Page 82 of Look for Me

“Oh.”

“She has this idea that she shouldn’t have sold the houseboat. She thinks Dinah is going to show up one day.”

Corinne.

Angelina still called her Dinah.

Martin wished Pete hadn’t brought up Corinne. Now he felt lovesick, like his heart should be in Key Largo, waiting for Corinne to show up. “I do miss the place.”

“And people.” Pete picked up his cat and sat down on his camp chair.

Martin sat down next to him. “It’s been about fourteen months. Didn’t we watch the news back in July about them catching that Oscar dude?”

“Maybe he was only a little fish and they needed him as bait to catch a bigger shark. Then it would take a while longer for the whole thing to be done.”

How long? “Could be. We never know.”

“If Angelina and I move back to Key Largo, will you think less of us?” Pete swatted a fly from his face. “I mean, I barely worked at MacMuscles for two months.”

“Sometimes you have to leave a place to find out you want to stay after all.”

“That’s deep.” Pete nodded. “We’re praying about it, if you must know. If it’s okay with you, we’d like to be home in Key Largo for good at Christmas.”

“That’s a good break. We get a week, as you know.”

“I appreciate your creating a new position for me.”

“Dad really likes you. You’re a valuable part of our company.” Martin meant it.

“Thank you, sir.”

Christmas would be in three months, and then more goodbyes. Martin wasn’t sure if he could handle it. Even though Pete and Angelina were not blood family to Corinne, they were the closest people Martin knew who actually spent time with Corinne.

“May I be frank with you?” Martin asked.

“Sure.”

“If your heart is not in it, there’s no point waiting another three months before you leave.”

“We need the income to hold us over. Our retirement pensions aren’t enough to live without working.”

“Gotcha. Then work as long as you want. We just require two weeks of notice,” Martin said. “All I ask is that when I do visit you in Key Largo, we could have lunch sometime.”

“Of course. You’re family now.”

Family?

Why then did Martin feel so alone?

Chapter Thirty-Four

The 1967 L88 Corvette was lime green, shiny, and sleek. The engine needed a bit of work. When the MacMuscles finished fixing it and repainting it red, Martin could see himself behind the four-hundred-plus horsepower, cruising down the highway from Savannah to Key West.

The resale price tag was out of this world, but Dad didn’t flinch. He eased into the driver’s seat, apparently visualizing himself taking it out for a test drive.

The owner had passed away, left it to his wife, who then also passed away. Eventually, the car ended up with their granddaughter, who didn’t want a two-seater convertible. She’d rather have an SUV and a nice big house instead.

“What do you think?” Dad asked.

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