Tide Changer

Twenty-seven

I spent the following afternoon sketching on the beach with Rys working by my side. My first original jewelry collection finally had all the pieces, and even though it was only on my sketchbook pages, the most important thing was done.

After setting the designs aside, I stretched, giving my muscles a much-needed mini-workout.

Rys glanced up from his laptop. "Done?"

My nod earned me a kiss that rivaled July temperatures in hotness. "Congratulations, mi cielo."

I crawled toward Rys and kneeled behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders so I could peek at the screen. "Thank you. What about you and all those numbers?"

Rys angled his head and kissed my wrist. "The boring part of my job. I'm not done yet, but we could go for a walk. I need a break."

There was hardly anything more appealing than dipping my feet in cool water after so many hours in the scorching sun. Definitely nothing better than letting the tanned, gorgeous guy I was lucky to spend the month with hug me as we strolled at the edge of the waves.

I scrambled to my feet. Rys shoved his laptop in its bag and frowned, patting the towel. "My phone's buzzing. Did you see where I put it?"

I twisted my hair into a bun and secured it with a hair tie. "Under my basket."

"Right." He grabbed it, dark brows pulled together. "It's Cohen."

"I'll go ahead, then," I said, backtracking. "Come find me when you're done talking."

Hot sand burned my feet as I rushed to the ocean. Swimming was out of the question because of the tattoo, but I wet my face and shoulders before walking along the shore. Rys approached me after what seemed like ten minutes had passed.

"I'm sorry, mi cielo. That took longer than I'd thought."

"It's okay." I rubbed my palms over my already hot face. "What did Cohen want?"

Rys touched my shoulder with his fingertips. "You need more sunscreen. As for Cohen, he requested to see me tonight, so I'm afraid I'll have to leave you alone for a bit."

"Does that mean that contract is yours?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I was a bit surprised by the urgency. We just saw him last night."

"Guess people like him never stop working."

"Will you be okay on your own?"

Rys's worry was endearing, but I had things to do, although I loved spending time with him. "I'll work on my designs. It's a lot, and the deadline is tight."

He kissed my forehead. "Deal. Now I feel a bit better. He wants to see me in his office in Emerport, so I might come back late. Don't wait up for me, okay? Just go to bed if you're tired."

I pressed myself to Rys and planted a kiss on his jaw. He laughed, then patted my behind. "Let's go unless you want to stay here. I have less than an hour to get ready."

***

The evening passed way faster than I anticipated, and I spent almost all of it at the kitchen island, making pale pink quartz earrings and a necklace. When I finished, I poured myself a glass of wine and texted Kaia. She called me right away, and for almost an hour, we chatted about everything from Asher's races to Rys and me.

It had taken a few weeks for her to become my friend, and just as long for Payton to stop being one. There was an abyss between us and a lack of trust no texts she sent me could ever fix. The need for an unpleasant confrontation with her and Brock made the idea of returning home even less appealing, but there was no place in my future for people I didn't trust.