Page 33 of Tides of Discovery
“Right. The event.” I grasped at the subject like a lifeline. “Around six?”
“Six works.” Jack stepped back, slightly unsteady. “I should probably head home.”
“Thanks for dinner.”
He paused. “Goodnight…baby.” The pet name sent a shiver through me.
“Goodnight, snookums,” I replied, unable to form anything more coherent.
He chuckled as he left.
I unlocked my door, stepped into my apartment, and pressed my fingers to my lips. I could still feel the ghost of his kiss.
I’d spent most of my life categorizing relationships into clear, defined compartments. Friends in one box, romantic interests in another, family in a third. Jack had always been firmly in the friend box, so essential to that category that he practically defined it.
But now? Now the boundaries blurred. The boxes reshaped themselves without my permission. Friend, boyfriend—the labels seemed inadequate and overlapped in ways I couldn’t neatly separate.
Jack and I had kissed—really kissed this time. And it had been…incredible. Nothing like the comfortable, platonic feelings I’d always had for him.
I sank onto my couch, my legs suddenly wobbly. As I sat there, the phantom sensation of Jack’s lips still tingling on mine, I had to admit the truth to myself: something had shifted. I was looking at Jack differently now, seeing him not just as my best friend but as someone who pulled me to him like a magnet.
I had four weeks to see where this would lead.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jack
I’d spent my entire Sunday in a daze, revisiting the previous night’s kiss. Playing video games to relax had been nearly impossible—I’d made rookie mistakes and couldn’t even advance from easy levels. All because I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Cooper had responded to me.
The memory of Cooper’s lips against mine replayed in my mind like an animation running on repeat. They’d been so soft, warmer than I’d imagined during all those years of wondering. I could still feel the weight of Cooper’s hands clutching my shoulders, anchoring himself to me as if he needed the connection as much as I did. What made it perfect wasn’t just the kiss itself, but the choice behind it—we’d both wanted that moment. It wasn’t born from impulse or desperation, but from a genuine desire to explore what lay between us. Every instinct had screamed at me to deepen the kiss, to press closer, to show him just how much I’d wanted this for so long. But I’d forced myself to pull back, to keep it gentle and questioning rather than demanding. If I had any hope of making this temporary relationship permanent—of not scaring Cooper away with theintensity of feelings he didn’t know I carried—I had to let him set the pace, no matter how much restraint it required.
But then his words echoed in my head.It’s no big deal.The casual dismissal hit me like a slap, deflating the joy I’d been carrying since our lips touched. To me, that kiss had been everything—a glimpse of what we could have, confirmation that the connection I’d felt wasn’t one-sided. But apparently, to Cooper, it was just another moment in our arrangement, something to be brushed off and minimized. Hadn’t it meant anything to him? Hadn’t he felt the same electricity, the same sense of rightness when our mouths met? Or was I just reading too much into what was, for him, simply a temporary exploration?
I paced my apartment and glanced at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. Cooper would arrive soon to plan The Coffee Cove’s event for the town’sOcean of Lovecelebration. Just two friends working on a project together. I needed to get my head straight before he arrived.
The buzzer rang and sent my heart into overdrive. I took a deep breath and willed my pulse to steady as I pushed the unlock button.
Cooper’s footsteps sounded on the stairs, and when I opened my door, I found him on my landing, still in his work clothes—a black Henley and dark jeans that should have been plain but somehow highlighted every toned line of his body. His dark hair was slightly mussed, as if he’d run his hands through it multiple times during his shift.
“Hey,” he said, his voice casual but with a hint of caution. There was a new awareness in his eyes—a slight wariness that hadn’t been there before last night.
“Hey yourself.” I stepped aside to let him in. “Long day?”
“Saturday’s rush carried over.” He slipped off his jacket and hung it by the door with the familiarity of someone who’d doneit a hundred times before. “I think half the town came in just to gossip. You’re lucky you weren’t there.”
I laughed, some of the tension easing. “Seacliff Cove’s newest celebrity couple is big news.”
“Apparently.” Cooper rolled his eyes, but there was a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Mrs. Abernathy asked if we’d set a date yet.”
“For what, our wedding?” My voice rose in incredulity.
“That’s exactly what she meant.”
We both laughed, the absurdity of the situation momentarily overriding the awkwardness between us.
My stomach rumbled, and Cooper raised an eyebrow. I gestured to the takeout menu on the coffee table. “I thought we could order Chinese food.”
“Sounds perfect.” Cooper settled onto the couch.
