Page 59 of Changing Tides

For just a moment, I wish I were building one with them.

Being a single mom and having any life outside of your child is hard. You want and need time with others, but your heart aches when you’re away from them.

I meet Sebastian at the restaurant because his last charter for the day is cutting close to our reservation time slot.

When I pull in, he’s standing in the parking lot, leaning against his Bronco.

Damn, the man looks good in casual clothes, but he can wear the hell out of a pair of slacks and a button-up linen shirt too.

I check my lip gloss in the mirror before I exit my car and make my way to him. His eyes drink me in as I approach.

“I like that dress,” he says as I stop in front of him.

Instead of replying, I walk into his arms and kiss the scruff on his jaw.

He wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads us to the restaurant door.

Avie

We’re seated at an outdoor table facing the ocean. Twinkling lights hang above us and sway in the breeze.

After we place our order, we fall into easy conversation as we await our meals.

“So, you like it here? In North Carolina, I mean,” I ask as our drinks arrive.

“What’s not to like? We have mountains and beaches. Four pronounced seasons. Churches on every corner. If they legalized weed, it’d be the most perfect state in America,” he says.

“I didn’t peg you as a pothead,” I say.

“I’ve dabbled, but I’m a law-abiding citizen now,” he says, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

I laugh.

“But seriously, it’s home,” he says.

“But it’s not yachting in the Pacific and spending summers in Hawaii,” I note.

“I never intended on doing that forever. The plan was always to run the business with Dad and Gramps someday, and afterDad’s diagnosis and Gramps turning seventy, I knew it was time to come home.”

“Sebby seems pretty spry to me,” I say as I take a sip of my wine.

It’s delicious.

“He is. It’ll take more than a milestone birthday to take that old bird down. But he prefers the inshore fishing these days.”

“Inshore fishing?”

“Yeah, he captains most of the charters that take advantage of the network of fishing spots around the Intracoastal side of the island. He sails his clients into the sounds, creeks, jetties, inlets, and even into the marsh areas to catch flounder, redfish, black drum, sheepshead, and speckled trout. It’s great for families. He knows all the best nooks and crannies with the least amount of wind and boat traffic.”

“So, he handles the mild waters, and you do the unpredictable ocean?”

He nods.

“He’ll bring them around from the backwaters to the beachside if they do a full-day charter. But they stay inland and do some nearshore fishing on the Atlantic side. He even feeds them a nice lunch. He’s all about the experience.”

I twirl the stem of my glass. “What about you? What’s a day on the water with you like?”

He grins. “You should come out with me sometime and find out for yourself.”

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