When the Tide Rolls In [COMPLETED]

Chapter Three: Maybe You Want To Sit Down

I woke up to the sound of shouting at the nearby docks. At first it sounded like the daily bustle of the folks who kept their ships harbored alongside mine. However things soon escalated into full blown screaming.

Annoyed and slightly afraid, I peeled myself away from the comfort of the bed. I had been so comfortable with the small waves rocking me to sleep that I had gone through the night fully clothed, shoes and all.

I did what I could to fix my massive bed head and trudged up the stairs to the main deck. There, standing below me on the docks, were two very familiar people. Daniel was standing between Nick Sanduvol and my boat as if he were guarding a palace. Nick was staring at him with nothing more than a grim expression and-as much as I hate to admit it-perfect posture.

Meanwhile, the passers by were staring at Daniel with bewildered expressions, and I could understand why. He was screaming his blond head off and waving his arms so fast that I thought he'd take off and fly away with the nearby seagulls. His face was red and he looked like he might pass out from anger if I didn't do something soon.

"Hey!" I shouted from my position at the edge of the main deck. Both of their gazes turned to me. I shielded my eyes from the rising sun in the east to get a better picture.

"Samantha?" Daniel asked, while Nick simply stared.

"What the hell is all of the yelling about?" I grumbled, descending from the boat to meet them on the docks for an explanation.

Daniel raised a hand to rub the back of his neck sheepishly while Nick stood stoic as ever, studying either me or Daniel. Why was he even here?

"Well, you see, I came to see if you were here since May told me you had stormed off last night. That's when I ran into this guy again and I got angry. He was trying to steal your boat Samantha," Daniel said, pointing an accusing finger in Nick's direction. I turned my attention to the man in the suit now.

He looked out of place there on the dock. Everyone wore casual summer attire while Nick was dressed in a full black suit with a white dress shirt underneath. It made his blue eyes look even more chilling than before. He said nothing as I waited with my arms crossed in front of me.

"Well? Care to explain why you're even here?" I asked.

Nick's facial expression stayed a neutral as ever when he spoke to me, "I am trying to make a business deal with you. However, I seem to be having a bit of trouble doing so with this sun-soaked beach bum in my way."

The sun-soaked beach bum turned to me, fuming. He was hoping I'd say anything to make Nick go away. Seeing Daniel again made me think of what my sister said, and I felt a weight pull my heart down.

Daniel cleared his throat as if to prompt me to kick Mr. Fancypants back to the office building he came from. I looked between the two and finally narrowed my eyes at the both of them.

"How did either of you know where to find me?"

Daniel was the first to speak up.

"I was planning on bringing you flowers but May said you had ran off. I figured you came here. Where else would you have gone?" he said.

"Then where are the flowers?" I asked, noticing Daniel was empty handed.

"This asshole threw them into the water and they went under the dock!" Daniel cried, jabbing his finger at Nick. Nick simply rolled his eyes before replying.

"I did nothing of the sort. This imbecile knocked into me to try to reach the boat before I did. He had some odd notion of 'protecting' you. I was simply making my way here," Nick stated matter-a-factly.