Page 30 of Rum Sips and Salty Lips

“Every little bit helps.”

I don’t disagree with her on the gas issue, which is the annoying thing. I rarely disagree with her. “Whatever. If you have a problem with how I’ve done this, then you can walk to the marina. You don’t have to ride with me.”

I mean, if there were rocks nearby, or other boats or Jet Skis, or anything that could harm her, I’m there, in the water and reaching her to make sure she’s okay. But if it’s us and the open ocean and the current isn’t strong, yes. Right now, I’d let her figure it out herself.

“Fine. I’ll walk, then.” She turns around and walks in the direction of the marina.

I run my hand through my hair. This should make things easier for me. The car doesn’t need to be packed as tight with fewer people. But I don’t feel relief.

Because I know how fast conditions change. Even if the water is still and she has a life jacket on, as frustrated as I am with Carina, there is no scenario where if she falls in the water, I’m not jumping in after her before she has time to surface.

I almost call her back to tell her I’ll do whatever she wants. She can pack the car her way. But she’ll be fine. I’ll see her in a few minutes.

“You two ready?” I ask Alex and Haley. I keep my snark internal. I don’t need either of them thinking I’ll jump down their throats because I argued with Carina. What they witnessed won’t change their opinion of me. They know I didn’t start it.

They nod and get in the car.

“What’s with you and Carina?” Alex asks.

I don’t trust him to not have ulterior motives right now. He might have said he was backing off whatever matchmaking he had attempted, but I don’t believe him. “Proximity breeds familiarity.”

“I don’t know about that,” Haley says. “I roomed with her in college. We never argued.”

“Yeah?” I look at her through the rearview mirror. “Did she do your dishes for you?”

“Well, I did a lot of the cooking, so she cleaned up. It was only fair.” She looks down, embarrassed I pegged her so easily.

“Sure. I’m saying she’ll do whatever it takes to keep everyone around her happy and I won’t let her do that with me.”

“You won’t let her make you happy?” Alex repeats.

“I don’t need anything from her, and she doesn’t know how to respond,” I say.

“What does that even mean?” Haley says.

“Huh,” Alex says. “Is this your seduction method? Because I’m not sure it’s a good one.”

I can answer this honestly. “No, I’m not trying to sleep with her. That sounds like it would be fun for no one.” Well, that last bit wasn’t honest.

“Hey!” Haley says.

“What do you have to say to that?” Alex asks her.

“I don’t know. But I don’t like people picking on my friend.”

“She can take everything I dish out. And if it upsets her, then she can talk to me or ignore me. No one is forcing her to go sailing today. Trust me, I don’t want her actually mad.”

They both look at each other and I wonder if they think I’m full of shit, but I know Carina. She’s strong and she wouldn’t be where she is if she couldn’t take some shit. The only difference with me is she’s finally giving it back. I saw the way her friends treat her. They care about her. But she’s been acquiescing for far too long.

We pull into the parking lot at the marina and find Christian and Bristol waiting for us.

“Where’s Carina?” Bristol asks.

“She decided to walk,” I reply. I hope that’s the end of it. If she wants to hide who she is from her friends, that’s her business. I won’t be the reason for her exposure.

And selfishly, I want this part of her to myself.

We load up the boat. I check the radar, again, and decide which sail to use. Bristol appoints herself my first mate even though it’s unnecessary. This boat is rigged for a solo sailor. I don’t need any help. But I won’t turn down someone calling distances for me. Bristol mentions that when she’s not bartending, she leads tours on kayaks or paddleboards and will occasionally go out on chartered vessels. She knows her way around enough to be helpful, especially getting out of the marina.

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