CHAPTER TWELVE
—JAMIE
Well… this is awkward.As I drive us out into open water, my boat drifting a bit to the left due to the damage, I round the coast toward a remote section that I’ve never been to before. I prefer to stay near the tourist islands, the water measured and monitored to make sure none of us runs aground. Out here, well, this is like the Wild West.
“You’ll keep heading into the Everglades,” Tech calls to me. “About thirty minutes west, but don’t go into the marsh yet. It’s sticky out there today.”
I nod, gliding toward the middle and shifting the boat into gear to speed up. The three of them sit in the back of the boat as Tech discusses something I can’t hear, the girls listening intently. I feel suddenly, and entirely, left out.
The last few years, when I was away at school, both staff and students alike were more interested in getting closer to my father than to me. His name carried weight, both respect and fear. Those people only saw my dad’s dollar signs. Even now, it doesn’t seem thatJamieexists. I am the Matthews boy. I am Brent Matthews’s son. I am the kid whose dad sent him away.
As I stand at the wheel, driving this group toward some plan that could possibly mess with my father’s job, I’m a little scared. Of him,of course. But also of failing. After what I’ve seen around Cape Hope, things really do need to change. And maybe the Chasers have a way to actually make that happen.
I feel the brush of skin against my arm, and turn to find Noa standing next to me. She glances over with a soft curve to her lips. She’s glad I’m here.
I know I hurt her feelings earlier on the beach when I told her it had been easier to never talk to her again. But it wasn’t easy—it was fucking awful. It was the worst thing I ever did.
But it happened so quickly, too fast for me to react. I’d just left Noa on the beach, late that last night, and I came back to the resort to find my father waiting for me. He took my phone, my computer, my wallet. He told me I was going to boarding school, leaving immediately. He had leverage, but I still raged and screamed and begged on my knees. I did everything I could.
And as the sun came up, I was on my way to the airport. In the end, there wasn’t much of a choice—the alternative was him pressing charges against me for breaking into his computer files. He’d already cut me off from my money, and even my mother. He assured that if I didn’t play by the rules, Astrid wouldn’t be allowed to see me ever again. And, of course, he reminded me this was all my doing.
I was alone. I felt hopeless—worthless. I felt unlovable.
And for Noa, hearing all that might be worse than just thinking that I’m selfish.
“Figured I’d check on you and your eye,” she says, reaching to take my chin. She tilts my face to get a better look before shaking her head disapprovingly.
“I think it adds character,” I say, making her laugh. “But I would feel better if you told me a little more about what we’re doing out here.”
“Of course,” she agrees, but doesn’t offer a single additional detail.
We’re quiet while she scans the islands as we pass them. The vibration of the boat motor is lulling, calming even, as the sound echoes off the water.
“I hope we find it,” she says under her breath. The determination in her eyes, this is about more than Matteo and the Collective starting shit with the Chasers. It’s more personal than that.
“What’s really going on?” I ask. “What did they do to you?”
Her look withers, as if it’s too much for me to understand. I don’t think she’s going to tell me at all, when she starts talking.
“It’s not just about me,” she says. “But I did learn yesterday that they’re probably going to take the Surf Shack.”
“Who is?” I ask. The Surf Shack is a staple of Cape Hope. It’s a legend.
“Who else?” she replies, bitter. “The Augustus Resort has been trying to buy us out for years, and it appears they’re succeeding. They’ve taken all of the businesses along Paradise Beach—that’s why Tech’s mom lost her restaurant. My father and I are the last holdouts. He’s ready to sell, but… I’m not ready to give up. It’s all I have left of my mother.”
I have a sharp pang of sympathy. I was already away at school when I’d heard that Noa’s mom had passed away, read her obituary online. I wanted to call Noa then, even tried to dial several times, but I always hung up before it rang. At that point, it had been so long and I didn’t want to add to her pain.
“I sent flowers,” I say quietly, and she turns to me, surprised. “I didn’t sign the card,” I add as I watch her trying to work it out. She waits a beat, and then her lips part with a gasp.
“The white camellias?” she asks. “Was that you?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I—”
“No, they were beautiful,” she cuts in, a tenderness in her eyes. “She would have loved them. We… we had no idea who sent them, but I keptthem in my room.” She laughs a little sadly. “Thank you, Jamie.”
“Of course,” I say, but I don’t deserve the praise. I should have called like a decent fucking person. But I don’t tell her that and ruin the moment. “Your mom was always nice to me,” I say. “And she was funny. Remember how she’d sit out on the dock while we were in the water? Called itquality control,but I think she was just making sure I didn’t steal you away.”
“She liked you,” Noa says. “She really liked you.”
