“Do I look scared? I’ll see you at the wharf in an hour.” He walked away.

“Oh the hubris of a man who has never been on a school field trip.” Sophie lowered down onto her back and went back to removing screws.

*

An hour later, Sophie hugged Biyen on the wharf. His wiry arms squeezed her waist, then abruptly dropped away.

“’Kay. Bye Mom!” He stepped aboard the seabus.

“I’ll text when we land in Vancouver,” Emma promised wryly as Sophie relayed Biyen’s backpack to Reid.

Logan came to stand beside her, a cardboard box full of pub fare in his hands.

“These two are for me and Sophie.” He took two burgers off the top and handed the box to Reid. “You guys have fun. I’m gonna miss you kids,” he told Imogen and Cooper, giving the boy a fist bump. “Gonna miss you, too, brat.” He kissed Storm’s cheek and nodded at Delta. “Hope to see you back here soon.”

“I’m sure it will be a regular event,” Delta promised with what looked like a sincere smile.

There was more waving as the seabus chugged away.

Sophie ate her burger while she watched it putter out of the cove. Logan patiently waited beside her until she crumpled her wrapper and sighed.

“Is this his first time away from you?”

“On a big trip, yeah. He’s spent a night with Nolan’s mom a few times, but I was always at your mom’s a few streets away. I’ve been trying to work out how to take him to that exhibit, though. Summer is so busy here, it’s impossible to get away. I’m glad he’ll be able see it, and he really loves those kids. He’s going to miss them.”

“Mom would say it’s healthy for him to learn that you only leave him with people you trust.”

“She would say that to me.” She tipped an askance look up to him. “When would she have said that to you?”

“When I left Storm with her while Reid and Emma were on their cruise.”

“It’s true.” She threw her wrapper in a litter bin on the way to the ramp from the wharf up to the graveled verge.

“I should have asked if Art needed a burger. What’s he doing for dinner?”

“Opening a can of soup and enjoying the silence,” she said wryly. “Biyen’s away, you’ve moved out, even Nolan’s gone. I think he’s secretly thrilled I’m working all weekend. He likes kids, but it’s been a lot with the birthday party and everything. He needs to sit and recharge.” She hoped that’s all he needed.

“Did you make him a doctor appointment?” He held the door into the marina building for her.

“Next Thursday. But I’ll use some of these hours I’m about to bank and take him myself. I want to hear what they say.” She spoke over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs.

“Sure. Let me know if something changes.”

“Oh.” She paused inside the door as she stepped into the office. “You got a lot done after I went home.”

He had moved the computer and file cabinet, removed the coffee shelf and covered her desk with a drop sheet. A number of tools were laid out, including a reciprocating saw.

“Ready to rumble?” He slipped on a pair of safety goggles and a dust mask.

Sophie pulled on gloves, goggles, and a dust mask, then plugged in the saw. As she did, she noticed Logan watching her.

What was that look? Approval? Something more…interested?

“What?” she asked, finger tracing the on switch.

“Nothing. There’s an electrical outlet on the other side of the wall near here.” He tapped a claw hammer into the bottom of the wall, punching small holes. He then used the claw to pull away drywall and bent to peer inside the gap he’d made. “Looks like the wires go that way.” He pointed away from her and up. “You should be okay to start over there.”

She followed his direction, but as she was about to set blade to wall, she realized he was watching her again.

“What.” There was too much anticipation in the air. More awareness than usual. Maybe because she knew the offices on the other side of this wall were empty? It made this feel really intimate, and she couldn’t understand why. “Is this going to be weird? Us working together all weekend?”

“No. We just shared a house for three weeks. It was fine, wasn’t it? We’re fine. Aren’t we?”

Absolutely not.

“I guess.” She scratched inside her collar, then adjusted her mask, and put in some ear plugs. She turned on the high-pitched whine of the saw.

While she cut long paths down and across the drywall, he tap-tapped, dropping a trail of gypsum as he followed the wiring.

She caught him glancing at her several times, though.

“Am I not doing it right?” she demanded, voice hollow because she still wore her mask.

“You’re doing great.”

“For a girl? Don’t be patronizing.” She turned off the saw and set it aside to wrangle a big section of drywall off the studs.

“I’m not.”

“You’re something. What is it?”

He muttered something under his breath. “Okay, look.”

She stopped what she was doing and looked. Stared. Watched him lift his mask to give the golden stubble on his jaw a brief rub. He seemed genuinely uncomfortable.

“I’m trying to decide if I should tell you something. Is this a safe space? Are we friends this weekend or boss and employee or what?”

“I don’t know what we are.” She yanked another chunk of drywall free and stuffed it into the heavy-duty disposal bag. “Being friends doesn’t seem realistic. There’s too much history that’s too…” Sexual? Ugh. “There’s also too much interconnection to simply be boss and employee. Neighbors?” she suggested facetiously. “Why? Because if you have a big secret, am I really the person you want to confide in? Isn’t there someone else? Maybe start a diary.”

He sent her a disgruntled look, then bent to pop another dotted line with the hammer before he used the claw to join them.

“You’re probably the only person I’ve ever really confided in,” he surprised her by saying. “I think it’s because you were always here. At the marina, I mean. You had a front row seat to whatever was going on with Dad or my brothers. Those were the things that really stirred me up and there was no point trying to hide any of it from you. You never judged me for it, either. In fact… Do you realize you were the first person I ever said, ‘I want to build boats’ to? You said, ‘I know.’ I didn’t even know until I said it out loud.” His smile kicked up on one side, rueful.

“Really? It was so obvious! You love everything about boats.” She broke off a few more jagged edges of drywall.

“It’s still a big jump from wanting to do something and being able to do it. You believed I was capable. That was the beginning of me believing it.”

He was watching her again. It was strange. She felt as though a huge spotlight was on her. As if she had way more importance in his life than could be real. It made her heart quiver uncertainly in her chest.