Page 70 of Changing Tides

“It was one night, Amiya. Let’s not make anything more of it.”

“You’re going to have to face your fear sooner or later,” she says, all levity gone from her voice.

I shake my head.

“It’s only gonna get worse, the longer you wait.”

I lay my head against her shoulder.

“I know,” I whisper.

She grins as she brings her straw to her mouth.

“Maybe I’ll give Anson another spin tonight,” she says, changing the subject.

Lord help him.

Sebastian

After we wipe the sand with the adolescents and teach them a lesson in humility, we and the girls make our way down the beach to grab dinner.

“Damn, dude, you like her,” Parker says as we take a seat inside the Barnacle Café.

The girls lead Leia to the restroom so they can change out of their wet swimsuits.

“Of course I do. What’s not to like?” I admit.

“She is hot,” Anson chimes in.

“She’s not the hot girl you met on a beach in Hawaii anymore. She’s a single mother now,” Parker says.

“What does that have to do with her being attractive?” I ask.

“Single moms are just different. They aren’t girls you mess with just to get your rocks off,” he explains.

I set the menu I was looking over down and glare at him.

“Get your rocks off? What are we, horny teenagers?” Anson asks as he chuckles.

“Yeah, sometimes, I think we are,” Parker barks as he tosses a bottle cap from his beer at Anson. “And that’s fine, but mothersare off-limits. At least, they should be,” he continues as he focuses his attention back on me.

I was there when his father split when we were just kids. I remember how hard it was for Parker. How he tried to step up and be the man of the family for his mom and younger siblings. I also remember the string of losers that his mother brought home in the years after the divorce. Parker even came to blows with one of them and ended up spending the night in jail.

“Park, man, I’m not looking for just a hookup,” I begin.

“Been there, done that,” Anson mumbles under his breath.

I cut my eyes to him, and he raises his hands.

“Just sayin’.”

“Then, what are you looking for? Because I’ve never known you to be interested in more than casual dating before. And they—Avie and Leia—are only here for a short while,” Parker points out.

“I enjoy her company. She’s beautiful, and she’s interesting, and her daughter is cute as hell. But you’re right; they’re just here for a few months, so there’s no point in starting something with her,” I state.

Avie appears from the restroom in a pink tank top, her toned legs peeking out of a pair of tiny white shorts. Her long blonde hair is hanging out of a pink ball cap. She has Leia’s hand in hers as she leads the little girl up to our table.

Parker looks over his shoulder at them and back to me.

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