Page 4 of Right Side of Paradise

Dazed and Confused

I loved my job, I loved my hometown, and I loved most of the people in it.

And even on the days somebody got under my skin, all I had to do was turn my head and catch a view of the water.

No matter where I was on the island, the crystal-clear waves were always in sight and whatever was bugging me became insignificant.

“Aye, hold up.” My bartender Matt grabbed my shoulder, suspending my reverie as four very familiar faces walked through the patio door.

“What?”

“I think my future ex-wife just walked in.” It only took me two seconds to figure out who he was talking about when I followed his line of sight and my eyes landed on Harlow fucking Westbrook.

I knew she planned to be in town this weekend, but I wasn’t counting on seeing her before I got back to the house tonight.

Just as I darted my eyes to Matt, I caught the sweet, citrusy notes of her perfume and lost my train of thought.

Harlow Westbrook was one of my best friends. Had been since we were knee high to my grandpa. We grew up together. Became adults together. I loved her like she was a part of me. Because she was.

But I wouldn’t lie like she hadn’t been my first heartbreak too. Whenever I saw her, I had to school my features and act unaffected because I seemed to be the only one who took what we did that night to heart.

And that wasn’t her fault. She told me what it was before I got my feelings hurt. That still didn’t stop me from traveling down memory lane one too many nights.

Damn.

The strapless yellow dress she had on looked like liquid gold against her bronze skin. She looked so good I almost missed the way Zay’s eyes were glued on her ass as he stood a few steps behind her.

He was so fucking obvious and that pissed me off. If he had a hairline, his brows would be touching it right now.

I knew for a fact that the woman in front of me was fine, but he was acting like this was his first day out or some shit.

Shaking my head, I focused on Harlow and not the subtle twitch of my right eye.

“Hey, Christian.” She’d raised her voice to catch my attention over the music, and it was still barely audible.

“Harlow.” I nodded with a faint smile, ignoring the way my heart flipped itself upside down the moment she turned her attention on me. “Welcome home.”

Her dark brown eyes danced all over my face before she gave me a sheepish smile. “Thanks.” She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, waking up the deep dimples she liked to hide. “Can you make me a drink?”

“Anything for you,” I replied, tugging on the towel slung over my shoulder to mask my nerves. “What you want?”

Glancing up, I sought out my other two best friends. Soul and Rico were still slowly making their way to the bar, greeting everybody who stepped in their path.

Harlow cocked her head, tapping a nail against her jaw in contemplation. “A white Negroni, please.”

Always so polite and soft spoken. She didn’t have to say much to get what she wanted out of anyone, and it was a superpower she didn’t use nearly enough. “Coming right up.”

Before I could turn around to get started on her drink, Zay’s voice delayed my movements.

“Yo, Chris, let me get an old-fashioned.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a command, and the ticking of my jaw was a countdown to my waning patience.

With a quick sideways glance at Harlow, I cut my eyes at Zay and jutted my chin in my bartender’s direction. “Matt will take care of you.”

The last thing I saw before I finally turned around was the swell of Harlow’s eyes as she looked at me.

She was so oblivious it wasn’t even funny.

This was going to be a long fucking night.

I was going to fucking kill someone. If I had to listen to Harlow laugh at another one of Zay’s unfunny jokes, I was sure a vein would rupture. I’d already accidentally dropped a martini glass and cleaning it up shouldn’t have been the highlight of my night but it’d been my only reprieve.

There was no reason for me to be out here. The bartender that had been running late showed up over an hour ago and me being behind the bar was a hazard at this point.

Except I wasn’t leaving Harlow alone with Zayvion Wilcox.

I couldn’t tell if she was drunkenly entertaining him to be polite or if she was genuinely interested, but both options had me tight.

Soul and Rico were on the other side of the patio and my body refused to relax when I saw an expression on Rico’s face that mirrored how I felt.

Soul looked unfazed. He always did.

I was ready to go. Had been ready since they walked in and it looked like the universe was finally on my side when Harlow smothered her third yawn in less than five minutes.

Yes, I timed them.

“I’m gonna get out of here but it was good to see you, Zay.” She slid off her stool on the opposite side of him, angling her body away from him.

That’s my girl.

Zay stood up right away, arms outstretched.

Harlow gave him a friendly tap on his back and turned her head in time for his lips to land on her cheek instead of the corner of her mouth.

