AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There was a time I was in a similar place such as yourself. Except I had more balls than you, it appears. Your grandma was nineteen when I met her, a lot younger than I was at thirty. That didn’t stop me from going after her.” He leaves the rest up in the air.
“No one said anything about your age difference?” I ask, wondering how I’ve never heard this story before.
“Oh, they said plenty, her brother, her father, my own family. My busted lip and broken ribs were a testament to how they felt. I’d have taken it ten times over to have her by my side.” Grandad clears his throat. “Now you have to ask yourself if Kelsey is worth going through all the trials and tribulations in order to find everlasting love.”
Grandma was it for Grandpa Scott. A few locals would ask him if he’d thought about going to the local moose clubs on single nights. He shut them down real quick, saying he’d rather roast in hell than to leave this world by tarnishing his wife’s name.
“I guess you’re right.” I’m rewarded with a sharp look my way.
“Guess? Boy, I damn well know I am. Quit coming up with excuses. Figure your shit out and quit taking it out on the damn boat.” He stands up. I do the same, pushing off the pylon already knowing what he’s after. “Give me a hug, boy, then you better get to work. Your momma is on her way down here. She’s looking to either chew one of us out or put us to work.”
“Well, fuck, did you leave the toilet seat up in the office again?” I joke as he pulls me in for a hug. Meanwhile, Mom has her arms swinging as she walks like a woman on a mission, and whatever it is that’s got her in a tizzy, we’re all going to pay the price for it.
“You two knuckleheads. I see you sitting on the job,” she hollers, her voice echoing over the water. We pull apart. Grandad lifts an eyebrow and I shake my head.
“Someone pissed in her Cheerios today. Get back to the boat. I’ll head her off.” He does me a solid.
“Thanks, Grandad. I owe you one.” I’m still not sold on going after Kelsey Rae, and maybe some time working on the boat will clear my head enough to figure out what the fuck I’m gonna do.
“Damn straight, you do. I’ll take it in the form of a few beers, a couple of poles in the water, and my grandson having his head on straight.” Those are his parting words. He already knows I’ll never tell him I can’t spend a few hours with him even though I’m dog tired. As he likes to say, you can sleep when you’re dead, and I’m beginning to realize he’s right about a hell of a lot.
“Will do,” I reply, watching as he takes his time getting to my mom before jumping back on the boat to finish cleaning it up for the next run tomorrow.
3
KELSEY
It’s rare that I’ll pull a double at Captain T’s. Tara almost never asks for such a thing. Usually I’ll either open or close, allowing her to do the opposite. Today is different. Earlier, when she came out of the back office, she was in a frazzled state of mind completely unlike her usual self. Apparently, there was an issue with the fuel delivery as well as the order she placed to restock the convenience store. No fuel or beer is essentially taking away our bread and butter. Tara mumbled a few choice words under her breath. I held back my laughter because some of what she had to say could make a sailor blush.
That was hours ago and she took Grandpa Scott with her. They were both pissed as hell, understandably, too. It’s hard to offer services on products we don’t have.
“Thanks, Kelsey, see you next time.” Mariah and her boyfriend, Spencer, are locals who come in every Saturday. Usually in the late afternoon right before closing, they pick up a six-pack each. Mariah goes for the fruity type of drinks, usually daiquiri-flavored of some kind, and Spencer buys whatever sale Captain T’s has on for the week.
“See you. Have fun.” There’s no telling where they're off to tonight. Sometimes a group will get together on one of the islands, have a bonfire and a few drinks.
“We will. Haven’t seen you out there recently. You should come.” The thought sounds like a good idea, except by the time I’m done at work and grab a bite to eat, I’m going to be ready to crash.
“Maybe, depends on when I get out of here.” The last thing I’m going to do is commit to a party. While my high school friends still get together every weekend, there are other things I’d rather be doing than reminiscing about those good old days. I mean, how many times do I have to hear Bobby talk about his football stats or that he was destined to go pro until he tore his ACL? Thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather sit at home, have a drink of my own, and do it in peace.
