Page 41 of Knockin' Boats
The driver of the boat finally raised his head and?—
Not Sawyer.
I exhaled, the fluttering nerves in my stomach settling. But with them was a sinking sensation.
I hadn’t seen Sawyer since the kiss. Probably a good thing. He probably hated me even more. But…I wanted to see him.
Just to air out the bad juju, as Mel would say. Not because Imissedhim, or because I wanted to kiss him again. There was just this gray cloud hanging over me—and it would continue to hang there—until I saw him again.
He could yell at me. Punch me. Anything would be better than the fear that he’d never look my way again.
“Hey, Ash,” Hudson called. “You got enough food for this hangry mob?”
I pushed aside my worries about Sawyer for another time and grinned down at the ten people crammed into Hudson’s boat tour.
“Family reunion?” I guessed, taking note of older adults, teenagers, and young kids.
“Yep!” a silver-haired woman called. “We all managed to get together for the first time in two years.”
“Well, not to worry, I’ve got more than enough food—and I promise it’ll be better than Great-Aunt Agnes’s ambrosia salad!”
There was a titter of laughter followed by a little voice that said, “Do we have an Aunt Agnes?”
At the same time, one of the teens said, “Ugh, I hate that weird stuff!”
“Not to worry. It’s not on the menu.” I pointed toward the menu on the stern of the boat. “Just let me know when you’ve decided what you want.”
I didn’t know what they’d want, but with a group so large, I decided to hedge my bets. I hurried inside and threw a batch of sweet potato fries into one fryer basket and lobster-and-mac bites into the other.
The next twenty minutes passed in a blur. Hudson placed their order via the app, which was my only saving grace because I could refer back to it and ensure I wasn’t forgetting anything.
I grilled shrimp for the seafood tacos, crab patties for the sliders, and used up all the mango salsa I’d prepped in one go. It was daunting, juggling so many orders at once, and my sympathy went out to all the short-order cooks.
The rest of the day was slower, and I was more than okay with it. Better to take the small win than be totally overwhelmed with business right out of the gate.
I ate lunch and took a dip in the lake, then served a couple of smaller groups in the late afternoon before returning to the resort at dusk.
I scanned the docks for Sawyer, but there was still no sign of him. I reminded myself that was a good thing.
Hudson came over to help me tie up the boat.
“Good first day?”
“Yeah.” I tossed the rope to him so he could tie the boat in place. “A little slow, but no food disasters. I even managed to use the fresh ingredients that won’t keep.”
“Sounds about as good as you can get on a first day.”
I nodded. “I’ve got a ton of stuff to haul to Vera’s kitchen though.”
“I’ll help you.”
“No Sawyer today?” The words were out before I could stop them. I scanned the Swallow Adventures cruisers, as if he’d suddenly pop out of one.
“He just left on a sunset cruise.”
“Oh.” I nodded, eyes still on the docks. “That’s…”
Wait a second. The yacht was gone.
