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She looks at me. “This is the mystery boat place? Is this one of the boats?”
I nod. “Will be. It’s not finished.”
She studies me for a minute, glances back at the boat, and back at me. “Is this yours, Cam? Are you the owner of Five Seas?”
“Not just the owner. I restore them.”
Her eyes widen and she walks over to the pictures and drawings pinned to a wall. “Seriously?”
“I know, not what you would expect from me.”
She shakes her head. “That’s not it. I just… why did you keep it a secret? The boats are beautiful.”
I sit on a stool and lean forward, resting my forearms on my thighs. “Insecurity. Judgment. I’m not sure I could’ve heard someone say anything bad about my idea. I even have a guy who sells them for me, so my name isn’t on anything.”
Her fingers trace over the purple paint sample on the wall.
“What were you worried about?” She turns and faces me but stays across the room, the boat between us.
“It’s the first time I put myself out there. Tried something I wanted to do. The first boat was just for me. I wasn’t even gonna sell it until I had it on a test drive and everyone who saw it was asking about it when I came back to the dock. Then I thought that maybe this could be more than a hobby.”
“People talk about them all the time. Every time I see one, I can’t take my eyes off it.”
I smile. “Thanks.”
“But everyone should know this is you.” She walks toward me, rounding the boat. “You’re so talented.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what people think of me in Sunrise Bay. I’m just a rich kid who people think can’t do anything. They probably think I hire someone to replace my light bulbs.”
She laughs. “I don’t think people think that at all. Everyone loves you.”
I shake my head. “You’re being nice. I started this on a whim, but I think I want to make a business out of it.”
“That’s great.” She walks closer.
I hold my hand out for her, unsure if she’ll take it. She places her hand in mine, and I pull her closer, situating her between my legs. “There’s something you need to know.”
“What?”
I swallow hard. “The name…”
“Five Seas?”
“Yeah.”
She tilts her head.
“You’re the fifth child, Chevelle. And Chevelle starts with a C.”
“What?” Her mouth hangs slightly agape, her eyes wide.
“The purple stripe is the same color of the dress you wore when you were five, at your mother’s wake.”
She lets out a long breath and steps back, turning her back to me. “Cameron?”
She rarely calls me by my full name, and I covet the sound of it on her lips. Her head shakes as though she can’t believe what I’m telling her.
“It’s not just since we moved in together, Chevelle. I’ve had feelings for you for a long time. And I processed them by being overprotective and overbearing and, more recently, telling people I was your boyfriend. I didn’t know how Fisher would feel, and he and I have been friends for so long. The minute I saw that bruise on your cheek, I couldn’t continue to take a back seat. I’m not even sure what I was waiting for.” I stand from the stool and come up behind her. “I was stupid for waiting as long as I did, and maybe if I didn’t, you wouldn’t have had to endure a guy like Derek who hit you.”
