d love to see her and have her meet Trisha.”
Letting out a humorless laugh, I eyed him warily. “That’s where I have a problem,” I began gruffly. “It turns out that Everleigh thinks Michelle and I are married and expecting a baby.”
Seth’s mouth dropped open in shock, and he threw his head back in laughter. “What the hell? How is that even possible?”
Sighing heavily, I ran a hand over my face. “You know how I still kept in touch with Everleigh’s grandmother and we saw each other all the time?”
Seth nodded knowingly while wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. “Of course. You always visited her. I know it was so you could get the scoop on Everleigh.”
“Well,” I continued, a sigh escaping my lips, “it turns out that Everleigh strictly forbade Rachel and her parents to speak about me.”
Seth shook his head incredulously. “Wow. Why do you think that is?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure of the exact reasoning, but I always hoped it was because Everleigh regretted leaving. However, Rachel did break that code and let Everleigh know when I got engaged.”
I kept waiting for the day when Rachel would tell me that Everleigh had met someone and was going to get married. It was always a relief when that was never the case.
Seth chuckled. “Rachel was always on your side, wasn’t she?”
I nodded. “She was. I could really use her wisdom right about now.”
