Edgeli Addison
"So you're clearly hiding out here," Owen said as I cracked open another one, "permission to board, Captain?" He asked me and I gestured for him to board the Addy. I'd been drinking on deck for several hours now, ever since I got that text from him.
"What gave it away that I was hiding?" I asked him and offered him the final beer.
"I'm working, Edge, and the fact you've been out here all alone and falling off the chair when you see people coming," he pointed out but sat down in the other folding chair I had set up on the little deck. "So what are you hiding from?" He asked me, "can't be your brother because word around town is you're getting on great and agreeing on everything at the hotel," he said before I could lie and offer that as an excuse.
"My boyfriend is a jerk sometimes," I told him.
"You're going to have to elaborate Edge, I met the guy for about fifteen minutes," he said and I sighed loudly.
"I was going to fly down for a few days, I told him I was sorting out coming home for a few days and he's apparently signed on another short term contract but I'm not convinced, I think he's pissed off with me for staying here," I told him and he gestured for the beer now.
"I can't deal with your relationship problems without a beer," he decided and I handed him the can. "Have you thought about not giving him warning and just showing up?" He suggested to me.
"No, I had not," I admitted and I would have gotten my phone out to book a flight if I wasn't a little too drunk but I was so I didn't, "you ever think you've made a mistake but it's too late to go back?" I asked Owen.
"You talking about leaving Teodoro?" He asked me.
"Maybe," I offered, when he knew that was exactly what I was on about. "I wonder what would have happened if I had told him when I was leaving, if he would have come with me or if he would have still stayed here," I told him and it was starting to really bother me.
"Teo loves you, he will always love you, and I don't think you really moved on with his guy," he told me, "you know it in your heart too, Edgeli, you just wanted to hear a third party say it," he said and I shook my head.
"I'm happy with Skye, and I will be booking a secret flight back to Florida when I sober up," I told him, cracking open another can. I was happy with Skye, I had made a new life with him when I put the distance between myself and Neptune Waters.
"You want to go sleep it off in the marina office?" He asked, "I don't think you want to be waking up your nephew in the middle of the night stumbling in drunk out your ass," he told me and he was correct, I did not want that.
"After this last one," I said and slouched in the chair to look up at the sky, "I love looking at the stars," I said, watching the twinkling lights in the sky, "on some nights when we didn't have a charter, I'd lie on the sun deck and watch the stars," I told him, "wondering if Red was looking down on me and judging my life choices," I said and I knew my brother was judging my life choices from beyond the grave.
"Come on, let's put you to bed," Owen said and helped me up. "If EJ asks where you've been all night, you were working a shift with me because I needed a hand," he told me and I appreciated that.
I passed out almost instantly when Owen tucked me in on the little camp bed in the office. I had drunk quite a lot before he came to check on me and I'd lost my tolerance from being sober for a month and a half now. It was fun being a lightweight again, meant I wasn't spending much money so I could put it all into the hotel renovations.
I woke up in the morning and felt like utter crap. "Coffee and an egg bagel," Owen said, handing me a paper bag and a disposable coffee cup. "Need an aspirin?" He asked me as I sat up with a pounding headache.
"Nope, I'll be fine," I assured him and took a sip of coffee, "just need to mainline this, get a second one before I hit the road and hope I can get up to my room before I cross paths with Ever.
"And book a secret flight to Florida," he reminded me but that could wait until I showered at home.
"Has this got cinnamon in it?" I questioned. I loved cinnamon in my coffee but I didn't tell people that because they'd never get the right amount, only three people other than me ever did - Red, EJ and Teo.
"Ran into Teo at the coffee shop, correctly assumed that the double shot Americano was for you, and put cinnamon in it," he told me and that meant I might have to have an awkward conversation with Teo about me drinking alone.
"Think he'll forgive me for what I've done?" I asked Owen before starting on the egg bagel.
"Teo would forgive you for anything, Edgeli," Owen told me, "especially since you came home and you're clearly planning on moving back here," he said and I hadn't said that. "Edgeli Addison, you got out of this place and you became a better version of you but you know it's time to come home to your family, to people who truly love you for you," he said, "and pick up shifts here because I don't trust half the kids trying to get jobs around here to tie their shoes let alone a boat to a slip," he added with a wink.
