Page 25 of My Orc in Uniform

I scrubbed my hand over my face again, let out a breath, and gripped my shovel.

Just focus on the here and now. Let the future take care of itself.

Yeah. Except…that attitude got me into trouble in the past. Big trouble.

Stop second-guessing yourself.

Second-guessing? At this point I was fourth-guessing myself.

“Hey, Mom!” Patrick called. “Check out this crazy jellyfish!”

And I exhaled, grateful for the distraction. Grateful that my teenage son cared enough about me to include me in his life, no matter the reason.

Gripping my shovel, I went to see the crazy jellyfish.

Chapter Nine

Simbel

Rissa letme pilot the boat on the way back to the marina.

Well, it had been Trick’s idea, and he was the one to push me in front of the steering column. “Here, bro. You have your driver’s license, yeah? Just drive slowly.”

“Don’t I have to take a test or something?”

“I had to do a whole course, but you’re an adult.” The kid smirked. “More or less.”

Pretending to be affronted, I grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him into a headlock, the way I would have with my brother. Still holding him, I stepped smartly up to the wheel as he laughed and triedto pummel me.

Driving the boat wasn’t too difficult, and I eventually released Trick to give me pointers. He alternated between making fun of me and talking about his band. I smiled easily, already scheming how to help him get the drum set he wanted and offered suggestions for names.

We both agreed thatThe Trickstershad a certain ring to it, but he wasn’t sure if the other guys would go for it.

Through most of the trip back to Eastshore Marina, Rissa was silent. She sat at the stern, her feet up on the bench, alternating between staring at the horizon and glancing at our antics.

When shedidlook our way, there was a small smile on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking about, but she was definitely deep in thought.

I told myself it must not be too bad, because while we were at the sandbar, the sweet scent of her arousal had been unmistakable. She’d been thinking about what we’d done last night, I knew it…and she’denjoyedremembering it.

Well, if she gave me another chance, I would ensure that she enjoyed it even more.

Once we reached the marina, Rissa took the wheel again. I sat back, content to watch the way this remarkable female—myremarkable female—moved so confidently. She stood, legs braced in those pink rubber boots, squinting at the boat traffic, shoulders at ease, judging distance and speed…until she slid the boat into its slip and killed the engines.

“Patrick?” she prompted.

“On it!” The kid leapt over the side—the gunwale, he’d called it—and landed on the dock next to a metal box. Lifting the lid, he flipped a switch, and the boat lift lurched into motion.

It was cool to watch them work together. It reminded me of how Memnon and I used to fit so perfectly, able to understand one another without talking. Trick and Rissa had clearly done this many times, and I felt kinda lucky to see them work together like this.

I grinned.

If Rissa was my Mate, what did that make Trick?

He was a neat kid, that was for certain. I’d never thought of myself as a father figure, but maybe I could be sorta like a big brother? The gods knew he calledeveryone“bro,” so maybe it would fit? At sixteen, he was already more man than boy, but maybe I could help him become the man he ought to be?

All I knew was that, thanks to the way I felt about his mother, Trick was now part of my future, and I needed to figure out what that meant. Well, I guess I should start with some communication.

“Can you two take the clamming stuff up to the car?” Rissa asked, bent over the console of the boat. “I’ll finish up here.”

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