“You’re going to make me work right now?” I raised an eyebrow. “Rude.”
“I’ll help.”
“Do you remember how?”
He nodded.
I had to disconnect the boat from shore power, water, and refuse and then fire up the motor to get us out of the marina. It had been a hot minute since I had run an engine test, longer than the monthly requirement. I’d been a little busy ruining mine and Jesse’s lives. But everything ran right, at least with the boat, and we made it far enough offshore to have a fantastic view of the sunset over the Gulf.
We sat on the roof, bundled in blankets, as the cooler air began to blow in.
I took a bite of gelato and thought about the mess we were both in. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I should have told her it was my idea.”
He shook his head. “No. I should have told her what I did from the get-go. She’s right. That’s no way to start a marriage.”
“Honesty is important,” I agreed.
I had been honest with Rowan from the get-go. My goal was to break up Jesse and True’s wedding.
So why did I feel wretched?
We watched as the golden sun dipped lower to the waterline, turning everything pink, red, and deep purple before surrendering to navy and black. The vibrant colors painted the sky like an exquisite masterpiece, yet each shade felt like a haunting reminder of what I had lost. One by one, stars began to wink into view overhead. I lay back, my body heavy with sorrow, and stared at the sky, feeling impossibly small and achingly sad.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me this week, Ken.” Jesse laid back beside me.
“That’s what friends are for,” I answered.
“This was above and beyond friendship.”
“Meh. Potato, poh-tah-toe.”
Jesse rolled to his side and propped his head on his hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner.”
“See what sooner?”
“How special you are.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about our plan to start the charter business. And well, this might be a good time to do that since we’re both starting over. We could start over together.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. “Huh.”
“Yeah!” He wiggled closer to me. “You run the boat stuff. I take care of schmoozing the customers. I’m real good at that.”
The alarm bells turned to a full-on klaxon that blared in time with my heartbeat. “That sounds,” I struggled for a word. “Something.”
He took my pained smile as an invitation to kiss me. I saw his face moving closer and panicked. I slapped my hand over his mouth. “Stop, Jesse.”
He peeled my hand away. “I don’t want to. I should have done this sooner. Let’s talk about it. Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?”
“Hear how I’m the rebound? Your fiancée left you. Two hours ago. What are you doing?”
Jesse sat up and crossed his legs. “I’m suddenly realizing what an amazing person you are, Ken. I should have seen it sooner, and I’m sorry, but I’m here now. I know the timing sucks, but when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone?—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth again. “Don’t you dare quoteWhen Harry Met Sallyto me, mister. It’s my favorite movie, and I made you watch it a dozen times in high school. I know that movie backward and forward. Use your own damn words. Better yet, don’t.” I released his face and stood. “I don’t want to hear it.”
He hopped up. “Don’t you? I thought you wanted me.”
