Page 76 of Second Tide's the Charm
“Adrian.”
I bite my lip, embarrassed at getting carried away. “Sorry.”
She grins at me. “Don’t be. It’s adorable when you’re literal.” To prove it, she rises on an elbow and kisses me, deeply.
Long moments later, Hope’s cheek is pressed to my collarbone, my arm around her shoulders, and I return to our conversation. “Workplace-wise, we’ll need to tell Marissa and Gabe. Sign some documents. I want to make sure you’re protected. That your job is separate from us.”
“I’m not worried about that.”
“I’m not worried, but it’s important to me. You’re important.” I kiss her again, and when I pull away, she shakes her head.
“Gosh, Marissa is going to be insufferable.”
Up until now, Hope and I have barely brushed shoulders at work. So even though we discussed the need to be open about our relationship with Gabe and Marissa, I’m still shocked when she drops her backpack and wraps me in a tight hug the morning we meet to help with cleanup at the marina.
Gabe is already aboard the boat, sorting through camera equipment. He plans to document the community’s efforts and help raise money for local charities working to support people whose homes were damaged in the storm.
“Felt good to see this boat in one piece.” He claps me on the shoulder. “And you, of course.”
Marissa is kneeling by the tap on the dock, filling a bucket with sudsy water. “Gabe’s got to get the equipment set up, but what’s your excuse for not pitching in yet?” she asks Hope, with a gleam in her eye. Clearly, she knows what’s up.
I raise my hand, then drop it, feeling like a fool. “Before we get on with things, there’s something we need to tell you.”
Marissa’s brows hitch up and she cranks off the water. Next to me, Hope is stiff, but when I look her way, she smiles and says, “Adrian and I are in a relationship.”
Marissa blinks. I look over and find Gabe tapping at his phone screen.
I clear my throat. “Did you hear Hope? We’re dating.”
Nothing. No reaction.
The silence thins and Gabe glances up. “Wait, is this supposed to be news?”
“Uh, yes.” I meet Hope’s gaze and she looks equally perplexed. “We just wanted to be transparent about it, since we’re all—”
“In this boat together?” Marissa says, and Gabe offers her a fist bump, which she accepts with a straight face, and he laughs. “Look at you, fully onboard with the puns. One Parker down, one to go.”
“In your dreams,” I tell him, but he seems unfazed.
“Permission to speak freely?” Gabe asks, then plows on, because it’s obviously a given. “It was weird when you two weren’t a thing. On paper, I mean. All the latent, unresolved, palpable tension.” I bristle at his deliberate pile-up of adjectives. “This is an improvement.”
I stiffen. “This has been an uncomfortable work environment for you?”
Gabe shakes his head. “Nah, man. This has been an uncomfortable work environment foryou.” Hope lets out a laugh, and he looks her way with a sly grin. “I’m just glad you’re finally making an honest man out of our captain here.”
My skin prickles with embarrassed heat, but Gabe’s good-natured teasing really isn’t unexpected.
“If anything, it’s been fun to speculate on when this would happen.”
“My money was on the end of the season, but that power outage really swept things along,” Marissa says. Great, my ally against puns has been pulled to the evil side.
“You bet on our relationship? With Gabe?”
“What? No.” Gabe pulls a face. “Not with actual money. That would be crass.”
“Iced lattes,” Marissa says with no hint of remorse.
“Frozen ones. The kind with whipped cream on top.” Gabe catches sight of my glare and desists, but Marissa elbows me.
