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Laura didn’t know what she’d tell Edward once she found him, but she knew she had to try to solicit his help. Mark would never do it, but Edward owed Mark in Laura’s mind. Edward had taken his friends and his wife, and now, in his time of need, Mark needed him, whether he’d ask for that help or not. She’d told Mark she was going to the drugstore—a lie, though it would keep his suspicions at bay for a while.
Laura still couldn’t believe the devastation from the storm. Even though it had been downgraded from a hurricane, everywhere she looked she could see its imprint, from the flooded streets to the downed palm trees and the damaged roofs. Mark’s boat wasn’t the only one damaged, either.
She had to cross several flooded intersections to make it to Tanner Boating and sent up a small prayer of thanks that Mark’s truck sat so high off the ground. Laura carefully drove through each, all the while too aware how just a little bit of water—half the tire wells—could sweep a car off the ground and into the torrent. She clutched the steering wheel as she drove through the brown water and made it to the other side.
She pulled into the near-empty parking lot of Tanner Boating, half of the lot beneath murky floodwater, and found a dry spot near the door. The shipbuilding company had a huge warehouse and sat facing the sea. Laura glanced at the sparkling blue-green water, the sun shining brightly in the crystal-blue sky, and thought how odd that just a day ago the island was battered by hundred-mile-an-hour winds. Now it was right back to paradise.
Laura took a deep breath as she strode to the front door. She swung it open and saw a frazzled woman in her twenties answering phones. Right next to her was Edward, wearing the same cargo shorts and T-shirt she’d seen him in on the dock earlier that day.
“Laura,” he said, surprised. “What can I do for you?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she said. “Is there a place we can—”
“My office,” Edward said, moving from behind the desk. He led her down the hallway to a corner office with large windows overlooking the sparkling blue-green bay.
“How did this survive the storm?” Laura asked, amazed. So much glass, all facing the sea.
“I’ve got automated shutters.” Edward grabbed the remote on his desk and hit a button. Metal shutters began to extend from either side to cover the windows and block the sun. He reversed them quickly and then motioned for her to take a seat in front of his large, oak desk. He perched on the corner, one leg up, the other straight and holding his weight.
Laura was struck by how similar the brothers were physically—the same muscular and lean body types, same brown hair.
“What can I do for you, Laura?”
“You saw Mark’s boat.” She was going to be as direct as possible. No need to beat around the bush. “He needs your help to fix it.”
Edward quirked a surprised eyebrow. “Really? Did he send you to ask me?” Edward crossed his muscled, tanned arms over his chest.
“No,” Laura said, quickly shaking her head. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”
Edward threw back his head and laughed. “Well, he’ll be pretty pissed when he finds out. You know we’re not on the best of terms.”
“I know, but his boat is badly damaged, and you can help him. You owe him that much.”
Edward’s eyes narrowed. “I owe him? What about what he did to Elle? Getting her arrested? And then he nearly ran our business into the ground, Laura. He should’ve taken the time off, but instead, he came in here angry and irrational and insulted most of our suppliers. He nearly lost us our biggest contract. Then, when I ask him to take time off, he tells me to go jump in the ocean, and I’m forced to push him out. Where in that do I owe him anything?”
Laura could see Edward’s face flush a bit, his temper rising.
“He owes you, too. I’m not saying it’s one-sided,” Laura explained, holding up her hands and trying to be a peacemaker. She sighed. This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. She needed to regroup and hit him from a different angle. “I didn’t mean to make you angry. Look, you guys are brothers. You founded this amazing company together. You’ve been through…well, everything.”
Edward slipped off the front of his desk and moved away from her, staring out at the sea and putting his back to her. Laura stood, hoping to make her point.
“You are brothers, and no matter what happens, no matter what fights, when bad things happen, brothers need to help one another. It’s what they do. You can go back to being furious at each other after the Timothy is saved.”
