Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

Skylar

I slid on my shades beneath my Weekend Hookers hat and gazed out over the marina, cluttered with boats coming in for the Dock Hop that Hudson and Fisher had planned.

The sun beat down on the Outdoor Market, where we were working a booth at SwallowFest. Throngs of people strolled through, sampling everything Swallow Cove food vendors had to offer.

Lunch had been an absolute madhouse, complete with two of the local ladies, Ruth Marie and Pearl, fighting like angry cats over their jams and brandied fruits.

Hudson had fetched Fisher, since he apparently was the old lady whisperer, and he'd scolded them like a couple of schoolchildren and sent them to clean up the mess they'd made by flinging food around.

"I don't know why we couldn't just serve cold beer," Brooks grumbled beside me as he set out the hot beef sundaes freshly delivered by a server from the pub.

"There's no liquor at this event," I said. "Besides, we can barely keep the food coming fast enough for all these people."

"Fisher really outdid himself," Brooks agreed. "Thank fuck this thing is almost over."

I laughed. Brooks talked a good game, but he'd charmed every person who'd stopped by the booth. His tip jar was overflowing compared to everyone else's.

My jar wasn't full of money, but folded pieces of paper, suggestions for new resort names. Golden Sands Caribbean Resort had to go, but I wasn't sure yet what to replace it with.

Chester and Ansel sauntered up to us.

"Busy day?"

"Very," Brooks said. "You want a beef sundae? It's beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy."

"Nah." Chester patted his stomach. "I already gorged on catfish bites from Catch of the Day."

Ansel picked up a sundae. "I can always make more room."

Chester snorted. "You might want to stop making more room if you want to hold on to Judy."

Ansel scowled. "You're just jealous I have a lady and you don't."

Chester reddened a little. "Don't need no lady." His gaze landed on me. "Why are you wearing one of our hats?"

"Just supporting The Weekend Hookers," I said. "You all are still welcome to fish at Hookers' Fishing Hole anytime you like."

"Hookers' Fishing Hole?"

"The area behind the resort. That's what I decided to call it. I would call it Weekend Hookers' Fishing Hole, but it'll be open seven days a week, so…"

"No kidding," Ansel said with a chuckle. "You're naming it after us?"

"I am, and I've decided I'll create some locals-only fishing hours. I can't exclude it from the guests entirely, but I can make sure you have opportunities to fish in peace."

"You'd do that?" Chester sounded shocked.

"The resort will be part of Swallow Cove, so yes, I care about what you all want."

I tapped the bowl sitting on the table. "I'm taking name suggestions, too, if you'd like to submit something."

"Hell yeah," Chester said, grabbing a slip of paper and scribbling something down. He handed it to me, and I took off my sunglasses to squint at his cramped, messy handwriting.

"Weekend Hookers on the Lake," I read aloud.

"That would give people interesting ideas about the resort," Brooks said with a smirk.

I dropped the slip into the bowl because I didn't want Chester to think I was dismissing his idea out of hand, though I was definitely dismissing the idea. Hookers and hotels didn't exactly bring classy to mind.

"Maybe this resort thing won't be so bad," Chester said as they walked away.

Ansel shook his head. "You're so easy. He won you over by naming a fishing hole that was already ours. "

"Well, better than being whipped into agreeing," Chester muttered. "We all know Judy has you on a leash."

"Shut your stupid mouth…"

I exchanged a look with Brooks. "Well, that went well."

"Nice touch with the hat." He flicked the bill. "Though it makes it difficult to kiss you."

"Oh, well, allow me." I took it off and Brooks leaned in to kiss me.

"Oh, you two are just adorable!"

Brooks quickly stepped back. "Pearl, hey. Did you want to sample—"

"No, no, dear, I brought Mr. Addison a sample." She thrust out a plate covered in crackers with different jams spread overtop. She pointed to one. "This is my dandelion jam. It's an Ozark favorite. And this one is my tomato jam, which is really better for cooking, but—"

"They all look delicious," I interrupted. "Thank you." I picked up a cracker and extended it toward Brooks. "Here."

"Oh, they're not for Brooks," Pearl said with a laugh. "No offense, dear."

"None taken," Brooks said, looking amused. "I'm too hot to eat anyway."

