Page 39 of Knockin' Boats
I grinned as I watched their enthusiasm, reminded of how excited Ash and I used to get when my dad offered to take us out.
It was a bittersweet memory, given how everything had turned out. But one I wouldn’t trade for anything.
If I could give Shua something like that, then I’d happily make the time—and prove my brother wrong at the same time.
I had passion, damn it. Plenty of it.
CHAPTER 10
Ash
“Hey, y’all!” I powered Master Bites toward a ski boat holding a small group out for a day of fun on the lake. “If you get hungry later, I’m serving on the lake!”
They all squinted in my direction. The sun was bright, and even this early, I could tell it was going to be a Goldilocks day. One of those rare times when it wasn’t too cold, wasn’t too warm, but was just right.
“Serving what?” a sporty-looking guy in board shorts called.
“Serving food so you don’t have to haul your ass back to the dock!”
They all laughed and promised to check it out. Would they? I didn’t know. But I figured on this first day, I should tell people I existed if I wanted to get any business.
I drove on, making a circuit of the Swallow Cove area. I didn’t want to go too far afield or the boaters weren’t likely to make the trek over, but I hit the marina and some of the more popular areas for water sports and fishing.
“I’ll be serving food on the lake today!” I called to a group kicked back and looking as if they had no plans other than cruising and working their way through a cooler of beer. “Whenyou get the munchies, come find me down on the south end by the resort!”
“MasterBites,” I heard one of the guys say with a laugh. “Nice.”
The woman at his side lifted her sunglasses as she looked me over. “I’d take a bite out ofhim.”
I turned on the charm I’d used so many times on the DreamBoat tours and beamed them a megawatt smile. If my pretty face got a few more customers, then I was happy to use it to my advantage.
“You can sure try, darlin’. But you might enjoy my food more.”
She laughed. “I’ll have to sample both.”
Yeah, that wasn’t happening. I might flirt for business, but that was as far as it was going. I drove on before shit got awkward. Now that I wasn’t with DreamBoats, I wasn’t going to shake my ass for good reviews.
I spent an hour making the rounds—and thankfully everyone else was friendly but chill—before anchoring in a spot a few hundred feet from the resort. There wasn’t a lot of traffic here, but it was visible from several angles.
I could see the resort docks and lake access called Weekend Hookers’ Fishing Hole—I’d have to get the story behind why Skylar had named it that—as well as the RV park with its boat ramp. A catamaran houseboat bobbed off to the east, and I could just make out the name on the side of it:Over 8 Inches.
There were a few other areas of the lake I wanted to test out this summer, but for this first day, I’d decided to set up shop within view of the resort. The more I emphasized our connection, the better for both of us.
My phone buzzed just as I ducked into the kitchen to get to work.
Mel:
Good luck today! You’ll kill it out there.
Ash:
Hopefully my food doesn’t kill them!
Mel:
Nah, you’re a rockstar. You got this!
I smiled down at the phone, heart skipping with excitement. This was it. My dream. At least, the start of it.
