"I choose you, Calvin. But the longer I stay in that house, in this life, the less I feel comfortable."
I blew out a breath. "I know."
She blinked at me. "You do?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "And I have a plan."
She leaned forward, her head tilting slightly to one side. "A plan?"
I nodded, about to explain when Ella reappeared with plate-laden arms.
"Here we are, love-bugs. Two chef's samplers." She set four plates down on the table. "We have a serving of burger sliders – pulled pork, lamb deluxe, and a cheesy halloumi which is todiefor. On the middle plate, you have pan-fried squid and baby octopus, the bowl contains a grain salad to compliment, and it is freaking amazing if I say so myself. Lastly, we have a delicious plate of chicken wings – today's flavours are tandoori, honey soy, and classic barbecue." She disappeared, reappearing a moment later with two serving plates. "Here you go. You guys need any drink refills?"
"No, thank you, I think we're okay for now," Em replied, looking at the food. "This looks and smells amazing."
"Thanks, my chef is the freaking bomb." She clapped her hands together, "Just call if you need anything further, otherwise enjoy!"
In a swish of hair and smiles, Ella left.
"Wow," Em said, licking her lips. "Where do we even start?"
"Sliders," I decided, reaching for half of the lamb. "These look fucking good."
We split the slider, immediately groaning as we bit into it.
"Holy God," Em groaned, closing her eyes as she chewed. "This is heaven."
I couldn't argue. A pretty girl across from me, great food, and a sense of rightness that had been sadly missing from my life.
"So," Em said as she finished the slider and began spooning salad onto her plate. "Your plan?"
I swallowed, suddenly feeling sweaty. "We can talk about it later," I hedged.
She waved a hand at me dismissively. "No, wanna hear."
I watched her serve food onto my plate, reaching for my beer to try and wet my suddenly dry mouth. "So, the house you hate?"
"Mm?" Em hummed, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"I want to sell it."
Em paused, fork held mid-raise. "Sell it?"
"Yeah," I blew out a breath. "And quit my job."
"Quit—okay." She lowered her cutlery. "Gonna need further information."
"I want to invest in the marina." I blew out a breath, a weight lifting. "I fucking hate my job. I hate the pressure, hate the people I work with, hate that I'm answerable to my dad, and that means every single person there hates me but still kisses my ass."
I ran a hand through my hair. "I want to be closer to home. I want to spend time with you and do something meaningful. Something I enjoy."
"And investing in the marina will give you that?" She asked.
"Yes and no. The marina is a start. I've done the figures. Our white horror of a home tripled in price in the last three years. I got an appraisal, and if we sell it, I'll have the capital to buy into Gunnar's development. I want to take the knowledge I developed working for dad and plug it into my own ventures. I honestly believe that with Gunnar's knowledge, my financial know-how, and Ella's hospitality experience, we'd be a good team to revamp Capricorn Cove."
"Cal, this sounds—"
I braced, resigning myself for rejection.