"But…" I glanced down at the cracker in my hand and the blob of dark jam. "Why me?"

"Oh! Well, you're bound to have a little gift shop at the resort, right? And you'll want to carry Pearl's Pantry jams. I thought you'd want to try it before ordering."

"Oh."

Now, I understood why Ruth Marie had been here earlier today, insisting we have a nibble of her brandied pears.

"They're so refreshing!" she'd said. "All the tourists just love them. You know, if your resort guests ever want tips on what's good, you'll have to be ready!"

I dutifully took a bite of the cracker covered in jam, and honestly? It was really good. As were those pears.

But at least Ruth Marie had the tact to share with Brooks and at least pretend it was about being friendly. Then again, Pearl was being honest, if tactless.

"Thanks, but I don't think I could carry your jams without the opinion of my new restaurant and bar manager."

"Oh! Who…"

I gestured toward Brooks. Pearl's eyes widened. "Oh, dear me. Yes, you must have a taste! What a good choice, Mr. Addison. Brooks is a good boy."

"Call me Skylar," I said.

She thrust out a cracker toward Brooks. "You'll see that my jam is far superior to that silly fruit Ruth Marie was shoving at you earlier."

"I really don't want—" Brooks started, but Pearl shoved that cracker into his mouth, silencing the rest of what he might have said beyond "mmf!"

Ruth Marie came hurrying up. "I heard my name. Don't listen to anything she says. My fruit is sweet and juicy!"

"Your fruit is old and shriveled, which is why you have to drench it in brandy," Pearl said dismissively.

" My fruit is the freshest—"

"Ladies," I said. "Didn't Fisher just break up a fight between you two?"

"That was her fault!" they both said at the same time.

Brooks laughed under his breath. "Here we go."

But I wasn't having it. I'd seen how Fisher handled the women, and I thought he had the right idea.

"Ladies," I said sternly, "I hope you're not about to start brawling in the street again, because that wouldn't be the professional standard we want associated with the resort."

"Oh, of course not," Ruth Marie said quickly.

"The resort will support local businesses, of course. Equally ." I gazed between them. "But if you two can't cooperate, maybe I should carry neither—"

"We'll be good!" Pearl promised.

"I don't know if you can be," I said. "I certainly haven't seen many signs of it today." I looked between them. "Can you show me how you'll support one another?"

Ruth Marie and Pearl exchanged a look.

"You don't want to miss out on Pearl's jams," Ruth Marie said dutifully. "They're just wonderful."

"Wonderful." I turned to Pearl. "And what you do you have to say about Ruth Marie's fruit now?"

Pearl's lips pursed like she was tasting a lemon, but she reluctantly grumbled out, "They're sweet and refreshing, and the tourists really do love them."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded like, I don't know why.

" What was that?" I asked.

"And I know why," she said quickly. "They're delicious."

"All right, thank you. I'll definitely keep you both in mind for the gift shop at the resort. But it looks like you've got a few people over at your booths…"

The women took off, to my relief. When I turned, Brooks was staring at me in awe. "Wow. You put them in their place. That's impressive. Fisher might be out of a job as the town charmer."

I grinned. "Nah, they just want to impress me since I'll be in charge of the resort."

"I had no idea I was dating such a powerful man," he growled, pulling me in to another kiss now that Pearl and Ruth Marie had gone.

"Ugh, you two are sickening."

Wow. Could we not get one kiss without an interruption? Then again, we were kissing at a public festival. So maybe that was fair.

I glanced sideways to see Sawyer and Cash smirking at us. Brooks didn't break the kiss, as he had when Pearl interrupted. He took his time to nibble my bottom lip and make me gasp before pulling back.

He turned a grin on his friends. "Get used to it. Sky and I are the real deal."

"They're in looooove," Cash crooned. "I knew it all along."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "You did not. I knew it because Brooks confides in me."

I tilted my head, intrigued. "Does he? What has he told you?"

"Hey, now, don't be spilling all my secrets."

"I don't think it's a secret you're crazy about Skylar," Sawyer said dryly.

"He's totally gone for you," Cash added, "so you can probably get him to do anything you want."

"Thanks for that," Brooks said.

"Well, I'll try to only use my power for good."

