Page 16 of Meant for Me (Magnolia Bay #3)

nine

E ven the water didn’t bring peace this evening.

From the pier, Linc cast his line into the depths of the bay, watching the lure sink under the gray-blue surface. The salty gulf air, the waves lapping against the wooden beams of the dock, didn’t soothe his nerves like usual. In the distance, a seagull squawked.

He sort of wanted to squawk back.

“Watch out, guys. Linc looks pensive.” Owen straightened from where he dug in the cooler. Ice rattled. “That’s never good.”

The local banker had a point. Linc cracked his neck to the side, but the tension didn’t leave his upper body. “Something’s gotta give.”

“Parenting got you down?” Noah clapped his shoulder with one hand, rod in the other. “It’s only been, what, two days?”

“I think that’s an eternity in teen years.” Linc stared at the red and white bobber off his line, blew out his breath. “Amelia hates me.”

She and Zoey had finally come back to the café after their impromptu walk—escape?

—earlier that morning. He’d paid for their breakfast, packing Amelia’s hash browns in a to-go box she never touched as far as he noticed.

And though Zoey kept up a running, cheery monologue while they enrolled Amelia in school, ran errands for said school supplies, and made another grocery trip that included Doritos, Amelia barely spoke another word to him the rest of the day.

How had he gone from living alone as a content bachelor to living with two women? Two polar opposite women, at that?

“I doubt she hates you.” Noah joined him by the railing, adjusting the dangling bait on his hook. “She’s just going through a lot, obviously.”

One way to put it. At home that afternoon, Amelia had vanished to her room and slammed the door before blaring her music.

Zoey had immediately headed to his kitchen, gathering bowls and spatulas like a woman on a mission to make the worst cookies ever.

He’d stood in the middle of the living room and asked if anyone cared if he went fishing.

Apparently no one did.

So he went. Granted, he hadn’t said the words very loud, but he had spoken them, so if anyone had a problem with it, well. He’d tried.

“You know the saying ‘if looks could kill?’” Linc raised his eyebrow. “If I were a cat, I’d have used up all nine lives today.”

“Of every animal in the kingdom, a cat is the last thing you’d be.” Owen cracked open a can of sparkling water. “Except a lion, maybe.”

He snorted. At least there was that.

“Wait. What animal am I?” Cade frowned.

Owen tilted his head, studied him. “A peacock?”

Noah guffawed.

“Very funny.” Cade opened a new lure from a package. “Just because I dress nice and know brand names doesn’t mean I’m flashy.”

Noah grinned. “I think that’s exactly what it means.”

“Hey, remember that time my daughter I didn’t know about showed up on my literal doorstep?” Linc raised his free hand in the air. “Can we insult each other later?”

“I think we might be insulting the animal kingdom at this point.” Noah cast his line into the water.

Cade ignored him, looking back at Linc. “I think you two just have to grow into this. It’s only been a few days—I doubt anyone adjusts to something this big that fast.”

“How long is she staying?” Owen asked.

“That’s part of the problem. We don’t know.” Linc felt a tug on his line, tugged back. Whatever it was slipped away. He began reeling in his empty line. “But I don’t think they’ll let her go back to Kirsten at this point after so many abandonments. Not without court interference.”

“Maybe they’d make her do a program first or something.” Noah twisted to look at Linc. “That’d be a good thing, right?”

Linc paused. “From what it sounds like, I don’t know that Kirsten would commit to something like that.

And the last thing Amelia needs is all this back and forth.

” He filled the guys in on what Ms. Bridges said about Kirsten’s past absences.

“There’s been substance abuse too, but it’s not just that.

I mean, it’s not like there are programs to convince mothers not to leave their kids for their new crushes. ”

Owen stared soberly into the water. “That’s awful.”

“Yeah.” Linc knew how to pick ’em. Good thing he hadn’t tried again much over the years—who knows what he would have caught? He pulled his line free of the water, frowned at the empty hook.

Was it even worth re-rigging bait?

“And Zoey is staying with you too?” Cade shot Linc a look over his shoulder as he fiddled with his lure.

“Wait. I didn’t hear that part.” Owen’s brow furrowed. “Is that true?”

Linc groaned. “Relax, PK. Nothing shady about it.”

“Hey, I had the same thought, and I’m not a pastor’s kid.” Noah reeled in his line. “I didn’t realize that’s where Zoey went when she moved out of the Blue Pirogue.”

Wouldn’t have had to move out if Noah and Elisa had kept their conversation private, from what Zoey had eventually admitted to him.

She’d kill Linc if he let that slip, though, and he didn’t need that.

