“I’m asking, Fenn. Ergo, itmust.”
Ergo. I took a deep breath and begged a Universe I didn’t believe in for patience. “I don’t know, Rafe. Nothing and everything, I guess.” I shrugged and stowed the broom in the cupboard by the cabin. “Readynow?” I demanded.
“Yeah.” Rafe heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. “Ready.”
But as he walked back into the cockpit to take the wheel, I found myself thinking about his question honestly for once.
“It’s not the people,” I said, following him a few minutes later and slumping down in the seat beside his. “It’s never been the people I minded. I like working with customers.”
Rafe nodded. He kept his gaze on the water and held his tongue for once. The only sound was the hum of the motor and the call of the seagulls.
“It’s not the boat either,” I said at length. “I like the variety in my days. I never enjoyed working a desk.”
“I’m the same,” Rafe agreed, pursing his lips. “Couldn’t do a nine-to-five. Never bothered to try one. Breathing recycled air in some office? Pure misery. You were smart to get out of that corporate life while you still could.”
I laughed. In the five years since I’d left Texas, I’d gotten raked over the coals by my stepfather and prayed over by my mother for being fool enough to get involved with Thad Chambers. Even my dad had laughed and said I was a chip off the old block—he’d gotten into trouble for sticking his dick where it didn’t belong, too, except in that case he’d ended up with me. At no time had anyone, including myself, ever called mesmart.
“It wasn’t actually a choice,” I reminded Rafe. “Mr. Chambers terminated my employment.” I rubbed a hand over my ribs, though they hadn’t twinged in years.
“There’s things you plan for, Fenn, and the things you do to roll with the punches you’ve been dealt. You’ve done a real good job of rolling.”
“Uh.” I frowned, completely unsure how to handle this. I couldn’t recall Rafe ever complimenting me before, and I wondered if I’d slipped and hit my head or something. If so, I was enjoying the hallucination. “Thanks?”
Rafe’s mouth quirked up in a smile, and he darted me a quick glance. “Trouble is, you’re not doing much of the planning.”
Ah, there we go.That was more like it.
“I plan for plenty, Rafe,” I said mildly. “I planned to get up this morning, I planned to do my work, I plan to meet up with Mason tonight.”
“Yeah? And what about tomorrow?” Rafe pressed. “What about the day after? What about this time next year? You still gonna be doing a job you don’t really love, working as a tour guide and mechanic—”
“Not a mechanic.”
“—and laying around the resort for the rest of your days?”
I bristled. “I work hard. I earn my keep as much as any of the guys.”
Rafehmphed. “My boys know not to expect a free ride.”
And so do I, I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue.
“What’s the point of this conversation?” I demanded.
Rafe sighed. “You gotta think about your future. Where do you wanna be in ten years? You wanna go back to your rocks, that’s fine. Or maybe you wanna do something else instead. Forge a new path. But you’re not gonna be running this boat forever, Fenn. So what comes next for you?That’sthe point.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Who’s gonna be running it, then? You?”
He shook his head. “You don’t see it yet, but Whispering Key’s growing by leaps and bounds. I have plans in place that are going to set the Goodman family up for the future, and they’re already starting to take shape. The Whispering Key Extravaganza is only the beginning.Renovating the Five-Star? Tip of the iceberg. I’m talking investing in restaurants and renting out vacation homes. I’m talking creating an industry that gives us passive income! And when the island is back in fighting form? When the carousel is running again, and the inn is full, and there are restaurants all up and down the Pass?” He sucked in a breath and smiled, like he could picture it all in his mind. “I’m gonna repurpose theMary Anna. Might sail her down to Key West for a bit. Might trick her out for all the grandchildren my boys will be giving me.” He shrugged. “All the things Mary and I always wanted to do. All the things I’m gonna do forbothof us.”
I rolled my eyes to hide the sting of this. Must be nice forthe Goodman familyto have so much to look forward to.
“Fine.” I set my teeth. “You wanna get rid of me that bad? Let me know when I need to look for another job.”
“Prickly as a porcupine.” Rafe shook his head sadly. “I don’t get you, Fenn. You’re young and healthy. Don’t you want to make something of your life? How long are you gonna let what happened in Texas hold you back?”
I sucked in a breath, because that stung, too.
“Hold me back fromwhat? Christ, Rafe. Until a few weeks ago, you were the mayor of a bankrupt island no one had ever heard of! Then you lied and youcheatedto get money to fix things up on the island. And it looks like it’s paying off for you, sogreat! Lucky you! But please do not act like you’re therefore qualified to deliver a sermon to me on how I’m not doing enough with my life, okay? You were no better off than I was two months ago. Probably worse.”
