“No.” Noah sighed. “We just didn’t get a lot of closure after that, and I went back to Shreveport. See? This is why I never talk about it.” Not to mention it wasn’t a pleasant topic to revisit. Then fragments of memory, coated with Elisa’s vanilla perfume and sun-kissed hair, skittered across his mind.
Okay maybe the memories weren’tallbad. Just what they turned into.
“We were kids. We should have known better—maybe we did. Maybe the forbidden element is what made it what it was.” Noah shrugged. “Regardless, it’s over, and Elisa didn’t pour coffee on me on purpose. Let’s set that rumor straight.”
“What is this whole feud about, anyway?” Linc asked. “I guess I’ve missed that too. Just know your families hate each other.”
“Elisa’s ancestors accused mine of stealing land from them, all the way back to patent in the 1800s. It’s been a bone of contention ever since.”
“That’s dumb,” Linc declared.
“I agree. But it’s the land the Blue Pirogue is on, so it affects me. Especially now.”
Cade leaned against the pier railing. “I’ve always leaned your way on that whole thing—namely, because I know how Isaac can be—but I can’t hate on Elisa. We go all the way back to our elementary school days.”
“Yeah, I know. We all hung out together in middle school. Braces, acne, Cade’s endless pranks, and all.” A grin worked its way up to the surface. “Those yearbook photos would make for excellent blackmail.”
“And then you moved.” Cade rolled his eyes. “Justhadto break up the party.”
“Obviously that wasn’t my choice.” Noah shook his head. “Definitely my father’s.”
Owen frowned. “I thought your parents divorced?”
“They did. After my dad’s infidelity, my mom pulled me out of ninth grade early on and moved us to Shreveport.” Noah scoffed. “Nothing like starting a new high school in a new city.”
“Yikes.” Owen scrunched his face in sympathy as he adjusted his line.
“Well, personally, I’m glad you’re in town again, even if it is temporary.” Cade clapped Noah on the shoulder. “And even though you stubbornly refuse to stay.”
“I know, man.” The encouragement took a bit of the edge off Noah’s day. “Thanks.”
“If you two are done being mushy, there’s more fishing to do.” Linc glared as Owen turned and held up the tiny snapper he’d snagged.
He handed Owen a different lure from Cade’s tackle box. “You’re baiting the next one yourself, show-off.”
“Now that you have the inspection report clear, what’s your plan? How long until you abandon us again?” Cade asked.
Owen went to work with a metal jig while Noah reeled his own line back in. He let out a slow breath. “Idon’thave a clear inspection report. Isaac failed it.” Noah set his rod down. Time for a cold one.
As if reading his mind, Linc handed him a drink from the cooler. “That’s low, man. He should be more professional.”
“The worst part is…I think he was.” Noah shut the cooler lid and sat on top of it. It’d be easier to blame the rejection on Isaac’s longstanding beef with his family or even on those threatening letters the man sent to the inn that summer when Noah was with Elisa. But the proof was in the photos. “The Blue Pirogue has black mold.”
“From Hurricane Anastasia?” Cade picked up his rod from the pier, casting a questioning look over his shoulder at Noah.
Noah nodded. “Most likely. Going to be hard to prove that was the cause, though.”
“Insurance company won’t like that.” Linc crossed his arms over his dark red shirt. “Might not cover it without evidence.”
“Way to help, Pollyanna.” Cade snorted as he cast his line. It zipped cleanly through the air and landed in a patch of water highlighted with the sun’s reflection. “Pretty sure he’s aware of that.”
Linc shrugged a beefy shoulder. “The truth is the truth.”
“And the truth will set you free.” Owen, still attempting to bait his line, glanced up at them.
“Is that in the Bible?” Linc squinted down at him, arms still crossed. “Or is that another one of those ‘God helps those who help themselves’ assumptions of Scripture?”
Owen shifted his kneeling position on the dock. “It’s in there. Out of context for this conversation, maybe, but check John 8 next time you crack open the Word.”