“Why the fuck you trying to kiss her?” It was the first thing I said since they got here and Harlow whipped her head in my direction, shocked orbs sliding over me.

I tossed the towel off my shoulder and rounded the bar to stand between them.

“What? You forgot I was here?”

“No.” She shook her head. “You’ve been standing there like a chaperone all night.”

Maybe she wasn’t oblivious.

Zay snickered and blurted “cock block” loud enough for me to hear over the music.

Hand on my forearm, Harlow attempted to pull me away. I let her. “Let’s go get Soul and Rico.”

The walk home along the beach took twice as long because Harlow and Soul kept stopping to take pictures.

The straps of her heels were around his fingers, and her arm was looped through his while they laughed at their whispered conversation.

“You look wound up,” Rico pointed out, his arm draped around my neck. He pulled me into him and lightly smacked my jaw with the back of his hand. “Who pissed you off?”

“Nobody.” The lie came easily. I didn’t shrug his arm off me. Instead, I loosely wrapped my arm around his waist and accepted the staggered cadence of our walk, keeping my eyes on the water while my best friend’s hold on me tethered me to my common sense.

I was not losing my shit over Harlow her first night back in town.

I wasn’t.

I was not .

Moonlight and the smell of saltwater mixed with Rico’s cologne.

It smelled like home.

Onyx Cove had the type of water that attracted more paddle boarding than surfing. The only time we got choppy waves was during hurricane season. Otherwise, the water I obsessed over every day was gentle.

Our grandparents liked to say it was because we took good care of the island, so the island took care of us in return. It was a time-honored reciprocal arrangement. One I benefited from and wanted my future offspring to enjoy too.

But I needed a partner for that…

We made it back to Rico’s house in companionable silence. Soul and Harlow headed straight for the kitchen for Gatorade and ibuprofen while Rico and I climbed the stairs.

“How many days is Harlow staying here?” I asked once we reached the second-floor landing.

“All of them,” he said with a grin.

“What you mean all of them?” I walked to the guest room I’d been in for the past six weeks, stopping with my back to the door.

“She’s staying all summer.”

“Here? In this house?”

Rico folded his arms across his chest and looked me up and down. “Yeah, nigga. In this house.”

Right on cue, laughter from downstairs traveled up the stairs.

Rico walked over to a hall closet and pulled out an extra blanket while I walked in my room, trying to make sense of what he said.

Harlow was staying with us all summer?

I could do her little pop in visits because she rarely stayed more than two days at a time.

But the whole summer?

All three months under the same roof?

I couldn’t even think about it without my chest getting tight.

Flicking on the light, I sighed, needing sleep more with each passing second. But I didn’t make it far before I froze in the doorway.

A bright pink suitcase was opened beside my bed, all the contents in chaos with some spilling over the side.

I could see the story of her getting ready even though I hadn’t been here and a smile kicked up the corner of my lips.

Until I saw the teddy bear peeking from under the stack of bikinis she’d shoved into the luggage.

Memories swarmed me until my brain lagged and I spoke without turning around, expecting Rico to still be outside the door.

“Yo, she can’t stay in here.”

“Sorry.” The scent of oranges and cinnamon tickled my nose as Harlow rushed past me, falling to her knees to close her suitcase. “I didn’t know this was your room. It’s so neat it didn’t look like anybody was using it. I just picked an empty one to get ready in.”

“Fuck, Harlow. My fault. I thought you were Rico.”

“It’s fine.” She looked up at me with an uneasy smile and the hurt clouding her eyes slammed into my chest.

The sound of her zipper closing snapped me into motion, but she was already hauling her bag across the room toward the door before I could move.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly, staring into the hall and not in my eyes.

“Yeah, I’m just tired.” It was the oldest lie in the book and Harlow didn’t buy it.

Her weak smile melted into an expression I couldn’t name. “You’ve been off all night. I feel like I did something wrong.”

“Hey, Harley. I got you some towels and a pillow from Rico’s bed. I promise when you wake up in the morning—shit, what I miss?”

Soul’s attention bounced from her to me and back to her.

Harlow gave me one last look and dragged her suitcase behind her. “I accidentally took over Christian’s room earlier. Show me the other empty guest room?” she asked with more levity in her voice than her face conveyed.

Soul slid me a look full of questions I didn’t want to answer then grabbed the handle from Harlow and led her away from my door.

My exhale was audible when I was alone again. I closed the door this time, shaking my head.

It was her first night here and I was already fucking up.