Page 35 of Searching for Sunshine

Damn it, of all the days to not be caffeinated.

Blowing out an annoyed breath, I remind myself it’s not a big deal and I can probably grab one of my drinks from a gas station on the way to the docks. I grab a quick shower and slide into a pair of jean shorts with a tank. It only takes me a few minutes to throw on some light makeup and brush my hair out so it can dry in the sun before I grab my bag and head out of the house. Pulling out my phone, I send a quick text to Avery to make sure she doesn’t mind making sure the guests are taken care of.

Stella: I’m out of energy drinks. :(

Stella: If it’s okay, I’m gonna leave now so I can run to the gas station and grab one. Can you make sure all the guests are good to go and I’ll meet y’all at the docks? I want to make sure we have everything we need there too.

Avery: You and those damn drinks. You know this wouldn’t be a problem if you’d just drink coffee like the rest of the world.

Avery: I’m just giving you a hard time. I’ll take care of it. See you in an hour.

Stella: You’re the best. Thanks, Aves.

Avery: Yeah, yeah. Tell me something I don’t know. ;)

Rolling my eyes at her reply, I pull out of the parking lot of the High Tide Hideaway and head to the nearest gas station. I walk inside and smile at the older lady behind the cash register as I make my way to the drink coolers.

“Hey, honey. How can we help you today?” she calls out across the store, and I turn my attention back to her.

“Oh, I just came in to see if you had any energy drinks. Specifically the orange cream flavor, but I need some caffeine bad enough today I won’t be picky,” I say with a kind smile as the lady stares at me.

“No, dear. We don’t carry anything like that. But we’ve got a hot pot of coffee over here if you want some of that. Cream and sugar too.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Thanks anyway,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment as I head back outside.

I try three more gas stations, and by the time I pull up to the docks, I’m frustrated and already looking forward to today being over. I knew there was a reason I said I never wanted to live in a town this small, and the current lack of caffeine options is currently at the top of the list.

Walking inside, I find Wyatt and Trent sitting around the desk and going through invoices. Looking up they both raise their hands in a wave of acknowledgment, and Wyatt says, “Hey, Stels. Perfect timing. This one here’s about to give me a fucking migraine with the way he’s running his mouth.”

“Excuse me for wanting to make sure all the bills are paid. You’ve been a little more distracted than normal with everything going on the last month, and I just want to make sure there’s nothing else I can do to help everything run smoothly around here,” Trent says. I suddenly feel a sudden wave of guilt over all the time Wyatt’s been spending at the Hideaway instead of here at work.

Wyatt must notice the look on my face because he holds his hand out at his brother to stop him from talking. “Stels, I can see that look on your face. My brother’s being a dick but he didn’t mean it that way. I’m a grown man and I’ve wanted to help you at the Hideaway. Plus, it’s not like we’ve had a ton of business here anyway.”

Trent’s eyes widen as he looks at me. “Yeah wait, Stella. No one’s upset with you at all. I was just giving him a hard time.”

I nod at him and look at Wyatt. “For the record, not a damn place in this town has my drinks.”

I know I’m being way grumpier than normal, but the combination of the lack of sleep and the lack of caffeine has me feeling more off-kilter than I’d like to admit.

“Damn, I was afraid of that. I’m sorry, Stels. Maybe you can find a way to get them shipped soon,” he says.

“Maybe. So are y’all ready to get this party started?” I ask, determined to change the subject and get myself in a better mood.

“Hell yeah,” Trent says with a wide grin on his face. “Getting paid to spend the day with a bunch of cute ladies seems like a pretty good way to spend the day.”

“Dude, first of all, you have no idea what they look like. And second of all, I don’t know why you think you’re going. You’ve gotta stay here so you can take the other group that’s coming in two hours. The bachelorette trip booked a four-hour charter so there’s no way we’ll be back in time.”

Trent’s smile falls, and he opens his mouth to argue before accepting defeat. “Fine, but the next time we have a bachelorette trip, I call taking them out,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Uh, yeah, sure whatever,” Wyatt mumbles, rolling his eyes before turning back to me. “Anyway, how much longer until they’re here? I know the schedule says ten minutes, but I’m not sure if everything’s running on time.”

“Avery actually just texted me and said they’re on their way, so it should be any minute now,” I tell him.

“All right. I need to run outside and make sure theFin and Tonicis ready to go. If you don’t mind, I’ll let you greet them and bring them up,” he suggests.

“Sure, that’s no problem. Go do whatever you need to do. I’ll bring them up,” I confirm, and he nods before heading outside to check on the boat.

I’m about to head outside when Trent stops me. “Hey, Stella. I know it’s not really my place to say any of this and I know y’all’s relationship didn’t have the most conventional start, but I’m really glad you came back. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Wyatt turned into a little bit of a grump over the last few years trying to manage everything for all of us. But he’s not like that with you, and I’m starting to feel like he’s going back to how he used to be. He’d kill me if he knew I was telling you all this, but I just wanted you to know I’m glad you came back.”

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