NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

“Things don’t always turn out the way we imagine, but that doesn’t mean they don’t turn out amazing,” Doc continued. “Come home and let us help you find your amazing.”

I pictured the pink and orange sunrise glowing warmly along Worth’s skin as he took his first sips of morning coffee on the deck with pillowcase creases still on his cheeks and the scent of our bodies tangled together still in my nose. Was I more enamored with the stunning Caribbean setting or with the man who made it feel like a dream?

“What if it’s not in Hobie?” I whispered. “What if it’s somewhere else?”

They were silent again for a few beats. “Then your grandfather will renew his pilot’s license so we can fly to wherever you are,” Doc said. “Do they give pilot’s licenses to people born in the eighteen hundreds? We’ll have to look into that. If not, I guess we could always fly commercial,” he said as if the very idea was beneath him.

I laughed. “I want what you two have,” I said out loud, not for the first time. And because I’d said it so many times over the years, I knew their response well enough to quote it verbatim.

“Give it time. You’re still young,” they said in unison.

“Pfft. Never mind, then. I’ll keep sleeping around.” I waited for their groans which came right on cue.

“You sound like your cousin Jack,” Doc muttered. “He’s having a love affair with his Grindr app, and it’s unhealthy.”

I threw my sister under the bus. “You know Hallie uses Tinder, right? She’s on it all the time.”

“Lalalalala! Don’t say things like that,” Grandpa said. “My heart can’t take it. My precious girl.”

“And don’t get me started on Sassy,” I said, even though it wasn’t true. She was pretty low-key when it came to the dating scene.

“Now I know you’re lying,” Doc said. “My baby girl would never do such a thing.”

“I have to go. I left a nice dinner on the table to call you back. Will you tell everyone I said hey?”

“Of course. We love you. Stay safe and tell us when you’re coming home, okay?” Doc’s voice was tinged with worry which was less typical of him than Grandpa.

“I will. Just… just give me some time. Um… if you see Annie, will you tell her I’m okay?”

Grandpa was the one who answered this time. “We haven’t seen her in a while, but we’ll tell her.”

When I returned upstairs, Worth stood and pulled my chair back for me. As soon as I got close, he cupped my cheek and frowned at me. “Were you crying?” he asked softly, running a thumb under one eye. “Are you all right?”

I stepped into him for a hug and let out a breath when his arms wrapped around me automatically. I was getting way too used to this. “It’s fine. Just… you know. Family.”

“Is everyone okay at home?”

“Yeah. I just haven’t been back in a while, you know?”

Nat’s voice was laced with concern too. “Cal, is something wrong?”

I pulled back and smiled at her as I took my seat at the table. “Nope. Everything is fine. Thanks. Is anyone up for learning how to play water pong later? Worth said I could be in charge of the entertainment if I was a good boy and took my nap.” I shot Worth a flirty look. “I was a good boy, wasn’t I, Jon?”

His face turned bright red, but instead of sputtering a denial, he laughed. “You certainly were.”

14

Worth

We didn’t end up playing a game, but we did move out onto the deck sofas and chairs after dinner and spent several hours talking and laughing over a few more bottles of wine. Cal curled up next to me on the love seat, and I reached an arm out to pull him even closer. As the night wore on, I realized I hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time.

“We need to make a point to do this more often,” Lucas said at one point. “I didn’t realize how much I needed to get away.”

Mia nudged his leg with her foot. “You’ve been in school for a million years. Of course you needed a break.”

Cal asked Lucas what he was doing now that he had his degree. “Did you get a placement at a clinic?”

He shook his head. “I’m actually spending a year in a surgery internship at a local animal charity in Chicago. We travel around doing free sterilizations and things like that. I’m considering an anesthesia specialty, but my mentor suggested this first.”

Mia sat forward with a smile and a rosy glow from the sun and wine. “Tell him about the pregnant cat.”

Lucas chuckled. “A woman made an appointment for her rescue cat to be spayed, but when she arrived at the clinic for the appointment, the cat was clearly pregnant. Like round enough to pass for a basketball, pregnant. Sure enough, we didn’t even get her to the back of the office before she started giving birth. Ten kittens. God, they were cute.”