Zoey angry at him seemed to tilt the entire universe, and his was lopsided enough right now as it was.

He motioned for Owen to hand him a drink from the cooler. “It’s not a big deal, guys.” But maybe it was, if Mama D and his friends were all saying the same thing. His stomach clenched.

Cade recast his line. “I guess technically you guys have a chaperone, now that Amelia is living there too.”

“We don’t need a chaperone. It’s Zoey .” The same protest he’d given for years slipped free automatically, and the words tasted, well…not as true. Not a lie, really. But not true either.

The guys shot each other a look.

Owen passed him a sparkling water instead of a beer. Linc scowled at it, then popped the top.

“Besides, having another woman around probably makes Amelia feel more comfortable.” That had to be true. Another thought dawned. “It’s not like I can be home all the time getting this tour business going. And Amelia can’t be alone.” He lifted his can in a toast. “See? All’s well that ends well.”

The guys stared, unconvinced. Fair enough, since he wasn’t really either.

Noah broke the silence first. “But you’re playing house, dude.” He rested his rod against the pier and crossed his arms over his flannel shirt. “That never goes well.”

Linc took a long drag from the can, the bubbles burning his throat. “Isn’t Elisa living with you?”

Noah frowned. “It’s an inn . We’re not the only ones there, and she’s on a different floor.”

“And Zoey is down the hall, along with Amelia.” Linc shrugged. “What’s the difference?”

Noah opened his mouth, closed it. “Elisa and I are getting married in a month. So—a lot of difference.”

Time for a subject change. “You know what I didn’t realize?” Linc finished the contents of his can in one big sip. “You’re running for mayor.”

“What? More tea I didn’t get?” Owen shut the cooler with a thump and a frown. “Guys, come on.”

“For the record, I didn’t know this one either, Owen.” Cade shifted to face them. “Does my dad know yet?”

“It’s not official, hence my lack of telling.” Noah shot Linc a pointed look. “Apparently Zoey took that liberty for herself.”

For good reason, but it was fun watching Noah squirm. And at this point, anything to get the spotlight off his kid. Linc smirked. “Need any campaign posters?”

“Are you good with this?” Noah asked Cade, brow furrowed. “I mean, the town did essentially vote for you not to run a month ago.”

“Yeah, on the same night I went to tell them I resigned from running.” Cade laughed. “Of course it’s fine. The town needs someone to step up, and right now I’m focused on passing the bar so I can get my freelance business started.”

“And busy spending time with Rosalyn.” Owen grinned. “ That tea I have.”

Cade groaned. “Can we get back to Linc and his problems? Before Owen starts trying to pour cream and sugar on me?”

The guys’ banter continued, but Linc tuned it out as he absently dug around his tackle box. Noah’s words cycled through his mind—similar to the warning Mama D had given him. Playing house.

A hook snagged a callus on his finger, and he winced as he tugged it free.

He’d dismissed the idea when it was just him and Zoey.

They were adults, they could handle whatever.

But what about Amelia? Were they giving her a bad impression?

He couldn’t ask Zoey to leave. She had nowhere else to go—and he’d be lost without her.

He didn’t know how to do this dad thing, would screw it up worse than he was already doing alone.

Linc rubbed the sore spot on his hand. But what if Mama D and Noah were right?

What if he was already messing things up with this living arrangement?

He plucked a lure from the box and began wrestling it back on his line, imagining Amelia’s scowl.

Her glare, the rigidness in her back as she stalked away from him earlier that day.

Maybe at this point, things were just meant to be worse. Maybe there was nothing he could do.

“You know, there is one solution to this whole household thing.”

Linc jerked his head up at Noah’s quiet voice echoing over the water, seemingly reading his mind. “What’s that?”

“Ask Zoey to marry you.”

Owen choked on his drink as Cade burst into laughter. “What?”

Linc’s throat went dry. He swallowed, narrowed his eyes. “Careful with those crazy ideas, or I won’t have any confidence in you as mayor.”

“I’m serious.” Noah lifted one shoulder in a shrug as he recast his line. “Sort of checks the boxes you need, you know?”

“ Linc , married? That’d be the day. Mr. Permanent Bachelor here.” Owen clapped Linc on the shoulder, then dropped his arm at Linc’s responding growl. “I mean, whatever you want, man.”

Whatever he wanted? Linc dug through the ice chest and swapped his water for a beer. What he wanted was for things to stop changing.

And marrying Zoey would be the biggest change of all.

He guzzled half the can in a gulp. There was one other thing to consider…He stared across the water, stomach churning and not from the drink.