Troubles in Paradise (Paradise #3)(60)
Maia shrugs. “He told me she just wanted to live with you guys. She thought she was imposing.”
“Fair enough,” Baker says. “But why did she quit the boat?”
“Gramps won’t talk about it,” Maia says. “But he refuses to hire another mate. So he’s doing two jobs by himself and he’s never home.” A beat-up RAV4 pulls up. “That’s Joanie’s mom. I have to go, bro.”
That night over dinner, Baker says, “I saw Maia at school. She said Huck refuses to hire another mate.”
Irene freezes with her fork suspended over her plate. They’re having pineapple fried rice with grilled shrimp, and Irene has helped herself to one spoonful of rice and one shrimp. “Well,” she says finally. “That’s his prerogative, I guess.”
“Why don’t you go back, Mom?” Cash says.
“I want to do my own thing,” Irene says. “I bought the study materials for the captain’s license, and I’ve been working my way through. I’ll go to St. Thomas to take my test, and while I’m over there, I’m looking at a boat. I just need a marketing plan, advertising, some way to get my new venture out there.”
“What’s the name going to be?” Cash asks. “Of the boat?”
“Angler Cupcake,” Irene says. Her lips hint at a smile. “That was what your grandfather used to call me.”
Why shouldn’t Irene have her own fishing boat? Baker wonders. Why shouldn’t Angler Cupcake be every bit as successful as the Mississippi? Well, he suspects his mother will have a challenging time attracting male clients with a boat called Angler Cupcake. Which means she’ll be going after a female clientele. Are there enough women who fish for her to sustain a fishing-charter business?
Baker decides to ask his Gifft Hill School–mom friends. They’re not school wives, not yet, but Baker, Swan, Bonny, and Paula are bonding. Whenever Baker drops Floyd off or picks him up, those three are reliably waiting for him.
He broaches the fishing-boat question one afternoon while Floyd plays for a few extra minutes on the jungle gym with Swan’s son Ryder.
“I think she could be very successful,” Paula says. Baker has learned that Paula is a bit of a Suzie Sunshine; she says whatever she thinks will make someone happy, regardless of whether or not she believes it’s true.
“I don’t,” Bonny says. Bonny balances Paula out; she’s a naysayer. “Women don’t fish.”
“Some women fish,” Swan says. “Your mother could start a trend, Baker. Lots of women with money are planning girls’ trips, and your mom’s fishing boat would be perfect. Plus, she could market to families with young children. And…bachelorettes?”
“Families, maybe, but bachelorettes do not want to fish,” Bonny says. “Do you even watch the show? The girls on The Bachelor will fish or bungee jump or go to the machine-gun range, but only to seem cool and beat out the other girls. It’s never their choice.”
“I majored in marketing at Florida State,” Swan says. “Have your mom reach out. I’m happy to help her, free of charge.”
“You are such a kiss-ass,” Bonny says.
“Maybe we could all help?” Paula says, and Swan gives her a withering look. These women make Baker miss Ellen, Debbie, Becky, and Wendy because they were relaxed, stable…and not after him.
“I’ll run it past my mom,” Baker says. He needs to get out of there before they come to blows. “Thanks, ladies.”
Episode 6: Baker is killing it at work! He feels like the host of a new HGTV show called Do You Want to Buy a Time-Share? He’s aware that most people take the tour only because they want the free breakfast (with bottomless mimosas) or the free appetizers (with free-flowing rum punch), plus the hundred-dollar resort credit. But Baker finds that the clients he interacts with at least consider the possibility of buying.
One day, he puts two units under contract, a one-bedroom and a three-bedroom! He experiences a surge of pure, unadulterated confidence that feels like mainlining a drug. Nothing is going to happen with Ayers until he makes it happen. It’s ludicrous that she’s right across the street and they almost never see each other. Cash sees Ayers more than Baker does because he goes over every day to visit Winnie. Floyd sees more of Ayers than Baker does because he tags along with Cash. Baker told Cash that the property manager of the Happy Hibiscus explicitly stated there were no pets allowed—but this was a lie. Pets are fine. Baker just wants Ayers to keep Cash’s dog so there is still one filament connecting Ayers to Baker. And anyway, the household is crowded enough as it is. (Sorry, Winnie.)
Baker swings by Our Market to get Ayers a pineapple-mango smoothie, then he stops at Sam and Jack’s for a bag of their homemade potato chips. This is the perfect afternoon snack. He still has an hour and a half before school pickup. He can bring Ayers these goodies and stay for a visit—catch up, see how she’s feeling, ask if she wants him to go with her to her prenatal appointment at Schneider Hospital. This will show he’s thinking of her. He’s never not thinking of her, but it won’t be overbearing.
Her green truck is in the driveway—wonderful. He strides up to the door and knocks. The pineapple-mango smoothie is sweating in his hand, and while he waits, he worries that her favorite type is pineapple-banana, not pineapple-mango. He should have written it down the second she mentioned it. This is the kind of thing that Mick knows by heart and Baker doesn’t.