to get drunk?
he asked the wriggling ball of fur.
Nope, you're right, bad choice.
He stepped inside the building, set the dog down and wondered where he might find an alternative.
Work, he decided, was a wiser option than a bottle.
He busied himself with an engine until he heard the familiar blat of a horn. That would be Holt, bringing in the last tour of the day.
His mood still sour, Nathaniel went out and down to the pier to help secure lines.
The holiday's bringing in a lot of tourists, Holt commented when the lines were
secured.
Good runs today.
Yeah.
Nathaniel scowled at the throng of people still lingering on the docks.
I
hate crowds.
Holt's brow lifted.
You were the one who came up with the Fourth of July special to lure them in.
We need the money.
Nathaniel stomped back into the shop.
Doesn't mean I have
to like it.
Who's ticked you off?
Nobody.
Nathaniel took out a cigar, lit it defiantly.
I'm not used to being
landlocked, that's all.
Holt very much doubted that was all, but, in the way of men, shrugged his acceptance and picked up a wrench.
This engine's coming along.
I can pick up and go anytime.
Nathaniel clamped the cigar between his teeth.
Nothing holding me. All I got to do is pack a bag, hop a freighter.
Holt sighed, accepted his lot as a sounding board.
Megan, is it?
I didn't ask for her to drop in my lap, did I?
Well...
I was here first.
Even when he heard how ridiculous that sounded, Nathaniel couldn't stop.
Woman's got a computer chip in her head. She's not even my type, with those neat little suits and that glossy briefcase. Who ever said I was going to settle down heie, lock myself in for life? I've never stayed put anywhere longer than a month since I was eighteen.
Holt pretended to work on the engine.
You started a business, took out a mortgage.
And it seems to me you've been here better than six months now.
Doesn't mean anything.
Is Megan dropping hints about wedding bells?
No.
Nathaniel scowled around his cigar and snarled.
lam.
Holt dropped his wrench.
Hold on a minute. Let me get this straight. You're thinking of getting married, and you're kicking around here muttering about hopping a freighter and not being tied down?
I didn't ask to be tied down, it just happened.
Nathaniel took a deliberate puff,