Chapter 5

After working at Sawyer Seafood Company for only a couple of days, Grace already had the job down to an art. Compared to serving drinks to sometimes rude and often loud patrons on the west side, this new job was perfect. Even the Sawyers were treating her well, with the exception of Noah. He was three years younger than she was, and had still been just a kid when she and her mother were asked to leave. He’d been the first to treat her like an actual sister when she entered the family and the one to fall into animosity the easiest.

She glanced over her shoulder. Noah had entered the office ten minutes earlier, and she might as well have been invisible. Since starting, he’d said all of zero words to her. Grace distracted herself with the flyer she’d found under the door when she’d walked in this morning. It was for the East Coast fishing tournament, something Jack had always participated in with his late friend Chris Watson. She swallowed back the pain she felt for Jack’s loss as she skimmed the text.

$20,000 FIRST PLACE CASH PRIZE

Her eyes settled on the figure. She could do a lot of good with money like that, starting with buying back the Beatrice for the Sawyer family. It’d seemed like an impossible idea when she’d spoken to her mother the other night, but with a cash prize like this, she could do it.

“Hey there, bro,” Jack said, high-fiving Noah as he came through the front door.

Grace turned from the paper and her heart swelled uncomfortably in her chest with just the sight of Jack’s tanned skin and unshaven face.

Noah turned from what he was doing. “Hey. I saw Mitsy today.”

Jack shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, which fit him oh so right, hugging parts of his body that had Grace’s imagination running wild.

She reined in her eyes and her mind. If she let herself, her admiration of Jack’s body could lead her back to her high school crush all over again. She knew better. Crushes and falling over herself at the sight of Jack’s drool-worthy body would complicate things. Which was why she had to stop.

“I don’t know a Mitsy,” Jack said, absently.

“My tuna. I swear it was the same one that got away last year. She has the same scar on her dorsal fin. I saw it. Shaped just like a heart, man. I swear.”

“So you got it today?” Jack asked, heading toward Grace’s desk.

Her heartbeat went erratic as he took long strides toward her. If he was wearing that same cologne he’d had on every day since she’d started working here, she was a goner.

“If I had caught her, I’d be smiling right now,” Noah said. “Do I look like I’m smiling?”

Jack chuckled as he looked over at Noah. Then he plopped down a white paper bag in front of her.

She could smell the hush puppies inside. And Jack’s cologne.

Goner.

Jack gently patted her shoulder. “Maybe Grace will be nice and share her chowder with you. Abby’s fresh clam chowder always makes things better.”

Noah’s gaze skittered toward Grace, but he didn’t meet her eyes.

“Um, sure. I’ll share if you want some,” she offered, wishing the youngest Sawyer would at least acknowledge her presence in the room.

“I’m good,” Noah told Jack, not addressing her. She was still invisible and he certainly didn’t want anything she had. “See you later, bro. I’ve got actual work to do.”

Jack lifted a middle finger, returning the playful banter. “I’ll have you know I’ve already been hard at work this morning. I’m adding a second launch and a small walking pier at the rec area with Dewy’s kid.”

Noah shook his head. “Good luck with that.” He waved, but only to Jack, and walked out.

Grace hunched over her desk. “He hates me,” she groaned after the door had shut.

“Who?” Jack stole a hush puppy from her bag.

“Are you kidding? Your brother.”

Jack looked genuinely surprised. “Noah?”

She pushed her neck forward. “Men really are oblivious.”

“Not true and not fair.” Jack pulled a chair up to her desk and sat. “Don’t compare me to other men. I’m nothing like any other man you’ve ever known.” A flirty quality tinged his voice.

Grace swatted his hand as he reached for another hush puppy from the bag he’d brought her.

“Hey! You said you’d share.” He frowned, which only served to draw her gaze down to his mouth. He had a thick covering of dark blond stubble surrounding his full kissable lips.

Her heart kicked in her chest. “I said I’d share with Noah. Because he hates me and I want to change his mind.” She stuffed a puppy into her own mouth and finally offered one to Jack, which he playfully snatched.

“Thanks.” He grinned, his eyes steady on her.

The room seemed to grow smaller whenever he looked at her the way he was doing now. The air became thicker, harder to breathe. And there was this strong desire within her to lean over and kiss him. Crazy.

“Noah’ll come around. He always does.” His voice went low and deep. “I kind of thought this was just a job for you anyway. Admit it. You still love us,” he said playfully. “Despite our massive flaws.”

A nervous laugh tumbled off her lips. “Before I admit that, you’d have to admit that you still love me, too…I mean us.”

The twinkle in his eyes left. Us implied her mother—which if she’d been thinking straight, she’d never have implied—and judging by the look on Jack’s face, he’d rather take a trip to hell than admit to still harboring affection for Tammy Donner.

A deep sense of regret swallowed all those bubbly feelings that had been floating around inside her chest like the carbonation in champagne a few seconds earlier. She understood a little bit about what her mother had asked her to do the other night. Her mother was tired of living with all of her regret. Grace was tired of carrying it around, too.

