“Dalton was the picture of punctuality today,” Kyle said, giving Drea a ‘you know what that means’ look.
Drea groaned. “Ugh...please just don’t let her have been one of our guests.”
“Excuse you, I have standards, you know!”
“Do you, though?”
Dalton simply shrugged, not even bothering to look remotely guilty. “I didn’t say they were high standards.” He held out a hand and helped her step into the boat. She smiled at him and rolled her eyes playfully. “You know I would never do anything to jeopardize you, your uncles, or this establishment.”
“Yes,” Kyle injected. “Because that would mean he’d have to go home and get a real job.”
They all erupted into laughter as Dalton tapped his nose with his index finger to indicate that Kyle was exactly right. As if taking that as his cue, Dalton headed below deck to start pulling up the life jackets and snorkel gear for the tour. Still shaking her head and laughing, Drea looked up at Kyle, the sparkle in her eyes sending a shot straight to his gut. He smiled back, secretly hoping it would keep the sparkle there just a little longer.
“Ready for another awesome day?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? You know Turtle Cove is my favorite.” She flipped through the papers she was holding as she hopped down to the lower deck to the u-shaped bar where she spent most of her time while they were out with guests. “Still time for some last-minute changes, but if these numbers stick, we should only have about thirty-five on today’s tour, so, perfect size for the cove.”
The Runnin’ Down a Dream had a limit of fifty-five guests, but all three members of its crew much preferred to get nowhere near that number. With that many guests, to only the three of them, it was like herding toddlers. Add in the danger of the water and of course, the rum punch, and it made for more chaos than it was worth. Well, that was until they saw the tip jar at the end of the excursion.
“Well, if that’s all we have to deal with, maybe I’ll tell Dalton he’s stuck on deck duty and I’ll hop into the water to come play,” he said, giving her a little wink.
“Don’t you dare tease me like that, Kyle Egan! Don’t get me all excited about my favorite person coming to play in my favorite place and then back out on me.” Drea pointed her finger at him accusingly and attempted to glare at him, only to have the edges of her mouth curve up slightly, giving away her amusement.
“I’m just gonna leave the whole ‘playing in my favorite place’ thing alone,” he mused, climbing up the three little steps from the main deck into the captain’s perch.
“Kyle!”
He laughed. “You said it, not me!”
Kyle settled into the seat and sighed, smiling to himself over jerking Drea’s chain. He liked hearing that he was her favorite person; after all, she was without a doubt his. She’d not only been his first friend when he arrived in St. Thomas five years ago, but had been his saving grace in trying to figure out how one actually lives here full-time. She was quite possibly the best friend he’d ever had, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. That funny feeling niggled at his gut again as he wondered if he’d made her blush with his comment, and he had to stop himself from peeking underneath to check. He wasn’t here to flirt—that was Dalton’s role—he was here to do a job. Putting Drea out of his mind, and his focus back in place, he continued to prepare for the day ahead.
Want to know the rest of Kyle and Drea’s story? Check them out here.
Acknowledgments
My family, friends, sorority sisters, and most especially my parents, for supporting me on this journey, and not questioning when I asking for things like “a fun swim suit color”
Luisa, for helping me where my Portuguese failed (so, right from the get-go)
Tina, for helping where my British slang failed (a little better than my complete lack of Portuguese, but not much)
Adam Jahn, for all his help with what a real football (soccer) camp would look like
The “Brain Dump”, for the never-ending support and laughs... “shhh...it’s fiction”
And course, Drew and Denali, for their unending, unwavering, unequivocal support in everything. Thank you for loving my particular brand of crazy. Ik hou van jou
About the Author
Claire Hastings is a walking, talking awkward moment. She loves Diet Coke, gummi bears, the beach, and books (obvs). When not reading she can usually be found hanging with friends at a soccer match or grabbing food (although she probably still has a book in her purse). She and her husband Drew live in Atlanta with their fur-child Denali.
She can be found here:
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Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort Book 2) Page 31