Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
I barely contained myself from pointing out the view didn’t matter seeing as he didn’t use the property.
See? I had control.
Barely.
But I totally had it!
We drove for about ten more minutes, arriving at the other marina that we owned, this one the larger, more industrial-sized one that we had an experienced crew at.
The one that I worked at so rarely that I’d had no clue Cassius lived there until I faced him with confusion.
“I live in a houseboat,” he said, sounding exhausted. “It was my dad’s. He bought it when he was young, twenty-two, I think. When I got home, I moved right into it. I was thankful that my mom had already done most of the cleanup after his death. I was left with a decorated in the seventies empty shell.”
“Oh,” I said, unsure whether to get out and follow him, or let him walk away.
“See you in the morning, Alice.” He paused, his eyes meeting mine over his shoulder. “Next time, try not to ruin my day.”
I snorted. “Next time, I’ll do what I need to do.”
And why, hours later, was I utterly devastated when I got a message from an unknown number, telling me he wouldn’t be needing that ride after all?
Also, what was that sudden, blinding ache in my chest all about?
CHAPTER 6
Just once, I’d like to see an article like “Extroverted? Here are some tips on how to be quiet and reflective.”
-Alice’s secret thoughts
ALICE
I’d gone to the ocean with Karen, of all people.
Silvy was nowhere in sight.
Though, I agreed to this outing when Silvy had come to The Marina with lunch for us all.
He’d been there, prepared to send Werner packing if he showed up, but he hadn’t. Not since the day that he’d been warned away by Cassius.
Speaking of Cassius, I hadn’t seen him in two weeks other than a random glimpse of him on a boat as it sailed out of The Marina.
And the ache in my chest had nothing at all to do with him, or how sad I felt since he’d been avoiding me.
Needless to say, when Karen had brought up the prospect of going to the beach today, I’d at first been fairly reluctant.
I had about a million and one things to do, and asking Silvy to cover the store while I fucked off was likely going to backfire on me when I got back tomorrow. I mean, a lot of times he did more damage than he did good.
But, it got me out of The Marina, and for that, I was grateful.
“So, whose party did you say this was for again?” I asked.
I guess I should’ve probably led with that.
What if these people were people like Colly? Who had parties at random stranger’s houses and hoped they didn’t notice.
“One of them is actually someone I arrested years and years ago. I hadn’t wanted to. He’d been downright adorably nice. But, sadly, I didn’t write the laws in this country.” She paused. “He’s actually a really good guy. Have you heard of Wake Westfield?”
Had I?
Oh, shit.
“Oh, shit,” I said, mirroring my thoughts. “Is this a Gator Bait party?”
She looked at me, flashed a brilliant grin, then nodded. “It is. So you’ve heard of them?”
Had I heard of them?
I was practically one of them.
Well, not truly, I wasn’t.
In reality, I just worked for one of them.
I knew of the others in the MC, mainly Cassius because of us running into each other a lot at The Marina. I had spent time with them only once, peripherally, when attending a get-together with all of the MC after my first job interview at a bar in Accident.
There, I hadn’t been introduced to the others of the MC as much as I’d just joined them on the deck outside and spoke with my new boss and his girlfriend, now wife. Etienne and Matilda.
I knew the wife’s best friend, too. Her name was Diana, and she was with Bain.
They’d been at the vet clinic that Etienne was just finishing up when I’d first started.
Now, the clinic was done, and I had no other reason to be hanging around the Gator Bait MC.
Except, apparently, today.
“So was Wake the one you arrested?” I questioned.
“He was,” she confirmed. “He’s married now to Dutch. She’s a therapist.”
My feet were now dragging.
The more I spent time with him, or even hung around him, the more I wanted to be around him. Which was a slippery slope, because I got the distinct feeling he wanted nothing to do with me.
Hence the avoidance tactics he’d taken on since we’d last seen each other.
I mean, I was a big girl. I could take the rejection.
Technically, we hadn’t been anything to each other. Right?
“Y’all get along despite you arresting him?” I questioned. “That seems odd.”
Karen was different, though. I’d noticed that right off the bat.