I can’t fix the damage, she thought, watching Jack now. It’s impossible. Unless…Her gaze flicked to the tournament flyer and the twenty-thousand-dollar prize. She’d had crazy ideas before, but trying to win a fishing tournament bordered on insanity, even though she’d had plenty of fishing experience.

Bad idea.

She turned her attention back to Jack. “Anyway, if you want to win me over, you’ll have to bring me a lot more chowder and hush puppies,” she said, trying to lift the mood back to where it’d been before introducing her mother into the conversation.

“Done.”

“I was just kidding about that, you know.”

“Well, I’d rather give it to you than have you feel like you had to take it.”

Grace drew back. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, if you need anything here, just ask.”

Her lips parted. There was a hidden meaning there. Or not-so-hidden meaning. “You think I’d steal from you?” she asked.

Jack was silent.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why did you leave Dewy’s?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. You do think I’d steal from you. I left Dewy’s because I was falsely accused.”

“Is that the truth?”

“Listen, if we don’t trust each other, this won’t work.” She pushed back from the desk like she was going to leave, but who was she kidding? She needed this job as much as her next breath. She’d thought Jack understood her better than to believe the worst about her. Evidently the damage her mother had done in her marriage to Pete Sawyer extended to Grace’s own reputation, though.

Her mom was right. She had to fix this rift. If not, the Donner and Sawyer families would always have distrust. If she ever had children, they’d be subject to the Sawyers’ beliefs about them. It would never end, unless she ended it.

“Wait,” Jack said, laying a gentle hand on her wrist. “I had to ask. Sam heard what happened at Dewy’s. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t you just ask me outright?” She settled back into her chair and took a breath. “Dewy Capps was upset because I wouldn’t sleep with him. I guess he wanted revenge.” She lifted a shoulder, tears suddenly burning behind her eyes. She wasn’t upset about being let go from Dewy’s. The fact that Jack had believed she’d stolen the register money stung, though.

“I’m sorry,” Jack whispered. He reached out and ran his hand along her shoulder. “Hey. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just…”

“You needed to know. I get it.” One tear streamed down her cheek, followed by another. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d let herself get teary eyed in front of someone. This was so embarrassing.

“His loss, my gain.” Jack grabbed a Kleenex from the box on the edge of her desk and offered it to her.

“Thank you. I guess I should’ve told you the reason I left my last job in the first place.”

“We could both work on our trust issues.”

She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Jack scratched his chin. “How about we get started right now?”

She dabbed the moisture under her eyes and looked up. “What do you have in mind?”

Looking at Grace’s tear-dampened eyes, Jack felt like the biggest prick this side of Blushing Bay. But that title belonged to Dewy Capps.

“The delivery guys for Southport are both throwing up,” Jack said. “They called me on my cellphone on the way here. Both men ate something bad on their last trip and can’t do the morning deliveries. One of the major Southport restaurants needs its fish by 4 P.M. before the dinner crowd hits. I keep telling the owner he needs to keep a couple days’ worth of fish in the freezer just in case, but he never does.”

Grace shook her head. “You want me to drive the delivery truck? I’m not sure—”

“No, I’ll drive. But you can come with me. I could do it on my own, but it’d be a lot more fun with you. We can trust each other with the next few hours of our lives. Maybe even with some more of our deepest, darkest secrets.” He waggled his eyebrows and Grace laughed.

“I didn’t realize delivering fish was part of the job,” she said.

“Knowing all the jobs is part of the job. It’ll be fun. Just say yes.”

She inhaled deeply and nodded. “All right. You’re the boss, so it’s whatever you say.”

Which tempted him to say a whole lot more, which could spell a whole lot of trouble. “I’m not the boss. I’m the boss’s son.” He hooked his head. “Let’s go.”

Twenty minutes later, Jack and Grace were on their way to Southport in a truck carrying a cooler of fresh fish. His brothers and their crews went after tuna, but they often caught a lot of mullet, flounder, and whatever else was jumping while they were at sea. Sometimes they threw it overboard as chum to catch the bigger fish, but often they sold that catch to clients along the coast, too.

“I’m a little surprised this truck doesn’t reek.”

Jack took in a deep breath, inhaling the strong scent of raw fish. “It does. You’re just getting used to the smell. Already immune to fish guts after only a week with us.”

“Not sure that’s a good thing,” she said.

“Number-one quality for a fisherman’s wife to have is an immunity to the fish smell.” His gaze slid over. “Not that you’ll end up with a fisherman,” he said quickly. “It’s just a good quality to have.”

“I’ll put it on my next résumé.”

His gaze slid again. “No next résumé. You’re doing an awesome job for us so far. You’re staying.”

“Noah—”

“He’ll adjust,” Jack said, firmly. “So, uh, how’s your mom?” he asked, wanting to change the subject. Grace’s mother wasn’t his favorite topic, however.

