“You’re my favorite dad ever.”
I snorted.“You say that to all your dads.”
“Nope, just you.”
I grinned.Her stepfather was a bit of a dick.He let Hannah spend money on Evie, so I never said anything bad about him either, but he was definitely not a father-figure for my kid.Good thing, too, because that would have been a problem.
Evie ate her breakfast and drank her coffee in silence.I didn’t allow phones at the table, but she wasn’t awake enough yet for conversation.
I couldn’t help but try, though.“What else do you want to do this summer before you go to school?”
“I don’t know.Working at the hospital with Aunt Christy is going to take up a lot of my time.I want to spend time with Maddie and Katie, too.There are a lot of graduation parties.”
The time was slipping away faster than I could hold on to it.Eighteen years went by in a flash.And the next few weeks were going to go by even faster.“Make sure you save a little time for your old man, too.”
She chuckled and slid off the stool she’d sat in since she was old enough to climb up onto it.She lifted onto her toes and kissed my cheek.“I will, Dad.I gotta go.Love you!”
“Love you!”I called after her.
She grabbed her backpack and headed out the door.Seconds later, the car her mother bought her started up, then she drove away.
Which meant I needed to move it, or I’d be late for work.
My knuckles were bruised,but nothing was broken.My hand slipped as I tightened a nut, smashing into the side of the cabinet where I was working.It fucking hurt, but it would heal.
I stepped off the ferry and smiled.My job as a ferry mechanic wasn’t glamorous or fancy, but I loved it.It was my dream to work on the ferry from the first time I stepped foot on the boat that carried passengers from New York to Vermont.I didn’t really care what I did, as long as I got to call the ferry my office.
Being a mechanic came easily to me.I always loved working with my hands, a skill my father cultivated in me as soon as I was old enough to bring him tools.He and my mother made sure I knew how to maintain things around the house.As an only child, I spent time with both my dad in the workshop and my mom in the kitchen.Skills that came in handy when I married Hannah.
I washed my hands in the employee restroom before heading to my truck.I could make a fist.My hand would be fine.Probably.I drove home with my left hand, just in case.
Evie’s car was in the driveway when I got home.I wasn’t sure if she’d come here after her exam or go to her mom’s, but I was happy to see her car.
“Josh!”I heard as I started toward my door.
I spun and saw Ashlyn approaching.When she moved in next door, I wasn’t sure about her as a neighbor.Her family had a camp in the area when she was younger, and she moved here years ago.I was sure she’d be gone after the first winter, like most campers.They bought houses to spend summers on Lake Champlain, but those houses were closed up by late fall and no one stepped in them until spring.
But Ashlyn didn’t shy away from the bitter-cold winters or the quietness of living in Amethyst Bay year-round.
“Hey, Ashlyn.”
“I’m sorry Reegan was on the dock this morning.I told her yesterday she could go down there, but I never thought to call you and let you know she was here.”
“It’s all good.I saw someone there, and I got paranoid.”
Ashlyn shook her head.“No, I get it.You need to make sure Evie’s safe.I… Rob and I broke up, and Reegan decided to come for the summer.”
My eyebrows shot up.“The whole summer?”
“She’s a teacher.We went to college together.She’s my best friend, and she wanted to be here for me.”
“That’s nice of her.”
“It is.She’s…” Ashlyn rolled her lips in, her eyes getting watery.
Fuck.I didn’t do well with women crying, especially women I didn’t know well.I had nothing against my neighbor, but it was better for everyone if Hannah didn’t think we were getting too close.
“Sorry.I… Reegan is going to be here for a while.I told her I’d talk to you, but she said she’ll stay off the dock from now on.”
