Fisher's Light(81)

As soon as I get to the fence line where the gate is, I see Jefferson standing there with his arms crossed. I should probably turn and find another gate to walk through so I don’t have to deal with him, but I’m on a roll right now. If he wants to give me shit, I’m going to make him regret it.

He’s blocking the gate by the time I get up to him and I have no choice but to ask him as politely as I can to ask him to move.

“You’re in my way.”

Okay, so polite has obviously flown the coop.

“You surprise me, Miss Butler,” Jefferson tells me with a smile on his face.

I’m a little taken aback by his smile and I make the mistake of pausing instead of trying to shoulder my way around him.

“Yet another golden goose you threw away. Another man who would have tossed his money at you just like my stupid son and you ruined it. It’s quite funny when you think about it,” Jefferson says with a laugh. “You could have had the inn paid off with that ring on your finger and Stanford’s last name attached to yours, but I guess that won’t be happening now, will it? Thank you for making my job easier. Looks like Butler House will belong to Fisher Bank and Trust very soon.”

I really want to tell him to go f*ck himself, maybe even smack that smug look off his face, but I’m pretty sure I’ve made enough of a scene today. The town gossip mill will already be working overtime with the show I put on and I don’t need to add beating up the king of Fisher Island to the list. I swallow all of the curses I want to throw at him and lift my chin up higher, moving around him and out the gate. There’s no point giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to me. No point confirming that his words cut right through me and made me so angry that I want to scream.

My anger grows as I walk through town. By the time I get to the inn, I can barely focus as I strip out of my wet, dirty clothes and get into the shower. I don’t want to let that man ruin how good I feel after telling Stanford off, but I can’t help it. His words circle around my brain and fester until they’re all I can think about.





Chapter 32




Fisher

Present Day


“Shouldn’t you be down at the beach? The fireworks are going to start soon.”

I don’t even glance up at Trip as he comes out the door on the small deck attached to the back of his house. I’ve been sitting here staring out at the ocean, feeling sorry for myself, and I plan on doing that for the rest of the night.

“I heard there was quite the commotion down at the ball game today. Is that why you’ve been sitting out here pouting like a toddler all afternoon?” Trip asks as he sits down on the top step next to me.

“I’m not pouting,” I complain.

“There are seagulls circling overhead, waiting to take a shit on that bottom lip you’ve got sticking out. You’re pouting.”

I use my middle finger to scratch the side of my face and Trip snorts. “Your maturity level astounds me. Get off your ass, go to the beach and see Lucy. I’d like to sit here on my porch and enjoy the quiet night without listening to you sigh like a lovesick teenage girl every five seconds.”

Turning my head, I glare at him and he raises his eyebrow and glares right back.

“If you heard about the commotion at the game today, then I’m sure you know why there’s no point in going to see Lucy,” I remind him.

Trip laughs right in my face. “Since when did you turn into such a *? I thought Marines were bad asses who didn’t take no for an answer? Last time I checked, she didn’t walk down the aisle and say ‘I do’ this afternoon. Strap on those balls the military gave you and go get your woman back.”

It’s pretty sad that my eighty-three year old grandfather needs to remind me that I have balls. I felt like I’d been castrated the minute Shit-For-Brains-Ford got down on one knee earlier. I knew they’d been dating for a couple months, but I had no idea things were so serious between her and that f*ck head. I thought I had time to make her fall in love with me again, but I should have known better. She’s not the type of woman that you let slip through your fingers, and I feel like an ass because Shartford realized that before me. He jumped on the opportunity that I pushed away. I have to give him credit for being smart about that, at least.

“I can’t get her back when she doesn’t want to come back,” I tell him.

Trip shakes his head at me. “How can you be so smart about everything else, but so stupid when it comes to Lucy? If you’d pulled your head out of your ass and stuck around that ball park for a little while, you would’ve seen better fireworks than the ones they’re about to shoot off down on that beach.”