With The Tide (Outerbanks JJ Maybank x OC)

Chapter 11 - Family

This was one of my favorite chapter to write, only because this is the scene and the scenario that drove this whole story and started the whole thing.

I did do some quick math when it came to the gold so roughly the 25 bars would be maybe 1.2 million approximately, but like i said super rough estimate.

Anyway all errors are mine :)

We had found gold... not just gold nuggets that you pan for in the mines... freaking gold bars.

After debating on what to do next, I found myself the next day sitting outside the pawn shop with Sarah as the others went in to 'pawn the gold'. There was no way we would be able to take all the gold in anywhere on the island, and with the wheat symbol on it we were pretty sure it wouldn't be easily cashed in. I still had questions about where the gold came from and what the symbol meant, but the boys were so excited to see what they were worth that the decision to go to the shop was already made.

That morning they had taken a few of the gold bars and decided to melt them down. Kie had taken a blowtorch to the bars and melted them into a heap. I choose to stay in the van, too many people in the shop would make the whole situation more suspicious then it needed to be.

"So how is John B doing... like really?" I was sitting on the floor of the van, my legs sticking out the side door.

"I don't know, he says he's fine, but I can tell the unknown is really bugging him." Sarah answered behind me, and I turned slightly to look at her. "I mean before it was just Big John was missing, but now with the compass, and the gold, he has more questions and even less answers then before."

"I can see that... I remember when Big John went 'missing'" I sighed leaning my head against the frame of the door. "I am pretty sure the John B went through all the stages of grief other than acceptance, and if there is any chance he ever will accept this...he needs to know how this is all connected and what happened."

"Yeah... What the hell was Grubs doing with over half a million in gold bars, on a brand new Grady White in the middle of a freaking hurricane?" Sarah questioned and all I could do was shake my head and shrug. "What about JJ? How are you and him?" she asked, and I laughed looking out the car towards the Pawn shop.

"Funny thing, its like nothings changed." I said with a small smile, "I mean it has but, how I am with him, how he is with me, that hasn't changed."

"That's good though right?" Sarah asked and I turned back to her nodding.

"My biggest fear when I started to crush on him was that he would change, or I would, we wouldn't be able to still be so... I don't know casual." I looked down at the rug of the Twinkie.

"If its consolation.... He seems happier, and so do you." She nudged me with her foot and I rolled my eyes feeling my cheeks warm with a slight blush. The group was exiting the pawnshop, all dawning huge smiles.

"What happened?" I asked moving to sit in one of the back seats, the others slowly filing into the car. Sarah took her place in the passenger seat beside John B who was starting the van up. "Did they buy it?"

"Yes... and no." Pope said and I scowled at him looking and Kie then JJ.

"Lady said they don't keep the money here. At least not the amount that we are gonna get for that." Kie explained pointing to the gold in JJ's hands. I moved to the floor beside JJ back to his seat. I stretched my legs out in front of me and reached up pulling the gold from his hand to look at it. I brushed my fingers over the smooth metal, even melted and oddly shaped it was amazing.

"How much she say we would get?" Sarah asked as I passed the gold back to JJ.

"70." John B, " Its worth 140 at least but here on the cut I don't think we are going to get better then that."