Page 45 of Passing Ships

“Girl, I didn’t get to throw you a party the last time. And I’m not saying that’s the reason the marriage didn’t last, but there’s no proof it’s not,” I say.

She rolls her eyes.

“Come on. Let me do this,” I plead.

“Fine. But promise me you’ll keep it small. The last thing I want to do is spend the weekend before my wedding with a bunch of people I haven’t seen or heard from since college,” she requests.

“Ew, why would I invite any of those bitches?” I scoff.

“I don’t know. Why did my mother insist on inviting everyone I’ve ever met to the wedding?”

I smirk as I slide my sunglasses back up and roll onto my back. “You did it to yourself with that shotgun wedding in New York. Now, Mommy Dearest and I are making up for it,” I quip.

“Great,” she mumbles.

“I promise it’ll be fun. And I’ll only invite Eden, Lisa, and Savannah. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Lennon

I spend the afternoon helping Wade and a couple of his guys build a floating pier for one of his clients that lives on the Intracoastal Waterway. It feels good to put in a hard day’s work. Afterward, we go to Whiskey Joe’s to grab food, and Wade makes his case for me to buy in as a partner in his company.

“Lusk Harraway Construction has a nice ring to it,” he says as he takes a swig from his beer bottle.

“It does,” I admit.

“And I’m sure I can talk Eden into giving you a great deal to rent her house until you are ready to buy or build,” he adds, sweetening the pot.

I concentrate on the cold amber bottle I’m twirling in my hand.

He chuckles.

“Look, I’m not gonna try to talk you into it. I just want you to know you have options. Damn good ones.”

I nod. “I appreciate that. It’s a lot to think about.”

“Take your time.”

Our waitress, Heather, sets a basket of hot wings and a stack of napkins in front of us.

“So, how did things go last night?” he asks as he grabs a wing.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“What do you mean, what do I mean? With Amiya, jackass.”

I sit back in my chair and glare at him.

“Don’t give me that look. You were the one who sat on my deck and gave me shit last summer for not telling you about Eden.”

“Eden was your girlfriend,” I point out.

“Not at that moment she wasn’t. Besides, who’s to say Amiya won’t end up as yours?”

“Logic.”

He laughs. “It’s funny you think logic has anything to do with it. Eden and I made zero sense, but I couldn’t stay away. That’s how it starts.”

---