"I'll see you later, Owen," I said, getting up from the bed. "I need a shower and to pack for a trip back to Florida to explain to my long term live-in boyfriend that I need to move home," I said and it was definitely going to be an awkward conversation because I couldn't bring Skye with me here.
I got back to the house and made it up the stairs, almost into my room before EJ caught me. "Working for Owen?" He questioned.
"He wanted an extra pair of hands around the marina and I was missing being around boats," I said, confirming the lie that Owen must have told him already. "Think you have a handle on everything if I go back to Port Sant Lucie for a few days?" I asked him, leaning against the frame to support my hungover body.
"I thought he'd taken another contract?" EJ questioned, "oh you're doing a surprise drop by of your boyfriend between contracts," he realised, "I can handle it for a couple days, plus you're only a phone call away if something comes up with it," he assured me, "also, you should tell my son you're going but will be coming back because he has become very attached to his aunt in the month and a half you've been here," he told me before walking off, letting me escape to my shower.
I felt much better when I was clean and put on some PJs. I finally checked my phone and I had a half a dozen missed calls and texts from Teo so I called him back as I opened up my laptop to search flights.
"Please tell me you didn't spend the night drinking alone on a boat," he demanded when he picked up.
"I didn't spend all night drinking alone on a boat," I assured him, "I slept in the marina office and Owen drank with me," I added and found a flight that meant I'd get in around midday, which would be a few hours before he got back on land.
"Where are you now?" He asked me.
"Back in the house, I just got back," I said and booked the flight then went over to the bus service site to book those tickets too. "I'm going back to Florida next week for a few days, to see Skye before he goes on another contract," I told him.
"Want to do lunch before you leave? They're bringing the truck down by the school district on Friday," he asked me and that did sound good but I needed some distance from Teo for a little bit, get back in the EJ mindset but I could do that around Teo because I didn't want to be that person around him. I wasn't comfortable with him seeing me that way, which was why things got weird at that party. I'd been way too comfortable in being Edge again and it had clearly been hard for Skye seeing me as a person who he didn't recognise, in a world he would never be a part of like I was.
"Can't, I have a load of stuff to get done with the hotel before I go back to Florida," I partially lied to him, feeling my skin for telling him lies, "but definitely when I'm back," I said, closing my laptop now I'd sorted everything to go home.
"I'll let you sleep it off, and I'll see you when you're back," he told me and hung up on me. I put myself to bed but couldn't get to sleep, which was crazy because years of yachting meant I could go out like a light when the lights went out.
There was a light knock on my door, "I'm not sleeping, EJ," I told him and continued staring at the ceiling as my brother let himself in. He laid down on my bed with me, above the covers.
"You may think you're a good liar, Edge, but I'm your big brother," he said as we both looked up at the ceiling. "You weren't working with Owen last night, you were drinking alone on the Addy and he caught you," he said and I didn't say anything.
"I was having a crisis," I said, "Owen helped me figure it out," I told him, "mostly," I added and pulled my bedsheet over my head.
"So what have you figured out?" He asked me.
"I want to move back here permanently, at least when I'm not on charter," I admitted, easier to admit when I didn't look at him.
"Into the house or your own apartment?" He asked me.
"The house at first then maybe my own place, I'd pull shifts at the hotel when I'm on land and at the marina then go do charters, haven't seen Hawaii yet so I'm not far away if something goes wrong," I told him and he pulled the covers from over my head. "This place has changed, we've changed, and I've missed you, and I love being Ever's aunt, and I missed Javi and King..." I trailed off and looked to my brother.
"But what about Skye? Can't imagine he wants to move from a Florida city to beach town California," he said and I was going to talk to Skye about it when I saw him but I knew my own mind on the matter.
"Either he sees that this is what I need and moves with me or doesn't and we try to go long distance," I told him, "and if he doesn't want to make that work then my longest relationship has to end so I can do what's best for me," I added and EJ gave me a hug.
"I'm going to ask you a question, and I know when you're lying so you have to answer it honestly," he said and I was definitely about to lie to my brother. "Do you want Skye to say he refuses to go long distance so you can get back with Teo Valdez without being the bad guy?" He asked me.
"I take the fifth."