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“It was good to see you both.” Sierra stepped back. “But I think Shirley wanted me to see some other people.” I wasn’t surprised she was trying to run. Typical.
“Hey, come on. Why don’t you cruise with us?” Cole asked. “Like we used to do.” He waggled his eyebrows. “It will be like old times.”
I retrieved my legs from their propped position. “Man, I didn’t know we were planning a cruise tonight. It’s going to be crowded out there with everyone trying to drop anchor to watch the fireworks.”
I sure as fuck wasn’t going to tell Cole I cared if Sierra was out on the water with us, but I’d be damned if I would just invite her back into my island life.
Cole shot a look over his shoulder to the Shirley Lane party, and Sierra followed his gaze. Henry was parading around the corn hole players with Shirley perched on his shoulders. She was screaming all the words to the pirate tune blaring across the beach. Things at Shirley Lane were getting rowdy. Drunk rowdy.
“It’s either this or we cruise.” Cole shrugged his shoulders at me. “It’s up to you—your boat.”
“All right. Let’s pull anchor. Come on.” He made his way to the bow of the boat and started working the anchor free from the sand.
“I’m going to shove us off,” Cole offered.
Sierra hadn’t moved.
“If you don’t want to ride, just stay here, darlin’,” I called over the low rumble of the diesel engine.
I didn’t need her on my boat. I didn’t need her on my island. I wasn’t going out of my way to make her comfortable.
“I’m going.” She jogged forward and Cole helped her across the bow.
Fuck. Now what?
5
Sierra
I glanced back over my shoulder at Blake and Cole. I had settled at the bow of the boat. The wind whipped through my hair as Blake steered us around the island.
Cole was laughing at something Blake had said, but I couldn’t hear what the guys were discussing over the muffled sounds of the wind.
I don’t know why I decided to jump on board. It was stupid and rash. I didn’t want Blake to know it bothered me. I wanted to act like things were fine. Normal. I could handle it.
But on the inside I was dying. Falling apart. Shaking from the look in his eye. The anger in his voice. What in the hell was I doing here?
I tried to catch my hair in a fist. It was blowing all around my face.
I edged off the bow and attempted to stand. Before I was completely upright, the boat slowed to a crawling pace.
“Be careful up there,” Blake called. “I don’t want my passengers going overboard.” But there was no concern in his voice. It was a definite warning not to screw with his night.
With the boat almost still, Cole walked toward me. “You need something? Out of beer?”
“Uh, no, just wondering if you could tell me where we are.” I looked away from Cole, and motioned toward the water. I used to know every part of the sound. All the creeks. Now it was practically foreign.
I was turned around and couldn’t get my bearings.
“Why don’t you sit with Blake? He knows the island better than anyone.”
I didn’t know if tha
t would make the shaking stop or make it worse. Why did seeing Blake Wyatt after all these years do this to me?
Sure I’d seen him on TV. It was hard not to. He was the biggest thing to ever come off this island. He was one of the AFA’s biggest stars. And he was my ex.
The guy I never stopped thinking about. The one who haunted me. The one who made it impossible to let another guy near me. Damn it. Why was I on his boat?
