Page 39 of Tide Over

And with every moment spent with Theo, I’m realizing just how strong the pull towards him really is. Yesterday, every time I looked at him, I couldn’t stop myself from tracing every detail of his face — the soft spattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks, the way his eyes soften when he listens, and the quiet intensity behind his gaze. I didn’t realize how much I missed simply looking at him. While there’s an emotional connection and understanding forming between us, I’m also realizing that I’m physically attracted to him. The feelings are deeper than I expected, and I don’t know what to do with them.

“Fuck,” I mutter as I rub a hand over my face, then grab my coffee from the machine. Seriously, what the fuck? At twenty-nine, I’m suddenly into guys? And a straight one at that, since he’s apparently got a thing going on with the waitress at the pub. I guess I need to fuck up everyone’s life, don’t I…

As I sip my coffee, trying to clear my mind, I watch Miss Bobber bat her toy around the kitchen, her playfulness a welcome distraction. But still, a restlessness stirs inside me. My eyes wander around the room, searching for something to ground this unsettled energy, until they land on the nearly empty container of coffee pods on the counter.

And I think of Theo again.

“Argh.” I run my fingers through my hair and head into my bedroom to change. Fuck it. If I’m going to be thinking about him, I might as well do it on a walk to get out of the house and pick up more coffee pods.

He’ll need them for tomorrow.

Miss Bobber watches me curiously as I slip my shoes and a hoodie on, and I furrow my brow at her.

“Don’t judge me,” I mumble, then bend down to pat her. “I’ll be back soon.”

It’s a nice day, and after spending weeks out on the rig, it feels good to get outside and take my time as I walk along the main street. The sun feels warm on my face, and I take a deep breath of the fresh spring air as I watch the seagulls floating on the sparkling ocean. The town is quiet mid-afternoon, and I don’t run into anyone until I near the general store.

“Well, well, welcome back!”

I look up at the front porch of the store to see Jimmy with a bright smile, sitting with a few other men.

“Hey,” I reply, managing a small smile as I climb the steps. It’s the MacKinnon’s store, so I’m not sure why I’m feeling anxious or surprised to see Theo’s grandfather. Obviously his family are going to be here.

“How was the rig?” Jimmy asks, gesturing to a vacant seat beside him.

I hesitate for a moment before I sit and give him and the other men another awkward smile. “It was good. Not that different from the oil sands, just… with water.”

The men laugh, and one of them leans forward. “Underwater welding?”

“Yeah,” I nod.

“What’s the weather like out there?” the man sitting across from Jimmy asks, setting his empty coffee mug down on the table between them. “Jimmy says you’re in the Gulf of Mexico?”

My eyes snap to Jimmy, and he smiles warmly at me. He told them about me? Why?

“Uh…” I shift in my seat, unable to decipher exactly how I feel about that. “It’s hot, and really humid. And we get a lot of wind.”

“Hey, Liam!” The door to the store opens, and Heather comes out with a big smile and passes me a mug of coffee. “Happy to have you back. Do you take anything in your coffee? I can get you cream, milk, sugar…?”

I shake my head, glancing down at the coffee in my hands. “Um, no, thank you. This is fine,” I say, looking up at her. “Thanks.”

She squeezes my shoulder and smiles, then glances around at the other men. “The rest of you can get your own.”

They all chuckle as she heads back inside, and Jimmy huffs out a laugh. “Enjoy the hospitality while you can, Liam. It doesn’t last long with that one.”

I let out a light laugh and take a sip of my coffee, glancing out at the water as some fishing boats make their way into the marina.

“Theo’s already in,” Jimmy says, watching the water as well. “Pretty early for them.”

My heart flips at the sound of that, remembering how early he was in yesterday too. And even though I enjoyed having him around yesterday, I worry if him coming in early again means the catch wasn’t great, something went wrong, or if they just made good time.

I just nod, keeping my eyes on one of the boats.

“So, Liam,” one of the men says, drawing my attention to him. “What kind of certifications do you need to work offshore?”

The man is watching me intently, like he is genuinely curious, and I can’t help but smile.

“Quite a few,” I say. “I already had all the welding certificates needed to work in oil and gas, and my diving and underwater welding certificate. But I had to do a lot of safety and rope access courses for offshore.”

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