Page 41 of Save Me (The Wolf Hotel Mermaid Beach #2)

“ W e always anchor on this side and leave over there for the families.” I point to the various parts of the sandbar.

“Plus, it’s easier to move in and out of Starfish Island with the current.

It can get jammed up around here on those hot summer days.

We’ve had upward of a thousand vessels pack in. ”

Bailey’s full lips pull together as she whistles. “I’ve heard about this place for years, but seeing it in person for the first time is a whole other experience.”

“Where are you from, again?” I don’t think I asked that yesterday.

She grins, showing off pearly white teeth.

“Born in Arkansas, but my dad was military, so we were all over the place. Berlin, South Korea, Australia. My mom’s from Dublin.

I guess that’s why I sound the way I do.

Picked up a little bit of this and a little bit of that and never been able to lose any of it. ”

“I was wondering.” She has a slight accent—an oddly elongated vowel here, a dropped letter there—but I was unable to pinpoint it. Now that she says it, though, there’s definitely a slight Irish twang.

“Don’t know why. My brothers sound like they’re from Arkansas, like my dad.” Glacial blue eyes shine as she regards the display of pontoons, speedboats, and Jet Skis. They’re a stark contrast to her lengthy black hair that flutters in the breeze.

“I hear Midwest accents all day long. Yours is way more interesting.” I steer us in toward Jeremy, where the other half of this party of twenty-something-year-old girls is cheering and waving, ready for an afternoon of waterside fun.

Sorority sisters, in town to celebrate a birthday and staying in one of their parents’ gargantuan beach houses.

“You made it!” Jeremy’s waiting with the tethering hooks.

“Because these guys are technically one group, we’ll connect and make one big floating bar. Normally, though, we anchor fifteen, twenty feet apart,” I shout over the music and laughter.

“Got it.” Bailey nods as if making a mental note.

“Have you ever anchored before?”

“Plenty. We had a big ol’ fishing boat for years. Took it out on some rough waters.”

“Then this should be a breeze. ’Kay. Toss it in, and make sure it’s fixed. The current here is deceptive. You’ll be getting pushed out, and you won’t even know it.”

Bailey moves with ease to the outside of the tiki and, hauling out the anchor from its storage spot, throws it in, giving it a good tug to ensure it won’t drag along the sand.

“Nice.” Jeremy nods approvingly. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her since I walked her down the stairs to show her the tiki.

I can understand why. Bailey’s beautiful and fit, with an angular face and a hard body. She told me she’s thirty-four, but she’s in better shape than any of these twenty-somethings we’re shuttling around. More importantly, she seems easygoing and up for anything, and she laughs a lot.

“She’s a natural.” She’ll make a fantastic addition to the Sea Witch team.

Until I’m forced to close up shop.

It’s taking every ounce of my energy to hold a positive attitude. Maybe Frank shouldn’t have told me about Henry’s grand plans. I’d rather live in ignorant bliss for as long as possible.

Then again, I know why he did. It changes things for me.

Before, my biggest concern was raising a baby as a single parent, when all the other elements of my life—my home, my business—were a constant.

I’ve been starting to picture myself holding a baby in my arms, and every time, it’s always against the backdrop of the back porch or the coffee shop.

Now, suddenly, when I try to imagine my life in a year, I can’t see anything clearly.

My path ahead leads into dense fog in unfamiliar territory. That’s terrifying.

And what was possible yesterday no longer seems possible today.

“Go forth and enjoy!” Jeremy hollers as the two groups merge. He cranks up the volume on his speaker, the summer tunes carrying as bodies drop into the waist-deep water with splashes and laughter .

With them gone, he swings his lanky body over his bar and hops aboard Tiki One .

“So, Bailey, how’s it going so far?” His eyes trail her toned arms and the tattoos adorning them.

The uniform shirt I gave her is a bit big—it was meant for AJ—and it reaches halfway down her thighs. I’ll have to put in an order today.

She checks the latches on the cooler. “Well, Jer, it’s been fifteen minutes since you saw me at the dock, but I think it’s going okay. Sloane, what do you think?”

“Yeah, the first fifteen minutes have been good.”

“Okay, okay.” Jeremy waves us off as we tease him. “If you ever need any help or advice, I’m here. Seven days a week, sometimes. Just a text away.”

“Damn, Sloane works you to the bone around here, huh?” But she winks at me to offset the barb.

We’re going to get along well.

“It’s a grind, yeah, but she treats her staff well. I haven’t paid for a coffee in years, even during off-season.”

“Hallelujah, I was praying for that perk.” Bailey holds her hands together in mock prayer.

He grins. “You stayin’ in Rainbow Alley?”

“Uh … no, I’m staying with my aunt in her cramped one-bedroom in Old Town until I find a place.”

