First There Was You

Chapter 37 Part 1: Greyson

July 28

Minett, Muskoka

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I curse myself for leaving the shopping to the last minute, just like I do every time.

I only have two days until Elle's sixteenth birthday, and I still haven't decided on what to get her. I'm screwed.

I thought about getting her a digital camera, but seeing how much she loves that old Polaroid camera, I don't want her to believe it isn't good enough, or that she should stop taking them. I've already stolen some from her stash, keeping some for myself. I could look at them over and over, never tiring of them.

Now, I'm leaning towards a necklace, something she can always wear to keep me close.

Tess, bless her, called last night, and I'd broken down, admitting I hadn't planned anything. God love nosy, bossy sisters. She's definitely saved my bacon. Again. She does it every year for Mom's birthday too.

I now have a post-it note with a local jewelry designer's name on it stuffed into my boat's glove compartment. Apparently, the designer is a bit of a recluse but someone who makes relatively high-end pieces and sells them in a few independent boutiques in Toronto. Tess is sure the designs are exactly Elle's style; delicate, original, classy.

I plan to drag Ry with me tomorrow to pick something out since there's no way I can take Hud or Theo. They'd tear me to shreds if they saw the state I was in over her. I should have gone in on their gift, but I wanted to do something special, something on my own.

Glancing over at the girl in question, I watch her tip-toeing to try to reach the remaining oil in the mechanic bay. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dan, one of the young-ish mechanics watching her, waiting to see if she'll manage. When Elle only nudges the bottle with a fingertip, he wanders over, looking her up and down as he walks up behind her. For a moment, I can't see her, his larger body blocking her from my sight.

When he passes the bottle down to her, she slides under his arm and hurries away, into the shop, glancing back at him as she walks. I frown, wondering what's got her in such a hurry.

When she and Hunter walk back out, they're laughing, and I relax. Hunter taps Elle under her chin and walks around the back of the building, leaving her to sort the water toys. I turn my attention back to Dan as I untangle the pump hoses.

I just don't like the guy, he's too interested in Elle. Every time she goes for a swim, I watch him watch her. Considering he's in his early twenties, it's just weird. He's made suggestive comments too, hidden behind innocent innuendo. She's too young for him to be looking at her like that. Talking to her like that.

The mechanics we work with can be a rough bunch, but Dan can be downright aggressive and doesn't really appear to have a filter. He's been known to throw down at the local bar over the smallest things. He's completely obsessed with this mixed martial arts shit in his spare time, burning off his taste for fighting there, mostly. Or, so I've heard from my older cousins, Hunter's brothers. I've never actually seen him fight.

I can't help but notice Dan spends more time here than the other mechanics, especially lately. Usually, our mechanics rotate through, and we don't see any of them more than once or twice a week each generally speaking. But Dan's been rotating through here pretty regularly recently.

Elle's rarely in the mechanic bay unless someone comes in for oil, and it's not on the shelf in the store. I've been trying to keep the shelves stocked, so she doesn't need to spend much time in the bay. I don't like her working too closely with Dan.

When a boat pulls in, I tie them off and wait until everyone steps off the boat before turning the pumps on.

"I'll meet you all inside to take your payment. Do you want me to fill her up?"