Page 64 of Rival Hearts

“I love it out here,” I agreed. “I don’t come often enough anymore. Work always seems to take up all my time.”

“You should try to make some time, then.”

She was right. I really had to make time for something like this more often.

“I used to come out here with my brother Chris all the time. We used to go for adventures, exploring the islands all around here.”

“Are there a lot?” she asked.

“About five or six that I know of. Probably more. Chris and I never used maps. We just headed in a direction until we found something. It used to drive my dad mad when we stayed out after sunset. I understand why he was angry now, but back then… we were just kids, you know?”

“It sounds like you and your brothers are close.”

“Yeah, in a lot of ways. In some ways, we’re very different, but I guess it’s like that with everyone, not just family.”

Charlotte nodded. “What about your parents? Are you close to them?”

“Very. Especially my dad, since he’s in the office a lot, still. He’s taking more of a backseat now, but I don’t think he’ll ever really retire. He likes being involved, and it’s good—it keeps him young at heart to be busy.”

“And your mom?”

“Oh, she’s the glue that keeps the family together, you know?” I said, thinking about my mom. She had been the woman everyone of us boys had needed to be able to look up to after what we’d been through.

“Without her, we would all have been lost. She’s the kind of woman who makes you want to be the best version of yourself but so humble, too. She’ll never take credit for anything she does.”

Charlotte smiled sadly, and I struggled to understand her expression.

“She sounds wonderful.”

“She really is.”

The wind picked up again, and when we looked up, the sky was overcast once more. The clouds were thick and threatening this time.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Lightning cracked, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

I started the engine and turned toward the marina, but in no time at all the ocean had turned from a calm, peaceful thing to a beast with high waves that threatened to crash down on us.

I tried to steer through it, but twice I had to turn the boat against the waves that grew around us so that the boat wouldn’t capsize. The last thing I wanted was to be in the ocean in this storm. The lifejackets would keep us afloat but that wasn’t enough when the waves grew taller and taller and lightning danced on the water all around us.

When I tried a third time to go toward the marina, I realized it wasn’t going to happen. There was no way. The ocean pushed us further and further out to sea, and the few times I had to correct course just to avoid a wave pushing us over only threw us out to sea even more.

The boat rocked significantly, and Charlotte cried out, gripping the side. Her eyes were wide.

“Alex?”

“It’s going to be okay,” I said through gritted teeth. “We’re going to be fine.”

I stayed calm and focused and used everything I’d learned over the years to keep the boat as stable as I could. The storm made it hard to keep any kind of course.

“We’re going to have to head toward the island,” I called out over the sound of the storm as rain started to pour.

“Where?” Charlotte looked around frantically.

“Dutch Island is closest,” I said, pointing. Visibility was low now, and the waves were erratic, but I avoided the most dangerous areas and steered clear of shallow rocks as we got closer. The shoreline of the island was a little rocky, and I looked for a safe place to land.

The boat tipped dangerously far twice, and Charlotte screamed, but then we reached the island. As soon as the water wasn’t too deep, I jumped out and dragged the boat onto the beach. Charlotte jumped out of the boat and helped me, refusing to be a damsel in distress.

The rain came down in sheets. Her hair clung to her face, and we gasped for air through the water that came down.