Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Sawyer

A boat engine purred nearby just as I finished tying up one of our Regal cruisers. I'd taken a family out for the afternoon, and the lake had been quiet. The DreamBoats only ran nighttime and weekend party cruises, so I didn't see Ash or any of those other dipshits.

I'd rattled off the usual tour guide trivia about the lake for my tourists. Like, Did you know that the Lake of the Ozarks has more shoreline than all of California? Yep! Over 1,000 miles. The lake was created by the construction of the Bagnell Dam, which we'll be passing today. That was finished in 1931, making this the largest manmade lake of the time.

The routine got boring, so sometimes I tried to throw weird trivia tidbits in to entertain myself. Like, Crane Cemetery was one of almost sixty cemeteries whose sites were flooded when the dam was built. The graves were supposed to have been moved, but some people believe they never were. Which would mean we're floating right over their resting place.

That one got mixed results, so I tended to save it for the right kind of crowd. Didn't want to freak out the tourists with creepy ghost tales. It was perfect for our spooky Halloween cruise we ran the month of October for anyone willing to brave the colder weather.

"Hey, slacker, get to work!"

I recognized my friend Fisher's voice and looked up with a grin to see him and Hudson approach on a bowrider.

"You're one to talk with your sugar daddy right by your side."

Hudson grimaced. "Hey, now, don't drag me into this."

Probably not the best idea to call your boss a sugar daddy to his face. It wasn't true, anyway. Fisher was part owner of his family's Bait & Swallow store.

"Sorry," I called. "I was insulting Fisher, not you."

"Asshole," Fisher said, voice fond.

Trash talking was just our friend language.

Hudson extended a long pole with a hook on the end, and I guided it onto one of the ropes at the dock to help him ease in close and tie up.

"I'm guessing you're here for the dinner party?"

"Yep," Fisher said. "I can't wait either. I'm starving, and your mom's the best cook."

My mother had cooked for The Rusty Hook for years, but Brooks had poached her to lead the resort kitchen. Tonight, she and her staff were putting together a special dinner to welcome Brooks's grandma to her new home. She was moving in permanently since Skylar and Brooks lived onsite.

"You've only had her pub food," I said. "Wait until you really see what she can do."

"She must be excited," Hudson said.

I nodded. "I haven't seen her this ecstatic since she opened her own restaurant in Bubble Butte." My smile slipped. "That didn't turn out so well."

The place had gone under, thanks to a series of unfortunate events, including a terrible tornado, a lost tourist season, and too little reserves to endure the hard times. My parents had poured everything into it—even sold our house and moved us into quarters above the restaurant—so we were left with pretty much nothing.

My dad had taken off on a mid-life crisis, and we'd had to move in with my grandparents in Swallow Cove. My older brother was already in college at the time, and Mom had encouraged him to pursue his career in nonprofit work rather than wallow with us in our mess. It had taken him all the way to some tiny town in Illinois called Christmas Falls, of all things.

But that meant I was the one who watched Mom mourn her lost dream, reshape her future, and rebuild her independence one small step at a time. It hadn't been easy. I didn't know if I could do the same in her position.

Maybe like Dad, I'd opt to run and hide from my failure. But that was why I was glad I had a job with Swallow Adventures. I could clock in, do my job, and clock out. I'd never show up to work one day and find out that I'd lost everything.

"I'm sorry," Hudson said. "I hear the restaurant business is a tough one."

"Yeah." I shook off the mood. Now wasn't the time. "This is the best of both worlds, really. She gets to run this restaurant like its hers, but she's not financially responsible for it. If something goes wrong…"

"Don't say it," Fisher ordered. "This resort is going to be a huge success. This is good for Swallow Cove."

"Right," I said quickly. "I think it's great."

But I was still relieved my mother wasn't the one on the hook if everyone else didn't agree. After a year of renovations, Swallow Cove had a resort again. But would the tourists come? Would the resort sustain itself during the off-season? Those were questions I was very glad not to have on my shoulders.

"Is this place finally open or what?" a female voice called.

We turned to see our friend Poppy walking around the corner of the hotel.

"Hey, stranger, where have you been?"

She joined us on the walk toward the lake-side staff entrance. "Took some of my dad's pottery to a spring festival over in Branson."

"How'd it go?"

"Pretty good, actually. Sold some bigger pieces that had been sitting around the shop too long. Handed out a lot of cards. Told them about the new resort out this way too."

We went down a short corridor, then exited into the lobby, where Skylar and Brooks were greeting guests as they came in. Cash joined us as we approached the dining room.

"This will be like old times, huh?" Fisher said with a grin. "We're all together again."

I glanced at the tables draped in white cloths, the crystal glasses, and fine china. "The setting has changed a bit."

Poppy smiled. "It's different, but good."

Two tables had been pushed together in the center of the dining room. Grandma Kitty was given a seat at Skylar's right, while Brooks sat at his left. Fisher's aunt and uncle were next to her, and Cash, Poppy, and I took seats next to Brooks. Hudson and Fisher sat at the far end of the table. Leaving only one open seat directly across from me.

"I'm glad you all could make it," Skylar said. "We're doing a dry run for dinner service, so please be honest with how everything goes tonight."

"This is my favorite way to be a guinea pig," I said, eager after listening to Mom talk about so many delicious new recipes over the past few weeks. "Bring on the food."

"Yes," Cash agreed emphatically. "I'm starving."

"We're waiting on one more guest," Skylar said.

All our eyes went to the empty seat across from me. Who was missing anyway?

I looked toward he doorway, and there he was. Styled blond hair, designer jeans, a tight button-down that hugged his torso like he was dying to show off his muscle definition even while clothed.

