Page 109 of The Girl I Once Loved

“I think it was me trying to do thedougie, or it might have been the moonwalk. It was definitely not thecabbage patch. I nailed that one.” Curt winks at me.

“No words that you just said right now is what any son wants to hear come out of their father’s mouth. Just want to be clear on that,” Noah taunts with a smirk.

“Always busting my chops, this kid. I have no idea how you put up with him, Skylar,” Curt teases back.

“Oh, he has his moments.” I smile widely.

If I thought Curt would object to me being with his son, I was dead wrong. At the end of the day, I should have known not to worry about that. He just wants us to be happy. And if it’s with each other, then so be it. It also doesn’t hurt that we’re both grown adults. I’m sure if Curt had found out about us while we were still teenagers living under his roof, he wouldn’t have been as tolerant. But then again, no real father ever wants to imagine his daughters in compromising positions with a boy—especially if that boy is their stepbrother.

“All jokes aside, this fractured ankle couldn’t come at a worse time,” Curt states flatly, his tone no longer playful.

“Right. The last big shrimp haul before winter,” Noah mutters under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yep. After this month, fishing for seafood will be a no go. Just too damn dangerous with hurricane season coming. Gotta make do with cod, halibut, and striped bass, I guess,” Curt laments. “With my ankle all banged up, I don’t see another way other than to call off the whole expedition. There’s no way my crew could go out on their own without an experienced captain on board.”

“Can’t you ask one of your captain friends to fill in for you?” I ask, sensing that this fishing expedition is make or break for Curt.

“No. All of them already went out weeks ago,” Noah interjects. “Dad was the only one to postpone his, since it conflicted with Daisy’s wedding.”

“Oh.” I chew nervously on my lip.

All the years I’ve lived in a fisherman’s house, I’m still very clueless as to all the labors and hardships that go with it.

“That’s right. And because of it, now nine of my crew and their families are going to have to suffer.” Curt lets out a deep exhale. “But I don’t see any other way. This is going to hurt like hell, but it has to be done. Hand me my phone, Clara. Might as well get this over with now and let my men know they no longer have to prepare my boat. No one’s going anywhere, it seems.”

“Wait,” Noah interjects before my mom has time to move and grab Curt’s phone for him. “I can go. I can captain the boat. It’s not like I haven’t had years of practice.”

Curt shakes his head.

“No. You have your own concerns, like getting your own ship ready for your big voyage. Your days of fishing are long over, son.”

“I still have plenty of time to get the Royal Shank ready. Besides, these are people’s lives we are talking about. Your crew’s families. I know most of them need this income to make ends meet for the rest of the year. You know as well as I do that your men need this. I got this, Dad. Don’t call anything off. Consider it my parting gift to you and them for putting up with me all these years out at sea.”

Curt frowns, still looking unhappy with Noah’s resolution to his problem.

And if I’m honest, I’m not too sure I’m on board with it either.

“Dad, look at me. I got this,” Noah insists, his expression dipped in steel resolve.

“I do hate letting the crew down,” Curt mumbles, stroking his chin as he considers his son’s proposition. “You sure you’re up for it?”

Noah nods.

“Then I guess it's settled.”

“Great. When are we supposed to sail out?” Noah asks.

“You boys leave on the eighteenth, and if all goes well, you should return home by the twenty-sixth.”

“But that’s just three days from now,” I stammer, then kick myself for the selfish outburst.

What Noah is trying to do is noble. He wants to make sure that no family goes without.

And here I am, selfishly not wanting him to go just to stay with me.

If I had already decided that I’d take the leap of faith and said yes to his offer of going with him to New Zealand like he asked, then I wouldn’t feel like there was a ticking clock on our relationship. Though Noah said he’d be happy to postpone his dream voyage just so we could continue to work on our relationship, it feels unfair of me to ask that of him. Especially considering that he’s already proven to me that he’s not above sacrificing his happiness for mine. I won’t be responsible for stealing his dream of the Grand Prix just because I’m still working through my trust issues.

“The twenty-sixth?” Noah repeats, troubled, his forehead wrinkling.

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