Page 14 of Second Tide's the Charm
Confirming my fears that I’m missing out on key information, he blinks at me, mouth slightly agape. Instead of answering, he turns and glares at Marissa, arms crossed, Poseidon gearing up for a sea storm. “You didn’t tell her?”
She mimics his pose, and the effect is equally intimidating, despite her smaller stature. “She’s here, she’s well-qualified. That’s all that matters.”
Iris clears her throat. “Y’all clearly have some catching up to do, so I’m going to head out.” Disappointment lodges in my chest at the realization I might not see her again, which is absurd, because I didn’t come here to rebuild a relationship with Adrian’s family, I came to make sure he stays in my past.
“Let me know when you want me to look at those numbers,” she tells him.
He shakes his head. “I think I’m good on that.” Something akin to hurt tinges his words, but I push aside my concern. Whatever’s going on between them is none of my business.
“You sure?” She frowns, concern for her brother obvious, but at his nod, she sighs. “All right. Call me though.” She turns to go, clearly not planning to tell me goodbye, but something prompts me to speak up.
“Good to see you, Iris.” What happened between Adrian and I doesn’t change how I feel about her. It’s impossible for us to be friends, but there was a time when I thought of her as a sister.
“Be well,” she says, and my heart gives an unexpected lurch.
The moment she walks away, Marissa steps closer. “I’m sorry about all this, Hope. I thought we’d have the boat to ourselves. I wanted to tell you everything in person.”
“Like the fact that he didn’t know I was coming?” I lift my chin toward a very silent, very close Adrian.
“Among other things.” Her dark brown eyes are full of remorse. “I just want you to keep an open mind.”
“I drove across the country for this, knowing he’d be here.” Humiliating, in retrospect. “I’d say my mind is wide open.”
Gabe lets out a surprised chuckle, which he covers with a cough. “Can I just say that I’m really glad you’re keeping an open mind?” I ought to feel awkward, knowing what he’s witnessed, but his smile is wide and disarming. “If you stay, it means I get to spend less time hands-on with the sharks, and more time behind the camera.”
“Less time with the sharks is a good thing?”
“Since I’m a photographer, yeah. Guessing Marissa didn’t mention me either?”
Add that to the tally. “Are you with the university?”
“Nope, I’m on staff withShark Science Crew.”
“The Shark ScienceWho?”
His mouth falls open. “Wait, you don’t know about the show?”
My face must make it clear that I do not, and he rubs the back of his neck, eyes wide. “You don’t follow Adrian, like, at all?”
A laugh escapes me, but no one joins in. The queasiness erupts into all-out nausea. “Um, no. That would be weird, right? Because he’s my ex.” My voice rasps out, throat tight. I’ve just remembered Zuri’s words about celebrities and mega-yachts and wonder suddenly if I shouldn’t have been so flippant when she tried to divulge the results of her digital sleuthing.
Marissa watches me with raised brows. “See why I wanted to tell her without an audience?”
“Too late for that.” I dig in my pocket for my phone, ready to find out for myself since everyone’s talking in circles. No point in avoiding his socials any longer, not with the real Adrian standing right here, his touch fresh in my mind, on my skin. But my screen is blank. Fully waterlogged.
I hold it up. “You owe me a phone,” I tell Marissa. “And an explanation.”
She opens her mouth. Closes it. Fiddles around on her own phone, head down. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. But best-laid plans and all...” She passes it over.
She’s pulled up Adrian’s Instagram page, and I scan it, searching for answers. The grid is filled with shark close-ups and stills of him in the lab, on the boat, behind a podium. His profile picture is no longer a shark’s tooth, but a well-framed selfie. His eyes are crinkled at the corners, one hand holding his locs away from his face, the backdrop a blue sky and navy sea. Well, that’s an improvement.
What’s also improved since we were together is his follower count. It no longer numbers in the hundreds.
Or the thousands.
Or the tens of thousands.
Holy crap. Adrian has over amillionfollowers.