Ashton fucking Dixon.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

All eyes turned to him.

"Am I late?" He looked around the table, his gaze stopping on me. "Sorry. I had a last-minute charter."

"You're not late," Skylar said. "We've only just sat down."

Ash flashed that wide, perfect smile of his at the room. Ugh, I just wanted to smack it off his face.

He pulled out the chair across from me. "Hey, man."

I didn't answer. Instead, I turned a steely glare toward the asshole who was supposed to be my best friend.

Brooks cleared his throat and shifted uneasily. "Ash is going to be running a food boat for the resort."

"He had this great business idea to serve people right on the lake," Sky said, "and I thought, what a fun way to reach more people and get our name out there."

"Oh." A flicker of relief swept through me. "So he's not working for Swallow Adventures."

"Nope," Ash said. "I'm an entrepreneur. If this food boat is a success, I'll launch a whole line of them."

I rolled my eyes. "I bet."

Ash spoke as if launching a business, much less a whole string of them, would be easy. But then when you had Rick Dixon's money to fall back on, it probably was.

I'd heard some talk of a new food boat. It had sounded like a cool way for the resort to reach more people. But doing it permanently? Launching a whole chain? Ash was taking a hell of a risk.

Cassie, our server, brought out two bottles of wine and began pouring glasses. "Tonight, we have goat cheese crostini for appetizers. They'll be out shortly."

"Goat cheese? Wow, this is swanky," Brooks's grandma said with a chuckle.

"It's so delicious you'll be addicted in no time," Cash warned. "Vera threatened to castrate me if I snuck into the kitchen to steal any more before everyone arrived."

Skylar laughed. "We're so lucky to have Vera." He raised his glass of wine. "And Grandma. We're so happy to have you officially here as part of the Swallow's Nest family."

The toasts continued, as did the food, but I hardly noticed. My gaze kept flitting to Ash. At my table. With my friends. Eating my mother's amazing food, which I couldn't even properly enjoy now that he'd invaded my space.

"It's good to see you," he said. "Off the water, I mean."

"I'd think you'd find all this boring. There's no drunken sorority girls to make out with."

"She wasn't a sorority girl." He sounded appalled. "She was at least as old as your girlfriend."

Ash glanced at Poppy beside me, clearing assuming we were dating. Not even close. Poppy was aro ace, and she didn't date anyone.

"Sorry, Dixon, but I don't have a girlfriend here for you to steal. Poppy's just a friend."

Ash scoffed. "I didn't steal Mel. You were broken up."

"Semantics," I muttered.

" Facts. " His smile turned cocky. "I can't help it that I'm the better man."

"Wow. That ego isn't getting any smaller, is it?"

"If you got it, flaunt it."

"I'd love to flaunt my foot right up your?—"

"Okay!" Poppy interjected. "How about that goat cheese appetizer, huh? So good."

"Almost as good as the show these two are putting on," Cash said. "I can't decide if I want them to punch each other or make out over the table."

I turned disbelieving eyes on Cash. "Do you see sex everywhere you go?"

"It's a gift," he said with a shit-eating grin. "In fact, I have some ideas for how you guys can?—"

"No, thanks," I said quickly, knowing all too well the way his mind worked.

"You're no fun."

"Let's all just eat," Poppy suggested. " Quietly ."

I shoved a bite of marsala chicken into my mouth to avoid saying anything else. Ash also fell silent as he finished his meal, though his eyes spoke volumes. Mainly about how he'd like to throttle me.

Well, the feeling was mutual.

As we moved on to dessert, Ash turned his attention to Skylar and Brooks. "This dinner has been so wonderful. I'd love to go tell Mrs. West how much I enjoyed it."

"Of course," Sky said. "I invited her to join us, but she said she was happier in the kitchen."

Ash smiled. "I understand that feeling."

He did? Since when was Ash interested in kitchens? He ran boats, like me. He partied with tourists. Sure, he was about to launch a food boat, but I figured it was just a new business fad.

He stood. "Do you mind if I pop into the kitchen to say hi?"

"Go ahead," Skylar said. "We're nearly finished here."

I looked at my blackberry-swirled cheesecake forlornly. It was exquisite, but I'd lost my appetite. I slid it over to Cash with a raised eyebrow, and he eagerly took on a second helping, shoving a bite into his mouth with a ridiculously X-rated moan.

He was so ridiculous sometimes, but I'd rather watch Cash's theatrics than think about Ash cozying up to my mother in the kitchen.

As soon as the meal concluded, I made a beeline for Brooks. Before I could get a single question out, he raised his hand.

"Okay, I know I screwed up," he said. "I planned to tell you about Ash's food boat the other night, but you were so damn worked up after seeing him on the lake. I didn't want to wind you up even more. "

"So you just left me to be sideswiped?"

He grimaced. "I didn't know Sky invited him to this dinner. I would have given you a heads-up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, man. I know you've got beef with him, but maybe it's time to let it go."

"It's not that easy."

"Maybe not. But Skylar can't make his business decisions based on your personal grudges."

"Yeah, I guess not," I said. "What do you want me to do though? I can't change how I feel overnight."

"I know," Brooks said. "Just be a professional. He will too. It's not like you have to work closely together. Just don't make this Skylar's problem, okay?"

"I won't."

At least Ash hadn't joined the boat tour crew. He'd be doing his thing and I'd be doing mine and occasionally our paths would cross at the resort. But that wasn't really any different than our paths crossing on the lake.

It was undesirable, and just like always, I'd do my best to give him a wide berth.

Nothing had to change. It would be fine.