Page 24 of Hooked on the Otter Doctor
While I rode a scooter toward the house, I thought back to our discussion last night about mating ceremonies. I knew I wanted to go to the ceremony portion of Svein and Dyfor’s event, but not whether I was okay with the orgy afterward. In theory, yes, I wanted to do every wicked thing we’d played at doing. But in reality? I wasn’t sure I could go through with it while surrounded by people I knew. I needed to give it more thought.
When I walked into the house, Pabbi was standing in the kitchen with a murderous look on his face. I didn’t even have a chance to take a breath before he said, “Did you go in with the Hansens and Dahls on their aquaculture farm?”
Shit. Apparently, I wasn’t going to be able to tell him about it a year from now when the fish were market-ready. I nodded and straightened my spine. “Yes, I did.”
“Tobias! What were you thinking? You know how I feel?—”
“What wasIthinking? Are you serious? I was thinking I needed to find a way to save our family because you wouldn’t!”
He got in my face, pointing a finger. “Everything I’vedonehas been for this family.”
“No, it hasn’t.” I stepped up to him because he wasn’t going to intimidate me. “You’ve kept the boat for your own ego,notfor the family. We’d bestarvingright now if it wasn’t for me.”
“That’s alieand you?—”
“I know Mamma handles the finances, but haven’t you even once wondered how we’re paying the bills when we haven’t had a proper catch in over a year?” I stormed around him, looking for her to back me up. “We’ve kept the house, the lights on, the— Where’s Mamma?”
I turned around to see him breathing heavy but staring at me with wide eyes. “She knows?”
“Of course, she knows.”
He closed his eyes and sagged right there in front of me. Isuddenly felt terrible, like I’d broken him. I wanted him to fight back some more, tell me off, but all he did was slump into a chair at the table and put his head in his hands. In all the scenarios I’d imagined for when we’d have it out over this, I’d never thought about him giving up.
“She’s getting groceries,” he said quietly.
I didn’t point out that buying those groceries was also possible because of my investment.
“How did you find out?” I went over to the table and sat down opposite him.
“I was working on the boat and overheard Dahl talking to someone about hydroponics and growing seaweed. I wasn’t really listening until he said the seaweed had been your idea.”
I didn’t like how dead his voice sounded as he talked to the tabletop. “Pabbi, I know how important trawling is for you and how it’s been what our family’s done for generations. I didn’t want to go around you, but I knew you’d fight me on it, and I had to act quickly, or we would’ve missed out completely.”
He nodded and sat back. I gasped because there were tears on his cheeks.
“My stubbornness would’ve killed us.”
“No! Pabbi, we wouldn’t havedied. We would’ve had to get jobs like so many others suddenly had to. It was a frenzy of people trying to pivot into new careers for a while there, remember? And we could’ve left the island, but I knew I didn’t want to do that. I couldn’timagineyou and Mamma leaving.”
“I shut you down,” he whispered, looking so despondent. “Every time you tried, I cut you off.”
“Yeah, well, I’m stubborn, too.”
He huffed a laugh and wiped at his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
Because I was. Even though I’d had plenty of thoughts about howI’d show him, I’d never wanted to hurt him. And it occurredto me now that I’d basically usurped him as head of the household. That had to be painful.
He inhaled and blew out a heavy breath. “Tell me about the farm.”
I spent the next hour explaining everything to him. Only when Mamma came home did I excuse myself to pack so they could talk alone. I had a feeling there was a lot they’d need to say to each other, too, but I left knowing me and Pabbi would be okay now.
CHAPTER 11
HALABY
Resigning my position as ship’s doctor was something I felt I needed to do in person, so I arranged passage on a shuttle up to the ship for Tobias and me. Traveling by shuttle was nothing new for me, but watching Tobias experience it for the first time was enchanting.
