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“You’re welcome, Cal.” Royal wiped his mouth with his napkin, placed the napkin beside his empty plate, and eased back in his chair. “Reckon now that most of us have staved off the night’s hunger, you’re probably curious as to why we asked y’all over.”
Beau nudged his empty plate aside and leaned his elbows on the table. “I’ll admit I was surprised when Cal said you wanted to see us again so soon.”
“I was the one who asked that you come,” Kit said.
Beau glanced at the other end of the table, where Kit sat beside Viv. Her hair was pulled back again, exposing her smooth cheeks and the graceful curve of her neck. She leaned forward and folded one hand on top of the other on the table. Her gaze lowered to his mouth before she turned away and focused on Nate, at Beau’s side.
“I spoke with Dad about the damage you incurred during the storm,” Kit said. “And Viv filled me in on some details regarding what you’d need to recover and produce a plentiful crop next summer. I’m thinking it’s going to take a lot of time, energy, and effort, with very little payoff in the immediate future.”
Nate nodded hesitantly and glanced at Royal. “We’ve suffered a blow, that’s for sure. But we’ve also had contingency plans in place, in the event that we might encounter troubles like this storm. We came out better than we’d anticipated.”
“I agree.” Kit looked down at the table, her fingers twisting together. “I don’t mean to . . . Well, I don’t know how to put this, so I’ll just say it like it is.” She looked up and her eyes met Beau’s again as she said gently, “I still don’t agree with you.”
Beau frowned and searched her expression. “What is it you don’t agree with?”
“Consistency.”
“Consistency?” Beau shook his head. “I don’t—”
“The night you spoke at the community center,” she prompted. “When you said that Pearl Tide Oyster Company would deliver oysters of consistent quality on a predictable basis to customers.” She grimaced. “I think it’s pretty evident after the recent storm, that the weather, at least, isn’t predictable, and that this factor, as well as others we may not have considered, will prevent Pearl Tide Oyster Company from always producing consistent quality on a predictable basis, don’t you?”
Beau sighed and sat back in his chair. He glanced at Nate, who shrugged slightly. “I’ll concede that you have a point, but when I said that, I was referring to the overall production of the farm. I’m aware there’ll be times like the recent storm that will impede the quality and availability of our product.”
Kit’s cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to criticize you or—”
Beau held up a hand. “No,” he said softly. “I understand where you’re coming from.”
She relaxed, her hands stilling on the table. “The only reason I brought it up is to pave the way for a proposition.”
Nate’s head swiveled from Kit to Viv, then Royal. “What kind of proposition?”
Royal lifted his hands, palms out. “Ain’t coming from me. I’m hearing this the same time you are.”
“What I’m suggesting,” Kit said, “is a merger.” She glanced at Viv and Beau. “Or, if you’d rather think of it another way, you could consider it as an expansion of the Teague and Sutton partnership.”
Royal tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at Kit. “You mean, a partnership between Teague’s Seafood and Pearl Tide Oyster Company?”
“Yes,” Kit said. “If the storm showed us anything, it’s that there will always be some unpredictability to oyster farming, but the same is true for harvesting them wild. And I truly believe, Dad”—she looked at Royal—“that what Beau and Viv are doing is benefiting Hope Creek in a way the wild oyster population desperately needs. There’s a lot of room out there . . . more than we remember sometimes. And if Pearl Tide Oyster Company expands, they’ll need extra hands on deck. When the wild oyster season is over, that’s the perfect time for us to step in and help with the expanded crop, and when the farm runs into setbacks, like the storm we had recently, your shrimping runs and—if it’s in season—wild oyster harvests will help offset losses for all of us.” She smiled. “Don’t you see? It’s the perfect marriage between our traditional shrimping and oyster harvesting methods and Beau’s innovative mariculture.”
Beau stilled as her eyes darted his way, her cheeks blushing a brighter red.
“I mean . . .” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean marriage. I meant . . . partnership.” She glanced at Viv and bit her lip. “A renewed, expanded partnership between the Teagues and the Suttons, under the leadership of Viv and Beau.”
Viv returned Kit’s stare, her brow furrowing, then looked at Beau. “What do you think, Beau?”
He stretched his arm over the back of his chair and studied Kit’s face, the hopeful gleam in her eyes and her eagerness to make both Royal’s and his businesses a success sending a bittersweet ache through him. “I think it’s a great idea.” He glanced at Nate and Royal. “But the final decision will be up to the two of you, I think. Any feud our families had over Hope Creek started with y’all, so it’d be fitting if y’all decided to end it.”
Nate pursed his lips and tossed a sidelong glance at Royal. “Whatcha say, Royal? I wouldn’t be opposed to strengthening both of our business outlooks, and I think that water’s deep enough to hold both of us, don’t you?”
Beau searched Royal’s expression. The slow smile stretching across the older man’s face widened his own.
“I’d say that creek’s deep enough to hold us all.” Royal stood and thrust his hand out. “Shake on it?”
Nate stood, as well, and smiled as he shook Royal’s hand. “We’re in business.”
CHAPTER14
Beau turned over the oyster cage in his hands and ran his fingers across two bent wires along the bottom.
