Page 22 of Colby (Tucker’s Pride #5)

Dinner was fantastic as he knew it would be, and sitting out on their deck watching the trees sway was just what he needed in order to relax. Colby felt himself drifting off when his brother sat down next to him and poked him in the ribs. He asked him what that was for.

“You’re snoring. Are we so boring that you have to fall asleep now?

” They both laughed, and Colby sat up higher on his seat.

He’d have to get these kinds of seats for their back deck, too.

They were so comfortable. “I wanted to ask you something about your boats. When are you going to get numbers two and three?”

“I can only do them one at a time because I have to train people. As much as I’d love to have them both at the same time, it’s not feasible with me having to do all the training.

” He asked about his crew now. “I’m losing one of them to pregnancy in about a week.

She’s been helping train her replacement, and it’s been good to have that.

And Douglas has been doing a good job on his own, so I’m going to have him take out one of the trips in the next couple of days.

I’ll just be crew and not for me to take over. ”

“That’s wonderful. So you can put him in charge of the next boat.” He asked him why he was talking about him getting the extra boats. “I’m going to open a catering job with our sister, Dakota. She is doing really well, and we thought that you could be our test dummy.”

“Gee, thanks.” Jack laughed at him. “What do you need me to do? You know that I’ll be glad to help you in any way that I can.”

“Nothing that you’re not doing already. I love that we can help each other with different types of meals.” He said he’d been meaning to talk to him about it. “I’m betting it has to do with the full menu and dinner options.”

“It does. It’s too much work for us when it’s over.

Usually, the clients will go to their room or hang out, but sometimes they want to get in a bit more fishing.

With the crew being so limited, it’s difficult to clean up after a big meal and take care of their needs as well.

I think I’d like to take that off the menu.

” Jack said he’d been thinking the same thing, only that it’s not being used as much to make it worth their while.

“Great. Then we agree on it. What else do you have to tell me? I have a feeling that it’s more with the boat than the food that you’ve been providing for us. ”

“I want to rent you for a day.” He said that he could do that for him. “I want you to charge me, too. I’ll give you a good review, but I want to go out and see the ocean from where you are daily. I don’t care if I fish or not, but a day on the ocean with Taylor.”

“I can do that too. And since that’s all you want to do, I can book you guys in for next week.

I have a spot open that I was saving for the day off, but this will be so much better.

Maybe I’ll be able to bring Emma, and we can make a whole day of it.

” His brother loved the idea. “I’ll have gear in the event you want to try your hand at fishing.

But it’s not a big deal if you only want to see the sights.

They’re too wonderful to put into words.

And I’m not charging you, idiot. You’ve helped us way more than a trip will cost us. ”

“I don’t want you to think that’s the reason we did this.

It really has made Taylor feel better about the money that came to her.

And next Monday, an attorney is coming to town to read the will from her grandparents that she’s named in.

” Colby asked if she was going to be all right with that.

“I think so. She doesn’t know them and sort of dislikes them for what they did about her mother and dad.

But she’s willing to forgive them if they tell her that they’re sorry for how they unloaded Gilda Jane off on her dad without telling him about her oddities. ”

“Oddities? Is that what you’re calling it?

” Again, they both laughed, and he felt better about the whole thing with her grandparents and their deaths.

“Have you heard anything about how Gilda Jane is doing in prison? I’m betting she’s not having a good time about it.

I know that if I were her my cellmate, I might have to knock her around a bit. ”

“She’s been in solitary confinement most of the time she’s been there.

She causes situations where they have to get her off the floor for one reason or another.

There isn’t any way that she’s supposed to be allowed to call here, but she does bitch about what Taylor isn’t doing for her when she should be.

” Colby said that the one time he’d had anything to do with her, he couldn’t believe how selfish she’d been.

“Tell me about it. The one time I had to deal with her on my own, she had slapped a little boy for telling her she wasn’t invited to his birthday party.

It was at the complex where she lived. She just sat there with them like she’d been invited and was getting in their way.

Stupid woman. I’m glad that she’s gone out of our lives.

The whole thing about her telling us that she was going to live with us to keep us from having children still scares me a bit. ”

“I don’t blame you. You heard about my caller and his wanting to use my boat to rid himself of a couple of bodies.

Every time my phone rings, I still get a little tensed up about it.

” Jack told him that he’d never be able to do what he does without a great deal of fear.

“I’m all right now. I have Cup with me, and she makes sure that all my trips are good ones. ”

“That’s good to know.” Handing him a bottle of water when he asked for it had them leaning back on the chairs.

His brother asked him if he’d gotten what he needed from Taylor about staffing.

“I’ve noticed around here, since I talked to you both, how many people actually work for our house.

There must be twenty or so people doing things around here to make me think that this house is perfectly ran.

I hope she suggested a butler. They are the ones who make sure that the house is in good working order.

And if I need an answer to something, even something that’s not house-related, he can steer me in the right direction. ”

“I’ve noticed them around here, too. They do their job quietly and without any kind of trouble or drama.

It’s like they might have a link to each other to get things finished up.

” Jack told him that’s what he thought too, but there aren’t that many shifters that work for the house.

“Our new cook is a tiger. She reminds me of Grandma behind the sink in the kitchen. I won’t mess with her at all. She scares me a bit.”

He’d forgotten what it was like to have family around all the time.

He missed just being able to sit and talk to his family when there was nothing going on.

They were all taking turns going out to the grandparents’ house, and his turn was coming up soon.

He’d heard that the rose garden was put in and looked beautiful around the house, and that Grandma could be seen out there picking blooms several times a week.

There were plans in the works about getting all together with them and making a day of it.

Jack was going to be providing the food, and they’d grill out all day to feed everyone.

He was looking forward to it as well. Just like tonight, just to hang out with someone from the family.

At ten, they were headed back to the house.

The beds were all made up, and he was looking forward to sleeping in his own room with Emma.

He didn’t know if they’d have sex or not; she’d been complaining about her sore muscles all evening and couldn’t believe how just moving around a few boxes had done her in.

He pointed out that she’d been moving things around at the house, too, and that could be a large part of it.

“I guess so. But it’s my shoulders that hurt the most.” He took her hand into his much larger one and kissed the back of it. “That’s very nice of you. I could really get used to having you around all the time. You make me feel special.”

“You are special to me.” She kissed his hand, and they parted at the car to get in.

“How about we don’t do anything at the house tonight but gather up our clothing so we can stay there all the time now?

I have to go out in the morning to do paperwork, and I know that you have stuff to do in the courthouse tomorrow.

I didn’t know that you had to renew your license at the courthouse around here. ”

“I don’t have to, but it’s one of the perks of living in a smaller town.

I can get it all done in one place. I have to register my rig too tomorrow, so it’s like killing two birds with one stone.

” He said he understood getting things done.

“I’m to understand that you might be getting a second boat soon.

Will that take you away from home more?”

“No, I’ll run it like a second location, very few for the start.

My business has really taken off, and I’m thinking that I need the second boat now rather than later.

” She said she was proud of him. “Thank you. I never thought this was going to happen, and I can’t believe that it’s happening now that I need to expand.

It’s a thrill to know that I’m going to be a bigger business soon. ”