Page 10 of A Shore Fling

TRAVIS

S lipping onto the stool, I join my brothers at the table.

Reed, the oldest after me, slides a bottle of beer toward me.

“Thanks. So what’s up?”

“Shouldn’t we be asking you that?” Drew questions. He’s the baby of the family and my mom’s favorite. Even though she denies it, we know it’s true.

I scratch my chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jordan shakes his head. “Typical Travis.”

I glance around the table under lowered brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you act as though we’re crazy when we question you about anything,” Drew fills me in.

“That’s a bold statement. Care to back it up with some evidence?”

Drew shifts his position on the stool before answering. “When you and Jessica separated, you denied it for six months even though we knew she’d moved out.”

“Jesus. That was ten years ago. Can’t you give me a more recent example?”

“Believe it or not, we don’t keep track each time you shut us out.” Reed feels the need to throw in his two cents on the subject.

“Yeah, if we did, we’d be rolling out a mile-long scroll,” Jordan adds.

My lips quirking, I say, “Fuck off.” My hand lands on his shoulder, giving an unexpected and forceful shove. Drew catches him, preventing him from tumbling from the stool, and we all laugh.

After we’ve quieted down, Reed props his chin on his fist. “So, what’s the deal with you and the hot brunette?”

“We met when the boat she was driving got caught up near North Cove.”

Reed’s eyebrows climb toward his hairline. “She drove it in the shallows?”

“She sure did. Luckily, I decided to patrol that area at the end of my shift, or she’d have spent the night out there.”

“That doesn’t explain why you were such an asshole to her,” Drew mentions.

“Guys, being an asshole is his default setting,” Jordan explains.

He’s not wrong.

“Yeah, but he’s not usually like that with women,” Reed says, studying me. “Have you been without female companionship for so long you forgot how to flirt?”

My mouth pulls tight at his question. It’s been a while since I spent time with a woman I wanted to impress, but Nina certainly doesn’t fall under that category.

Yes, she’s attractive, but she’s also… fancy.

My gaze swings over to the bar, touching on her.

Just look at what she’s wearing right now, and her curly hair has been straightened into a shiny chocolate sheet that falls to mid-back.

She looks like she stepped out of some high society magazine.

She doesn’t belong here any more than I’d belong in New York City.

“Should we take your silence as a yes?” Reed prods.

“No. I wasn’t trying to flirt with her.”

“If you’re not gonna, then I sure am,” Reed states, pushing back his stool.

My hand clamps onto his wrist, keeping his palm on the table. “No, you won’t.”

Reed cants his head, smirking. “So let me get this straight. You don’t want to flirt with her, but you don’t want me to either?”

My jaw shifts, teeth grinding, and I grunt.

“Okay, Neanderthal. If that’s the best you’ve got, I’m gonna go talk to her,” Reed states.

“Dude, don’t poke the bear,” Drew tells him.

Reed smirks at me. “Maybe he needs a poke.”

“A cattle prod might be more effective,” Jordan chimes in, grinning.

“Maybe my fist needs to meet your face,” I tell him.

Jordan rubs his hands together. “Looks like we hit a nerve, boys.” The three of them high-five each other while I force myself to sip my beer calmly. If I react negatively it’ll only encourage them to continue.

After a minute, Drew rises from his stool.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“To take a piss. Why? You wanna help?”

“Nope. You’re on your own with the magnifying glass this time.”

Unfazed, Drew barks out a laugh and walks away. He’s so good-natured, it’s almost impossible to rile him up.

“Be right back,” Reed says, standing.

“Where are you going?” I suspiciously eye him.

He realizes my motivation for asking and grins. “To talk to Will.”

She better be the only one he talks to. I watch him like my life depends on it.

“If you don’t plan to make a move on Nina, why shouldn’t one of us?” Jordan asks.

That’s a good question.

“She’s city through and through. She doesn’t belong here.”

“What’s wrong with a little summer fun?”

“Nothing.” Except, if one of my brothers became involved with Nina, she’d be off-limits for me, forever. It’s that simple. I would never break the Thorne brotherly code.

“No one said anything about marrying her,” he adds. I swallow a deep pull of beer and lick the remainder from my lips. “Have you ever thought about getting married again?” His question takes me by surprise.

“Where the hell did that come from?”

“Earlier, Drew brought up Jessica, and it reminded me you’ve been single for a long time.”

“So have you,” I point out. “You haven’t ever been married. At least I gave it a shot.”

“I’m not opposed to marriage. I just haven’t found the right one.”

