Page 45 of Feels Like the First Time
Nothing.
“And chips won’t get us there.” She moseyed over to the cubby above the radio. Maps, a can of mixed nuts, and a satellite phone.
“Are you looking for this?” he asked.
Ali turned around to find Marty holding a bag of beef jerky. He shook it for good measure. “This is one of the five approved snacks I am allowed to have.” He popped a piece in his mouth. “Now, instead of snooping on your old man, why don’t you go do something fun to celebrate.”
“If you’d stop hiding things from me, then I wouldn’t have to snoop.” Or worry so much. “And I was going to go out on the paddleboard, but I’d much rather go for a sail with you. Not to Alaska, but maybe a little day trip out and back.”
“If you’d stop the snooping, my hiding would be unnecessary,” he challenged, but his eyes sparkled at the mention of a sail. “I meant something fun in town. With other people.”
“Dad, this is Destiny Bay, and my kind of fun usually ends with me and the sheriff having a one-on-one. And while fleecing Dudley in poker is entertaining, doing it from a holding cell isn’t exactly fun.” She looked at her dad, the man who had made her childhood as full of love as it could be, then forced herself to let go—a little, “But why don’t I ask Bridget to come along. We can make it a fun family day filled with the open sea, fishing, and maybe even grill up some fish.”
“I haven’t finished waxing the hull, and the ladder needs some work.”
Ali looked around at the clutter and half-finished projects, and guilt settled hard. Marty was anal about his boat, tinkering and finessing until it shined.
Ali had been so focused on the article, on Bridget’s wedding, and keeping up the pretense with Hawk, that she neglected to see that her dad’s health was taking a toll on all aspects of his life—even his boat.
By this time last year, he’d finished all of his spring chores on the boat and was prepping for fishing season. Not that he could go far this summer, but she would make sure that whatever small trips he did get to take, his boat was in tip-top shape.
“Next weekend I’ll help you finish up with all of that, but until then, I don’t think Bridget will even notice.”
“What about her seasickness?”
“Like Mom said, they have a pill for that,” Ali said, and her dad chuckled. “Plus, it will help get her ready for her honeymoon at sea.” Ali still couldn’t believe Bridget had agreed to that. Not that Bridget didn’t like to spend her downtime lying in the sun and sipping down umbrellaed drinks. She just preferred to do it poolside instead of seaside.
“I’d think after this morning that you and Bridget had reached your quota for quality family time.”
Ali grimaced. That wasn’t exhaustion she’d seen in her dad’s eyes a moment ago. It was stress. “You heard that?”
“Didn’t have to, I felt the frost all the way down here,” Marty joked, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He took Ali’s hand in his and the overwhelming concern she’d carried with her for the past year doubled.
Growing up, her dad had been the biggest, strongest man in her life. His hands were powerful enough to lift engines out of machines, and soft enough to tend to a scraped knee. But as she held them now, all she felt was flesh and bones. And the new stress weighing heavy on his shoulders was partly her fault.
“I don’t need you fighting my fights,” he began. “Especially with your sister. My job as your dad is to protect the two of you, not come between my kids. If Bridget wants her wedding in Florida, then we celebrate her decision. That’s what family does.”
“But flying that far will be hard on you.”
“Sweetheart, they transport dead people to Florida with less fanfare, and as far as I remember, I walked out of that hospital,” Marty said with velvet steel. “This wedding is about Bridget and Jamie, not her extended family. And that’s the way it should be. A wedding is always between two people.”
Ali bit back the growing frustration, because weddings weren’t about two people. If they were, everyone would go off and elope. As far as Ali was concerned, a wedding was about family, and sharing that special moment with the people in her life. But for Bridget, it was about what she wanted, and completely ignoring the needs of your family.
So yeah, Marty would go to the wedding and suffer through it with a smile. And Ali would be right there by his side, taking care of him, making sure he experienced everything he wanted to, while picking up the pieces along the way.
Then, when they got home, she’d deal with the fallout. Just like she had her entire life.
“You’re right about one thing, Dad.” Ali rested her head on Marty’s shoulder. “Family supports each other. So why don’t I go grab Bridget and ask her if she’s up for that sail.”
“Why don’t you call Hawk, too,” Marty said. “I bet he’d want to be here to celebrate.”
Hawk would want to be there. Deserved to be there. This moment was a big deal, but it was ruined by the fact that she’d been doing the same thing she’d accused her dad of—lying. To everyone, including herself.
Even worse, because of her lies, the one person she wanted to celebrate with was MIA. And the last place he’d want to be was stuck at sea with the Marshal sisters.
“You’re going to hear this sooner or later, and I want you to hear the truth from me,” Ali said and sat next to her dad. She took a big breath—and her own advice. No more secrets. “Hawk and I were never really dating. We were just pretending to date to give Bridget a reason to leave.”
“Huh,” Marty said with a smile, and Ali wondered if he’d heard her correct. “And here I thought Bridget coming to town was a reason to finally figure out what’s between you two.”
