Page 101 of Changing Tides

“Mommy, I have to pee-pee,” she whines.

I start to push up, and Sebastian halts me.

“I’ll take her. I want to grab a beer anyway.”

“If you see Amiya, will you pry her away from the bartender? She went to get us a cocktail forty-five minutes ago,” I ask.

He kisses the tip of my nose. “You got it, Doc.”

Grabbing Leia, who is now doing the potty dance, he hoists her into his arms and rushes them into the crowd toward the office buildings.

I lie back and close my eyes. Taking long, deep breaths, I mentally prepare myself for the evening ahead.

A hand caresses my shoulder, and I reach up to lace my fingers with his and freeze.

It’s not the rough, strong hand I was expecting.

My eyes fly open.

“Conrad? What the hell are you doing here?” I hiss as I jolt up from the blanket.

“I need to talk to you,” he says.

“So, you just show up here?”

“How else do you expect me to reach you? You changed your phone number. I called your mother, and she wouldn’t give it to me. Amiya kept hanging up on me. I had to get in touch with your office and sweet-talk one of the interns into telling me you’re here, in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina, working on some sea turtle project.”

“But why are you here?” I repeat the question.

“I need your signature on some paperwork to sell our property in Long Island,” he explains.

“Why didn’t you just contact my attorney?”

“I tried. He’s on a cruise ship somewhere in the Caribbean for the holiday, and I had to leave a voice mail for his paralegal. The buyer is leaving to go back to Germany in three days,” he continues.

“Just give me a copy, and I’ll read it over and send it to you,” I say as my eyes scan the crowd.

“I’ve got to head back to Wilmington tonight. I’m on the red-eye back to New York. It took me all damn day to find you.”

“You expect me to just sign something you place in front of me without giving me time to read over it?”

“It’s a good deal, Avie. He’s agreed to the asking price. All-cash offer. We’ll split the proceeds fifty-fifty. There’s no fine print,” he assures me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sebastian heading our way with Leia on his shoulders, her fists clinging to his hair as she giggles.

Shit.

“Fine. I’ll sign whatever you have. Let’s go to your car,” I say as I grab his forearm.

The next ten minutes play out in front of me in slow motion.

“Daddy!”

Leia’s voice rings out above the hum of the crowd, and Conrad turns to her.

Anger registers on Sebastian’s face as he takes the two of us in.

Anson and Amiya are following behind them, and Amiya’s expression is glacial when she spots Conrad.

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