My shoulders rise in a quick shrug. “I could say the same.”

“True.” He nods. “But you’re forty and I’m only thirty-four. If you want kids, you need to get going.”

“Pretty sure men can father kids into their eighties.”

“Sure, if you want to be fossilized by the time they graduate high school. If you had a kid tomorrow, you’d be fifty-eight when they turn eighteen. That’s not a dad—that’s a grandpa with joint pain and a will.”

I huff a laugh and flip him off. “People are starting families later in life. Becoming a parent isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. Mom had Drew when she was forty.”

“And look how he turned out.”

I glance toward the end of the bar, where Drew is currently trying to convince the unimpressed bartender that protein powder belongs in the mixed drinks. He flexes his impressive bicep and urges her to feel it.

I wince. “Okay, bad example.”

Jordan leans back on the stool, looking smug. “Exactly. That kid’s maybe two bad decisions away from joining a pyramid scheme.”

“He’s already tried selling me supplements out of his Mustang’s trunk.”

Jordan laughs under his breath. “Was it the testosterone-enhancing one or the muscle-recovery one?”

“Both. He had boxes full of them.” We both shake our heads.

Jordan lifts his beer. “To being childless, broke, and judging our brothers.”

I clink my bottle against his. “A proud family tradition.”

While we silently sip our beers, I think about everything Jordan said, and come to the realization he’s right.

Time is ticking away at lightning speed, and what do I have to show for it?

My house? My job? I don’t even have a dog.

Jessica took our corgi when she left, and I couldn’t bring myself to get another.

“Life isn’t always what you expect. Most of the time it doesn’t go as planned,” I say.

He nods, spinning his upright bottle on the table. “I’m beginning to realize that myself.”

“I wanted to have a kid or two, but that got derailed with my divorce. And now, it’s ten years later, and it feels more like five years.” Where the fuck did the time go?

“I get that your marriage ended poorly, but maybe it’s time you dip your toe back in the dating pool.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Dude, you do realize I haven’t been celibate since my divorce, right?”

His expression turns serious. “You haven’t?”

My eyebrows dip lower. “Fuck no. Why would you think that?”

“We all do.”

Drew approaches the table, sliding onto his stool. “Why do you both look so serious?”

“You think I’ve been celibate since my divorce?”

His head slowly nods up and down. “Yeah. Haven’t you?”

“Fuck no. I’m discreet, not a monk.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head. “Why the fuck has this been a topic of discussion between you guys? I couldn’t care less about your sex lives.”

“Unless it involves Nina,” Jordan points out.

As tempting as removing the smug look from his face might be, I resist the urge because he’s right. God, why must he be right?

My feelings for Nina are complicated. I’m drawn to her natural beauty and her sense of humor.

She’s quick-witted and fun to spar with verbally.

However, she’s too high-maintenance for me.

She’s the type of woman who spends hours getting ready for a simple night out.

Jessica was the same, only back then I didn’t see that habit as a red flag like I now do.

Reed wanders back over accompanied by the three ladies. Standing, I find some vacant stools and move them around our table.

Willow and Ginger sit on the other side of the table between Reed and Drew. Nina starts to sit down between me and Jordan, then pauses, flicking a cautious glance at me.

“What?” I ask.

“Just making sure you’re not going to yank it out from under me.”

“I might’ve thought about it.” I wink.

She rolls her eyes and settles on the wooden seat, placing her wine glass on the table. The scent of her delicate perfume teases my nose, tempting me to lean in closer as I sit on my stool once more.

“So, Nina, what do you think of our little slice of the coast so far?” Jordan asks, leaning against the stool’s backrest with a grin.

She tucks a shiny lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Well, I haven’t seen a single rat, I can walk at a leisurely pace without getting mowed over by a crowd, and the bartender didn’t charge me twenty dollars for my glass of wine.

So, no complaints so far.” She casts a side-eye my way, her lips teasing at a smile. “Well, almost none.”

Jordan grins but remains silent.

“That’s some high praise coming from a New Yorker,” I say.

She turns her head toward me. “Why does it seem like you think that’s a bad thing?”

“You city folk aren’t exactly known for doling out compliments.”

“And you are?” she challenges.

“Nope. Only when they’re earned.”

Jordan laughs. “Sounds like she’s got you figured out, Trav.”

Nina sips her wine, her eyes watching me over the rim of her glass. “What does it take to earn one of your elusive compliments?”

“I don’t have a set list, but if I did, not shipwrecking boats would be at the top.”

