“You realize your wrist is going to have serious issues healing if we have to keep changing the cast? It needs time to heal.”
“It’s not like I meant to fall into a puddle. Granted, I’ve done it twice in the past twenty-four hours, but despite the glaring evidence, it’s not my favorite pastime. Just keep getting caught up in the wrong situation.”
“Both seem a little like your fault,” I say as I grab my cast saw.
“Excuse me?” she asks, her voice rising. “How are they my fault?”
I choose my words carefully. “Yesterday, you went for a walk, leaving you a victim to the inclement weather. And today, well, crawling around in bushes to spy on your brother doesn’t necessarily scream ‘taking care of my cast.’”
She props one hand on her hip. “You only said one correct thing. ‘Victim.’ Yes, I’m a victim. A victim of my brothers. Both have sent me careening into a puddle.” She leans forward. “Do you understand the kind of humiliation that goes through a person when they have to deal with soggy-mud ass . . . twice . . . in front of the person they like?”
I smile. “The person you like, huh?”
“Naturally I like you.” Her chin rises. “If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have let you play with my nipple piercings last night.”
I nearly choke on my own saliva. She gently pats my back.
“There, there,” she says. “It’s going to take some getting used to hanging out with me. Prepare yourself, Dr. Beau. I hold nothing back.”
Evidently.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
NORA
“Please take a seat,” Ford says, gesturing to a chair in front of me. I’m not sure I’ve ever been to the Marina Island Bed and Breakfast. It’s . . . floral, but oddly, it also works.
I set down my pink bakery box and take a seat, completely entertained by this entire situation.
I forgot just how much Cooper looks like his brother. Practically identical, but whereas Cooper has a dimple in his chin, Ford does not. And Ford has a few more laugh lines around his eyes, which, unfortunately, just makes a man more distinguished and attractive. I’ve upped my nighttime care routine because of those same lines, which make me look haggard and worn.
“I like your vest,” I say, nodding toward his ridiculous outfit.
I want to ask him if he went to Watchful Wanderers and got dressed in the fly-fishing department because . . . wow. He’s wearing waders that are practically kissing his nipples, a camouflage shirt that does not scream “Ford Chance,” a matching vest with lures dangling from the pockets, and, to top it off, a fisherman’s hat. I secretly want to take a picture to show Cooper because I don’t think he’d believe me if I told him his brother dropped the suit and put on some gear, but that would mean telling Cooper I met with Ford, and that’s something I definitely don’t want to divulge.
Ford pats down his vest. “Thank you. I just got it. Larkin and I went to the store this morning and bought a few things to test out.” His eyes light up. “Did you know we sell underwear with fish on them at the store?”
“Are you wearing said underwear?” I ask.
“Well, that’s a highly inappropriate question.” He places both hands on the table, and he looks like a young child waiting for Santa. “But to answer, yes, and the quality is less than desired, but the knowledge that my willy is catching fish is enchanting.”
Is he drunk?
I feel like he’s drunk.
From what little interaction I’ve had with Ford over the years, and from the stories Cooper has told me, this is not typical Ford behavior—which means he has to be drunk. Really drunk, but I don’t smell booze, so color me confused.
“Fishing with your willy—what an enjoyable feature you offer customers. But be careful.” I wag my finger at him. “Make sure the tip doesn’t get bitten off.”
He winces and laughs. “Very true.”
Things I never thought I would be talking to Ford Chance about . . . his penis getting bitten off by illustrated fish on a pair of briefs. But there’s always time for new experiences in life. Chalk this up to one of those.
“So, I take it that you’re going to go fly-fishing today?”
He nods. “Oh yes, with Larkin. She’s going to show me the ropes. She would have preferred we fished at dawn, because that’s when they’re feeding the most, but she thinks dusk will hopefully be just as good.”
“Have you ever been?”
He shakes his head, which surprises me, given that he’s CEO of an outdoors company. “No. Larkin and I are going to test some activities out this week that I haven’t done before. Should be fun.”
“Well, that does sound like fun.”
“Anyway, thank you for coming to the island—I know you’re busy.”
“I have a pretty great staff. They work hard, which gives me opportunities to do things like this.”
“Seems so.” He studies me for a second. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“You own your own business, and it was a family business that you took over, correct?”
“Yes.” I nod. “My parents started the business, and when I graduated from high school, they really started to get me involved. I mean, I would make cakes and decorate them, even when I was a kid, but after I graduated, they really brought me into the business side of things, which of course is never fun. I like the creative aspect better.”
“Ah.” He nods. “I enjoy the numbers, but it feels like being locked up on the business side has left me confused about the actual store, like I’ve lost touch with it.”
“That happened to me a few years ago.”
“Really?” he asks. “What happened?”
“I was approached by a franchising company. They were impressed with the business model and our product. They wanted to see how we could go from a small, independent shop to growing our company to something more. Like you did. So, I put down the spatula and took a seat behind the desk. I realized quickly I was not happy about that and would rather not franchise if it meant not liking what I was doing. But it doesn’t seem like you hate the business side.”
“I don’t. I enjoy it. I like the challenge.”
“Did you enjoy working at the store when you were younger?”
“I’ve always enjoyed working at the store. But when I was younger, it was different. Palmer and Cooper were always being idiots on the main floor, scaring each other, hiding, and now that I think of it, making it fun. Mom and Dad would get so irritated with us, but then I was separated from their shenanigans when Dad started teaching me how to run the business.”
“Did he teach anyone else?”
Ford shakes his head.
“Huh, interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?” he asks, and, honestly, I can’t take him seriously in that getup.
“Because I have a sister, and my parents let us both learn about the business. Cheryl decided she wanted nothing to do with it and went off to do her own thing. Occasionally she’ll come to the store and help me ice cakes because she needs the creative release, but she’s a teacher, and it’s a job she finds so much more joy doing. But she had the choice, the chance to test things out.”