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Edward nodded around the Rusted Anchor, and that’s when Mark noticed that more than a few of the patrons were glancing at them. He knew almost all of them. The sailing community was a small one on St. Anthony’s and even those who came from other islands tended to be regulars. Most of them had money, or at least enough of it so they could live a life like a nomad, hopping from place to place.
Mark glanced up and noticed Dave and his wife dining in a nearby booth. Dave nodded at him, but his wife barely glanced in his direction. At least Elle wasn’t here. That would make this ten times worse.
“Is that so?” Mark challenged him. “Laura, what do you think? Did I get him wrong?”
Laura flushed red beneath her new tan. “Look, I don’t want to get drawn into this,” she said, holding up one newly calloused hand. Her hands had been working on his boat all week, he reminded himself. She was supposed to be on his side.
Until you messed it up by pushing her away, an inner voice scolded. Just like you pushed Elle away.
“You’re already in it,” Mark pressed.
“Mark, I…”
“Stop bullying the lady,” Edward said, a steely warning in his voice. Laura once more glanced from one man to the other, looking like she wished to be anywhere but here.
Mark, for his part, was one more insulant line away from clocking Edward, right here in front of all his friends and all of St. Anthony’s regulars. He was tired of everyone taking Edward’s side, even when he was clearly in the wrong. It had been that way since the two of them were little. Edward could do no wrong, and Mark got blamed for everything.
Their father had raced sailboats in his spare time in Florida, where they grew up, and he’d worked as a lawyer by day. Edward was his father’s favorite, the one who learned how to sail first, the one who went racing first. Mark had been an afterthought, always having to work harder to prove that he belonged on the sea, too. Edward took credit for building Tanner Boating, when it was Mark’s blood, sweat and tears that had made that business what it was. Hell, it hadn’t even been Edward’s idea in the first place.
Now all of that was gone. He felt the throbbing unfairness of it, the way nothing in life was fair when it came to Edward. The way he never had to work for anything. Ever. Life handed him things. Their father’s approval, his ex-wife’s affection and now…Laura. Mark couldn’t let that happen. Not this time.
He glared at his brother, mute, words failing him. Edward stared back and the tension between the two men grew so thick the general buzz at the bar lowered as patrons took notice.
“Everything okay here?” Suddenly, Mark felt a heavy hand clamp down on his shoulder. Dave’s. Mark felt the sudden urge to shrug off his old friend’s touch. He still felt the sting of the betrayal of Dave leaving, even if it was to keep the peace in his own home.
“No, Dave. It’s not.” Hadn’t been for a while. And you only made it worse.
“Did Dave tell you the good news?” Edward said.
Dave suddenly looked uncertain. “Edward, maybe…”
“He’s racing my boat. For Tanner.”
“What?” Mark glared at Dave, looking for some kind of explanation. He knew his friend wasn’t sailing with him, but he had no idea he’d defected.
“No sense in letting his sailing talents go to waste.”
Mark felt like he’d been sucker punched. “Really?” he managed. Dave had the decency to turn red.
“Mark, man, I’m sorry…” He glanced back at his wife, sitting in the far booth and sending Mark death glares. At this point, Mark didn’t care about Dave’s wife. She could go take a long walk off a short pier.
“Unbelievable.” Mark shook his head. Now he didn’t know who to hit, Edward or Dave. Or both.
“Even if you do finish that rust bucket of yours, brother, I don’t think you’ll be able to find a sailor as good as Dave.”
“I’m as good as Dave.”
“Then you’ll need to clone yourself to fill out your crew,” Edward said.
Mark’s hand twitched, itching to do something. Clock Edward like he’d done when they were kids. Only Mark was never the one to strike first. Maybe that would change tonight. Maybe that would finally change.
“Mark.” Laura’s voice cut through his anger. She slipped quietly off her stool and put her own body between him and his brother. “Mark, take me home.”
He didn’t want to take her home. He wanted to finally teach his brother a lesson. The kind of lesson he never got growing up.
“Mark.” She put her hand on his arm. “Please.”
