Page 36 of Deep Waters
Vanessa patted my left cheek. “I’ve always thought you two would be cute together.”
She released me, leading the way toward the back of the house. I stood, stunned.
“What just happened?” I asked Zach, keeping my voice low.
Maybe he picked up on the hint of danger in my tone. He reached for my hands, watching me. “I’m sorry, Rae. You know what Drew’s like.”
“Gruff. Kind of an asshole?”
He grimaced. “Plus, he loves to tease. I love him like a brother, but he can’t keep a secret worth a damn.”
“Heisyour brother.”
“Exactly, and he felt it was his brotherly duty to let the entire family know that we kissed. We are very popular in the group chat.”
“They know? Theyallknow?” I froze. “And they’ve been commenting on it?”
“Relax. Everyone loves you. It’s me they’re giving grief to.”
I laughed, but it came out brittle.Everyone loves you. The words shouldn’t make me want to run. But that kind of warmth felt strange. My family didn’t gush. They expected. Kept score. Calculated the potential benefits.
There was a reason I’d kept my breakup with Simon from them for as long as possible. If they knew about me and Zach, they’d start pressuring me to use his contacts. Use him.
“You probably should have warned me,” I said, keeping my tone even. The sting of not knowing lingered. Vi was also on my shit list. As one of my oldest friends, I would have expected her to clue me in. The Hurricane Vanessa warning wasn’t good enough, if they were discussing me behind my back.
“I meant to,” he admitted. He scrubbed his palm across the back of his neck.
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because I wasn’t sure you’d come.” The raw vulnerability in his voice made me pause.
“You think I’d reject you and avoid your family because they found out about our kiss?”
“My family can be a lot. I know that. I should have prepared you better.”
“Yeah, you should have.” Grudgingly, I relented. He should have told me that their interest went beyond silly nicknames. But he was right that knowing in advance would have made me more anxiousabout tonight. About pleasing them. I was trying to shed those patterns. Leave them in the past.
“Hey. You done fighting now?” Drew’s question broke into the tiny world Zach and I had created around ourselves, reminding me that we were still in a houseful of Fenwicks.
I pivoted on my heel, frowning at Drew, who leaned casually against the entryway hall wall, arms crossed across his chest. “I have a bone to pick with you, Big Mouth.”
He held up his hands. “Rae-by-cakes, you’re such a secret squirrel that having the hot gossip was too tempting. I meant no harm.”
“I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”
He backed away, palms raised, confidently smirking down at me. “That’s okay, Rae-by-cakes. I think I’ve got time.”
If Zach’s entire family knew about our kiss, how long before my dad found out? I winced. He’d just raked me over the coals for breaking up with Simon. I didn’t want to know what he’d say about me hooking up with Zach. My dad gave me a hard time about running around with Violet Fenwick and the kids he considered “too loaded to be real islanders.” In his eyes, only the families who fished and worked the waters were authentic islanders.
Zach clasped my hand, entwining our fingers. His eyes pleaded as he tugged me toward the kitchen. “It’ll be fine, Rae. My family already loves you.”
I followed him into the kitchen, my hand clasped securely in his. Vanessa had her back to us, working at the counter. Hana and Tae were ensconced at the kitchen table with Gran in front of a giant platter of cut vegetables and dip.
“You finally opened your eyes,” Gran crowed. Her expression radiated satisfaction. She’d dressed for dinner in jeans and a sleeveless top.Her shirt was bedazzled with tropical birds in a dizzying pattern of bright colors and rhinestones.
Her words were cryptic, but the way her gaze dropped to our joined hands, I assumed she was talking about Zach and me.
“Gran, sometimes you’re just waiting for the sun to come out. That right opportunity.”
