Free Salt Water Wounds (Oyster Cove #1) by Jennifer Foor Page A

I know she’ll be safe for the night at Oyster Cove. The name of my residence makes me smile. Most homes have names in Chincoteague. It’s just something everyone does. Most refer to relaxation or the beach. Some are even named from seashells. Oyster Cove is significant to my family because of our business. We’re waterman, who spend half the year oystering. Some would call us oystermen, but that’s not all we do. We crab, shrimp, and even charter fishing expeditions, on one of my two designated watercrafts. That keeps us busy year round, but with my boys all working for me throughout the year, I’m finding it difficult to pay them what they deserve and still have enough to keep for myself. It’s why I think the idea of buying the bar might be the best solution. It would give me something that’s mine, while the boys kept the business going.
    It’s been a long time since I’ve had a visitor at the house, more to the point a female. This all sort of got thrown onto my plate having been there when the shit hit the fan earlier. At first I regretted saying she could hide at my house, but now I’m surprisingly distracted. She’s more than meets the eye. Alice Perry has a past that makes mine look innocent. She’s got an ex who might want her dead. I’d never seen someone as scared as she was earlier. Now that she’s here, under my roof, I’m getting to know things about her I never thought I’d be interested in.
    We sit outside for the entirety of the thunderstorm, watching the lightning strike across the skyline. We discuss our families; her telling me about her rocky marriage, while I open up a bit about Layla, and how it’s been hell trying to get over her.
    I don’t know what I expected when I walked her through my bedroom to get to the covered porch. I know she thinks I need mental help regarding my wife’s belongings. I’ve been meaning to get to packing her things up, but I don’t know if I can go through with it. Getting rid of those items is like saying goodbye to the constant reminders I enjoy having.
    Now I’ve agreed to take another woman on a date, and I don’t know how I feel about that either. I’m enjoying her company. She’s sexy, smart, and savvy. I even get a kick out of listening to her correcting Bristol for acting inappropriate, but taking a leap like this could break me.
    If I’m anything, it’s a man of my word. If I said I’d take this woman out to dinner, it’s going to happen. I’m not making promises that I’ll enjoy myself, or vice versa. There’s a good chance she’ll tell me to never speak to her again. Let’s face it. I’ll never be over my wife. I like to talk about her, about our life we shared together. Back when I was happy and comfortable. Now I’m damaged and lost.
     
    After nine, the house starts to fill up.
    The twins took Nick in their room, and from the sounds resonating behind the closed door, I’d say they were fully engulfed in video gaming. Bristol locked herself in her room and played music at a volume I could handle. Brant came in and then left again, saying he was staying somewhere else for the night, and I’m not sure if it was because my guests or he had his own plans. Dane mostly stays in his studio apartment, so he’s not expected, while Weston, who we all call West, arrived well after eleven. I know this because I could hear him banging around in the kitchen, talking to a female that didn’t sound like someone I’d ever heard within these walls.
    I end up getting Perry comfortable in Dane’s room, then retreat back to mine. As I lay there staring at the ceiling, unable to close my eyes, I worry what Layla would be thinking if she was watching me. Would she approve of me helping out a local? Would she be jealous and accuse me of having interest? Has there been enough time for me to be allowed to have a girlfriend without scrutiny?
    Perry’s always been interested in me. She’s made comments through the years implying the fun we could