Page 2 of A Second Chance At Forever

I pulled into the shop almost an hour later and walked in. Joey, a lady that had worked at the shop since my dad opened it, was already there and setting up for the day. “Good morning, honey. How are you doing?” she asked from behind the counter.

I went straight to the coffee pot. I poured a cup and topped it off with sugar before turning for my office. “As good as ever, I guess.”

“There are a few forms on your desk for you to sign and Trent said something about the computers not wanting to come on in the rental office.”

I was heading toward my office until I heard that. I turned around mid-step and walked back out the door to help Trent.

Once upon a time, we did rentals in the shop. But once everything went digital, Joey couldn’t get the hang of it, not to mention she was too old to mind the store and hand out rental agreements. Back before my dad died, we built a small building off the dock that held everything needed to rent a boat. In a way, it sort of helped. People could look around at the boats on the dock and see which one they wanted.

I made it to the rental counter and found Trent lying on the floor messing with wires under the desk.

“What the fuck are you doing down there?” I asked with a slight kick to his ribs.

“Ouch. Fuck man, you didn’t have to kick me,” he stared me down. “I’m trying to get this computer on before we open. You wanna help me or stand around kicking the shit out of me?”

“How long have you been messing with that shit?” I took a sip of coffee, not bothering to help.

“Like thirty fucking minutes. Are you going to help or not? It’s your place, I wouldn’t mind having the day off.” Trent stood from the floor and wiped the dust from his ass.

I looked at Trent, his face was red and covered in a sheen of sweat. I leaned over and pushed the switch on the power strip, that the computer was plugged into, and offered him a grin.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He pushed the power button on the computer and watched as it started up.

“Gotta be smarter than what you’re working with.” I gave him a slap on the back and headed toward the door.

Trent followed behind me and flipped the sign to open. “Did you turn that off just to fuck with me?”

“No, I got more important shit to do than to watch you sweat your ass off over a power button,” I opened the door and let in the first customer of the day. “Good morning, Mr. Edmonds,” I greeted the old man that rented the same boat every week. He rented that boat so much, he could have bought his own.

He grunted as a response and walked past me to retrieve the key to his favorite fishing boat. Trent didn’t even look up from the computer, he just handed over the key.

I stood with the door open and watched as the old man walked out, not even acknowledging I was there. I laughed to myself quietly before leaving Trent to play on his phone.

I walked down the dock with coffee in hand. I looked out over the ocean and breathed in deeply, letting the salty air sink into my senses. That ocean held so many of my secrets.

I had always loved the ocean and couldn’t dream of living anywhere else. The only thing was, the ocean and I hadn’t had the same relationship since Lennox left.

I know that sounds stupid, but it’s true. I used to go out on my boat, all alone. I would sit back, have a couple of beers and fish or just sit and think. The sounds of the ocean and its waves that beat against the boat, made everything fall away. When I was out there, it was just me and the ocean.

Somehow, the one thing I had going for me, turned into something that I shared with her. When she took off, she left me at home, but took my heart with her. I knew I was being a dumbass holding out for her, but a person can’t live without their heart. There was a piece of me missing and I hadn’t been the same since. Neither had the ocean, not since it knew all our secrets.

I pulled my eyes away from the water and took a deep breath. I hoped to exhale all thought of her.

It was hell living every day when you knew you would never be happy again. What was the point in living when you knew your best days were behind you? The only thing I had, was that ocean and its constant reminder of the past.

When I wanted to forget about her that was where I went. I took to the ocean to let it wash away all anger and resentment. I may have hoped that it would swallow me up, so I didn’t have to live with the constant pain of losing her. The constant reminder that she was out there living her life just fine without me.

With my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, something that always happened when I thought about Lennox, I made my way back to my office.

After signing a ton of paperwork, I leaned back in my chair and kicked my feet up on the desk. I opened the computer and did like I always did. I searched the web for anything new about Lennox.

Just as I typed her name into the search bar, I heard the bell ring from above the shop door, indicating a customer had walked in.

“Is Mason in his office?” Nicole asked.

Without hearing a reply from Joey, or a knock on the door, she walked in.

I closed the computer quickly and looked up to see her walk around my desk. She turned my chair, knocking my feet off the edge, and pulled herself into my lap, straddling me.

---