Page 15 of Knockin' Boats
When our friendship fell apart, I continued for a while through sporting clubs—especially when I still got to compete against Sawyer—but eventually I just…stopped.
It wasn’t fun anymore. Not like it used to be.
The water taxi moved slower than I’d like, but finally, it pulled up to the marina in Swallow Cove. Then I had to hoof it over to the resort. By the time I got there, I was twenty minutes late. I rushed down to the dock, an apology forming on my lips, but it died when my gaze landed on my baby.
A gleaming blue pontoon bobbed gently in the water alongside the Swallow Adventures cruisers, but there was no mistaking it. Bright green lettering along the side, just above the water line, readMaster Bites. The resort logo, complete with a swallow with its beak wide open, hovered above it. The boat was mostly all enclosed to preserve food safety, but there were two serving windows on the side that could open, as well as an open deck area on at the bow and stern.
“What do you think?” Skylar asked, making me jump. I hadn’t even noticed him approach. “Will it do?”
“It looks amazing,” I said. “Like brand-new.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. You probably won’t be saying that when you see the inside. It needs a deep clean.”
“I expected that.”
Skylar had consulted with me when buying the boat. It had originally operated in Arkansas before going up for auction, which meant it was already outfitted for our purposes. It saved some money, but it also meant we’d be working with the pre-existing equipment. Not to mention the mess of grease and grime left behind.
Skylar turned to me. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a cleaning crew available to take it on right now.”
I nodded, hardly able to take my eyes off my dream made real, right there in front of me. “You got her here. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“All right,” Skylar said. “You let me know if you need help, though. It’s a big job, and we’re a team around here.”
I dragged my eyes from the boat to look at him. “You all seemed pretty tight at the dinner last night.”
“Like family,” Skylar confirmed.
“Guess that makes me the black sheep?”
“No.” Skylar’s smile was sympathetic. “I know you and Sawyer have a history.”
My lips twisted. I hated that word.History. Like our friendship was long gone and would never return.
It was probably true, though.
Skylar continued, “But you’re not the black sheep. You’re here now, which means you’re one of us.”
Well, that was nice. I was pretty sure Sawyer would have some things to say about it, but Sawyer wasn’t the one I had to work with.
His mother, on the other hand…
I winced and checked the time. “Speaking of that, I’m overdue to meet with Mrs. West. Or, maybe she goes by her maiden name now?”
“Everyone around here just calls her Vera.”
“Uh, right. Vera, then.”
“She’s in the kitchen as usual. Go ahead.”
“Thanks.” I hesitated. “I, uh, will probably spend some time with my boat—er, I mean,yourboat?—”
Skylar chuckled. “You can call her yours. You’re gonna be the one taking her out on the water.”
“Yeah, about that. Can I take her on a test drive this afternoon? I just want to get a feel for how she handles.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Just see Hudson at the Swallow Adventures office for the keys.”
The boat touring company kept a small hut down by the docks so that people who weren’t resort guests could still access them.
