Page 15 of Tentacles for Christmas

“Sounds like a plan,” I grinned, wiping my hands and standing up. “I’ll pay the bill and get a couple boxes.”

Ricky was bringing a pitcher of beer to the firefighters, so I skirted around them to pay Kaytrina. Before my friends could spot us and interrupt our date, we were out the side door with two flat boxes.

Cam took my hand and we headed back up Main Street, grinning like teenagers.

Chapter nine

Cam

Walkinghandinhandwith Rowen to the marina made me forget how cold it was getting. The sun had set fully while we got food, and it was December, but Rowen’s hand was warm enough to make me forget the need for a thicker jacket.

“...so my dad started Motorvated with King’s father,” Rowen finished the story he’d started when we crossed the street across from his dad’s shop.

“He must be sad to have lost his friend?” I asked, knowing the elder Mr. King had passed away earlier in the year before I arrived. “Is it hard to run the business on his own?”

“Yes and no,” Rowen answered as I steered us towards the dock where my floating house was moored. “He was already running the business on his own, and Mr. King had issues which pushed them apart long before his passing.”

“Life happens,” I nodded, not needing the details.

“My dad loved him, but…yeah. Life happens.” Rowen lifted the hand holding his pizza box and gestured further down the marina. “I have a private dock down that way with my shop.”

“Oh, how cool! Do you have a house there?” I asked, mentally thinking of the very few houses built only this side of the lake. It was mostly businesses and houseboats with only a few private residences. There was a curved path behind Perk Café that prevented me from seeing anything besides boats and trees.

“I live in a houseboat, too.”

“So we’re neighbors!” I grinned as we stepped onto the dock and led us down to the last boat on the right. “I’m new to boat living, but I’d love to show you my fish.”

“You have pet fish?” Rowen asked, a half-smirk on his face I read as curiosity.

“I do, and they’ve traveled around with me.” We’d reached my deck, and I had to let Rowen’s hand go to unlock it. My boss had said no one needed to lock their doors in Blue Lake, but years in the Bay Area had trained me to be cautious. “They seem to like the slight rocking of their current home.”

Rowen chuckled and rubbed his beard, “Sure, I’d love to meet them.”

Most guys I hooked up with in the city hadn’t cared except to ask if they were expensive, so seeing Rowen’s excitement was a lovely bonus.

“Come on in.” Gesturing to the small space, I stepped aside to let Rowen into the new-to me home, with its wood paneling and low ceiling. “My small but humble abode.”

“You must have bought the twenty-four footer that Eddy used to live in,” Rowen commented, having known my boss a lot longer than I had. “Looks better than the picture he showed me last summer.”

“Thanks, I try.” I’d done a bit of fixing up, adding curtains for privacy and a cover on the fold-out couch, plus painting the ceilingwhite to reflect the light from the big windows. The fridge was new, and I put my pizza inside for later. The tank taking up half of the dining table added color and life. “Come meet the fishes.”

Rowen stepped further into the space past the captain’s chair where there was a wheel if I wanted to unmoor and cruise around the lake. Maybe I could hire him to check out the engine and make sure it was sea-worthy, or whatever you called about to drive on a lake.

“So these are your friends,” Rowen commented, leaning on the table to bend for a look at the fish I’d had for a couple years. “What have we got here?”

“It’s only a ten-gallon tank.” I explained, even though that number didn’t mean anything to most people. “The orange one is a clownfish, which most people recognize. He’s named Chuckles. The long, blue-striped one is a neon goby, so he’s called Goby. The fast-moving orange with a pointy fin is my firefish. I named him Pyro. The purplish one with pretty fins is a Royal Gramma. She’s Elizabeth, of course.”

“Makes perfect sense,” Rowen nodded, grinning wide as he took them all in.

“I love how excited you are.” Moving to stand beside him, I felt his warmth and wanted to feel more of it against me. “Want to feed them?”

Rowen stiffened and stood up straight. “I should go.”

His face and neck were red with embarrassment, but I had no clue why. If he didn’t want to stay, I was fine with his choice, but I didn’t want to part from Rowen so soon.

“Can I walk you home, or are you going back for your bike?”

“Oh, no. I planned to get it in the morning.” Rowen nodded and I let out a sigh of relief to not be rejected again. “Let’s go.”