Page 163 of At First Catch

“Luxury condos. Private club access. More tourism.”

Every word sounds wrong here.

I picture gated docks and polished buildings replacing the weathered charm Nolan worked so hard to preserve.

The charter captains pushed out by private boats.

Families priced out of the summers they’ve spent here for generations.

The marina becoming impressive and completely unrecognizable.

“And what do you want?” I ask.

“This.” He gestures around us. “The charter guys. The old slips. Families bringing their kids here every summer.” His voice roughens. “I don’t want this place to become something cold.”

Emotion presses against my chest.

Of course he doesn’t.

Nolan has spent months restoring the marina’s structure without stripping away its character.

He didn’t buy this place to replace it.

He bought it to save it.

“You already love it like it’s yours,” I say.

He looks at me, then back toward the water.

“It is mine. That’s the problem.”

The confession settles between us.

I understand what he means.

The marina belongs to him legally, but that isn’t what scares him.

He belongs to it now too.

To the people who depend on it.

To this town.

To the life he’s building here.

I move closer and slide my hand into his. His fingers close around mine.

“Nolan.”

“I know.”

His voice is quiet.

And I do know. This isn’t really about development plans or investment percentages.

It’s about roots.

Nolan spent his whole life avoiding anything that could make leaving painful, and now he’s accidentally fallen in love with an entire town.