Page 56 of Tide Over

“Hey,” he mumbles groggily.

“Hey,” I whisper back, smiling softly. “Sorry, just heading to work.”

He rubs a hand over his face and yawns. “And after?”

“Just need to finish up some stairs on a front deck in town.”

Liam nods, looking up at me again. “Need help?”

I shake my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. “It won't take long.”

His gaze drops to Miss Bobber as she stretches, and he rubs her belly. But even in the darkness, I can see the disappointment in his eyes.

“But,” I sit on the edge of the bed beside him, “you asked if I knew any good fly fishing spots around here.”

His eyes light up as they shift back to me, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“I do.” I nod.

A smile breaks out on his face, and warmth spreads through my chest.

“So,” I say, unable to take my eyes off his smile, “you’ll have to dig out all the fly fishing gear from the barn today. It hasn’t been used in who knows how many years, because fishing on a boat is better.”

Liam scoffs with a playful roll of his eyes. “You can’t even catch fish on a boat.”

A light laugh escapes me as I shake my head. “You’ll eat your words tonight.”

“Sure,” he says sarcastically. Then he gently runs his hand down my forearm. “But… sounds good.”

I lean down to kiss him, and he holds me against him for a beat longer, lingering like he doesn’t want to let me go. When I reluctantly sit back, I stare into his bright blue eyes, wishing I could just stay with him all day.

“See you later,” I say, reaching out to give Miss Bobber a pat before pushing to my feet. I close the door behind me, leaving him and Miss Bobber to enjoy a few more hours of sleep since it’s just after 4:00AM.

After I make a coffee to take with me, I head outside into the crisp, chilly air. The headlights cut through the darkness as I start up my truck, illuminating the side of the house. I take a sip of my coffee as the engine rumbles to life, the peaceful silenceof the morning interrupted by its low hum. And as my eyes drift over the weathered wood siding, a sigh escapes me.

Grey and worn from years of coastal weather and salt air.

But underneath it all is something strong and resilient. Something that protects everything inside, keeping it safe, warm, and comfortable.

And people try so hard to recreate that weathered look. To put on the armour without facing any storms, like they want the scars without earning them.

That’s fucked.

I make my way through the still sleeping town to the marina, where a few captains have already arrived to start preparing their boats for the day. I give them a wave as I head towards my own, and sneak past the office so Sheila doesn’t catch me and give me an earful about the happenings of the wharf. As our marina manager she doesn’t have to be here this early… but she always is. She’s the self-proclaimed mother of everyone here, and says she needs to keep an “eye” on us. If I didn’t need to be up at 4:00AM, I wouldn’t be… but whatever makes her happy.

And she does make a damn good marina mom.

I step onto my boat and head straight for the wheelhouse, flipping on the engine to let it warm up. Just as I get the bait hauled out, Sarah arrives, hopping onto the boat deck with a grin and a salute.

“Morning, Cap,” she says cheerfully, taking the bucket from me.

“Morning,” I reply, always in awe of her cheerfulness no matter what time of day it is. I let her take the bucket and turn my attention to the GPS in the wheelhouse as she sets to work readying the bait. It’s been two days since we emptied the traps, so they’re likely all full. I don’t want this to be a long day, so I spend some time looking over trap locations so we can just get in and out and focus on the haul.

“Some chilly out this morning, eh?” Glen says, coming up behind me and peeking over my shoulder at the GPS.

“Hm,” I agree with a nod, keeping my eyes focused on the screen.

He pats my shoulder with a chuckle. “We’re ready for a big haul. Let's get at ‘er.”

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