Page 74 of Cruel Tides

“So Dad gave themharpoons?” I sighed, feeling a mixture of irritation and amusement. Muttering under my breath, I shook my head. “Gee, thanks, Dad.”

Sure, he’d always tried hard to be thecool dad, but handing out weapons to his daughter’s love interests was taking things a bit far. If I hadn’t known him any better, I would have thought he was trying to kill one of them off.

But, no—he was definitely trying to get them to think he was cool.

“How can Leander move like that in his condition?” My hands curved around the edge of the window frame, grasping the wood. “He needs to rest. To recover his strength,” I went on, talking mostly to myself.

Amazingly enough, Leander didn’t seem to be struggling.

He was a force to be reckoned with, every move he made with his harpoon calculated and precise, like a quick burst of lightning. The gold in his hair flashed with each advance he made on Kai, but despite the intensity of the lesson, he had the careful movements of a teacher training a student rather than someone simply lashing out in anger.

Meanwhile, Kai was the one having difficulty. His harpoon sliced through the air as he fought to fend off Leander’s unrelenting barrage of blows. His footing was unsteady, and he looked so worn out, it was amazing he was still standing.

My anxiety was about to reach its peak when Barren’s voice came from behind me. “Coffee?”

“Uh, sure,” I agreed without really listening to the question. After a few more moments of watching their fight, Barren held out a steaming mug of coffee beside me.

I stared, puzzled as to why he wasn’t gripping the handle, before it dawned on me that he wanted me to take it.

“Oh, thanks.” Warmth spread through my fingers as I took the mug from him. The aroma was divine, and the light caramel hue looked suspiciously like the amount of creamer I normally added to my cup.

Barren’s dark eyes stayed fixed on my lips while I tried it. Rich, smooth flavor filled my mouth. “Wow, it’s great.” I went back for another sip. As I’d thought, he’d somehow prepared it exactly how I made my coffee. “How did you know how much cream and sugar to use?”

“Watched you make it yesterday,” Barren said simply, his gaze directed downward as if attempting to conceal a faint smile. I took another sip, feeling a strange thrill that he’d paid attention to something so trivial. It made sense, though. Barren did seem to have an eye for details.

Now that I had my coffee, he moved to settle back onto the floor. After taking a gulp from his mug, he picked up his phone, and when he started scrolling through it, I returned my attention to the scene outside, a bit disappointed our conversation had already stopped only moments after it had begun.

Kai and Leander were still sparring, their movements fluid and graceful. Well—Leander’s were, at least. Kai was wobblier than jelly. When I was about to go out there and stick up for him, they separated, and I felt relieved when Leander gestured with his arm, granting Kai a break. Kai was more than willing to take it, and the way he dropped to his knees, sprawling on the grass like a limp rag doll, reminded me of how Laverne looked whenever she dramatically laid out on the sand.

Suddenly curious, I turned back to Barren to ask, “Where’s Laverne?”

He looked up from his phone, setting it back on the coffee table. “With your father.”

Ah—that made sense. If Dad was out on the boat, then Laverne was probably in fish heaven right now. He would naturally let her eat as much as she wanted. We’d probably have to roll her back to shore.

Barren took a sip of his coffee, one eyebrow rising. “Jealous?” he asked.

“No.” I gave a small smile as I stared down at my cup. So, I’d been right. Barren had noticed how I’d reacted to Laverne getting all of Dad’s attention. “Okay, maybe a little. But mostly, I’m surprised I slept through all of this.” With all the coming and going, the front door must have opened and shut half a dozen times. Usually, once was enough to wake me up.

Barren shrugged. “You needed rest.” His low voice warmed me more than the coffee had.

I blew on my cup, watching the steam rise. I barely started taking another sip when Barren asked, “May I take your picture?”

“What—?” I sputtered, spitting coffee back into my cup.

“Unless you already have a passport,” he added, concern furrowing his brow.

It was a miracle I hadn’t spilled coffee all over myself. “Passport?” I hurriedly swiped an arm over my chin. “No, sorry. So, we’re going to your island by plane?”

Barren nodded, confirming what I’d suspected would be our next move. It wasn’t like we could have swum all the way to… actually, I wasn’t sure exactly where Barren was from. I did know it was an island in the Indian Ocean, but that didn’t narrow it down much.

“I don’t have the required documents, so I never had the chance to get a passport,” I said. There were certain things I’d never be able to do on land, but that was an old wound I’d long come to terms with. I was grateful I could even go to public school given my lack of documents, not that those bullies made my experience phenomenal.

“Mmh.” He got his phone and stood up. Then he walked into the kitchen and gestured over to the fridge. “It won’t take long.”

“Oh, we’re taking it now?” It was a good thing I’d just brushed my hair. I left the window, setting my coffee on the counter as I came into the kitchen and took my place in front of the fridge.

Barren raised his phone, his eyes glued to the display as I stood there, stiff, offering an uncomfortable grin that I hoped looked natural.

---