Chapter 2
Hazel – a woman who should know better but is weak when it comes to Miles
Hazel
I groan as I try to roll over in bed, but I can’t move. A heavy weight over my stomach anchors me in place. What the hell?
I pry my eyes open and the world immediately begins to spin while my stomach heaves. I slam my eyes shut before I throw up in bed.
Swimming mermaids in the sea. How much did I drink last night?
I flip through my memories. Yesterday was New Year’s Eve. I went to the Smugglers’ Blaze with my sisters, Scarlett and Sadie. Scarlett begged off early when her boyfriend, Weston, got off duty. And Sadie made herself scarce when Miles showed up.
Miles.
I didn’t, did I? Please tell me I didn’t drink too much and end up back in his bed. I’m not that big of an idiot. Or am I?
I pry my eyes open again and glance down at the weight on my stomach. Marauding pirates, I’d know this arm anywhere.
I am that big of an idiot.
There’s obviously something wrong with me. What self-respecting woman lands in the bed of the man who dumped her years ago and is now only interested in her when he’s been drinking and is horny?
Me. That’s who.
Time to get the hell out of here before I’m forced to endure a morning after during which Miles does his best to get rid of me as fast as possible. It’s bad enough I can’t resist him but his embarrassment of me makes the situation even worse.
I grasp his arm and lift it. He fights me for a moment before rolling over to his other side. I use the opportunity to sneak out of bed. I gather my clothes from the floor before tiptoeing out of the room.
Once I’m in the hallway with the door shut behind me, I hurry to dress before rushing to the front door. I don’t have any means of transportation, but Smuggler’s Rest is a small town. It’s a mere fifteen-minute walk to my apartment from here.
This isn’t a walk of shame. Mostly because no one on the island is awake yet. It’s nine a.m. on New Year’s Day. Most of the town was at the Smugglers’ Blaze last night until the wee hours of the morning.
My stomach dips and weaves as I walk. I place a hand over it, but it does nothing to combat the nausea.
At least the Salty Dip – the annual New Year’s Day swim in the ocean – doesn’t start until noon.
I can grab a few more hours of sleep and hopefully not be too hungover when I meet my family at the beach.
I feel twenty times better after another two hours of sleep in my own bed. And a shower doesn’t hurt either. But when I try to drink some coffee, my stomach revolts. Guess I’m not completely out of the woods yet.
I dress in warm fleece clothing before grabbing a beach towel and exiting my apartment. I notice my neighbor, Melanie, waiting for the elevator and whirl around to make my way to the stairs. The last person in the world I want to question me about my activities last night is my prudish neighbor.
The beach is a mere five minutes away. I love living near the water. Of course, on an island the size of Smuggler’s Hideaway, the water is never far away.
“Hazel!” Sadie shouts before rushing toward me. “You made it.”
My brow wrinkles. “Of course, I made it. The Salty Dip is a Harris family tradition.”
My sister throws her arm over my shoulders. “I thought you might be otherwise occupied.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
I shove her away. “Knock it off or I’ll tell everyone on the island about how you’re falling in love with your pen pal.”
She glares at me. “You’re the one who tricked me into signing up for the military pen pal program.”
“Do you want to go there? Because tricking you was seriously mild payback considering how much the goat you smuggled into my apartment shat. Do you know how long it takes to get rid of the smell of goat shit?”
“You shouldn’t have called the police on me.”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t call the police on you.”
She fists her hands on her hips. “Why the hell did they show up at my door at 3 a.m. if you didn’t call them?”
I shrug. “Scarlett’s dating a cop. Ask her.”
“Don’t think—”
“Sadie! Hazel!” Our brother, Thomas, yells as he walks our way with our other brother, Ian.
“Baa!”
I stare down at the sheep walking behind them. “Did you bring a sheep to the Salty Dip?”
“Sheepwreck Sally loves to swim,” Thomas insists.
I blow out a breath. “She’s a sheep. Sheep don’t swim.”
Sadie giggles. “At least they didn’t cause a traffic jam this time.”
