Page 4 of The Tides Between Us

Harper was the best thing that could have possibly happened to my brother and she was one of the sweetest people I had ever met. Our mother passed away a few years ago and Nico really struggled after her passing. He never fully got over it, but Harper brought a new light into his life. He had fallen into the habit of being quite the playboy before she showed up. Their relationship was actually quite sweet and I loved seeing my brother happy.

Giana

What time did you guys want to meet there?

Winter

How about seven?

Harper

That works for me.

Giana

I’ll meet you guys there.

I put my phone on Do Not Disturb mode so I could finish up my work before heading home to get ready to go meet them. My new apartment wasn’t far from my workplace and it was very close to the ocean. I personally loved it. I had the best view for sunrises.

When my mother was first diagnosed, she and my father moved to Tampa for her to get treatment there. I moved with them and stayed after she passed because I hated seeing our father so devastated. Nico was busy with hockey and I didn’t expect him to put everything in his life to the side to care for our father. But our father was a lost man. When our mother died, a big chunk of him died alongside her.

I ended up moving back to Orchid City with my brother until I was able to get my own place. Now I was back on my own, thriving alone. It was the way I preferred it. Nico didn’t talk to our father often and my contact with him was minimal but I still tried to check in with him every once in a while.

In my eyes, no one deserved to be alone. But I think that was what our father preferred. He loved Nico and I equally. We just never came close to the love he had for our mother. She was the light of his life. Hell, she was the light of all of our lives. I liked to think she was looking down on me, proud of everything I was doing.

And every time I stepped out into the sunshine, it made me think of her. And I always thought of her with a smile on my face.

* * *

Winter and Harper were already waiting at the restaurant when I got there. It was like stepping into a magical garden. The entire ceiling was made of glass. Plants hung from beams above. There was an entire wall that was covered with flowers and different plants. It was one of the coolest places I had ever been to.

I saw the two of them seated at a table and headed over to them. They both smiled and waved to me as I sat down. Winter knew sign language from when we were kids and I lost my hearing. Harper had been learning from my brother since we met. It was nice having Winter here too, because she could translate if it was something Harper didn’t fully understand.

We fell into an easy conversation about our days and work. Harper had her own photography business and was shooting a wedding this coming weekend. Winter was getting ready to go do some traveling with her boyfriend, Kai. He was a professional golfer and another lifelong friend. Although, he was moody and broody, except for when it came to Winter.

“How was your day, G?” Winter asked me after we ordered our drinks. Their cocktail menu here was all floral themed and I was excited for the hibiscus strawberry mojito I ordered.

“It was a pretty normal day,”I signed to the two of them nonchalantly.“Although, this morning was pretty interesting. This hot surfer dropped off an injured turtle he had found on the beach.”

Winter’s and Harper’s eyes lit up. “Please, do tell us more,” Harper said with a mischievous smile as she propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on top of her hands. “Did you get his name?”

I nodded.“Declan,”I signed to them.

Harper dropped her hands onto the table. “Like Declan Parks?”

Winter gave her a questioning look. “Who’s that?”

“He’s one of the best surfers in the world.” She quickly reached for her purse and dug for her phone just as our server brought our drinks back. We all told her what we wanted, except I had to point to mine on the menu since most people I encountered didn’t know sign language. Harper quickly typed something into her phone and then turned the screen to face me. “Is this your mystery turtle rescuer?”

I stared at the phone, looking at a picture of the same guy who I had met this morning. Butterfly wings scratched at the inside of my stomach as they fluttered. I pulled my lips in between my teeth and nodded. His bright white smile shined from the phone as he smiled at whoever took his picture.

“Do you know him?” Winter asked Harper as she set down her cocktail.

She shook her head. “When I worked as a sports photographer, there was always talk about different athletes that were blowing up at the time. I had heard of him before, although I never had the opportunity to take any pictures of him. He’s fine as hell.”

Even though Harper was dating my brother, it didn’t bother me hearing her say that. She would never step out on my brother and it was hard to not appreciate the way someone like Declan Parks looked.

“He really is good-looking, Giana,” Winter chimed in. “Did you get his number or anything like that?”