“Oh man, Sloane …” He nods toward me as if to say, go on, tell her.

I hadn’t before now because I wanted to be sure Bailey was a keeper. “I have a few trailers on my property that I rent out to staff for the season at a low price,” I explain. “It’s on the water.”

“Wow, seriously?” Her eyes light up. “Do you have any available? ”

“Come on, hook a girl up, boss!” Jeremy goads.

I chuckle. “I’ve got one. You can come check it out tonight. I will warn you, it’s tiny, but the bigger one has been spoken for, and you don’t want to bunk with that guy .”

“Did you hire someone else too?” Jeremy scans our passengers in the water while chatting.

“No. Well, sort of?” Do I call Ronan a hire? But the trailer’s not even for him because he’ll be in my bed. “It’s for Ronan’s friend, who needs a place to crash because Ronan’s losing his house.”

“And Ronan is …” Bailey prompts.

“Her man,” Jeremy offers before I have a chance to answer.

“I don’t normally have non-Sea Witch staff staying there, but there’s a lot goin’ on right now.”

“Oh. Right. The hotel .” Jeremy nods.

“You’ve already heard? You weren’t even there today!”

“I got a few texts,” he admits.

“And? What’d you hear?” What is the staff saying about the crazy rooster commune lady?

“That you accused Henry Wolf of a bribery scheme.”

I cringe. “It was a little softer than that.” Not much, though.

“And Wolf fired Ronan.”

“Yeah, that part’s true.”

“Ronan, your boyfriend,” Bailey says, trying to piece our conversation together.

“Yes. He’s a director there. Was a director.”

“At this hotel. ”

“Uh-huh. Next door to my house, and the bane of my existence.” Though it’s beginning to feel more like Henry Wolf is the problem. The giant building beside me is suddenly tolerable.

“Was it because Ronan punched him?” Jeremy asks.

“No, though that didn’t help.”

Bailey’s head ping-pongs back and forth. “Wait, so Ronan punched this Wolf guy?”

“In the eye.” Jeremy points to his own eye. “Henry Wolf owns the hotel.”

“Where Jer also works,” I throw in with an accusatory tone.

“Only two days a week.” He gives me a pointed look that might as well say out loud that I sabotaged his career aspirations.

“Where you’ll be full-time after you abandon me in the fall,” I remind him.

Bailey’s forehead furrows. “So Ronan and Jeremy work for this hotel, and this is an issue.”

Jeremy chuckles. “Man, you’re so new. Okay, let’s take you back to the beginning.”

While Jeremy gives Bailey the CliffsNotes version, I keep watch of the people and boats around us. Everyone is enjoying the sun and water, blissfully unaware that my world is falling apart.

One of Sander’s dinghies is heading this way, the colorful banners peddling ice cream and boiled peanuts fluttering in the breeze.

I groan when I spot the driver. “I can’t deal with him today.”

“Who is he?” Bailey asks .

“My ex.” I give her a flat look. “He’s a cheating, lying ball sac masquerading as a nice guy.”

She hums with understanding. “I’ve had a few of those.”

“He keeps away from us mostly, especially since Ronan threatened him.” If he’s coming around now, he must have a reason, and I’m sure it’s not a good one.

“Gosh, there’s so much drama here.”

“I know. Please don’t quit on me,” I whine.

“You kidding? I love drama.” Her eyes dance with genuine excitement.

“Then you are in the right place. Here, lemme run interference.” Jeremy hops around the bar and positions his tall, lanky body on the outer edge like an easygoing bouncer.

“Thank you. I don’t have it in me to be civil. Today has already been a day.” And it’s barely one o’clock.

“Ladies! Who wants ice cream!” Cody hollers. “It’s the best in all of Mermaid Beach.” His skin is bronzed from weeks in the sun, shirtless. I’ve never seen him so dark. The idiot’s going to get skin cancer.

But our group of girls falls for his charming act like … well, like I did … waving their hands in the air as several scramble back to our little barge for their cash.

It gives Cody an excuse to close in, his little motor rumbling. “Hey Jer, how’s it goin?”

“All good,” Jeremy says. He doesn’t know how to be an asshole even when he’s trying to be.

“Yeah? How’s working at the Wolf?” Cody swaps cash for ice cream bars, sparing several grins and a wink for a blond in a hot pink string bikini .

“Still early days, but no complaints.”

Cody’s eyes skim past me to land on Bailey. “You’re new.”

“I am. First day.” Bailey leans over the bar. “And you are …”

“Cody. Want one?” He holds up a vanilla bar. “On the house.”

“How can I resist.” She holds her hands up, beckoning him to toss it to her, which he does.

Ripping open the wrapper, she slides the long bar into her mouth in a suggestive manner and then moans. “You’re right. You do have the best ice cream.”