Page 11 of Second Tide's the Charm
“I’m going to talk to the others. Gabe is, too,” he adds, and I look up to find the other man approaching. “You could come along, or wait on the boat if you need a minute.”
It will take more than a minute to collect myself, but the offer is appealing. “You really didn’t know I was coming?”
He shakes his head.
Oof, I do not need to be a part of that conversation. “Then yeah, I’ll wait here.”
The other guy—Gabe?—comes up and smiles. “Hey, Hope. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”
“Uh, okay.” I want to ask who he is, and how he knows my name. I want to ask why Iris is here of all places, when she barely sets foot on beaches, let alone boats. I want to ask Marissa why she didn’t want him to know about me when we’re supposed to be working together all summer. I want to ask Adrian why on earth he named a boat after me.
The questions are piling up, and before I can decide on which to ask first, he’s already headed toward the end of the dock where the women are still talking, their conversation inaudible.
Using the towel to wipe a trickle of water behind my ear, I watch Adrian’s tall figure, unable to pull my eyes away. His shoulders are hunched under the clinging material of his damp shirt, long stride purposeful, like he can’t get away fast enough. But a few steps later, he glances back, eyes dipping in a swoop that catalogs my body, the impression of his gaze lingering like a heated caress on my chilled skin.
Shaking off my body’s response to him, I tug off my hair tie and finger-comb my curls into a bun, and turn my attention toward the facts. Coming down here without talking to him was a mistake, that much is clear. Adrian wasn’t expecting me. And in a few minutes, I might have to face his sister, who may or may not demand a full explanation of why I broke her brother’s heart. Although, he doesn’t seem heartbroken. Just confused, like me.
Whatever the reason Marissa kept my arrival a secret, I’m not quitting. I didn’t swallow my pride and drive all the way down here to go back home empty-handed.
Three months. Three months of enduring Adrian, yes. But three months of working with sharks again. I can do this. I will do this. If this isn’t a practical joke, nothing will stop me from getting what I came for.
six
adrian
Drenched and in desperate need of answers, I hustle toward my sister and cousin, Gabe by my side. Maybe the timing of Hope’s arrival explains why Iris finally agreed to come out to the boat, though I can’t understand why my sister would want to witness the most awkward reunion of all time.
Hope still hasn’t mentioned why she’s here, but she asked about Marissa, so I’m guessing my cousin is behind her sudden appearance. Iris certainly isn’t the type to interfere. She’s always let me own my choices, even if they don’t align with hers, which is why I wanted her to weigh in on the channel. But none of that matters right now, not until I figure out why Hope is in town, and on my boat, of all places.
I cast a glance at my shoulder to check whether Hope is staying put, and the sight of her on my boat makes me stumble. I couldn’t fault her if she changed her mind and decided to follow us. She has just as much a right to answers as I do, but my hands are shaking, and my stomach is clenched tight; all I want is to hear an explanation without an audience.
We pass an angler carrying tackle boxes and a net, baseball cap tugged low over her brow, whose eyes widen when she sees my face, but I walk past before she can make up her mind to ask the question.Aren’t you that shark guy from the internet?I get stopped pretty often around town, but right now talking to a stranger is the last thing I want.
I want answers, and I’d rather ask my family than embarrass myself in front of Hope. She wasn’t surprised to see me, but she didn’t know about the boat... And ugh, why did I have to get sentimental with the name?
But I know exactly why, and it’s the same reason my heart is hammering from the effort of walking away from her. What I don’t know is why she’s here, now, when I’ve long since given up hope of seeing her again.
Marissa darts a guilty look my way when we walk up, confirming my suspicions that she’s behind this. “Why is Hope here?”
Iris tips her chin, adjusting her glasses in the same gesture she likely aims at students who are chronically late to class. “Exactly what I’ve been trying to figure out.”
“I didn’t know you’d be here.” Marissa cuts my sister a glare, then frowns at me, and adds, “Either of you. I tried to get Hope out of there before she could see you, but well...” She gestures toward me, like my soaked clothes tell the story.
“You pushed her in?” My cousin is tough, but I can’t see her shoving anyone, let alone a friend, into the marina like a poolside prank.
“What? No! I was trying to get her to turn around, but she tripped. Once you went in after her, I figured the next best thing was to try to hustle Iris out of there while Hope was distracted.”
If she was half as distracted as I was, the sun could’ve fallen from the sky and she wouldn’t have noticed.
“But Iris refused to go.” Marissa glares at her again.
“Because this is childish,” Iris says. “You’re in your thirties and still scheming, setting people up—”
“I am not setting them up, for the last time.” Marissa sinks down onto the brick retaining wall and blows out a breath, shaking her head. “This is a disaster, and now Hope’s probably going to quit on us.”
Realization hits me like a punch in the gut. “Hopeis the new researcher?”
Shoulders slumped, Marissa shrugs like it’s a moot point. “She reached out and it seemed like ideal timing. Who better to bring onto the team than someone we know and trust?”
