Andy gripped the sanding block harder than necessary and went to work on the large slab of wood. There were plenty of electric sanders around, but he liked the control of doing it by hand. He took special care to sand the edges of what would eventually be the top of a desk. Focused on what he was doing, he didn’t hear his partner walk in.
“Everything okay?”
Andy looked up in surprise to see Josh standing in front of him. He was holding his coffee cup and still had his bag over one shoulder as if he was just getting in.
“Yeah. Fine,” Andy muttered before getting back to the sanding.
“How’s Samira?”
Andy set the sanding block on the slab of wood and stood up straight. “I’m fine. She’s fine. Everyone’s fine. Now is there anything you need, or can I get back to work?”
Josh hesitated a moment before he adjusted his bag and stepped closer. “You never were much of a liar.”
“Dammit, you’re as bad as Eddy. I took a couple days off from the boat and came in here to work today hoping to have some peace and quiet,” Andy grumbled.
“I’ve known you since grade school, and we’ve been good friends since graduation,” Josh reminded him. “You’re going to brood about this and be in a shitty mood until you talk it through. So, let’s just skip the first part.”
Andy sighed and lowered himself to the chair near his workstation. Josh was right. Working on the desk wasn’t going to fix his mood. Taking time off the boat wasn’t going to fix his mood. He wasn’t even sure talking about it would help.
“Just when things were going right, I feel like I’m right back where I was when we graduated,” Andy said on a long sigh.
Josh just looked at him. When Andy didn’t go on, he encouraged him to elaborate.
“What do you mean? You guys break up again?” Josh asked.
“I’m not even sure what to call it, but whatever it is, it isn’t good.”
“I saw how the two of you were together. Just talk to her. I’m sure you’ll work it out.”
Andy took his hat off and smoothed his hair before putting it back on. He wished it could be as easy as Josh made it sound. He tried talking to her. He called her and texted her but was met with silence. She was in DC for the work week, so it wasn’t as simple as showing up at her house. If he still couldn’t get in touch with her by the weekend, he might try just that. Maybe.
“I wish it was that easy,” Andy said simply.
“I’m sure you’ll get it figured out,” Josh said before hesitating. “I don’t mean to add to your stress, but I had to turn down a few large orders. I can only do so much by myself. Do you think you can maybe squeeze in a few more hours a week?”
Andy scrubbed his face with his hands as he tried to come up with a solution. He knew it was coming. He knew he wouldget to a point where he had to decide which business was more important to him. His dad would not take the news well, and his mother would certainly blame Samira if he decided to concentrate on his furniture business. He should have known everything would come crashing down at once.
Josh picked up the sanding block and started sanding where Andy left off. Andy watched while he continued to think about the situation. Samira wouldn’t answer the phone. She didn’t even respond to his text messages. He would feel better if she would at least tell him why she was so upset. He understood being embarrassed by his mom walking in to find her there, but he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t talk to him. She was the one person he wanted to talk to about the decision he needed to make.
“I’ll figure something out. I’ll be in my office,” Andy finally said as he stood and left Josh to finish sanding the desk.
Andy concentrated on the endless tasks he needed to do for the business. The business end was his responsibility, even though he didn’t make it into the shop as often as he would have liked. The idea that he was stuck doing the hard part without having time to do the hands-on work that he loved was beginning to piss him off.
He told his mother that he would live his own life. Spending his days on the water and finding a few spare hours to do what he loved was not living his own life. He was living his dad’s life. He continued to add the financials into the computer as he let that thought sink in.
Once he had finished with the accounting, he sat back in his leather chair and continued to think. Disappointing his parents was the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn’t continue to live their lives instead of his own. If the biggest problem his mother had with his relationship with Samira was that she might not be willing to do all the work in the crab house, he was goingto have a hell of a time finding a way to tell her that he didn’t see himself running the family business much longer anyway.
Once again Andy was lost in thought and didn’t notice Josh’s approach. He looked up when he cleared his throat from the doorway.
“Are you heading out already?” Andy asked, looking at his watch.
“Yeah. I have to head over to the island and then back into town. The ultrasound is today. We should find out what we’re having,” Josh answered, already looking like a proud dad.
“That’s right. I’ll think boy thoughts for you,” Andy said with extra enthusiasm to try to mask his still sour mood.
“You need to talk to Samira,” Josh advised. “Find a way.”
Josh was right. Andy needed to find a way. He also needed to find a way to talk to his mother. He didn’t want to stay in the family business even if he had ended up with someone interested in all the work that came with marrying a waterman. He had known that life wasn’t for him long before his dad got sick. When the possible solution popped into his head, he closed up the shop and drove straight over to Eddy’s house before he lost his nerve.
