Page 68 of Make Me Yours

“You can’t do this,” Mark says, sweat beading on his forehead. “We won’t let you. Mom’s already hired a lawyer to contest the will. We’ll prove Dad wasn’t in his right mind when he wrote it, and get it reversed. Then, everything will be mine, and you’ll be fucking sorry you treated me this way.”

I huff out a soft laugh, eyes narrowing to slits as Red passes by, Greasy Pigtails sobbing beside him.

He pauses in front of me before shuffling on and, for a moment, he looks vaguely familiar. But then, everyone in this town does. I probably know his mom or uncle or sister. He probably has family ties going back nearly as far as ours do. Sea Breeze isn’t a place that lets people fly off to chase their dreams.It’s hungrier than that. It will hold you here and suck you dry if you let it.

I won’t let it pull me back in, and I won’t let it have Sully. Not if I can do anything to prevent it.

Which gives me an idea…

When Red steps off the dock, tugged along by his less confrontational girlfriend, I shift my attention back to my nephew. “Rodger set up the trust several years ago. There were no signs of his being in mental decline at that time or at any time after. You don’t have a case.” I pause. “You do, however, have one chance to get back in my good graces and earn a share of the profits once I’ve sold the fleet. If you decide this life is still what you want, it should be enough for you to start your own lobstering operation. If not, you can move on and start over somewhere else, somewhere you’ll be forced to stand on your own two feet instead of on the shoulders of the crooked men who came before you.”

Mark crosses his arms tight over his chest, his cheeks still bright red with anger. But I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes. My nephew is spoiled and entitled, but he isn’t stupid. He knows I’m right about the strength of his case and he knows I rarely change my mind once it’s made up.

He clears his throat, swallows, and finally asks, “What do you want me to do? Beg?”

I shake my head. “No, I have no interest in debasing you further than you’ve already debased yourself. I want you to track down and hire an excellent three-man replacement crew for Gertrude Sullivan’s boat for the rest of the season. Her grandfather is in the hospital after a heart attack. They don’t know if he’s going to make it, but if he does, he won’t be able to work for a very long time, if ever. And Gertrude was injured today and will also be unable to work for at least a month, maybe more.”

Mark’s expression softens. “Is she okay? What happened?”

“She’s fine and that’s irrelevant. Can you take care of that? If you can, and if you manage to have a trustworthy crew in place by Monday, you’ll be on my list of family members slated to receive a portion of your father’s estate.”

His brow furrows again. “Yeah, I can do it. But we’ll have to pay them well to make up for them leaving their own operations.”

“Pay them whatever they want,” I say. “I’ll cover the salaries. I just want it done. And make sure they’re able to stay on through the end of December or whenever the haul starts tapering off for the season.”

“Okay.” Mark squeezes his arms tighter as he nods toward the entrance to the living quarters. “Do you want me to clean this up first? Before I leave?”

“No,’ I say. “The Sullivan boat is a higher priority. You can hire one of the housekeeping services in town to take care of this tomorrow morning, assuming the authorities are finished with their documentation of the scene by then. I’ll let you know, and I’ll stay somewhere else tonight.” I turn to go, but glance back at my pink-cheeked nephew. “You can pay for the cleaning service. Pay them well, and add a tip for the deep cleaning they’ll need to do on the deck and whatever else you tried to ruin. If I hear you’ve short-changed them, our deal is null and void. From here on out, you will be on your best behavior with everyone in town, do I make myself clear?”

His jaw clenches, but he nods. “Yes. Though I’m not sure why you care.”

I arch a brow. “Why I care about what?”

“About the Sullivans or the housekeeping crew or anyone else in town. You hate Sea Breeze. You always have. We all know it.”

I ponder his words for a beat. “Yes, I do. But maybe I would hate it less if my family wasn’t such a big part of the problem.”

“Don’t you think you’re part of the problem, too?” he asks. “Especially if you press charges against my friends? They were only doing what I asked them to do. They never would have stepped foot on this boat without me.”

“And the car?” I ask, curious. “Did you ask them to vandalize my vehicle, too?”

He has the grace to look ashamed of himself as he drops his gaze to the water between us. “I was just…so angry. It was all so unfair.”

“Was it? Or was it just not what you wanted?” Before he can answer, I add, “Either way, the consequences of your actions aren’t my problem. They’re something you’ll have to live with and make amends for. You could start with apologizing to your friends and offering to pay for their legal representation as well as you own.”

His eyes widen again. “My own? But I thought?—”

“You thought wrong.” He pulls in a breath, but before he can speak, I turn away. I stride swiftly toward my car, ignoring the—“Weaver, please!”—shouted at my back as I go.

“By Monday morning,” I call over my shoulder. “Have the Sullivan situation taken care of or you won’t see a penny, Mark.”

He doesn’t say anything to that. It seems my nephew has finally realized that the time for begging and bargaining has passed. We’ve entered the last chance, “actions speak louder than words” phase of our relationship.

I honestly hope he’ll do the right thing and take care of his friends, but that isn’t my primary concern. Taking care of Sully and getting out of this town—preferably with her in a seat beside me on the plane—are all that matters to me now.

As soon as I’m back in my car, out of the cold sea wind, I send her a voice memo, “I got your message. I’ll call to havethe charges against your father reversed now. And if you want to give me the names of the rehabs you’ve vetted, I can call to reserve a space for Leon and arrange to have him transported straight from the jail to the facility. I hope the fact that you’re advocating for him means that you’ve been discharged with a clean bill of health. I’m fine. Nothing but some bruises and swelling. I was given a painkiller and sent on my way. Please let me know how you are as soon as possible.” I sigh. “I hope the surgery is going well for your grandfather. I’m going to get a hotel room close to the hospital. When you’re ready for a break, let me know, and I can arrange for a car to take you there, as well. I want you to have a safe place to rest, while still being close to your family.” I hesitate for a beat before adding, “They’re lucky to have you. I hope they know that. Talk soon. I love you.”

I do. I love this woman. I adore her, worship her, would slaughter hordes of barbarians for her.

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