Too Late, Don Russo: His Pregnant Wife Signed First novel · Chapter 21 of 24

Chapter 21: Ferry Season

At a quarter to five, in the dark, Don stood on the ferry pier in new rubber boots with the price tag still on one.

I watched from Bea's kitchen window with a mug of ginger tea.

The big fisherman who had called me about Bea's fall pointed at a bucket.

Don picked it up.

It was full of cod.

I couldn't hear anything, but I saw the fisherman hand him a knife, say three words and fold his arms.

Don looked at the fish, and the fish looked back.

He made the first cut.

It went very badly.

By six o'clock he had a pile of mangled fillets, a bleeding thumb and a crowd of gulls that thought he was the best thing to happen to the pier in years.

By seven he had made a clean cut.

By eight, the fisherman clapped him on the shoulder so hard that he staggered.

I put down my mug and laughed into my sleeve.

Bea came up beside me in her robe.

"He's slow," she said.

"He's learning."

"Slow is how you learn something worth knowing." She sniffed. "Don't tell him I said that."

He came to the cottage that evening smelling of salt and bait, with his hands red and cracked.

I held them under warm water in the kitchen sink.

He watched my fingers on his.

"I have a list," he said. "The widow next door needs her steps salted at six. The church needs a new roof gutter. The inn's pump is out."

"You said yes to all of them?"

"Bea says that's what Harbor Point asks of a man. Show up. Do the next thing."

"You don't have to do all the next things."

"I want to be the man who shows up on Thursday."

I turned off the water and dried his hands with the dish towel.

Nobody had ever looked at me the way he did when I took hold of his wrist.

← Chapter 20 · All chapters · Chapter 22 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend