Page 70 of Deep Waters
He flipped his palm. “Honey, I know. That man gave up a gorgeous young thing like you for me.” He brushed his knuckles across his shirt. “But you know what? We’re worth it.”
I carried his confidence with me as Zach and I walked hand in hand to check on our boats.
“When are you going to talk to your dad about the land?” Zach tugged on Nauti’s bow line, testing the slack.
“Tomorrow when I go back to work.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
I let the offer roll around inside, testing it against my resolve. He’d back me up if I needed it. No doubt, no hesitation.
“I love you for asking, but this is something I need to do on my own.”
He dipped his chin. “Don’t forget that you’ve got all the Fenwicks on your team.”
I wreathed my arms around his neck, brushing his mouth gently. The kiss was sweet, because damn if the man wasn’t too.
“All for one and one for all?”
“More like the Fenwicks taking the field against the Dawkins – full contact, no mercy.”
***
By the time I approached my dad in his office on Monday, my realtor had confirmed what Simon alluded to: not only did his dad accept my offer, but he’d countered. With a lower price. For all the man was a tyrant in his own house, his generosity was giving me more financialfreedom than I’d hoped. The kind I could leverage into a buyout offer for my dad.
I suppressed the fine tremble in my hands as I approached the front office. There were a lot of ways talking with my dad could go—most of them off a cliff. I inhaled, expelling a shaky breath before straightening my shoulders and wiping the worry from my face.
After knocking gently, I slipped into the chair in front of my dad’s desk. He leaned back, assessing me from beneath hooded eyes.
I kept my gaze steady. Unwavering. Even as I wanted to crumble inside. This was the man who’d raised me. Taught me everything I knew about boats. But he never really saw me.
“What’s up, Rae?”
“We need to discuss renewing our lease.”
He scowled, face fierce. “I’ve tried. That bastard Reynolds insists on selling. We’re going to have to wait to deal with the new owners.”
I clasped my fingers in my lap to keep from cracking my knuckles. “And that’s why I’m here to speak to you about the lease. I signed the first of the paperwork this morning.”
My dad’s face flushed red. “What?” he barked.
The anger wasn’t surprising. The shock? That stung. It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried to talk to him about buying the land over the years. Over and over again, until I was hoarse.
I took a deep breath and plowed forward, holding his gaze. “I love San Juan Marine Repair. I want a larger role in the business.”
My dad’s expression turned mulish. “You have a role. You’re a great mechanic.”
It may have been the nicest thing he’d ever said to me, but it wasn’t enough.
“I want more of a say in the business itself.”
“What, you want to do sales like your brothers?”
“No. I want to expand our service business. Hire more mechanics.”
“We don’t have enough service work to support it.”
“We will if we advertise. We could bring in a lot more emergency calls if we had another mechanic. Possibly two.”
