Courting Korie (Unexpected Love #5)

1. KORIE

KORIE

The air smells of salt and iced coffee as we roll into the parking lot of the marina, which is already packed with vehicles this early in the day.

“Looks like everyone had the same idea we did,” Holden says in an annoyed tone.

I manage not to roll my eyes at him from the passenger seat. “Oh, relax. It’ll be fine.”

He tightens his grip on the steering wheel and circles the lot one more time before resigning to a spot far enough away from the docks that even I want to groan. The last thing I want to do is haul our stuff a half mile down to the boat.

As we climb out, Cole tosses our empty coffee cups into a nearby trash can while Holden lifts the bags from the trunk. Before he can pass them off to me, I reach for the cooler. Together, we lift it out.

Cole shoves his hands into his pockets as he eyes the large cooler. “Do we actually need this much food? We’re only going for the day.”

Holden snorts, shifting the weight of the bags higher on his shoulder. “You clearly don’t know Korie if you’re saying that.”

I whip my head around. “Hey!”

He grins. “What? You know it’s true. You’re a foodie.”

Cole’s skepticism is justified. There’s enough chips, cookies, and licorice to last us a month—and that’s not counting the fried chicken and macaroni salad we’d packed for lunch. Somehow, all this food will be gone before the end of the day.

“Yeah, well, there are worse things to be,” I say as I drag the cooler behind me.

“Oh yeah? Name one.”

I make a face, eyebrows raised. “Someone who doesn’t appreciate good food.”

“Hey, you know I love food as much as you do, but you don’t see me dragging the pantry with us wherever we go.”

I smack his ribs, and Holden quickly slings an arm around my neck to pull me close. I squirm away before he can pinch me. We both laugh.

“Okay, I’m starting to see the dynamic here,” Cole says.

Holden lets me go, still grinning. “Yeah, you’ll learn fast. I guess being friends our whole lives makes us act like kids sometimes. Anyway, yeah, do not, under any circumstances, come between Korie and their food.”

I stick a tongue out at Holden as Cole smirks. “Noted.”

Holden adjusts his hat as we set out. This is the second time Cole has hung out with us, but already I like the guy.

Holden said he’s kept to himself since he started at the rock climbing gym a month ago, refusing to open up to anyone.

But from the way he’s eyeing Cole, Holden must be on a mission to crack open the vault.

Holden glances out toward the water. “It’s already bottlenecked. We need to hurry.”

“We have all day, Hold. Relax.”

He sighs. He hates getting stuck in traffic—anywhere. But even the foul stench of exhaust can’t seem to ruin his mood. He’s been all smiles since he picked me up.

The weather is great today—not too hot and not too windy. Of course, I’ll probably feel differently when the temperature rises, but right now, it’s perfect for an early summer day.

Dozens of boats rock gently in their slips as we pass, their ropes creaking.

It’s our first trip out on the boat this year, and already I feel something coming alive in me.

I didn’t realize how badly I needed this.

Not just being here, but this, the laughter and easy back-and-forth with my friends.

It’s too easy to get stuck in the routines of work and responsibilities.

Holden bumps my shoulder as the dock beneath us sways. “You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

He shrugs softly. “You’re quieter than I expected.”

I chuckle. “Give it time. The day’s just getting started.”

He snorts. “Just as long as you promise not to throw me overboard again.”

“Oh, I make no promises.” I lower my voice. “Actually, I was just thinking how great it is that we could pull this off. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out like this. All of us, I mean. Hattie and the others too.”

Holden smiles softly. “Yeah. I thought that on the way here.”

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision last night to get everyone together, but somehow it worked out that we could all go. We’ve gone to movies as a group and hit a few bars, but we haven’t taken the boat out. It used to be our thing, back before adult life got in the way.

“Finally,” Hattie calls when she sees us. Holden’s twin is wearing a purple bikini under a pale yellow shawl. Her dark blonde hair is in a perfectly curled ponytail with white sunglasses resting on her head.

Beside her, Camila and Mateo are in similar sun-ready attire. They each wave at us in greeting.

“I was about to leave without you,” Hattie says, leaning over the side to take Holden’s bags.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Holden says.

“Oh, I absolutely would.”

“Yeah, well. Korie decided they needed to stop at the store for more wine coolers, and then we had to play cooler roulette to fit it all in.” He throws a teasing glance my way, but I ignore him.

The truth is, we got lost on the way to Cole’s apartment and had to circle back, losing about thirty minutes in California traffic.