I groan. My brothers are sheep farmers. They’re also shit stirrers who thought it’d be funny to ‘test’ Weston and his sheep herding skills by letting the sheep wander all over the island.
“What are you up to?”
My question is met with wide, innocent eyes. As if. Thomas and Ian haven’t been innocent since they discovered moonshine in their teens and decided to race tractors through the fields. I have never seen Dad’s face get that red. And I never want to again.
“Fine. Have your fun. But I am not bailing you out of jail again.”
Ian rolls his eyes. “Are you ever going to let it go? You bailed us out of jail one time.”
“I was in the middle of my final exam for physiology. I nearly failed.”
Thomas grins. “But you didn’t, Sis, because you’re brilliant.”
“Flatter me all you want. I am still not bailing you out of jail.”
“Bailing him out of jail for what?” Weston asks as he and Scarlett join us.
“Our sister had to fall in love with a cop,” Thomas mutters.
“We didn’t do anything!” Ian shouts.
Weston groans. “And here I thought you two were done testing me when you didn’t get up to any trouble last night.”
Scarlett giggles. “Didn’t get into trouble? Did you miss the gossip? These two yahoos raced sheep down Main Street.”
Weston holds up his hands. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I wasn’t on duty.”
Thomas clears his throat. “When do you go back on duty?”
Weston squeezes Scarlett’s hand. “You’re lucky I love you, Precious.”
She beams at him. “I am lucky.”
“You’re going to be even luckier later.”
Ian gags. “Don’t talk about having sex with our sister.”
Thomas nods. “Gross.”
Weston smirks. “You don’t want to hear about the time—”
Scarlett slaps a hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare.”
He pries her fingers away. “I would never, but you have to let me mess with your brothers.”
“Or you could take the higher road and ignore them.”
Weston barks out a laugh. “Not happening.”
“What’s going on?” Dad booms as he walks up to us with Mom. “Why are you standing around on the boardwalk? It’s nearly time for the Salty Dip.”
He herds us onto the beach where a crowd has already gathered.
“I’m going to win best costume this year,” Thomas says as he removes his sweats and throws them on the ground.
I blink when his outfit is revealed. “Are you Little Bo Peep?”
“And I brought props.” He whistles and Sheepwreck Sally meanders toward him.
Weston grunts. “If the sheep shits on the beach, you’re picking it up.”
“I thought you were off duty,” Ian says.
Thomas bats his eyelashes at Weston. “Can’t you use your ‘sheep whispering energy’ to ensure Sheepwreck Sally behaves?”
Weston growls. “I never said I have ‘sheep whispering energy’.”
“You didn’t?” Sadie digs her phone out of her pocket. “Because I have a recording of someone who sounds suspiciously like you claiming he has ‘sheep whispering energy’ and can herd sheep with saltine crackers.”
Weston wags his finger at her. “You can’t use recordings made after a bottle of moonshine is drunk.”
“You probably shouldn’t have claimed you could drink my brothers under the table,” Scarlett mutters.
“Lesson learned.”
Dad claps his hands. “Are we going to stand around here gossiping like a bunch of women all day, or are we going to swim?”
I flip off my sweatshirt and push down my sweatpants.
Sadie scoffs. “How original. You’re a mermaid on Smuggler’s Hideaway.”
“You can be sarcastic all you want, but I’m winning the fastest dip this year.”
The person who swims to the buoy and back the fastest wins a prize. I’ve come close to winning several times but this year is my year.
“You want to win because this year’s prize is a gift basket from Buccaneer’s Whiskey & Distillery. The distillery where Miles works.”
I glare at her. If she brings up how I spent the night with Miles, she’ll wish the worst revenge I ever committed was signing her up for a pen pal.
“Miles?” Dad grumbles. To say my dad isn’t a fan of my ex-boyfriend is putting it mildly.
“Now, now, dear.” Mom pats his arm.
“Have you been hanging around that boy again?”
A whistle blows. “Swimmers, take your marks.”
Saved by the whistle. “I’ll see you after I win.” I rush off to the starting line before Dad has a chance to stop me.
No way, no how, am I discussing Miles with my dad. My cheeks heat as embarrassment hits me. I am such a fool for that man.