I gave Brooks a meaningful look, and judging by the flare of his nostrils he knew exactly what I was thinking. Brooks loved to do whatever I wanted in bed, and it didn't really matter if that was topping, bottoming, or just lazy hand jobs or blow jobs. Though most of the time he bottomed for me because Brooks loved it in a way I never would.

Cash clapped a hand over Sawyer's eyes. "Don't look, you poor innocent straight boy. You'll never be the same."

Sawyer shoved Cash's hand down. "Between Hudson and Fisher and these two, I better get used to the PDA."

"It certainly makes the view at The Rusty Hook more entertaining," Cash added with a grin.

"About that…"

"What?"

Brooks hesitated. "Sky offered me a job at the resort. Not just a job." He met my gaze, his warm with affection. "We're going to live together."

"Wow, that's great, man," Sawyer said. "With Swallow Adventures getting folded in over there, we'll see each other all the time."

"Hey, you'll see me too," Cash said. "I'll be drinking wherever Brooks is pouring the beer."

"What's this now?" Poppy asked, coming up beside them and reaching to scoop up a beef sundae. "Why would Brooks be pouring anywhere but the pub?"

"He's traded up," Cash said, nodding toward me. "He's got a fancy man and a fancy job."

I winced. "I'm not fancy."

They all exchanged looks, then said in unison, "You're fancy."

Brooks wrapped an arm around my waist. "They haven't seen you chowing down on popcorn and grinning like a maniac at a slasher movie."

I smacked his chest. "Hey, at least I wasn't hiding my eyes and whimpering like a baby."

Brooks grinned. "Guilty. But that shit is creepy."

A few nights ago, I'd introduced Brooks to Zach, Becca, Jordan, and Ellis, my friends in Seattle. They'd grilled him pretty thoroughly, but Brooks had taken their questions with the good grace of a man who understood close friendships.

After he'd excused himself to take a bathroom break, Zach had paused the movie. "He's so sweet."

"And hot," Becca added, fanning her face.

"So hot," Ellis agreed, causing Jordan to frown and start shoving Doritos into his mouth as if he couldn't care less. He was bad at hiding his feelings, though Ellis seemed oblivious.

"But best of all, he adores you," Zach said. "You deserve that."

As Brooks took his friends' teasing and held me close, I knew Zach was right. I'd finally found a man I truly deserved, and it wasn't a toxic, controlling asshole who made me feel small, but a man who let me take charge—in the bedroom and out of it.

Which meant I had to be the man he deserved, too. He'd earned a happy ending. We both had.

"Wherever you go," Poppy said, "we'll be sure to follow."

"Yeah," Cash agreed. "Besides, who else will give me discounted beer?"

"Dude," Sawyer said, "his boss is right there."

"Eh, he's sleeping with the boss. There ought to be some perks in that, right?"

"Get out of here," Brooks growled playfully. "Before I ban you all from the place."

They laughed and dispersed after a few more parting shots about how we were so disgustingly in love that our heart eyes had heart eyes.

When they were gone, Brooks turned to me. "I won't give them special treatment."

I waved that away. "Of course you will. And you should. There should be some perks to being friends with the boss, right? And they're my friends now, too."

I glanced out at the market, the marina beyond, and all the locals who moved within the throngs of tourists. I realized with a jolt that I recognized many of them. Knew their faces, their names. They knew me too, nodding, smiling, lifting a hand to wave.

Swallow Cove had become my haven.

Brooks had become my anchor.

And now, I was no longer adrift, lost and afraid. I was safely moored. I'd made my home here.

"What do you think of Swallow's Nest for the resort name?" I asked.

"I think it's adorable," he said. "I was thinking Sky Haven. Named for you."

I shook my head. "It is my haven, but only because of all of Swallow Cove, and especially you. You've become my home, Brooks. I belong here."

He pulled me into another kiss. "I'm glad to hear you say that, because I never want you to leave. You're my home too."

I beamed at him, feeling at peace. The mess with Blaize was finally behind me. The Wexlers too. I had proven I could fight for what I deserved, and now I had the best reward I could ask for.

A life lived on my own terms. A career I had chosen for myself.

And a man who loved me, and who I loved, more than I ever dreamed possible.