“Anyway, Hattie, this is Cole. Cole, meet my sister, Hattie, and our friends Mateo and Camila.”

Cole lifts a hand in an awkward wave. “Hey.”

“We work together,” Holden explains, “and he’s, uh… in the market for new friends, I guess you could say, so I invited him.”

Hattie’s grin sharpens. “Oh yeah? Well, you won the lottery then, because we kick ass.”

That earns a laugh from everyone—including Cole, which is a good sign.

Fifteen minutes pass as we get the coolers tucked away, bags stashed into the small cabin below deck, and loose stuff secured so it doesn’t fly away once we pick up speed. Cole fumbles around, unsure of how to help or where to sit.

“Make yourself at home,” I say. “Only seat that’s taken is the captain’s chair. That’s all Holden’s.”

Cole sits on the bench behind it.

The boat isn’t massive, but it’s got plenty of room for the six of us to spread out.

Once everything’s set, Hattie and I untie the boat from the dock and push off. The engine roars to life, and within minutes, Holden is easing us out into open water.

“This is amazing,” Cole says over the soft rumble of the engine.

“Yeah, you’re welcome to come anytime. We go out often in the summer.”

He nods slowly, as if afraid to commit to another outing. “Is it yours?”

Holden laughs once. “You think I can afford this on my salary? Nah, it’s my parents. They let us use it whenever we want.”

“Gotcha. What do they do?”

“They’re doctors. Well, retired now, but they were.”

I make my way toward the front as we pick up speed—my favorite place to ride when we’re in full throttle. The wind is sharp and refreshing against my skin. After a while, Holden calls my name, pointing out a blue whale in the distance.

It’s the kind of day everyone dreams of on the ocean.

We anchor in one of our favorite coves about forty minutes later. To my relief, there are only a couple of other boats here, far enough away to give us privacy.

The water is calm, the kind of place where you can float for hours without thinking. Occasionally, we’ll see people parasailing off the cliffs to the south, but so far, the sky is empty.

Hattie cranks the music, and Mateo passes out beers, despite it only being ten in the morning. Time doesn’t exist when you’re on the water.

I share a bench seat with Holden, across from his sister.

Conversation flows easily from one joke to the next as we pass around the first container of snacks.

Eventually, Hattie reaches for the bottle of sunscreen.

Mateo snags it as soon as she’s done, and one by one, we cover our skin.

Excitement grows louder with every second, turning into taunts of who can do the largest cannonball.

Hattie jumps in first, and that’s all it takes.

Soon, everyone is diving off the back into the ocean.

The warm water is like an inviting hug the moment I’m submerged.

Instinct takes over, and I kick my feet, cutting through the water until my lungs force me to surface.

I slick my hair back and glance over just in time to see Holden dive in too, all clean lines and pointed toes.

I guess old habits die hard—for both of us.

Cole looks between us, in awe and surprise. “You both dive like you were on the swim team or something.”

I can’t hide my smile. “Because we were.”

Cole’s eyes widen. “For real?”

“Yup. In high school and college.” The memory tightens something in my chest, and I resist the urge to look away.

“What was your specialty?”

“One hundred meters freestyle,” I say. “Holden’s too. We used to compete against each other.”

“No shit? Who won?”

“Me,” we both say, earning a laugh from everyone.

“Well, now I gotta see this. You wanna race?”

Holden turns to me, cautious optimism hidden behind his grin. It’s been a long time since we were on the team, but he knows I can never turn down some friendly competition.

“You’ll still lose,” I say.

He splashes me. “Oh, whatever.”

Holden, Cole, and I climb to the back dock, lining up with our toes over the edge. Hattie counts us down.

“Three, two, one… go!”

We dive in sync, hands cutting through the surface easily.

Swimming in the open water is wildly different from the controlled environment of a pool, but muscle memory kicks in after only a few paces and I find my groove.

With each breath, I see Holden beside me, keeping pace. I lose sight of Cole quickly.

We stay shoulder to shoulder, aiming for the buoy at the entrance to the cove.

Old habits kick in after about twenty yards, and I crank my speed, kicking my feet hard.

I sense Holden dialing in beside me, trying to catch up, but I still reach the buoy first, turning back toward the boat.

I return half a body length ahead of him.

He grips the railing, panting hard. “Shit, I’m out of practice.”

I choke out a laugh. “Suuuure. Blame it on that.”

He wraps an arm around me and tackles me underwater. I fling myself on his back until we’re both laughing.