Page 68 of Wild Tides
“Sheriff Walker is sure they won’t try again, and I agree. But I’ll still rest easier once they’re safely behind bars, where they fucking belong,” Drew said, his voice stern.
“Cheers to that.” Rae raised her glass.
Anya’s gaze swept the table, gentling. “And to friends who are more like family than anything I was born into. I wouldn’t be here without you all.”
Our glasses met with a quiet clink, solemn this time.
Rae gazed into the distance, her expression wistful. “Do you think the Underwoods are sitting in lockup right now, ranting about how they would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for the Fenwicks and their meddling friends?”
Violet snorted. “Congratulations, team. Achievement unlocked: Scooby-Doo crime-fighting status.”
That kicked off a lively debate about which one of us was Velma and who got stuck being Scooby. We went back and forth, playfully arguing our character assignments, laughter filling the space between observations.
If someone told me last night that, by tonight, I’d be laughing about everything that had happened, sitting comfortably with my friends like it was just another adventure in the books, Inever would have believed it. But that was the power of our little Scooby Gang.
The next morning, Violet rolled from my arms to use the bathroom, grabbing her phone as she slipped back beneath the covers. A moment later, she chuckled, showing me her screen.
Gran: You went on an adventure WITHOUT ME?!?
Gran: You’re dead to me.
Gran: All of you.
Gran: Dead to me.
Gran: You never let an old lady have any fun.
“I take it our exploits have found their way onto WNFH?” I asked dryly.
“Yup.” Her cheeky grin made me smile. She waggled her brows. “Want to have some more fun without Gran?”
I squinted. “If that’s an attempt to seduce me, I’m here for it. If you’re referring to another boat chase, I’m gonna pass.”
Violet smirked. “Lucky for you, I meant the seduction one.”
We spent the next hour in the most pleasurable way imaginable, but we couldn’t escape Gran’s wrath forever. Violet checked her phone and groaned.
“What now?” I asked.
“How do you feel about a family dinner with my folks?” Her tone was carefully neutral, which in itself was a tell.
“Let me guess: Gran will be there.”
She could be a lot. Funny, when her sharp tongue wasn’t aimed at me – exhausting when I had her full attention. Thankfully, that had been rare until now.
“Yep. She won’t be satisfied until she hears the complete story, firsthand.”
“And you’re okay with that plan?” I watched her steadily. She’d already been through a lot.
It’d be our debut. Not just with Gran, but with her entire family.
She tilted her head. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I arched a brow. “It’ll be my first family dinner since we started dating.”
She patted my chin, grinning broadly. “Murphy, that sounds like ayouproblem. Good luck.”
Easy for her to say. She’d already turned down my proposal once, swearing she needed time. And now here we were, about to walk into her family dinner like nothing had changed.
