Page 35 of Spencer

“When I worked for the BPD, the last few times a call came in for a water rescue north of Orono, the local police had the devil’s own time getting manpower where and when they needed it. And you know as well as I do that the response time when those types of operations go down is always critical.”

Buck looked, if not quite convinced, at least thoughtful, and it encouraged Spencer to continue dreaming out loud.

“If we based our company up north, say, in a spot farther up the Penobscot River like Passadumkeag?—”

Buck immediately scoffed. “Uh, bro? Seriously? There is next tonothingin Passadumkeag.” He’d said that a bit vehemently. Spencer pondered for a second what his brother might have against the little town, but quickly dismissed it and moved on.

“Sure, there is,” Spencer reminded him. “There’s the, um, Penobscot Nation Museum, and…”

“And a bunch of cabins and hiking trails,” Buck finished for him. “But really? You want to stick us that far out in the boonies where there are hardly any people and definitely no nightlife to be had?” He almost looked…appalled. “I don’t know about you, Spence, but I’m not down with that. How the hell do you think we’ll meet any women? Because that’s part of my long-term plan. Dammit, I’m thirty-three and single. If I separate fromthe Coast Guard, the first thing I’m going to do is hit the clubs, looking for some serious action.”

His brother was thinking of separating from the Coast Guard? Spencer set that on the back burner while his own mind went to Tabitha.

In his gut, Spencer knewhedidn’t needto meet any other women. He’d already found the one. It was a mystery, how he understood that in his gut, but Tabbi just…did it for him.

Not that she knew that yet. She might just be imagining he’d be good for a quick hook-up, but that’s not where his head was at, and he’d make sure she understood that. Spencer was going to do everything in his power to make her see that they could be very good together. Long term.

Still, he completely got his brother’s concerns. Buck had always loved the ladies.

“Okay. How about Lincon, then.”

He shifted his sights to a town farther north that was ten times the size of the one he’d previously mentioned.

Buck pondered. “That’s doable, I guess. What, exactly is your criteria besides ‘north’?” he asked reasonably.

Spencer extrapolated. “I’m trying to pick someplace far enough from Bangor and all its professionals, but close enough to Dad’s mill. That way we can work at the family business if we have to, to fill the down-time I know we’ll have until we gain traction in our new business. It won’t necessarily be a fallback, as much as a promise to Dad that we’ll spend enough time there to bring things back to how they used to be; maybe eventually training and hiring new help for him. You know Dad has scaled back on business as he’s gotten older and we’ve all moved on, but I hazard a guess that he’ll be thrilled, letting us ramp things back up.”

Spencer quirked his upper lip. “I’ll concede, however, that even though Passadumkeag is closer to the family homestead,Lincoln is only a little farther north, and itwouldbe better for visibility.”

Not that they exactly needed to have flashy brick and mortar to make a go of a new business. If one knew what they were doing—which Spencer sort of did—online. A presence in cyber-space went a long way toward building a successful business.

“Okay. Let me play devil’s advocate here. Lincoln, then,” Buck speculated. “Not a bad spot for nightlife. But I’ll need details for this alleged business. Exactly what kind of jobs are you envisioning will come our way if we hang out a shingle?”

“Like I said. The same stuff I’ve already been doing with the Merchant Marine, and probably some of the things you’ve also done with the Coast Guard. Think how our credentials will work in our favor. We can advertise that we’re well skilled in underwater surveying, construction, and ocean salvage. We might even want to contemplate eventually opening a training center for new divers.” Spencer was wound up. “In Lincoln, we’ll be surrounded by bodies of water. The possibilities for expansion are endless.”

Buck was warming up. Spencer could tell.

His brother cleared his throat. “You mentioned rescue operations. I’ve never been in the civilian sector, so I don’t know anything about this. How often does that kind of need arise?”

“More often than you think,” Spencer confirmed.

Spencer remembered quite a few instances when he’d been not only on the BPD, but on SWAT, and a team had to be called in from afar to extricate someone from trouble. Not to mention…

“There’s also recovery,” Spencer told Buck a little grimly.

But even the thought of fishing deceased individuals from the water didn’t dissuade him from his zeal.

Buck had a point, though.

Spencer had a lot more work to do to see if his idea had merit.

And he couldn’t wait to get started on planning.

He’d made up his mind easily while talking. He was leaving the Atlaua for good; separating from the Merchant Marine before they docked in Searsport.

That meant he’d have plenty of free time to do research.

Spencer’s confidence grew. “You know Mason will call us when his SWAT team encounters something we can help with. I often heard him lament that aid of that sort was too far away.”

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