“Afraid it will mess up your hair? You’d look stunning with it. Put it on.”
Begrudgingly, Luna put the helmet on. “I don’t know what possessed you to do this, but my feet hurt so much I don’t care.”
His fingers brushed lightly against her chin, making her skin tingle as he buckled the front strap. “There.”
When he climbed on, the smooth rumble of the engine vibrated beneath her. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling up to him like they were kids.
“Hold on, Luna.”
“Okay.”
Off they went toward her family's home. A few minutes later, after he circled around the town a few times for effect, he turned the engine off in the driveway. “There.”
“Thank you. I was just getting used to riding on it. You shouldn’t have stopped.”
“Well, there’s always later, but right now, we need to talk.”
“Okay.”
Ronan hardly ever brought up serious topics. A dreamer at heart, he always talked about things people often thought in their heads. Luna was eager to hear what he had to say.
She settled on the couch, with a tray of coffee and snacks for them to share. “So. What’s on your mind?”
Ronan smiled. “Well, I know writing hasn’t exactly been on yours as of late. Your last book wasn’t exactly a hot seller.”
Making a face, she laughed. “So you read my books. Okay, maybe I’m taking a break from writing for now. I need to find inspiration again and let’s face it, Enchanted Cove is the perfect place for that. Bringing Jonah home now couldn’t have come at a better time.”
She kept her financial situation to herself for the time being. The last thing she wanted from Ronan was pity.
“Alright. I was thinking we could get your family's boat charter business up again. I could charter the boats, and I’m an expert.”
Stunned, Luna narrowed her eyes, only partially irritated. “Shaun said something to you, didn’t he?”
“I don’t know, maybe. You know the man is a mad magpie when it comes to business and making money. I think he’d sell his shoes if he thought they’d make him a thousand dollars.”
Laughing, Luna relaxed at the sound of his voice. “Tell me more.”
“We could be business partners, you and I. Just like we were going to do in the Caribbean once we found Phoebe.”
Luna had forgotten about that. “Tearing a Band-Aid off an old wound that had long since healed is not necessarily a good idea, Ronan.”
“Sometimes, for it to heal properly, you have to open the wound again to get all the pus out. Then it can heal as it should.”
“Okay, so you and I get the business up and running. We work on everything and you charter the business. Then what? We split the profits 50/50 and eventually hire another person to help since I’m not getting on one of those boats soon.”
Ronan looked thoughtful. “I’d be there to protect you, but I understand. Actually, I was thinking of your son, Jonah. He’s expressed an interest, and with you and your family's genetics, he’d probably be good at it.”
Fear gripped her, tightening her chest. Luna felt a flash of panic hit her system but squashed it and cleared her throat. “I’m not letting my son on a boat. I didn’t even let him on a boat in the Caribbean.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. After what happened to Phoebe, an expert sea woman, I would not let him anywhere near a boat.”
“And yet you let him get on a plane with you to come here. That seems kind of silly, don’t you think?”
“Silly or not, that's how it’s going to go.” Luna paced the room, her emotions threatening to ruin another moment theyspent together. “I was thinking we could start the business again, you and I. It seemed like a wonderful idea last night when I thought of it, but he is not getting on a boat.”
He sighed, and a long silence followed. “Fair enough. I’ll let it go for now. But you should know you can’t keep him a child forever. Sooner than you’d like, he’s going to get on a boat, maybe when we're not around. It’s out of your control, and he’d be better prepared if he learned how to navigate a boat himself with those who love him.”
