Page 72 of Spring Tide

He keeps one hand on the steering wheel, patting his dash with the other. “Yeah, I’m sure I’ll hold on to her until she dies on me. I’m not looking forward to that.”

“Do you have a dream car, then? Something you want to buy when you go pro?”

An odd expression tilts his features. “Nah, I haven’t really thought about it.”

“What about something else? Something you want to spend your first paychecks on?”

We pull up to a stoplight, and his gaze cuts in my direction. He lifts one brow, the corner of his mouth ticking into an amused smile. “You seem really confident that I’ll be drafted.”

“Oh, without a doubt,” I say sincerely, reaching for his hand across the center console. “I know you will be.”

A grin splits his face. “I hadn’t really thought about it too much, either, to be honest. But I guess a bigger house for my parents. I’d probably pay off Taylor’s graduate loans and maybe college for Elio.”

“That’s your younger brother, right? He’s eighteen?”

We round another corner into town, only a few miles away from his neighborhood now. The roads are mostly empty, and the sky is dark, but the steady glow of the streetlights splashes against his side profile.

His features are the perfect mixture of soft and masculine—with his sharp jaw, the wide bridge of his nose, and the puffiness to his full lips, Luca is undeniably attractive, especially when he talks about his family.

“In a couple of months, he will be.” There’s a bitter undertone to his words, a flash of irritation setting his jaw. “He’s supposed to be submitting college applications right now, but I’m sure he’ll make up some excuse for not doing them.”

I change course, pressing a soft squeeze to his hand. “And your younger siblings?”

“Yeah, maybe I’ll start college funds for them, too. And pay for more therapy for Giorgie.”

Ah, there it is. Another sliver of information about Luca’s life outside of Coastal. I know it’s not easy for him to confide in others—he admitted that last night—but I’m glad he’s starting to open up to me now.

“Therapy?”

“Yeah, she’s, uh ... she’s got a lot of sensory issues, communication differences, that sort of thing. That’s actually why I’ve been picking up extra shifts lately. I want to help my parents out where I can.”

I lift our linked hands to my mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “You’re a good brother, Luca.”

His cheeks tinge the slightest shade of pink. Clearing his throat, he squares his shoulders and says, “I mean, it’s what you do for family.”

“Yeah, but still.”

“What about you? You’ve never mentioned siblings or anything.”

I settle into my seat, tipping my head back against the headrest. “I’m an only child, so it was just me and my parents growing up.”

“When was the last time you saw them?”

“Oh, it’s been a few months or so. I think Dad has plans to visit in a couple of weeks, but we’ll probably just grab dinner or something quick.”

“And your mom?”

“Probably not until spring, actually. She’s galivanting around Europe with her boyfriend for the next few months.”

“Wow, that must be nice.”

“Yeah, she’s been sending lots of pictures, and it looks amazing.”

“So your parents are ...”

“Not together, obviously. It’s only been a few years since they divorced.” Or energetically split, as they like to call it.

I think it all happened, oh, about forty-five minutes after I left for Coastal. My parents called me separately, the week after I settled in, to share the news. They were obviously waiting until the exact moment I flew the coop, not that I minded.

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