Page 12 of Tide Over

A ripple of laughter and taunts flows through the crowd, and Emily chuckles with a shake of her head, leaning in to speak in her mic. “He’s just jealous he can’t be as beautiful as all of you.”

I smile as I watch them introduce themselves and begin their set. If soulmates exist, they’re definitely it. The love they have is evident in every glance and note they play together, and I knew from the day they met that they were meant to be. But as happy as I am for them, a quiet sadness settles inside me. Because I know I’ll probably never have that.

Caleb and I were best friends growing up, along with a few others who have moved further away. And while we’re all still close, I’m the only one still here in Torrin Cove, doing the same thing day in and day out, while they start a whole new life. And whenever I see them, happy and living life just how they want it, I feel like I’m missing out on something… or maybe everything.

My eyes slide to Liam as he watches them play, Emily’s fast fiddling getting everyone stomping their feet and yelling out their praise. And I smile as I see Liam softly tapping his fingers on the table to the beat. The tension that’s been present in him since we arrived appears to be melting away as he relaxes into his seat and contentedly listens to the music.

And once again, I start to wonder what his story is…

But I’m pulled from my thoughts as the pub door opens and my sister enters with her friend, Marie. They take a seat at the bar and she glances around, her eyes landing on me. She immediately looks at Liam, then back to me and points at him, mouthing, “Who’s that?”

And she just continues to expectantly stare at me, like we’re going to have this conversation across a noisy, crowded pub.

I roll my eyes and shake my head at her, then lean in to Liam so he can hear me. “I’ll be right back.”

He just nods, bringing his attention back to Caleb and Emily as they rip into a fast reel.

I grab my beer and head to the bar, where Heather is still watching me.

“Who’s that?” she asks, before I even reach her.

“Hi, Heather. Nice to see you out tonight.”

She flashes me a forced smile. “Hi, Teddy.” Then she gestures to Liam. “Who’s that?”

“Liam,” I say, leaning against the bar next to her. “He lives with me.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “That’s it? Just Liam who lives with you?”

I sigh, knowing how weird this all sounds. Because it kind of is. “Yeah. He came into the store yesterday and was looking for a place to live. I offered a room in my house since I have the space, and I’m never there anyway.”

Her eyes widen and she smacks my chest with her hand. “Theo! You don’t even know him!?”

I rub my chest and shoot her a look. “No.”

Heather rubs her forehead, like this is a huge bother to her. “My god. Ok, well…” she glances over at him again. “Bring him to Sunday dinner at Mom’s then.”

I draw my brows together as I eye her. “Why?”

“Do you have some screws loose or something?” She sighs. “So we can meet him. If someone is going to be living with you, we should know who he is.”

I don’t know what to say to that, because I don’t even know who he is. All I know is that he’s from Cape Breton and he’s a welder going to work on a rig offshore.

So I change the subject.

“How did you manage to get a night off, anyway?” I ask, knowing this will get her riled up.

“Because I fucking deserve it,” she says, not missing a beat. “Chris got home this morning after three days away for work, relaxing in hotels in the evenings, so it’s my turn.”

Allison appears on the other side of the bar. “Hey, Heather. What can I get you?”

“Shot of tequila and whatever IPA you have on tap,” she says, and I give her an assessing look. She rolls her eyes at me. “Stop it. It’s been a week.”

“And you guys want a couple more?” Allison asks me.

I glance over at Liam to see his beer almost empty, like mine, then nod to her. “Please.”

She heads down the bar to grab our drinks, and Heather watches her for a moment before turning back to me.“When are you guys going to give it another go? I liked you two together.”

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