“Yup,” Hudson whispers with a smirk. “It’s him for sure. Nice catch, Phoe.”
“Knock it off,” I reply as I stand and wave my arms at the girl I recognize from the karaoke stage. “Over here!”
She spins her jet ski in our direction, and I can see her tears. “Where’s my brother? Ohmygod, did he drown? Why aren’t you in the water looking for him?”
“He’s safe. He’s lying down right here,” I reassure her, pointing at the seat Taylor’s on. “Do you need help getting over here?” I can see her hands shaking, and although she has a life jacket on, I don’t like the state she’s in. I’m in the water before she can answer. I swim to her jet ski and start pulling it behind me. “He’s okay,” I say again. “He likely has a concussion, but he’s talking, so that’s good. Are you Livvy by any chance?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure I recognize her from the men’s room.
The girl nods her head. “I’m his sister.”
“He thinks he died and that you’re going to be pissed at him,” I tell her, trying to hide my laugh.
“I could never be pissed at Tay,” she says lovingly.
Phoenix reaches down to give Livvy a hand when we hit the ladder. She rips her life jacket off and throws herself at Taylor’s side.
“Tay, can you hear me?” she says, grabbing his hand.
“Livvy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to die,” he says, his eyes still closed.
She laughs in relief and throws a glance at me over her shoulder.
“Told you.” I smile back.
“Taylor, you idiot, you’re not dead. Open your eyes.”
Slowly, he does as she commands and turns his head toward her.
Immediately, I move forward to stop him. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy with your neck until we can assess it better.”
Finally, his eyes widen with recognition.
“Knox?” he asks, now trying to sit up.
I almost step on his sister as I move beside him so I can place my hand on his chest to get him to lie still.
“Taylor, I need you to be still until Phoenix can finish checking you out.”
“I’d rather you do that part,” he says, melting into the cushion and closing his eyes again.
Phoenix looks at me like he needs to stand where I am so he can finish his assessment, but I just glare. “Work around me; I’m not moving.”
As he returns his attention to Taylor, Livvy looks up at me from the floor of the boat. “You’re Knox. The contractor. The guy from the bar.” Her eyes scan my frame and then slowly move around the boat, taking in my friends. “God, my brother has fantastic taste even if it always bites him in the ass.”
Jake chuckles from the captain’s chair, and Hudson smiles from the bow before answering her. “That’s Knox, all right.”
I flip Hudson the middle finger while Livvy stands and moves to the bench seat connected to the one Taylor is currently lying across. Phoenix is standing at Taylor’s head and I’m now on my knees next to him. I’m not sure when I grabbed his hand, but I look down to find my thumb tracing light circles over the back of it.
After a few minutes of poking, prodding, and questions, Phoenix decides Taylor isn’t in a life-threatening situation, but feels he should still get a set of X-rays and be assessed for head trauma by a physician.
“I’ll take him,” I volunteer quickly before remembering his sister is on my boat, and I probably overstepped. Turning to lookat her, I backtrack. “I mean, I can go with you, if you want. It might be helpful if I’m there, since I saw him hit the water.”
She gives me a wary smile. “Yeah, sure. That’d be great. Any chance you could help me get these jet skis back to the marina?
Twenty minutes later, Taylor’s jet ski has been righted, both vehicles are attached to my boat with tow straps, and I’m still holding Taylor’s hand.
Phoenix passes by me to pull the ladder up in the back before we head to the marina and says, “Knox, keep him awake.”
Taylor smiles with his eyes still closed. “Iamawake. It’s just bright, and it makes my head pound.”
