Page 40 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

I’m not sure how that sentence makes me feel. When it comes to her, I’m not even sure anymore how I’m supposed to feel.

“Yeah, I like it too,” I tell her as I gently press down on the throttle to pick back up speed.

It doesn’t take long for me to get to the restaurant, grab our sandwiches, a couple of bags of chips, and drinks. As we approach the place I want to bring her, I kill the engine to let us idle in.

“Look right there.” I point, and she follows my gaze. Sure enough, my two feathered flamingo friends are right where I thought they would be.

She sits up straight and gasps. “Oh, wow! What are they doing here?”

“From what I can tell, they live here. I spotted them over a year ago, and they’re always here when I boat out.”

They watch us as we watch them, eventually we’re close enough for me to throw the anchor.

“They’re so pretty,” she says, standing at the front of the bow to watch them. There are other birds on this little island too, such as seagulls, pelicans, ibises, and sanderlings. It’s a great place to bird-watch, and no one is ever here. I’m always surprised but more grateful for the solitude than anything else.

“Want to know some fun facts about flamingoes?” I ask as I pop up the table and lay out our lunch.

“I take it you’ve looked these facts up?” She grins and takes a seat across from me.

“Of course. Flamingo nests are made of mud, they get their pink color from their food, flamingoes can sleep standing on one leg, and that’s not their knee but their ankle that bends backward. We actually can’t see their knees. They’re tucked up underneath their feathers. Oh, and a group of flamingoes is called a flamboyance.”

Her grin turns into a large smile, and although I know I shouldn’t, my gaze behind my sunglasses drops to her lips. Lips that are starting to look more inviting the longer she stays with me, and the more I get to know her.

“You have done your research,” she says, popping open her box to display the most beautiful blackened grouper sandwich to ever exist. Caught fresh, always flaky, and they never skimp on the size.

“I majored in marine biology. I kind of can’t help myself.”

She tilts her head and frowns. “You did? I didn’t know that. I thought it was just regular biology.”

“Why would you?” I ask, popping open my box and picking up my sandwich to take a bite.

But as I think about my question, it dawns on me that I know she majored in marketing with a minor in data science.

Behind my glasses, I watch as she picks up the sandwich and takes a bite. She groans, “This is so good.”

“I told you,” I tell her, trying to forget how she sounds when she makes that noise. The sun is bright, but there’s a haze today muting it a bit, and making every color about her pop even more. Her hair seems lighter, her pale skin definitely needs to be slathered in more sunblock, and that black bikini she’s wearing outlines the lushness of her boobs perfectly under that tiny shirt.

“The fish tank makes sense now,” she says between bites. “Do you take care of it yourself or have someone come in and do it for you?”

I chew my bite before answering. “I have a company that comes in. It’s one of those things where I just let the experts do their thing.”

“I really do love the fish tank. It’s by far my favorite part of your house.”

“Thanks. The boat and the fish, what more does a man need?”

Behind her shades, I can see her eyes flash up to look at me. She licks her lips. “I can think of a few things.” And then she smiles, and my heart skips a beat.

What just happened?

Is she flirting with me?

This somehow feels like it shouldn’t be allowed? I’m her brother’s best friend and right now her friend. She came to me because she needed a safe place. Hell, I’m the safest place there is, but flirting feels like we’re bordering on dangerous.

“Well, maybe a few,” I toss back at her. Her cheeks turn pink as she looks back at her sandwich and continues eating it.

Minutes pass as we eat in silence. The boat rocks a little as the tide tries to push us toward the shore. The smell of the salt, the sound of seagulls in the distance, the beautiful girl sitting across from me, I feel a contentment I’m not sure I’ve ever felt.

“Did I ever tell you I watched you get drafted?”