Grace shifted. She was wearing khaki shorts today that rode up on her thighs as she sat in the delivery truck beside him. Her skin was tanned, which pulled his mind back to when he’d seen her walking on the beach the other day. She had a toned body with dips and curves that made his fingers itch to touch her.

Easy, Jack. She’s look but no touch.

“She’s Tammy,” Grace said in response to his question. “What else can I say? She’s always been strong willed and it’s to her advantage now that she’s sick. At least now I can afford to buy her medication again, thanks to you.”

Jack frowned.

“Right. You would never lift a finger to help my mother. I know that.” Her voice grew defensive.

“I’ll always help you, though.”

She glanced over. “Okay. Well, I need help again. I want to be part of your crew for the East Coast fishing tournament this year.”

His foot reflexively lifted off the gas. “I don’t fish anymore.”

“But you do it every year. Ever since we were kids.”

“Things changed. I changed. Why would you want to do the tournament anyway?” he asked. “Have you ever fished a day in your life?”

“Your father took me out dozens of times when I lived with you. He taught me to fish, and I’ll have you know that I was pretty good.”

“At catching pinfish, Grace. This is worlds different from that. It’s dangerous out there.” He knew that better than most.

“I can do it.”

“Is this about the prize? How much money do you need?” he asked.

She jerked her head back to look at him. “Let’s get this straight, once and for all. I don’t steal and I don’t take handouts.”

He held up a hand. “I know,” he said calmly. “But money is the reason you want to do the tournament.”

She didn’t deny it. “And fear is the reason you don’t want to do it.”

His spine stiffened as if he’d been jabbed with a pointy stick. “I’m not afraid of the water. I just don’t like it very much anymore.” In fact, if he could figure out a way to kick the Atlantic Ocean’s backside, he would.

“It’s one day, Jack. We could win.”

“Ask Sam or Noah.”

Grace shook her head. “Noah hates me. And Sam isn’t a tournament fisherman. You’re the one who’s won half of the East Coast Tournaments you’ve ever entered.”

“Chris and I won. There’s only me now. I’m done with the tournament.”

Grace folded her arms over her chest. “You don’t have to be. This might be good for you. Good for both of us.”

“The answer is no, Grace,” he said as he pulled into the first delivery stop on their list. He got out of the truck and started unloading, rattled from the conversation and slightly guilty all of a sudden for crushing Grace’s hopes. If he could, he’d do this for her. He didn’t know exactly why she was interested in the prize, but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t ask for help if she didn’t absolutely think it was necessary. Maybe she was behind on rent or some other debt. Maybe her mother’s health was worse than he thought. Whatever the reason, he wouldn’t agree to the fishing tournament. He couldn’t help her.

Not this time.

Three deliveries later, Grace was still holding her tongue.

“I’m starving,” Jack said. “And sick to death of seafood. Care for a sandwich?”

Grace nodded, but kept her mouth shut.

“You’re not talking to me now?” he finally asked.

“I’ll do it on my own.”

“What?” Jack looked over as he drove.

“If you loan me a boat, I’ll enter the tournament on my own.”

His laughter only fueled her anger. “You can’t drive a boat.”

“Yes, I can. Your father also taught me that. And I’m strong-willed just like my mother. I can win this thing.”

“No, you can’t.” He pulled into the parking lot for a small diner, cut the engine, and started to get out.

Grace folded her arms and stayed put. “I’m serious, Jack,” she said before he shut the door behind him.

He appeared on her passenger side and opened her door for her. “Come on. Let’s grab a bite.”

“Please.” The P-word was akin to begging in her mind, but this was important. Winning the cash prize could buy back the Beatrice, and more important, buy back her family’s reputation, which was priceless in her book.

“You can’t operate a forty-foot commercial fishing boat.”

“Why not?”

Jack shook his head. “Well, for one, you don’t have the right experience. Two, you have no boat. And three, you have no crew.” He ticked his reasons off on his fingers. Then his gaze slid down her body, slow and deliberately. “Also, you’re not built to reel in a fish that could weigh up to five hundred pounds.”

He was popping all of the balloons keeping her hope of making this work afloat. “That’s what a crew is for, right? I can find experienced men to help me reel. I can find someone with a boat willing to help, too.”

“And this crew of yours would also be willing to just hand over the cash prize?” he asked.

“We’d split the money.”

Jack shook his head, his hands braced above him on the top of her doorframe. “You should drop this right now, Grace. It’s not happening.”

She wondered if she was imagining the heat circulating between them. It was a hot summer day, but the space between them was at least ten degrees hotter. “Just think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”

He hesitated, then tossed a glance over his shoulder at the diner. “I’m starving right now. If you’ll go inside with me for that sandwich, I’ll think about it, okay?”

One little hope-filled balloon moved her forward. She dipped under his arm and walked past him. “That’s all I’m asking.”