Page 54 of Hooked on a Feeling

His dad closed his eyes for a brief second and gave John a small smile. “I know, son.”

John swallowed. The words needed to be said. He took a quick sip, coating his dry throat. “I’m sorry.”

“For hitting Officer Lowe? Don’t be. I understand.”

“No, Dad. I’m sorry for disappointing you. I’m sorry that I’ve not given you enough conviction to make you feel comfortable enough to quit the job and run off into the sunset with Mom.”

“It’s not that.” His dad raised a hand in the air. “I trust you. Hell, you’ll probably run it better than I ever did.”

“That’s not true.” Tears stung John’s eyes. He was not letting that happen. He blinked rapidly. “You’ve done a great job. I’m scared I won’t be able to fill your shoes.”

John’s dad leaned forward, looking toward the floor. “I’ve kept this from your mom long enough, but the truth is that I’m scared. Who will I be once I quit working? Blue is all I know. It’s all I’m good at. What in the hell will I do?”

John swallowed, glancing away. Seeing his dad show this small amount of emotion was almost too much for John to handle. But as weird as that made him feel, he didn’t want to make his dad regret the admission. “You’ll be able to improve your golf game. That will take a tremendous effort and hours of work on your part.”

His dad lifted his head, and they locked eyes. John grinned, and his dad busted up laughing. “You better watch your back on the course, son.”

“Well, consider it a challenge then.” John took the last drink of his bourbon. “But for what it’s worth, Dad, you’ll be fine. These kinds of things happen when you retire. Think of it as a new beginning. You’re already a good husband, you’ll just have more time to devote to doing it well. You and Mom will have the time of your life together. She’s already planning trips for you guys for the next year,” he joked.

“She wants to go to Africa. Says she’s planning a trip, but I’ve finally managed to get one over on her.” His father patted his own chest. “I’ve already booked the trip.”

Well, shit.

Surprised didn’t cover it. John was shocked that his dad was pulling something like that off. The question was which sibling was helping him? Because he knew his dad wasn’t savvy enough to do it on his own. Should John tell him about the plan his mother had concocted? That she had also already secured travel arrangements? At least, he was pretty sure she had.

“You don’t think that was a good idea?” His dad’s question cut into his thoughts.

“No. It’s a great idea. She’s going to be shocked as hell.” John laughed. They were both going to be in for a surprise. “Look. Can I have my job back, please? Actually, could I have your job?”

His dad nodded. “I would be honored if you took over my role in the company.” His father stood and put out his hand. “I’ll make the announcement tomorrow.”

“I’ll begin on Tuesday. I haven’t had a Monday off in ages.” John stood and went around the desk. He gripped his dad’s hand and pulled him in for a hug. “Thank you.”

Chapter Nineteen

The water was still and dazzling in the harbor Monday morning. Starr inhaled the fresh, beachy air, and a warm feeling settled inside her heart. This was going to be her home, and she couldn’t be happier about it. The only problem was that now that the new shingles had been laid on the roof, she had officially gone in the hole.

Why wasn’t anyone leasing the boat slips? Had word not gone out far and wide enough? What the hell? She was in a major bind at this point, and even closing her yoga studio back home wasn’t going to be enough to help the situation.

She was so close to making a new life in Emerald Port a reality. There had to be another way to get the marina earning money. Quickly. In a few days. Max.

Starr went into Warrior Pose and inhaled deeply. She let out the breath slowly, allowing her mind to come up with possibilities to earn additional income at the marina. She needed boats there. Without boats, it wasn’t a marina. Without boats, there were no customers. Starr thought it was going to be so easy. Guess the joke was on her.

She should have known better. Her grandfather wouldn’t have put stipulations in the trust if it was so easy to make a profit. Ugh. The struggle.

“Hey there. Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Deanne’s voice was much too cheery this morning.

Starr broke pose and turned. Deanne was in a pair of jean shorts and a pink tank top. It was the first time Starr had seen her dressed down. “Wow. You must not have work today. You look like you’re ready to go boating.”

“I am. My husband and I have a monthly boat club where we meet up with other boaters. Nothing special. Just a way to hang out and get out on the water. Have some fun.” Deanne glanced around. “How is this coming along?”

“It’s not. I can’t get anyone to rent the slips, and since we put on a new roof, the marina is officially spending more money than it’s making. Which means I won’t be inheriting it unless I can get it turned around. My problem is that there are no get-rich-quick schemes I can think of to help me. Everything takes more money. Convenience store? Money. I can’t even imagine what it would cost to get the gas pumps inspected and up and running. The restaurant is out of the question.” Starr cut back on the anger in her voice. This wasn’t Deanne’s fault. “I’m taking any ideas you might have.”

“I wish you had known the terms of the trust a few months ago, giving you the proper time to get it going.”

“I know. But the stars weren’t aligned then. It’s my own fault for not reading my grandfather’s paperwork. I didn’t know. My parents might not know either. If they do, they wouldn’t have mentioned it because anyone inheriting the property—besides them—is the last thing they would want.”

“It’s too bad your parents aren’t more supportive. Is there any way you could convince them to make a partnership with you and allow you to run the marina and give them a piece of the pie every month once it starts making money?”

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