In the end, it took zero effort to edge into place. He could have done it with his eyes closed, and there wasn’t a single talon on the hand that gave his shoulder a firm squeeze.
“See? Nothing to it.”
Nate’s smile was broad, showing no trace of concern that he’d just handed his million-dollar baby to a stranger. Evan smiled back, but couldn’t find his voice, so he followed wordlessly to the swim platform at the stern.
He hated this feeling of irrational fear. He wasn’t fifteen. That kid was long gone, and the man who’d replaced him was battle-tested and dominated courtrooms. He didn’t cower in the face of a challenge. He turned the tide in his favor. The version of himself that questioned his worth was dead and buried, and this was no time for a zombie apocalypse.
Olivia and Isabella were already in the process of transferring their collection of coolers, blankets, umbrellas, and bags to the pristine white beach awaiting them.
“Nice sailing, skipper!” Olivia called out, reminding him of Heath’s Gilligan joke from the other night.
Heath was helping load the small float Isabella was using to swim items across, and he took great pains to avoid looking Evan’s way as he and Nate approached.
“You look good behind the wheel,” Isabella said staring at Heath. “Didn’t he look good?”
Heath looked at her, and Evan saw the dark grey shift in his eyes as his mouth set into a hard line. “We’ll see if this stays a three-hour tour.”
His tone was drier than a salted cracker, and he looked physically pained to be acknowledging Evan at all. It was the kick in the shins he needed to shake off the lingering weirdness in his limbs.
“All good, little buddy.”
He punctuated the point with a shove that sent Heath flying off the back of the boat with a shriek of surprise that made Evan feel normal again. If Pookie wanted to think of him as an asshole, he could easily perpetuate that opinion.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Isabella scolded with a frown, though amusement lit her dark eyes.
“He started it.”
She hummed with obvious doubt, her long braid moving like a serpent as she lazily swam the last of the items to shore.
“Here, lemme help.”
Evan dove at an angle that sent a flood into Heath’s face as he tread water just off to the side. His sputtering curse elevated Evan’s mood another few notches.
“You are a terrible man,” Isabella admonished with a laugh that ruined the sentiment.
He hoisted the cooler onto his shoulder and smiled. “So I’ve been told. I’m seeking redemption, if you know anyone qualified.”
She rolled her eyes, and they followed Olivia’s footprintsthrough the leaves to a clearing where she was organizing into a little oasis.
“You should flirt with your husband, not me.”
“I don’t think he likes me right now.”
“What a surprise. What did you do?”
The question gave him whiplash, but he couldn’t argue. This time it was absolutely his fault.
“Mouth got ahead of my brain.”
Shehumphed. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. Maybe you should use it for good instead of aggravating.”
“Are you suggesting?—?”
She covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him sternly. “Use it for good, Evan. I know you can do it.”
He held back a chuckle as she walked away. She might not admit it, but he was pretty sure she liked him just a little, and he could work with that.
Lunch wasa do-it-yourself spread of cheeses and meats, paired with crackers and thick hunks of bread freshly baked by the resort’s chefs that morning. There were slices of mango and kiwi, liberally sprinkled with sweetened coconut, for additional snacking or mixing with the bottle of Prosecco that had magically appeared. Or maybe a glass of crisp white wine, or even a can of hazy hefeweizen.
