My hand ached as I continued to scrub the deck. Red Kool-Aid. Why couldn’t people keep control of their kids on these tours? It was supposed to be fun for children, out in the middle of the water, seeing dolphins and jumping the waves. But some brats… My teeth gritted, and I stared down at the red stain that I had been working on for the last two hours as my brain silently cursed them. If they are going to act like they don’t have any sense, at least make sure the damn lid is on tight enough not to burst open when they drop the cup.

“Dude, you still working on getting that stuff up?” my best friend, Finn Kovac, called out from behind me.

An irritated sigh escaped. Muscles bunched, I sat back against the edge of one of the benches running along the side of the deck and frowned. His feet came in view as the slap of flip-flops stopped.

“You know someone else can do this, right?”

I pulled the sunglasses from my face and wiped the sweat away with the back of my hand. “Yeah, well, it needed to be done.” My gaze shifted up; it only took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.

He dropped a Burger King bag near my foot. “Someone’s in a great mood today.”

“It probably has nothing to do with the fact that my best friend made me stay out until three last night when he knew I had to be up early for these tours today.” Tipping the bag over, I peered inside. I reached in and grabbed a burger. “You didn’t have to be here that early. You got to sleep. I didn’t,” I choked out, shifting the mouthful of food around.

His head tilted as his expression practically mocked me. “Really? You could’ve slept in.”

With my thumb and forefinger, I dug out a pickle covered in ketchup and hurled it toward him. He shifted to the side, chuckling as it hit the wall and slid down.

“Great. Something else to clean.” I stared at the massive red stain that looked no better than it had two hours ago when I started on it.

“Have you filled the cooler, Luca?” My eyes snapped to the pier. Captain Charles stood at the side of the boat, messing with something out of eyesight. I had worked with many captains during my time with Belle Boating Company, but he was my favorite. He was a master at making sure everyone on board had fun with jokes, letting children drive the boat, and gaining crowd involvement. Most others did the bare minimum.

“It’s already at the front, sir. Filled it before I started working on this.” I waved a fleeting hand toward the eyesore across the floor.

He boarded, leaning heavily on a cane. “Nothing some paint can’t fix if it won’t come up. Kool-Aid?” He looked over to me after surveying the stain.

I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from ranting about wild kids. I had done enough of that mentally already.

“Hate that shit. My son used to spill it all over the house when he was little. And my bowling team shirt one year. Ruined it.” He took a few steps then paused in front of Finn. “You think you’re too good to help? Or just too pretty?”

“I like to think the latter, sir,” Finn said, giving him a broad smile.

“About as pretty as my left nut. That’s the one that hangs too low, by the way. And always gives me trouble.”

We broke out into laughter as he strolled to the back.

“What time is the next tour?”

I glanced at my watch. “Leaving in about an hour.” The captain grunted. “The only thing that needs to be done is grabbing the snacks from the office.” The stain seemed to nag at me, pulling my attention back there. “After I dump the bucket of water.”

“Take Mr. Sexy there and get it done. We’ll worry about the stain later. These people won’t care. They just want to see some dolphins.”

My fingers wrapped around the handle of the bucket filled with red water, and I pushed against the bench to a standing position. Finn reached down near my feet and grabbed the saturated rags I’d used. The two of us left Captain Charles alone on the boat, humming something that sounded like the Gilligan’s Island theme song.

“How many we got on this one?” Finn asked.

“Fifteen have booked a spot. Not sure if we’ll have any extras since it’s a Sunday.” I cut to the right at the top of the walkway and headed in the direction of the shop.

The sound of Finn’s flip-flops intensified as he jogged up beside me. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

I stopped abruptly, the water from the bucket sloshing out onto the pier and some on my shorts. “Bad morning, I guess.” I peered past him at a family sitting on the bench. A guy and girl who looked no older than I wrestled with two small children. Please, no Kool-Aid. I had no idea why people got married. That couldn’t be easy. My life was easy. Just me to worry about.

“You really need to chill. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack or cancer, something,” he said.

I resumed walking. “I don’t think that’s how cancer works, bro.” I glanced over my shoulder to see him shrug.

“It doesn’t even matter. What matters is all you do is work. I have to practically drag your ass out, and when you agree to come, you never seem to have fun.” He twisted the knob on the door of the shop and held it open for me to go through.

“I have fun.”

“Don’t lie.”

I didn’t reply. Because there was no way I could protest it. He was telling the truth. I hated going out and being sociable. I hadn’t always been that way. Years ago, I’d been the life of the party. But things had changed. I’d changed. I had to grow up.

“Well, I might not have a great time at bars, but that just isn’t my scene anymore. Or I should say, not the huge crowds and drunks. Look at last night. I barely made it in the door and what happened? I got puked on.” I stopped at the sink and poured the dirty liquid down the drain, emptying the bucket.

Finn tossed the rags into a bin and went to work putting small chip bags and assorted candies into a box. “Yeah, that can make anyone have a bad time. At least I had an extra pair of shoes in the car, though.”

I briefly closed my eyes, sighing. “I should’ve left then. Maybe I wouldn’t be in such a horrible mood today.”

He stood, bringing the box up in front of him. “In a few weeks, everything will be better. Just the two of us out in the middle of nowhere rock climbing. No drunk girls to ruin your night.”

“Whoa.” I lifted my hands and dropped them. “You sound as if Brokeback Mountain is in your plans. I love you, but not like that.” I pressed my lips together to suppress laughter.

