Page 30 of Taming Waves

“You’re right. Sorry. I’ll try to keep the flirting to a minimum.”

“How about you don’t do it at all,” I suggest.

“I’ll try, but it’s hard to behave around you,” he says.

“Try hard.”

He slides his eyes to me. “Okay, I will. Does that mean you’re in?”

“And after three months, you’ll go away?”

“You’ll never have to look at me again.”

I scoff. “Right. You’ll still be in the bar, trying to get under my skin every chance you get.”

“No, I won’t.”

“You’re serious?”

“If you still feel the same on my last day of work, I’ll never step foot in Whiskey Joe’s again. You have my word.”

“Friends?”

“Friends,” he agrees. “For now.”

“No, friends only, Parker. There will be nocardiohappening between the two of us.”

“Whatever you say, Tiger.”

Grrr.

“Fine. Deal.”

He’ll see that I’m not the same girl I was back then and finally give up.

He looks over at me, and his face lights up in triumph. He doesn’t plan to make this easy.

Neither do I.

Parker

It takes several days for the floodwaters to recede fully.

The bridges leading onto and off the island reopened on Wednesday, but several smaller bridges had washed away, making navigating the island streets slow and difficult.

Brew and Van have decided to temporarily close Whiskey Joe’s until next week. A significant number of their employees live on the island and are currently dealing with power outages, flooded vehicles, and property damage. They want to give their staff the time needed to address these issues. Sebastian’s few charters were also canceled due to incoming Sandcastle Cove visitors rescheduling their plans.

In the grand scheme of things, this storm wasn’t devastating. As coastal town residents, we’re conditioned to be able to weather such events. It’ll take a couple of weeks to set things right, but until then, we’ll all pitch in, neighbor helping neighbor.

Storm aftermath is just one of the prices you pay for living in paradise.

With our newfound free time, Anson, Sebastian, and I volunteered at the town hall to assist with community cleanup. We began by helping elderly and disabled homeowners with repairs and debris removal.

It’s been a long week, so we’re all looking forward to spending the evening relaxing at Lennon and Amiya’s home.

They live on the beach at the island’s west end, right across the street from Wade and Eden. It’s a beautiful house that Eden had built next to her parents’ vacation property. She and Wade fell madly in love while the house was still under construction, and she never moved in. When Lennon decided to transfer to the Coast Guard, Eden rented the home to him and Amiya for a steal.

I’m showered and waiting for Anson when my phone chimes with a message.

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