Page 15 of Father Figure

“Well, it sounds delicious. We’re all going to try it for the first time,” Cass said, smoothing things over. “You have to taste their rum cake. Rum originated in Barbados, and they have the best anywhere. We’ll pick some up to bring back home.”

“The rum or the cake?”

“Both,” they said in unison. Then they looked at each other and laughed, and that ugly green monster reared its head again.

Feeling flushed with jealousy, I unzipped my windbreaker and laid it over my duffel bag beside me. Cass eyed me again in the rear view mirror and I felt the truck swerve, narrowly missing another car.

“That’s not one of the shirts I gave you to wear.”

The navy blue polo with the Harlowe logo on the breast looked exactly like the shirts he gave me. The only difference was this one fit much better.

“It is, kind of. You gave this one to me when you first ordered the T-shirts for the company.”

His face scrunched adorably as he did the math in his head. “That was years ago. Weren’t you in, like… eighth grade or something?”

“Something like that.”

“I guess that would explain why it’s so…”

“Tight?” Sam suggested. He turned in his seat, smirking at me. “You know, I can’t decide if you’re the most naïve boy I know, or the most clever.” He looked me up and down, and I was beginning to realize I hadn’t fooled him for a second. “I'll let you know what I decide,” he finished, smiling.

Cass shook his head, as if to clear it, and turned his attention back to the road. “Our clients are Jack and Barbara. We’ll be gone for ten days, with two full days in Barbados. They asked us to book a glass-bottom boat ride for them, and we’ll also take them snorkeling. So you’ll get to see your reef,” he promised, smiling at me in the mirror. “We’ll have the boat mostly to ourselves because they’re staying with a friend on the island. If you'd like, I can take you sightseeing in our downtime.”

“I’d love that!”

I don’t claim to have much experience with men, more like zero, but even with my limited knowledge, I was doing my damnedest to catch Cass’s attention.

When he said, “Coil that line, Nicky,” I did, but I probably didn’t have to bend at the waist and stick my ass out, especially since he was standing directly behind me. Cass didn’t back up either, which said a lot… I think.

When he asked me to raise the flag, I reached for the line above my head, and my too-tight shirt from the eighth grade rose, showing off my midriff. It drew Cass’s attention.

After our guests disembarked in Bridgetown, Barbados’s capital city, we dropped anchor in Carlisle Bay. But first, we had to go through customs with Jack and Barbara, a boring and nightmarish experience that took about two hours.

Then I had him all to myself while Sam made a supply run. “Come with me. Let me show you my Barbados,” he said.

Yes, please! I wanted to see his everything.

Cass paid the admission into Hunte’s Garden, a magical botanical garden that was too beautiful to even be real.

“Pretend like you’re twelve,” he reminded me as he paid for my ticket. It was something he used to always do when I was younger. Given my baby face, Cass always got away with paying a child’s admission for me, even years after I aged up. He didn’t do it to be cheap, more like a game that had become nostalgic.

“Yes, sir, Daddy.” I gave him my best doe-eyed look, batting my lashes and smiling sweetly. There was no way I could pass for twelve any longer, thank God.

But Cass stalled. I thought he was just tucking away his wallet, but he wasn’t. He just stared at me, looking as if he'd been punched in the gut.

“Come on, show me your garden,” I teased, tugging on his hand.

We stopped at a reflecting pond, surrounded by birds of paradise flowers in the boldest shades of reds, oranges, and purples I’d ever seen. Every inch of this garden was filled with lush beauty. Lily pads the size of serving trays floated lazily over the water. Beneath the glassy surface, the enormous gilded koi moved gracefully.

Plopping down on the soft grass, I kicked off my shoes and dipped my toes in the cool water. I folded my arms behind my head and laid back in the grass, feeling the sun shine down on my face. My shirt rolled up, exposing my flat belly, and when I peeked at Cass, his gaze rubbed over my tight nipples harder than my fitted shirt was.

A lazy sigh snuck past my lips. “Do you think you’ll live out here when you retire? Just hop around from island to island?”

Cass folded himself into a sitting position beside me. He stroked his fingers through my messy waves. “I'm a little young to worry about retirement, aren’t I?”

“Heck.” I snorted. “I’m ready to retire here right now.”

Cass laughed. “You haven’t even begun to work yet. How can you retire?”

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