Page 73 of Thirst For Me
“You got your phone working?”
“I’ll upload it later” is her non-answer. She stashes the phone and the cup, which turns out to be empty, in her bag. “What’s up?” She zips up her hoodie, blocking my view of her cleavage.
Doesn’t matter. She’s sexy as hell either way.
But less distracting, at least.
I turn to look back at the pier building, slide my hands into my pockets. “It’s beautiful from this angle, isn’t it? All lit up in the evening, with that backdrop. The dusk sky in the west shifting colors.”
“Yes, it is,” she says warily.
“There used to be tables out on this side, and dancing on summer nights.”
“Really?”
I look at her. Decide to take a chance. Because I haven’treallytried to talk to her.
To reason with her.
“Maybe this is what bothers me the most. That you don’t know anything about the history of this building. Or understand why it’s important to Orchard Cove.”
Or why it’s important to me.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m just selling smoothies for the summer, Mason. Maybe I don’t need to understand.”
I consider that. And this disturbing feeling under my skin, the strange, conflicting tension that stirs in me whenever I think of her staying ... or leaving.
“Do you even know why it’s called Pier Seven?”
“Because there are at least six other piers?” she guesses.
“No. There’s no official numbered pier system around here. My great-great-grandfather built the original pier here in Orchard Cove. His wife, my great-great-grandmother, was the seventh in a family of seven children. He would call her his lucky number seven. He named the pier after her.”
“Oh. That’s ... nice,” she admits.
“That original pier burned down, but my great-grandfather, my grandpa Tommy’s dad, and June’s dad were friends and they rebuilt it. They also added the building. It started out as a fish and chips stand, then was expanded into a larger restaurant and meeting place. It served as a social hub for the growing community at the time.”
“So, how did June Spencer come to own it?”
I’m glad she’s asked, because it shows that she actually has an interest. I want her to know why this place is important to my family. Though this is definitely my least favorite part of the story.
“Well, the government owns the actual pier now. But the building we call Pier Seven ...” I rub my hand over my face. “Now that I think of it, you might not even believe me if I tell you. It’s so ridiculous.”
Her eyebrow lifts. “Now I really need to know.”
I sigh quietly. “Tommy’s dad and June’s dad were friends, like I said, but they became rivals. Stopped talking to one another. Except for one fated night when they sat down to ‘settle’ their dispute, probably after a few too many drinks. With a poker game.”
Sierra gapes at me. “Are you telling me that your great-grandfatherlostthis building to June’s father in a poker game?”
“That is exactly what I’m telling you.”
“Wow. How embarrassing for you.”
I hold back a laugh. “You could say that. June’s father didn’t care to run a restaurant here, but he also didn’t care to give, gamble, or sell it back to Tommy’s father, so it sat empty for a long while. One of June’s sisters and her husband ran the last active restaurant here for many years, but they struggled with it. I don’t think they ever fell in love with it. They moved away from Orchard Cove eight years ago. It’s been empty since then, except when June rents it out to the community or local businesses for events, exhibits, pop-up shops ...”
“Okay. I can see why you’d want it back to run a restaurant. But you have to understand, I didn’t know any of this when I came here. I didn’t come here to compete with you.”
“But you’re so good at it,” I say dryly.
