Page 144 of Knockin' Boats
“Yeah. How are you, though? How’s business?”
I crossed my fingers and toes that he would have good news. There was a pause before Ash answered. That didn’t bode well, did it?
“I’m not sure,” he finally said. “It’s a Saturday, so there’s a fair amount of drive-by traffic. A lot of those boaters aren’t checking their phones. But the few who use the app…”
“They saw?”
“Yeah. We had a couple of people turn away.”
“Damn.”
“Those who let me explain were pretty cool though. I told them I was being review bombed, and once they saw all the reviews were anonymous and posted around the same time, they gave me a chance.”
I exhaled. “Well, that’s good.”
“Yeah, I told them it was my former lover, furious that I’d moved on to someone way better. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and all that.”
I laughed. “They bought that story?”
“Theylovedthat story. The passion, the drama, the revenge!”
Ash never ceased to amaze me. His stepdad had done a truly shitty thing to him. If I was in his shoes, I’d be melting down about the consequences. Hell, I couldn’t even bring myself to take up Hudson’s offer to partner in a business that was already successful out of fear of the unknown.
Yet, here Ash was slogging through the shit and laughing at it.
“You’re incredible,” I said. “I love you.”
“Love you too, handsome.”
“Love you, Sawyer!” Charity called from the background.
“Get your own boyfriend,” Ash said with a chuckle.
“Hang in there, okay?”
“I will. Rick will have to work a lot harder than this to take me down.”
“That’s the spirit.”
I just hoped that Rickdidn’twork too much harder at that. This business meant everything to Ash.
He might not blame me for Rick’s actions now. But if Rick continued to sabotage him, if he succeeded in ruining Ash’s business in his campaign to manipulate me, it would break my boyfriend’s heart.
And if by some miracle Ash didn’t resent me for that, I would.
CHAPTER 31
Ash
Sawyer pulled the boat up to the dock behind The Rusty Hook later that night. “You sure you’re up for this?”
“Why not? Your friends are cool.”
“I know. It’s just with all the shit with Rick?—”
I pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. His lips quirked into a smile.
“This is a good distraction. And later you can give me an even better one.” I waggled my eyebrows.
