“I’m jealous of your heart because it’s pumping inside you, and I’m not,” Saylor whispers next to my ear, and a laugh breaks out of me just as Nash walks back up to stand in front of me.
“What’s funny?” He grins at me, mischief in his eyes.
“How you act like a lost puppy around her while trying to maintain your playboy façade,” Saylor states in a bored tone.
“N-nothing,” I sputter out.
“Sure—” Nash starts, grinning even wider, but he gets interrupted when one of the fishermen who just helped yells over to him.
“Hey, Fingers, it’s working. We’re getting it over to the berth!”
I look behind Nash to see how the boat is running over the water, the engine’s humming steadily like it should.
I let out a long breath.
Thank fuck.
My gaze comes back up to Nash, who’s still looking at me. “Fingers?” I ask him, raising a brow.
“That’s a long story.” Nash laughs sheepishly, rubbing the beanie on his head.
Saylor just puffs out a breath beside me, crossing his arms over his chest. “They call himFast Fingersbecause he’s pretty fast with the crane we use to get the lobster cages back up on the boat. Not as fast as I was, but fast. The ladies took a liking to his nickname because he’s good with his fingers in other regards too, or so they say.”
Oh, I can confirm that.
Nash steps even closer to me and tugs at one of my braids again, his dimples shining down at me. “Kinda wanna take you out for dinner and kinda want you to be my dinner.” He licks his lips, and I can’t help but shiver at the thought of that tongue on me again.
“That one wasn’t that bad, actually,” Saylor mutters from beside me.
“What do you think, Siren? Don’t I deserve a little thank you for rescuing you?” He tilts his head, his eyes getting hooded.
“Thank you,” I press out, making him chuckle. “But no, thank you,” I follow up, and the grin slides right off Nash’s face, leaving only a frown behind while Saylor laughs heartily.
“Nash,” a deep voice says in a harsh tone from behind me.
Perfect, just perfect.
“Grab Tim and go make sure that boat is working. Make some circles outside the harbor. I’m not risking anybody because of a half-assed mechanic job.”
His tone scratches at my composure like sandpaper. I feel a twitch in my jaw, a silent retort that I trap behind my teeth.
“Yes, boss,” Nash salutes in a sarcastic tone before he winks at me and turns to leave.
I turn to face North, steeling myself for what’s to come.
“I don’t give a fuck if you want to risk yourself with such stupid behavior as you showed just now.” I open my mouth to tell him this wouldn’t have happened ifsomeonehad explained even a fraction of what my work here would entail, but he puts a finger in the air to stop me from speaking. “But I willnottolerate it if you put any of my men in danger because you overestimated yourself. If they come back, and this boat isn’t at one hundred percent, you can get the fuck out of my shipyard. Understood?”
His words drill into me, but they also spark something—a fire in my belly, a resistance that I’m too weary to voice but not too beaten to feel. I just nod, thoroughly exhausted from the day andall that has happened, too exhausted to stand my ground, and too tired to defend myself.
What would it do anyway?
Absolutely nothing besides making him fire me sooner. And honestly, if the boat really is a risk for anybody after I fixed it, I will walk out of here without a protest.
TWENTY-ONE
Mac’s laughterresonates throughout the entire restaurant. Tally is sitting across from me and can’t help but break into a grin as she nibbles on a piece of the chocolate I brought her. Shannon hovers in the corner of the restaurant, watching us, but I’m used to just ignoring her by now, although I can feel how her mistrust of me is growing.
Stay in your lane, and I will stay in mine.
