Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“I don’t know.”
“You love her,” Speed, the most unromantic man on the planet blurted out. Dune glared at him.
“I don’t.”
“Then what?” Wilson asked. “Because there’s a reason you have the nickname Captain Blue Balls and it’s not because women leave you hanging.”
That was true. While Dune hated the nickname, he also accepted it. The moniker had come after a rather eventful night where woman claimed he had fucked so hard, his balls took a beating.
Penny brought their food and refilled their mugs. “Holler if you need something,” she said before moving onto the next table. For a moment, they ate in silence, devouring most of the food before the topic of Caroline resurfaced.
“What are you going to do when she leaves?” Wilson asked. He was by far the most levelheaded between him and Speed.
Dune shook his head. “Let her go.”
“What’s the alternative?” Speed asked.
Wilson cleared his throat. “That he goes with her.”
“And leave Seaport?” Speed laughed. “Ain’t no fucking way.” He shook his head, and then stopped when Dune didn’t protest.
“Look, I’m not leaving. My life is here. My business is here. I have far too much to lose by moving to some overpopulated city with a shitty river. What would I do, drive the ferry back and forth to the Statue of Liberty? No thanks.” Dune let out a frustrated sigh and groaned. “What the fuck have I done?”
Wilson set his hand on Dune’s shoulder and gave him a friendly pat. “You haven’t done anything,” he told his friend. “It was clear to me, the first time you saw her, that something sparked inside of you. It’s neither a good nor bad thing. It’s just something you can’t explain. No one faults you for wanting to be with her while she’s here.”
“Operative words being ‘while she’s here,’” Speed said so matter of fact, combined with a smirk, that Dune and Wilson stared at him, dumbfoundedly. “What?”
“Nothing,” Dune said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what to do. I like her. A lot. But at the end of the summer, she’s leaving and starting a job in New York. I find myself wanting to do all of these things around town, like tonight, we have tickets for whatever play is happening up the street at Calhoun’s theater. Never in my life would I take someone there, but I didn’t think twice about buying tickets for Caroline.”
“Sounds like love to me,” Wilson said.
“I agree, you’re in love,” Speed said, giddy with excitement. This time Dune didn’t disagree. He wasn’t sure what he felt because it was all new to him, these over-the-top actions to make someone he cared about smile.
“You know the sooner you admit it to yourself, the sooner you’ll start to accept it. Hell, I knew as soon as she showed up the next day for work and you told us you hired her. You never hire tourists, let alone someone to work on the boats who has no clue what they’re doing.”
“She does okay,” Dune said to Wilson.
“Caroline’s a hard worker, there’s no doubt about it. But she’s only there because of you.”
Dune agreed with Wilson. Hiring her had been his first mistake. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t be in the situation he’s in now. “Anyway, my love life isn’t why I invited you guys to breakfast.”
Wilson coughed. “Riiight. You’re a regular gossip and we haven’t been to Diego’s for after work beers in how long?”
Dune hated that. His friends were important, but Wilson was right. He had brushed them aside for Caroline and that wasn’t cool. It was very unlike him to do something like that.
“Tomorrow, Diego’s.”
Wilson patted Dune on his shoulder again and finished the last of his breakfast. Dune and Speed ate as well, and when Penny brought the check, Dune put a couple twenties in the billfold, and they left.
Outside, they meandered around the people crowding the sidewalks and went to Dune’s Bronco. He looked at his friends oddly. “Where did you park?”
“The marina,” Speed said. “I’m not paying these damn parking prices. They piss me off. We already pay taxes and now they want us to pay to park on streets that we literally pay for.” He threw his hands up in exaggeration.
“Wow, tell us how you really feel,” Dune pushed.
“I will. Furthermore—”
Dune and Wilson busted out laughing. Speed flipped them off and hopped into the back of the Bronco. It took a few seconds for Dune and Wilson to recover from their laughing fit, but when they did, they hopped in, and Dune drove them to work.
As luck would have it, Caroline told Dune she wouldn’t be in today because she had a hair appointment. Dune didn’t care if she took the day off. He told her she could work whatever days she wanted. Without her there, he had time to think—think about what was going on with him, them. Where were they headed? Were they a couple? Friends with benefits? Most importantly, what did Dune want? Whatever was going on between them was unfamiliar territory for him, and if he were being honest with himself, he was confused.