“Ooh, the grumpy, sarcastic harbormaster makes his return.”

“And here I was trying to tone it down for you.”

Jordan chuckles and mutters into his beer, “There is no toning it down or turning it off.”

I send a scowl his way. “Who asked you?”

He only laughs harder, pointing at me. “See? You just proved my point.”

I open my mouth to reply, but Nina beats me to it. “Don’t get mad at your brother. He didn’t tell me anything I hadn’t already figured out. I’m old enough to know a handsome face and a glowing personality rarely go together. Why should you be any different?”

“You think I’m handsome?” I ask.

“That’s what you took away from that?”

“I like to look on the bright side,” I say.

She snorts. “Well, I hate to tell you this, but you might want to work on your bedside manner. It sucks.”

I lean closer, my voice deepening to a husk. “In my defense, you haven’t seen my bedside manner.”

“And I don’t plan to.” She taps my nose, adding insult to injury.

Jordan laughs loudly. I wish I could kick him under the table, but with Nina seated between us, I can’t. I have to settle for sending him a stern look, which earns me a grin in return.

“I know what Ginger, Willow, and Travis do for work, but what about you three?” She wags her finger toward each of my brothers, calling their attention.

“I own a dispensary,” Jordan says.

“Really?” Her voice goes higher, showing her surprise.

“Yep, it’s called Thorne Buds. You should come check it out.”

“No, she shouldn’t. She already makes bad enough decisions without mind-altering substances,” I say.

Nina sends a death glare my way before turning to Drew. “What about you?”

“I work at a gym, but I’m saving up so I can open my own someday,” he shares.

“I’ve always wanted to be someone who loves working out, but so far that hasn’t happened,” Nina says.

“I bet I could make you love it,” Drew states, smirking.

“Reed owns a surf shop,” I jump in, shutting down Drew’s flirting.

She braces her arms on the table, her attention shifting to Reed. “How cool. I’ve always wanted to learn to surf.”

He nods. “You can rent a board at my shop anytime you want and?—”

“I’ll teach you to surf,” I cut in before Reed can offer.

She turns to me, angling her head. She’s studying me, not with suspicion but with interest.

“I’m serious. I taught all my brothers to surf.”

“He did,” Jordan confirms. “Travis is an amazing surfer.”

“I didn’t expect that from you,” she murmurs, not quite hiding her smile.

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

“All right, harbormaster. I may take you up on that offer. I need to think about it first, though. I can’t afford an injury.”

“I hope you do, but I should warn you, once you start surfing, you’ll never want to stop.”

“That’s how I feel about shopping, but I don’t have to worry about drowning.”

Ginger laughs. “I’m with you. Any activity that involves a risk of drowning is an automatic pass for me.”

“Not me,” Willow says. “Nina, if you don’t want a grumpy man teaching you to surf, I can help you. I’ve been on a board since I was five.”

Thanks a lot, Willow.

“Really?” Nina asks. “That’s so young.”

“Yeah, but I have two older brothers I was always trying to keep up with.”

“I don’t think either of my siblings have ever been on a surfboard. Our dad was more interested in teaching us to read spreadsheets and how to predict upcoming marketing trends,” Nina says.

“Do you have brothers or sisters?” I ask.

“One of each—an older brother and a younger sister.”

“Does your sister look like you?” Drew asks.

“There are some similarities between us.”

“Is she single?” he questions, prodding for more information.

Shaking her head, she smiles. “She’s engaged to a very nice doctor.”

“That’s too bad for her,” Drew jokes, raising his bottle to his lips.

Nina laughs. “If only she knew what she’s missing out on.”

“What kind of business does your family own?” Reed asks.

Nina downs the remainder of wine in her glass before answering. “We sell a bit of everything.”

“Do you find it difficult working with your family?” Ginger asks her.

She nods. “It can be. Some days are worse than others.”

“I worked for Reed, and it sucked balls,” Drew says.

Reed’s dark eyebrows dip together in a deep scowl. “That’s because you didn’t do your job. You called out more than you showed up.”

“Yeah. You’re a horrible boss,” Drew states matter-of-factly.

“No. You’re just a shitty employee. I’m an awesome boss to those who actually work.”

“Anyone else feel like this conversation is like a bad which-came-first joke?” Jordan asks.

“I do,” Willow agrees.

“I need more beer to deal with you guys,” Reed says, flagging down a waitress.

Nina nudges my leg with hers and leans over. “Your family is pretty great.”

My head turns, and I meet her blue gaze. “Yeah, they’re all right.” And you’re not so bad either.