Page 74 of Finding the Pieces

“Uh…nothing,” Bec says, her cheeks blushing.

“Do we need to stop and get gas before we get too far into the drive?” Carissa asks.

“Nah, Jonah hooked us up. Full tank, and he said he doesn’t care how full it is when we drop it off. He did warn me that there’s a stretch of road where there’s only, like, one gas station and it’s super small with only four pumps.”

“Ugh, warn a girl before you remind me of my ex like that,” Abby says with a groan.

“My condolences. Four pumps are never enough. All that disappointment is in the rearview now, Abby.” The two of them cackle.

My muscles relax the farther we drive. We talk about our latest read and scream-sing popular hits from years ago, word for word. Dom sends me pictures every hour or so of him and Luca, always keeping me in the loop without me having to ask, which I appreciate and make sure to tell him so.

Maybe the girls and Dom are right. This trip might be good for me. I dare to hope.

Chapter thirty-eight

Ellie

We arrived at Toby’s beachfront house late yesterday afternoon. I can’t believe Bec’s never forced him to share this with her before. This is her first time staying as well.

Bec meant it when she told me earlier that the house wasonthe water. We parked the van underneath the covered entryway, which is beside a walking path leading directly to the sandy beach.

I don’t care that I’m a married mom of one with a corporate job. Walking into a beachside vacation home with my girls made me feel like we were all a bunch of kids, running through the place, claiming beds, pointing out all the fun beachy décor, and drooling over the stunning views from the main living room on the top floor.

The ground-level exterior has a parking space, an in-ground pool, and an outdoor shower. The interior has a full bathroom, laundry room, and kitchenette. The middle floor has three bedrooms, each with a queen bed and access to the second-floor deck. Bec and I are sharing a room, and we slept with the slider door partially open, screen shut, so we could listen to the waves. It was like a dream. The top floor has a large open-concept living space, a blue and whitethemed kitchen, a large dining room table, and large living room with a full wall of windows and sliders leading out to the sundeck.

After touring the house, we grabbed some groceries before settling in for the night. We kept it relaxed and shared some drinks on the sundeck, watching and listening to the waves as the sun set.

It’s a good thing we decided to go to bed early last night, because this morning, Dee woke us up at the ass crack of dawn and told us to put on clothes that could get dirty. While light on details, she did start talking more like a pirate the closer we got to our mystery destination. It became apparent why when we parked at Coral’s Cove Marina.

I followed the girls as they boarded the charter boat before we met its crew.

“Good morning, ladies. Welcome aboard The Veronica. I’m Captain Morgan, and this is my first mate, Taylor.”

“Shut the fuck up. His name is Captain Morgan?” Bec hisses quietly beside me, and I giggle at her shocked and impressed tone. “This is going to be amazing. If only this guy knew how many morning classes I missed in college because of his namesake.”

Only Dee would choose deep-sea fishing—something that none of us has ever done before nor has any interest in doing—as her puzzle piece for me. And only Dee would be able to findtheCaptain Morgan to lead us on our journey.

The woman is an adventure all on her own. Give her free rein on vacation and she’s a menace.

The girls and I stand shoulder to shoulder, swaying as the boat bobs and rocks along the dock while the hot sun bakes our skin. The water slaps against the side of the boat with every ripple. I hope none of us gets sick from the motion because the water looked a lot calmer as we drove along the shore to the docks.

There are twelve massive fishing poles pointed to the sky from a section on the back of the boat. The setup is intimidating, but I push down my hesitation in an attempt to make the most of a new experience. Surrendering fully to the escapade that Dee signed us up for.

“Captain Morgan, I’m Dee. We spoke on the phone.”

“Ah, Deanna. Nice to finally meet you.” He offers Dee his calloused hand, which she accepts with an aggressive handshake, never to be outdone by a man. I love watching men react to her ever-present need to display dominance. His approving smirk at her tenacity makes me like him instantly.

“We’ll be taking off shortly. Taylor here will show you the facilities and get you acclimated.”

Captain Morgan heads toward the—fuck, I don’t know what it’s called. Steering wheel feels like a dumb thing to call it, but I’ve never been on a boat before, so that’s all I’ve got.

“All right, ladies,” Taylor says, clapping her hands together. She’s a tall white woman, appearing to be in her mid-thirties or so, with slightly sunburned shoulders, a full tattoo sleeve on her right arm, and her brown hair in a loose bun. “Anyone ever been deep-sea fishing before?”

I don’t need to glance at my side to know the six of us are shaking our heads. Her expression turns almost giddy.

“First timers, then,” she says, clapping her hand over her fist and rocking on her heels.

“Quick learners,” Dee fires back with a smirk, and I turn in time to catch her firing a wink at Taylor.

---