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My lips wobbled, on the verge of smiling. Good to know she could be funny too. All I’d seen so far was weeping and raging.
“Tomorrow at eight. I’ll give you a ride and then head out on my boat. When you’re done, we can swing by the boat club and introduce you to the staff. See what it takes to run the place. Sound good?”
Kenna straightened her shoulders as if having a plan was giving her confidence. I batted away the part of me that felt like her knight in shining armor for coming up with that plan. Kenna was definitely a damsel in distress, but I didn’t play the knight. Ever.
“Yes, thank you.”
I nodded once and stood up, scraping the chair across the wood floor. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Oh, and don’t call her Charlene. She hates that.”
With that helpful warning (ask me how I knew Char hated her full name), I headed out, grateful Kenna hadn’t exploded into tears again, or decided to take out her rage on me. As I stepped over the hedges and back onto my property, I pulled my phone out and dialed Mel.
“What’s this about a divorce?” he asked without a greeting.
I sighed and stepped inside my house, the air-conditioning at a normal level. “Kenna is apparently going through a divorce and said her ex froze their bank accounts. Says she can’t spend a dime. Is that legal?”
Mel harrumphed. “Could be, but with a good lawyer on her side, she can fight it. It wasn’t ordered by a judge?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“I’ll lob over a letter and see if they scare easy. Without a court order, they can’t enforce the freeze, and they definitely can’t deny her living expenses.”
“Thanks, Mel. Just bill me for your time.”
“You sure?”
I looked around my house. It looked so dull compared to the wildness of Maeve’s place. Some might describe it as cold or lifeless. Maeve sure had. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
We hung up with Mel’s promise to get right on it. I grabbed my keys and shook my head at myself. What was I doing stepping into Kenna’s life and trying to fix things? I’d learned a long time ago that it was better to keep my head down and focus on my own family. Everything else was a distraction from what mattered most.
There was just something about Kenna that wouldn’t let me sit on the sidelines. She was like a runaway cat that had matted fur and ribs sticking out. I’d be heartless to leave her on the side of the road. It was simply a sense of humanitarian aid to help her out in her time of need. Anybody else would do the same.
I spent the rest of the day with Pops. Throughout our dinner watching the Rays game at Dad Bod Watering Hole, I kept turning it around and around in my head. I didn’t like how Kenna had gotten under my skin, and I’d be doubly sure tomorrow to keep her at a distance. That was the only way to deal with her. Cold, but cordial. Polite, but aloof. I simply didn’t have the luxury of connecting with anyone beyond a surface level these days.
The last thing I needed was an outsider stumbling upon my secret and ruining the peace I’d found here in Sunshine Key.
Harley: Heard you’ve been spending time with the new woman in town. You holding out on me?
Me: Please. You know me better than that.
Harley: I certainly do, which is why I find it curious you haven’t introduced me yet. Is she hot?
Me: Haven’t thought about her that way. She’s kind of a mess, actually. I’m just trying to help her figure out Maeve’s estate so she can be on her way.
Harley: I’m sorry. Did you relinquish your man card the second you hit forty? Of course you’ve looked at her that way. Is she old? Young? Oh! A sexy cougar? I’ve been thinking I need to date an older woman…
Me: She’s not looking to get involved with anyone, dumbass.
Harley: Ooh! You know her dating status?? I hear wedding bells…
Me: Fuck off.
Harley: I know you have the better vocals, but damn, that personality could use some work, bestie boo.
Me: Good night.
Harley: Truth hurts, don’t it?
Chapter Seven
