Page 11 of Wild Tides
“Go. Have fun. Just don’t get hurt.” I gestured to my boot. “If neither of us can manage stairs, we’ll really be in a pickle.”
Vi fixed us a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs over my protestations that I’d be fine with a protein bar, then showered and slipped out in fresh clothes.
The taste of guilt was stronger than the coffee. My leg throbbed as I stared at my laptop, pretending I had any interest in work. My phone buzzed, and I reached for it, glad for the distraction.
Drew: Ignoring me won’t help you.
Drew: What’s this I hear about Vi being at your place?
A smart man would have texted his best friend before he found out from other sources. Or texted him back yesterday when he first commented. Everything about the last twenty-four hours had proven I wasn’t that man.
Lee: She offered to help out until I can handle stairs.
Drew: Stairs better be all you’re handling.
Drew: I’ll pick you up in 15.
I could refuse, but Drew was difficult to budge on the best of days. When it involved his precious sister? It was best not to argue.
Struggling into yesterday’s clothes took ten of the allotted fifteen minutes, leaving me precious few to use the bathroom and brush my teeth. Drew honked from the driveway, and I shuffled out with my crutches, locking my door behind me.
“Hey,” I greeted, sliding into the passenger seat of his truck. “Where are we headed?” If he said Dead Man’s Cove, I’d have to dive out of the moving vehicle, ankle be damned. We’d long joked that it was the best place on the island to dump a body.
“Harbor Brews,” was his gruff response.
I relaxed. If he was taking me to his brother’s coffee shop, I had at least a few more hours to live. He wouldn’t kill me there. Too many witnesses.
“Get out.”
Caught up in my own thoughts, I’d failed to notice him draw up to the door of Harbor Brews. With parking sparse this close to the harbor, he was being kind. Even if it sounded more like he was trying to get rid of me.
“Thanks. See you in there.”
He grunted, pulling away from the curb as I slowly made my way inside. We’d caught the crowd in between ferries, so I nodded to the few locals I recognized and got in line behind a woman wearing a backpack.
“Hey. It’s our conquering hero. What’ll you have today?” Zach asked as I reached the front of the line.
“Black coffee. Two, please.”
“You got it. Go grab a table. I’ll bring the coffees out in a sec.” He turned to his counter helper, Isa. “I’m taking a break. You got this?”
A few minutes later, Zach brought over our coffee, and Drew slid into the seat across from me. Part coffee shop, part bar, part bookstore, Harbor Brews did triple duty for our tiny town. It was always busy in the mornings thanks to ferry traffic and its location on the waterfront. Readers took over in the afternoons, leaving it to the after-work crowd in the evenings.
The Fenwick family was well-known, mostly for their eccentric grandmother and thriving businesses. We’d been part of each other’s lives for years. Gone to school together. I counted Drew as one of my closest friends. Zach too. Which made it difficult to meet Drew’s gaze over my coffee.
Drew sipped from his cup, glowering at me. Zach took his cue from his older brother, holding his silence. I imagined that hurt. He was usually the gregarious one, full of jokes. He was probably dying to roast me over my fall from grace.
“Out with it,” I said when the silence had stretched longer than my patience. My fingers curled. I caught myself mid-knuckle-pop and pressed my hands flat to my thighs.
Drew arched a brow. “So. Vi’s staying at your place.”
It was a statement, but clearly also a question. One I couldn’t answer. My original intentions were pure. But they’d been shot to shit thanks to one ill-timed painkiller. I couldn’t even tell Vi’s brothers that we hadn’t slept together. Because, while all we’d done was sleep, that wouldn’t matter to them.
“You have nothing to worry about. Vi and I are just friends.”
Drew leaned back, his gaze cutting sharp. “I just don’t want Vi tangled up in more trouble than she can handle. Between you and… well, Anya’s family mess, there’s enough shadow hanging over this island.”
The mention of Anya’s parents landed heavy between us. I didn’t need reminding how dangerous the Genters and her ex could be. If anything, Drew should be pleased Vi was out of the house she used to share with Anya. At least I could protect her.
