Page 87 of Always Knew It Was You

I’m driven because I’m trying to escape poverty and make something of myself.

He’s doing it simply because he wants to.

We walk a little more and I spot a boat coasting close to the shore with two familiar people climbing aboard. I smile.

“Speaking of yachts, if you want someone to help pilot them, I know the perfect person.”

“Emma’s grandpa?” He guesses because I’m staring in that direction.

“Yup. That old man loves the water so much that I think he might have been a pirate in his past life. “

Micah chuckles and Grandpa Crane catches sight of me.

“Is that my Lady Fishy?” he calls out, his voice echoing across the field. I lift my hand and wave.

“Lady Fishy?” Micah murmurs.

“An old nickname. I’ll explain later.” I head over to where Grandpa and Amelia are sitting on a small fishing boat, aware that Micah is following me. Grandpa adjusts his trademark Chinaman’s hat to shield his face from the sun. Amelia is wearing a similar, albeit smaller, hat.

Grandpa peers at Micah first. “Hey, I know you. You’re that Mark fella that was at Declan’s engagement party.”

“Micah,” Amelia and Micah correct simultaneously and then look at each other. Micah grins and attempts to snatch the hat off her head while she scowls and fights him off. I suppose the two of them are well acquainted. I remember Emma told me that Micah helped Amelia escape the forest when she was kidnapped. And with Micah and Declan working together, they’ve probably met more times than that.

“Hey, Amelia,” I greet. “What are you guys up to?”

“Grandpa says he’s going to show me Burgstone Wharf, and he’ll tell me the story of the Burned Man.”

“Burned Man?”

“Oh, I never told you that story?” Grandpa Crane’s eyes glitter with excitement under the brim of his Chinaman’s hat.

I shake my head. To be fair, he could have told me the story but he tells so many of them, that they kind of start to blur into each other after a while.

“Oh, it’s a good one. Get in the boat, the two of you can join us and I’ll catch you up to speed.”

“Oh, I’m not sure about that, Grandpa.” I share a look with an amused Micah. “We’re just coming back from the picnic, and I’m sure Micah has work to do.”

“Nonsense. You don’t work after a picnic; a picnic is an excuse for a lazy day. And it’s a Sunday too. No one is supposed to be working on the Lord’s day.”

“Um...” I try to find another excuse but I already suspect it will be futile.

The only thing Grandpa loves more than fishing is telling one of his elaborate and unrealistically epic stories, and he just found two more semi-willing victims.

So Micah and I climb onto Grandpa’s boat and shift our weight around so as to make it as well-balanced as possible. This means that I’m sitting next to Grandpa and Amelia is sitting on the other end next to Micah.

She gives him a funny look and then turns it on me. “Are you two dating now?”

“Um, no,” I say quickly, side-eyeing Grandpa. “We’re just friends.

“That’s what Emma and my dad used to say when they were dating.”

Shoot. “Yeah, but we really are just friends. Right, Micah?”

But Micah, the little devil, only winks conspiratorially at Amelia who makes a face.

“Gross. Everyone’s dating now. Pretty soon this town will be filled with gross couples and you’ll all be popping out crying little babies.”

Micah laughs at that. Grandpa says, “Love is a beautiful thing, Amelia. You shouldn’t find it gross.”

---