Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove #1)(79)

We’d been hustling for the last few hours, trying to keep up with the rapid food orders coming in. Kline and three of our employees were running our booth and getting out plates of the best ribs in town to as many people as possible. Danielle and Brandy were holding down the fort at the restaurant, but with almost everyone in town here, we wouldn’t get much traffic there.

“Go,” Kline said, as he elbowed me in the side. “Things have slowed down enough. We’ve got this.”

I gave him a questioning gaze and cleared my throat. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Dude, you don’t always have to be such a cool cat. You’re dying to go see how it’s going over there for Lila. We’re good.”

I glanced around to see that things had drastically slowed, and our line was under control, as everyone had their food now, and they were playing games and standing in line to go on rides.

I nodded. “Thanks.”

On my way to see Lila, I found my mother standing with little Gracie, laughing her ass off at my father, who was shooting basketball after basketball from the furthest distance, and he didn’t seem to be getting even close to the net. I came up behind them and scooped up my niece and kissed her on the cheek. I’d already seen them at my booth several times, but Gracie always got excited no matter how often she saw me. She reached for the bill of my baseball cap and tipped it up before rubbing her nose against mine. I’d worn a hat today because it was hot as hell out, and at least it kept my face shaded. “Hey, sweet girl. I see the old man’s a little rusty.”

“I’m trying to win the damn giraffe for Gracie.” My father turned to me and handed me a ball. “For the love of God, please just get one in so we can go get some ice cream.”

I set Gracie down, took the ball, and bounced it twice before pulling back and taking my shot.

It swooshed in the net, and Gracie squealed.

My dad fist-bumped me. “I owe you one.”

“Where’s Cage?”

“On a date,” my mother whispered with a raised brow. Cage didn’t go out often, and I highly doubted that this was more than a hookup because he didn’t want to complicate Gracie’s life, even though we’d all told him repeatedly that he still deserved to have a life of his own. But every once in a while, he asked my mom to watch her and claimed he was going on a date, which I guessed was more of a booty call.

“Good for him.”

“We saw Lila. Everyone was gathered around listening to her talk about her journey. Those kids are all in awe of her. They want her to come out and run with them. She really should think about coaching. She’s such a natural with the kids,” my mother said, and my father agreed.

“She’s got a huge job she’s leaving for soon. I don’t see coaching in her future.” I watched as Mandy Slater handed Gracie the gigantic stuffed animal and then batted her lashes at me.

“Hey, Hugh,” she purred, and it was hard not to laugh. The girl was maybe fifteen years old, but every time she came to the restaurant with her parents, she went out of her way to say hi to me.

“Hello, Mandy,” I said, my voice firm, making it clear I wasn’t interested in a fucking teenager.

It only made her giggle more before she waved and ran off to the next customer.

“Growling at them doesn’t seem to make them like you any less,” my mother said with a laugh.

“He’s always been a lady magnet,” my father chirped, and I rolled my eyes.

“What’s a lady magnet?” Gracie asked, and I shook my head as I started walking backward toward the cross-country booth.

“Good luck explaining that one to Cage. I’m going to check on Lila.” I held my hand over my head before turning and jogging off to find her.

Like I couldn’t wait another fucking minute.

When I approached the booth that Coach Lewis had reserved for his team, I saw Lila standing beside him in front of the group as kids fired off questions for her. Travis was standing there, leaning against a white wooden fence beside their booth. There were probably a good forty people there, sitting at the tables and eating cake while most of the kids were sitting on the grass in front of Lila and their coach.

Del, Sloane, and Rina were sitting at a table sipping on their red Solo cups and watching their best friend.

“Hey,” I said as I clapped him on the back. “How’s she doing?”

“Man, sometimes I forget that she’s a grown-up.” He chuckled as he turned to give me one of those half-bro hugs. “Listening to her talk about the work she put in to get where she did, the struggle while trying to balance her classwork, and most of all, the amount of pressure she dealt with leading up to nationals. She never complained, you know?”

“Yeah, that’s not really her shtick, right? She’s tough. That’s what I keep telling you. You don’t need to worry so much.” I watched as her head tipped back in laughter when one of the high school dudes asked if she was single. He was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen—and he’d be fucking right.

Mine.

The possessiveness I felt over this woman startled me at times. I’d never been that guy. Never needed to claim anyone as my own.

Until now.

And I wanted to fucking claim her.

I needed to figure this shit out.