Page 20 of Unmoored

“On the gravel roads?” I giggle. “That must hurt.”

“Island guys gotta be tough.” Murph’s eyes sparkle as I grin at him.

I really like his subtle, playful sense of humour. It would be easy to miss—especially when he doesn’t tend to take the first opportunity to talk about himself.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” I ask, trying to get everything I can.

“By blood? One big sister, Lizzie. She lives on the mainland now. By choice…” Murph pretends to pull a face. “Or bribery, and their stubborn refusal to leave me alone…” I clap a hand over my giggle. “Five of us Sunrise Island Brothers, who pretty much grew up together. Then there’s the part-timers, and the boyfriends and fiancées…”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah. I count my luck by the friends I’ve got. And I’d say I’m real lucky.”

It makes my heart almost burst to hear this. “Yeah,” I breathe out, clearing my throat. “So, who are they? The guy in the coffee shop, right?”

“Me, of course,” Murph says, raising a finger. “Carter and his fiancé Felix—his best friend’s little brother,” he adds in a scandalized undertone. Don’t worry, the two of them are good now. Nobody broke a nose, despite their best efforts. It’s Felix you saw in the coffee shop.”

I lean in, eager to hear the gossip.

“Then Alph came back and locked Ronan in his basement to moon over him until he said yes,” he raises two more fingers. “Kieran’s back for good, and he pulled his head out of his ass just in time for Gage to settle for him...”

I’m laughing more than I can even remember in ages. But it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy to see this side of Murph. I can tell who his oldest friends are, because he clearly loves the people he loves—and he pretends to be the grumpiest about them.

“And Zach and Drew,” Murph finishes simply. “So, nine.”

“No funny story about how they got together?”

Murph blinks. “Shit. Wait. No, they’re not dating.”

“Oh. You meant… Zach,” I pause and raise a hand like I’m conducting a pause in an orchestra, “and Drew.”

“Right. Not… ZachandDrew,” Murph says in a tumble of syllables. “No. Definitely not.”

“Mmm. The last two singles, right? Should I stir that pot?” I grin.

“Please don’t.”

“Fine,” I laugh. “No stirring. I’ll stay out of trouble.”

Murph coughs loudly. “Mmmm.Anyway, we should be getting back now. Tide’s coming in.”

He’s right. The furthest rock pools have already vanished. “Anything else you wanna ask me while we’re in the Cove of Truth?” I tease him, gently sliding down the boulder to land on my feet.

Murph studies me more intently than a portrait artist, but just as I lick my lips nervously, he shrugs. “Next time, perhaps.” He hooks his arm around mine, towing me back up to the path.

I nearly broke every bone just walking down here, so I can see why he’s not taking any chances. And it feels good. I like being nestled against this big mountain of a man and his rolling seafarer’s gait. The only part that doesn’t feel great is the squirm in the pit of my stomach.

It’s not like George is asecret, exactly. But after two years trapped in his orbit, I don’t want to waste another minute thinking about him. It’s obvious that Murph likes me, and I like him. This isn’t a rebound. It’s something completely different—and I don’t want to risk shattering it now.

As we step back onto the gravel road, I reach for the surest bet to get Murph talking.

“So, howdoyou park a boat?”

ChapterSeven

MURPH

“You don’t have to,”Eden laughs as I offer him my arm to step down into the boat.

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