“We’re closing,” Talon states as he walks through the doors. My gaze locks on him. His eyes are reminiscent of spring, lush and vibrant. The backwards white baseball cap on his head only amplifies his facial features. Whereas the sun can do a lot of damage to people’s skin, it hasn’t to Talon’s. It has a deep olive tone. His jet-black hair is peeking out under the edges of his hat, and the way he hasn’t shaved his beard in a while, well, it makes my damn knees week. Did I mention his green eyes? My god, are they something else.
“We were leaving.” Spencer must notice the stern pitch in Talon’s voice. Believe me, my insides sure enough have. I’m a pile of desire. It’s taking everything I’ve got not to drop to my knees and beg for more.
“I’ll lock the door behind you.” Talon tilts his head to the side, waiting for Spencer and Mariah to continue their journey. The last thing I expect him to do is mouth the words, ‘Wait for me when you’re done.’ I nod, then, like a good little worker bee, I get to work. There’s a lot to be done for opening and closing Captain T’s, and truth be told, I’d much rather open than close. In the early morning, when the sun is slowly lifting in the sky, the world is still minus the water lapping along the seawall. It’s soothing. The closing usually has a wave of customers trying to get that last-minute purchase before we shut down, making us work at a frantic pace. Whereas in the morning, you’ve only got the diehard fishermen in to get beer, ice, and bait. Thankfully, I don’t have to deal with that area. I’m not worried about getting my hands dirty or holding live bait, but there’s a smell you can’t get off your hands after working all day. Tara and Grandpa Scott hired another person to help on the weekends. He’s here until the early afternoon or whenever we run out of bait. Most days by the time the clock strikes noon, we’re out of stock, and Mattie heads out the door to do some fishing of his own.
I walk out from behind the counter. My first order of business is working on the stock. I’ll bring everything to the front of the coolers, so when Tara comes in tomorrow, she can work on replenishing them from the back end. I prop all the doors open, knowing how to make quick work of my task. Plus, I’m all about working as efficiently as possible to get out of here. If luck is on my side, the parents and neighbors next door cooked a feast and I’ll be able to pig out on leftovers. The protein bar I shoved down my throat earlier is slowly leaving the station, which means hangry Kelsey is going to come out soon. I hate that I’m the way I am. The minute my feet hit the floor, I’m pondering what to eat for breakfast. I don’t crave coffee or hot tea at all. Food is the main object of my desire, along with a glass of cranberry juice. Mom says I get it from Dad, and I’m exactly like him except he survives off coffee whereas I do not.
“Done.” Thankfully, there are only four coolers to keep up with and it doesn’t take very much time. Now that I’m cooled off from the refrigerated drink coolers, a nice reprieve from the hot humid air, it'll help me cool as I straighten display cases.
After that, it’s just getting the cash register. Captain T’s takes cash and card. Thankfully, all I have to do for the credit card machine is run the report, leaving me to only count cash and put away what we’ll need tomorrow to start the drawer. The rest will be put in another bag for one of the owners to deposit into the bank.
“I’ll do the cash register.” I’m working on the clothing racks when Talon announces what he’s going to do after locking the doors. The last thing I expect is to feel him, though. My skin tingles in the wake of overwhelming sensations as the tips of his fingers graze my hips. When I put on my outfit today, never in my life did I expect the object of my affections and every fantasy all in one to make a move.
“Talon.” My head drops back, resting on his chest. Talk about giving a girl whiplash. A few weeks ago, the man standing behind me pushed me away, and now it seems like he’s pushing his way into my life.
“Soon. First, let’s get this shit done and locked up. Then I’m going to lay it all on the line, Kels.” The rasp of his beard slides along the slope of my neck. My knees attempt to buckle; the only reason they aren’t is because I was smart enough to lock my legs.
“Okay.” I tremble when Talon steps closer to me. With my ass pressing against his hard cock, there’s no way to stop from trembling. The cat and mouse game we’ve been playing for far too long is finally coming to fruition.
