Page 55 of Caught in the Middle

“Don’t mention it.” He turned back toward Cam. “Go get whatever you might need and meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

Cam nodded. “Have you already told Asher or do you need help finding him?”

“He’s not coming. Gets motion sickness out on boats,” he said matter of factly and Emma nodded in confirmation.

“Okay then, I’ll get ready.”

Henry gave him a slap on the back insisting they’d have fun before rushing off.

“He appears to be in a hurry,” he noted.

Emma laughed. “Bring lots of water. I bet he’s making you rush so he has time to stop off for a case of beer.”

He grinned. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah. There’s nothing that goes together like an ice-cold beer and reeling in some big ones,” she said in her best Henry voice.

Cam laughed, then asked, “Should I be worried about it being just the two of us?”

She raised a brow in question.

“He thinks of you like a daughter. What if he’s deemed me unworthy and wants to push me overboard?”

Emma’s burst of laughter could be heard for miles no doubt. “You’re ridiculous.”

Cam smiled, but the thought really had crossed his mind.

???

An hour later, after a stop at the liquor store on their way, Cam and Henry were on a boat listening to the owner tell stories of catches from his previous outings. The man was a local and exceptional storyteller, Cam decided, or maybe that was because he was a fisherman. As his mom used to say, all those who could cast a line could tell a story.

Admittedly, Cam was a bit nervous about spending the rest of the day with Henry, but he was also excited about being out here. Emma had insisted on sending him with her extra bottle of sunscreen and making sure he wore a hat. He’d be lying if he didn’t acknowledge he liked her fussing over him.

It would’ve been nice to go riding horses with her, especially at sunset, but he was far from disappointed as he added bait to his rod.

The afternoon started out quiet as they let their guide fill them in and make suggestions. They caught some keepers and tossed others back, and as promised, the man knew just where to take them to get good-sized pelagic fish on their hooks.

Cam was enjoying himself, having accepted whenever Henry cracked open a beer and passed it to him, then another one for himself. After several hours, or what Cam was guessing was enough time for Henry to know Cam would be more relaxed, he got the vague sense that the man was beginning to feel him out some more, but not as his boss, but rather as a dad to the beautiful woman back at the resort.

After several questions and many conversations, Henry said, “So, tell me about yourself, Cam. I know what you do for a living, but what do you do for fun?”

“I have a close group of friends back home,” he started. “We normally try to get together when our schedules allow it. It used to be more often, but as we get older it seems to get harder. Now that my friends are pregnant, I’m guessing we’ll make the hour drive more often to gather at their house. Wouldn’t miss seeing their little one grow up for the world.”

Henry made a grunt that sounded like agreement. “Family is important, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely.”

“Sometimes it’s not always the people you’re born with but the people you choose,” he added.

Cam swallowed and nodded, understanding exactly what he was saying and not saying. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Me personally, I feel lucky to have my daughters, all three of them.” His inclusion of Emma in that statement was not lost on Cam. “As a father, my only interest is that I do what I can to protect them and that they’re happy.”

“It seems as though you’re doing a good job at that,” he responded.

Henry held his pole, the line still out in the water, as he turned to look at Cam. “I’m not as blind as those three may like to believe,” he said, making the hairs on the back of Cam’s neck raise. “I know what goes on in their lives, and I’m aware of the dynamics. I’d be a moron if I hadn’t gotten nervous when Lauren first told me she was dating Asher. Having raised girls, I know enough to understand that something like that could easily get in between friendships.” He cleared his throat. “However, I also know Emma like my own, and I could tell she wasn’t too banged up about it all. She’s a strong one, always has been.”

The last sentence was said with such pride that Cam wished Emma was here to witness it. However, he bet Henry did a good job making his love and how proud he was of her known already.

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