Page 104 of Think Outside the Boss

“What are you doing?” he asks me.

“Just thinking. Looking at the ocean.”

He sits down cross-legged beside me on the dock. Beneath us, soft waves break against the pillars. “Can we go swimming later?”

“You bet we will. Is Grandma inside?”

He nods. “She’s resting. She said she’s been on enough boats this week to last her for life.”

I laugh, mussing his salt-roughened hair. “She’s not a boat person.”

“She said she took pictures today, when you and I snorkeled.”

“But not as good as ours.”

He gives me a cheeky smile. The underwater camera we’d brought had come in handy today, when we’d finally swum next to a whale shark.

“We’re hanging that one up at home, right, Dad?”

“We sure are, kid.”

We grin at each other for a few seconds, and damn, my kid really is the best. My phone pings and his grin turns into a frown. “Dad, were you working?”

He says the word like I’ve been busy committing violent crimes out here on the dock. “Just answered a few emails,” I tell him, grabbing my phone. “I’ll put it on silent… oh. It’s from Anthony.”

Joshua’s frown disappears. My son knows and likes Anthony, having seen him often over the years. He might be quiet, and he’s often scowling, but Anthony is a good man through and through.

“What did he say?” Joshua asks. “Did you tell him about the whale shark?”

“Not yet, but I’ll tell him now.” Smiling, I click open the text. And laugh. “He’s being cranky.”

“Why?”

“Because of the company we told him he had to take over next.”

“He doesn’t want to?”

“No.” Seeing Joshua’s expression, I hurry to explain. “No, he does. It’s a good opportunity. But it’s in an industry he thinks is a bit… silly.”

“What is it?”

“A matchmaking company.”

Joshua frowns, a tiny furrow between his brows. “A what?”

“It’s for grown-ups who want to meet a wife or a husband, but are having trouble finding one on their own.”

“Oh.” Joshua lets out a chuckle, swinging his legs above the water. “That is silly.”

“Anthony thinks so too.”

“There are a ton of grown-ups. Shouldn’t it be easy to find someone to marry?”

I run a hand over my rough jaw. I hadn’t bothered to shave this week, and the feeling is foreign against my hand. “Well, grown-ups don’t want to just marry anyone. It’s difficult to find the right person.”

Joshua gives a wise nod. “Is that why you haven’t gotten married, Dad?”

“Part of it, I suppose. And I work a lot too.”

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