I carried the empty plates up the dock and stacked them by the office sink.
My hands were still steady. They had been steady all morning.
That was the one thing nobody at that table could touch.
Drew leaned in the doorway with his easy smile, like the day was his to hand out.
Drew: Hey. You got a second?
Drew: The four o'clock booking. Can you take it?
Drew: Trent's got his dad's boat for the afternoon. Tide's perfect.
His name was on the four o'clock in his own handwriting.
Alina: That's your shift.
Drew: I know. That's why I'm asking you.
Paige: She'll do it. Look at her. She's already saying yes in her head.
Paige: You're not his girlfriend. You're his help.
My face went hot. My hands stayed steady on the counter.
Alina: I'll cover it.
I said it flat. Not for him. For the yard.
Drew: See? Best thing this yard has.
He kissed my head and was out the door before I could want more.
Gerald came through the back door with his clipboard and saw me at the desk.
Gerald: Alina. You're on Drew's four o'clock?
Alina: Yes. It's covered.
Gerald: Good. That's a real help. Thank you.
He said it straight to me. Something in my chest opened up.
Somebody had seen it.
Drew: Yeah, Dad. I got it sorted before I go.
Drew: Bookings are handled. No worries.
Gerald: Good man. That's what I like to see.
He clapped Drew on the back, proud as anything.
The thanks I had just earned went straight into Drew's pocket.
Drew caught my eye and winked. Like we were in on it together.
Like my shift was a favor he had done for himself.
Trent: Drew. Move your fucking ass. We're burning daylight.
Drew: Coming. Alina's got the desk. She doesn't mind.
Drew: You're the best, babe.
He never turned around. The door banged shut behind them.
I sat down and ran my finger down the sheet.
Four o'clock. Six names. Deposit paid, life jackets counted, weather checked.
All of it mine now, and none of it his.
My hands had done everything in this yard for two years.
I was good at this. That was not a small thing.
But Gerald's thank you had landed on the wrong man, and nobody corrected it.
Drew had not corrected it.
That sat in my chest like a swallowed stone.
I picked up my pen and wrote my initials beside the four o'clock.
Small and straight. Mine.
If nobody said my name out loud today, the sheet would.
Outside, a boat engine coughed and caught on the water.
Drew was already out there, laughing, free.
He kissed me at dawn like I was chosen. At noon he took credit for my work and never looked back.
I still wanted the first thing to be true.