Page 31 of Tides and Tidings

When he said those words, my heart squeezed. Wren deserved Blythe. They were the dynamic duo. The best of friends. Two peas in a pod.

“Charlie?” I noticed Blythe had stopped walking.

“Hmm?”

How long had I been lost in my thoughts?

“Are you alright?” Blythe’s face was painted with worry.

“Yeah. I’m good.” I lied. “Why?”

“You’ve just seemed off today. You’ve zoned out a ton.”

She’s noticed. Fuck.

“I’m just fine.” Lean into the lie. “I just have a small headache. I think the wine last night did a number on me.”

Blythe’s face changed from worried to concerned. “Do you want to head back to the hotel and take a little nap? We can skip dinner, hang out in the hotel room, and order room service. That could be fun, too!”

I ushered her a few steps over to the river’s edge. “That’s very sweet of you to suggest, but I’m good.” I pulled her knuckles to my lips. “Promise.”

“Okay.” Her eyes turned to slits, “But we should probably skip the clubs.”

“Why’s that?” I moved my body closer to hers.

She took a small step forward to close the gap entirely. “Because you,” she poked my chest. “Are old.”

My brow raised in amusement, “Is that so?”

“You can’t hang with us youngin’s.” Blythe spread her arms out and took a step back. A smile plastered on her face. I could’ve dropped to one knee right then and there. I love her more than I love my boat and that’s a lot.

I reached for my phone and opened the camera app.

Blythe cocked her head, “What are you doing?”

“I’m not sure if you’ve ever looked more perfect than you do right now. I just wanted to have a picture to remember today.” I answered honestly while snapping a few pictures.

“I want one of both of us. We don’t have many of just the two of us.”

I walked over to her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and rested my chin on the top of her head. “You know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, right?”

I saw a flash of confusion on her face through the phone screen as she snapped a photo.

“Do you still want to get coffee?”

I nodded, “I need it. It’s right up there on the right.” I pointed to a small blue building.

Blythe

Even from thirty feet away, the smell of coffee filled my nose. The scent of roasting beans breathed life back into my soul. Even though I slept like a rock last night, I was fading fast.

As we walked into the small blue standalone building, I was overcome with awe. Despite the outside looking a bit rundown, the inside was modern and chic. All the décor was shades of gray. If I had allowed Charlie to redecorate The Coastal Cup, it would’ve been dreary shades of black and gray, and no one would have come in, which was the problem in the first place.

“This place is nice,” Charlie looked around and admired the décor.

“Because it’s gray?” I asked as we waited in line.

“Oh yeah. This is my vibe in here.”