Page 119 of Tides That Bind

“Then what are you doing out here?”

Finn lifts an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t I ask you the same thing?”

“I’mthinking.”

What I’m really thinking about is that it’s been two days since Lucas left and two days since Harper began to pull away.

She’s no longer with me as I work. She fell asleep upstairs before I had the chance to kiss her goodnight, and she’s been out of the house before I even wake up.

“Yeah? About what?” Finn presses. “Or I guess I should ask—aboutwho?”

I push up onto my elbows.

“Tides.”

“Tides?”

I sit up and not in any graceful way, and yet, I’m still balanced on the board. That’s how flat it is. “Yes. I’m thinking about Tides. I’ve got a motion filed to—"

“When are you going to stop pretending this is about a dog, Riley?”

“What is thethisyou’re referringto exactly?” I ask.

Finn reaches down, skimming the surface of the water with his fingertips . “This being…Harper.”

“This? Last I checked her pronouns weresheandher.”

“You’re an asshole.” He splashes me. “You know what I mean.”

I do, but I’m an attorney now so I know I have a right to say nothing to incriminate myself.

“No. I don’t.”

Finn shakes his head. “Tides. The—”he pauses, lifting an arm to motion at the water—“whatever the hell you two are doing out here.Andin my pool, don’t think the neighbors didn’t tell me.”

“That was once.” It was more than once, but it seems like a good counter argument.

“Once, twice, whatever…I mean, it only takes once...” Finn trails off, shaking his head.

I reach down into the water, swiping below the surface to turn the board so it knocks into Finn’s. “It only takes once to what?”

“To make a mistake.”

I love Finn as a friend, as my brother-in-law, as my business partner. But his insinuation that Harper and I, whether we’re platonic co-parents or something more, could ever be close to a mistake makes me angry enough to hit him.

“We have Lucas, Finn.”

Finn’s eyes widen. “Did you just hear yourself? You saidwe.”

“Yes,we,” I scoff.

“Look, Riley,” he begins, “I know that kid is important to you. Maybe since Lucas was born he’s been theonlyimportant thing to you except for The Shack. He’s important to me and your sister too. We’re all family here, Riley. But…”

“But what?”

“Something’s up with you two.”

I raise my face under the guise of soaking up some sun, but really I just don’t know where to start.

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