Page 4 of Wild Tides
Her long-suffering sigh gusted through the phone. “I know. It’s good for him. Plus, it leaves me free to walk with Christine.”
I bit my lip, something about the edge in her tone warning me that keeping up with Christine was about to become the focus of the next few minutes.
“Did I tell you her daughter is pregnant again? This is baby numberthree.”
There it was. The other reason for her call.
“How nice for her.”
I listened for a few minutes more as my mom detailed Christine’s daughter’s pregnancy. Why I needed to know that mint gum cured her morning sickness was a mystery. But mom’s subtext was clear:where was her grandbaby? Answer:only in her dreams. Babies were messy. Loud. Required constant attention. Come to think of it, they were a lot like Gran Fenwick. The errant thought made me chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Suspicion laced my mom’s tone.
“Just thinking about the parallels between Barbara Fenwick and an infant.”
“I don’t know if I should be excited you’re thinking about babies at all or alarmed that Barb is where your mind went.” My mom cleared her throat. “Her granddaughter, on the other hand, would be an excellent use of your time and attention.”
“Nice try, Mom. Pretty sure Zach, Drew, and Cole would disagree.”
“Maybe when you were teenagers, but you’re all grown now. It’s time to act like it.”
Part of me bristled. Thirty-five was adult enough. And respecting my longest friendships didn’t make me a coward. A fool, maybe, but not a coward. Some days it felt like I was still waiting for my real life to start – and watching Violet settle into my house like she belonged wasn’t going to make it any easier.
There was a difference between holding the line for loyalty… and hiding behind it. And maybe, just maybe – I ‘d been doing the latter a little too long.
Chapter 3 – Violet
“Are you finally fleeing town?”
Gran’s question startled me as I was sliding my bag into my car. I flinched, banging my head on the doorframe. Scowling, I rubbed my tender head. It wouldn’t help Lee if I knocked myself silly and was too concussed to take care of him.
“Gran, you scared me.”
My grandmother, glorious in a long red jacket with faux fur edging the hood, gave me a pitying glance. “If that’s true, your life really is too boring for words.” She shook her head slowly from side to side. “So, are you ditching island life and heading off to the big city to meet the man of your dreams?”
“I’m not living in a Hallmark movie.”
“You sure about that? Your life seems about as tame as one.”
I bit my tongue. There was no need to debate Gran over my love life, or lack thereof. Ever since she turned her years-long feud with her next-door neighbor into a full-blown romance, she seemed eager for me to be more adventurous. Her new relationship had already forced me to witness the horrifyingsight of Mr. Reyes in a bodysuit and fig leaf at Halloween, and, frankly, I wasn’t ready to forgive her.
“I’m moving in with Lee for a few days. He got hurt on a rescue and needs help at his place.”
Offering Lee as a sacrificial lamb was dirty, but it was better than Gran dissecting my life choices. She kicked my oldest brother, Drew, out of the family farmhouse last spring. She wasn’t above manipulation to get what she wanted. I didn’t want to present her with a target. She’d deny it, but I suspected she was bored, and meddling in her grandkids’ lives seemed to give her a thrill.
Gran’s eyes glittered with interest. “Moving in with Lee, hm?” She grinned. “What are your brothers going to say?”
“Nothing, if they know what’s good for them. I’m an adult, and I’m helping out a friend.”
She reached out a weathered hand, patting my cheek, her expression skeptical. “Keep telling yourself that, Vi.” She winked. “Just remember: fight fire with a flamethrower. You’re not a wisp of smoke; you’re a dragon trying to sneeze politely. Some days, you gotta let your dragon breathe. Your brothers can handle a little singeing.”
Coming from a woman who prided herself on being nicknamed the San Juan Dragon, I took her advice with a grain of salt.
I hadn’t even made it out of the driveway when my phone buzzed, a notification lighting my screen. The family chat had a new message.
Gran: PSA - Little V is shacking up with Lee. Will have manure on standby.
I groaned. Maybe I should move away. Though, as soon as the thought landed, I knew I’d never leave. I was born here. Built a small business I loved in the Salty Pantry. Sure, my family was full of interfering schemers who didn’t know when a prank wenttoo far, but I adored them anyway. At sixteen, I didn’t have the resources to fight back against their overbearing ways. But now?Watch out.