He shifted the box and tucked it under his arm. He reached for me with the other one, puckered his lips, and made these disgusting sounds. “Why wait, Luca? Have you seen how hot you are?”

I twisted, swatting away his wiggling fingers. My shoulder rammed into the doorframe as I skirted through it. I was knocked back as I collided with something solid.

“What the hell are you boys doing in here?” Captain Charles said, crossing his arms.

“Finn was just confessing his love for me,” I said. Control long gone, laughter burst out.

Captain Charles looked past me and focused on Finn. “Can’t say that’s a surprise. I’ve been seeing it coming for years.” His attention shifted to the front office.

“Sir…” Finn muttered under his breath as the captain disappeared into the next room.

I covered my mouth, unable to control the fit of giggles. “He nailed you to the wall.” We went outside and maneuvered through a small crowd of people who were waiting to board the boat.

“Can’t believe he said that.” He smiled at the ground.

We descended the walkway and climbed on the back of the boat.

“At least she was cute.”

“Huh?”

Finn handed me the box of snacks. I bent down and pushed them into a cabinet.

“The girl who threw up on you.”

I stood, straightening my shirt. “We weren’t even talking about that anymore.”

He rolled his eyes, taking a seat on a chair. His arms slid across the back, stretching out in both directions. “Sorry if I don’t want to continue our previous conversation.” His hand twisted up and gave me the finger.

I sat across from him, my eyes roaming the people now walking toward the boat. “I guess. I really can’t say I paid much attention to her.” The last thing I wanted him to do was go on and on about some girl we didn’t even know and how he wouldn’t mind banging her.

His mouth opened, but before another word could come out, voices interrupted our conversation. The seats filled with chattering people, smiling and laughing.

I leaned forward, slapping his knee as I stood. “Time to get to work.”

* * *

My feet dragged across the sidewalk as I walked toward my front door. All I wanted was a shower and to relax on my couch. Today had been brutal, mainly because I’d been exhausted from staying out so late. I unlocked the door and tossed my keys onto the bar as I went past. I rounded the counter, then stopped in front of the fridge and opened the door. Water. It was hot as balls outside. Summer in the South was scorching. My hand rested on the top of the open door, I downed a bottle of water. Through the glass door leading to my deck, something caught my eye. With a final slug of water, I replaced the cap and put it back on the top shelf.

I took a few steps and stood at the door, staring out. The soiled sneakers sat on the edge of the porch as a disgusting reminder of getting thrown up on last night. I shook my head. Her face appeared in my thoughts. Mad was an understatement. Or at least it had been until I looked up and saw from whom it had come. I had to agree with Finn’s statement earlier. She was cute. Hell, gorgeous was a better term to describe her.

But something about that girl was different than the normal chicks here. She was that way without all the added extras. Minimal makeup. The tits weren’t on display for everyone to see — not that I minded tits. Just like any man, if they were hanging out I would enjoy the view. But when they were covered… well, that left something for the imagination to play with. Not to mention it made them look like a hidden treasure for only me to find.

But most of all, the girl had seemed free, lightweight even, like she’d been experiencing life for the first time. Of course, that probably had to do with the alcohol. But judging from her clothes, I hadn’t gotten the vibe that she was a partier. She’d sorta reminded me of a preschool teacher.

I opened the door and went out, my eyes not leaving the shoes. I leaned against the rail, trying to decide what to do with them. They stunk, no way around that, so trashing them made the most sense. It didn’t help that I’d left them out all night and day to now roast in the blazing sun. Of course, I was never one to be wasteful. All they needed was a little cleaning, if I could stomach it.

I went over to the water hose and twisted the knob. Within seconds, the line filled. Gripping the handle, I squeezed, and a hard stream hit the shoes. One spun around at the force and disappeared over the side.

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to clean them things.”

I jumped at the sound of Finn’s voice behind me. As I gazed back, I flipped the nozzle to the off position. My eyes took in my friend’s attire. “How did you get a shower and change so fast? I just left you like forty-five minutes ago.”

He closed the gap and stood beside me, staring at the one shoe left in front of us. “It doesn’t take long to look good when you already do naturally.” As if feeling the need to prove his sex appeal, he ran his hands down his chest.

“Uh-huh.”

“Toss them things.” His head went forward, motioning at the shoe. “Even though she was hot, no need to hold onto them.”

The hand gripping the water hose dropped to my side. He was right. Even if I got these things clean, I would never wear them again. It would be in the back of my mind what had been on them. I returned to the faucet and twisted the handle until the water stopped.

“What are you even doing here?”

His eyes widened. “Dude, I just can’t even with you.”

“What?”

“We drank last night. Hello?”

I shook my head, still not getting what he was trying to say.

“You know we always go for Mexican. I’m starving!” His arms wrapped around his midsection as he doubled over. “I’m not going to make it much longer. I feel it, Luca. I’m dying.”

“Fine. I’ll go. Let me jump in the shower first.”

He straightened up, the smile returning to his face. “All right. I’ll watch some TV. Make that shower snappy, though.” He walked inside ahead of me and plopped down on the middle of the couch. A second later, the light from the television glowed against his face. “Sweet. Basic Instinct. I hope I haven’t missed the vag shot.”

I shut the door to the bathroom, silencing his voice and the noise from the movie. The last thing I wanted to do was go get something to eat. I was perfectly capable of making my own food.

Nothing at that restaurant was worth going for.