Page 19 of After You Returned

Rhett stands next to me with baby Mira in his arms. “You were at the meeting when we agreed to review the issue.”

I vaguely remember some talk of a nursery. “Review the issue is one thing.” I motion to the room. “This is not a review.”

“I sent a proposal to everyone. You had the chance to comment on the idea.”

I rub my forehead. I don’t remember receiving a proposal.

“This is what happens when you don’t read your emails,” Dakota sings as she steals Mira from Rhett’s arms. Dakota is Eli’s assistant and knows everything happening in the office – including my refusal to read emails.

“Hey!” Rhett chases after her. “I hardly held her for a second.”

Kai sets Pearl on the ground before coming to stand next to me. “You have to admit. It’s a good idea.”

“I do? I don’t have children. This is a huge cost with no benefit for me.”

He shrugs. “You should have complained when you had the chance.”

In other words, I should have read the email. In my defense, I do read most of my emails. The ones from the bars, restaurants, and resorts that we sell our whiskeys and moonshine to. And our distributors to coordinate shipping.

I’ve never lost a shipment or had one be delayed. And I always make sure contracts are in place before any Buccaneer’s products arrive at a sales point.

But I missed the email about the nursery. Damn it. This is yet another sign that I shouldn’t be the sales manager of the distillery. Maybe I should consider another career. I can’t be a pro surfer but there must be a job that doesn’t involve me sitting behind a desk eight hours a day.

I elbow Kai. “You’re just happy about this because you want to get Harper pregnant.”

I’m teasing, but guessing by the smile on his face, he is trying to get Harper pregnant.

“I promised to give Harper a family. And whatever my fiancée wants, she gets.”

“Smuggler’s Hideaway won’t know what hit it when the Raider brothers all have children in school.”

Eli chuckles as he joins us. “Why do you think I paid to have the jail cells refurbished?”

I point to Kai. “Because he’s a troublemaker.”

He chuckles. “Says the man who got caught crowing like a rooster naked at four in the morning outside the gates ofMermaid Mystical Gardens.”

“It was a bet,” I say as if a bet can excuse any behavior. Because it can.

“At least he was outside the gates,” Eli says. “He avoided a burglary charge.”

I was outside because I couldn’t figure out a way to sneak into the amusement park without scaling the gates, which wasn’t happening, consideringI was naked.

“Come on.” Eli nudges me toward the nursery. “Go check out the room. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have need of its services soon.”

I scowl. I won’t be needing a nursery anytime soon.

I step into the room and nearly stumble at the vision before me. There are three cribs. One each for Stephanie, Mira, and Adele. The walls are painted an ocean blue with illustrations of mermaids, mermen, and other mythical sea creatures. There’s a rocking chair in one corner. A bookcase filled with books in another. And baskets of toys lined up along the wall.

“How much did this cost?” I mutter.

Eli pats my arm. “You keep selling the booze and money won’t be an issue.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

“I’m sorry you injured your shoulder again, but the surfing world’s loss is our gain. You’ll have more time to work at the distillery until you’re healed.”

The surfing world’s loss. The surfing world has forgotten I existed. My time on the pro tour doesn’t even qualify as a one-day wonder.