Free Riptide by Dawn Lee McKenna Page A

Wyatt said gently.
    David looked over at him and smiled. “I’m all kinds of happy to hear that,” he said. “But you will be.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Because your intentions are honorable,” David said with a shrug. He took a swallow of his beer before speaking again. “I don’t know if she’s ever told you, but she’s never been with anyone but me.”
    “She’s told me.”
    “She’s not the sleeping around type. She’s been married pretty much her whole life and that’s what type she is.”
    “If it makes you feel any better, that’s part of her appeal,” Wyatt said.
    “Good.” David smiled and shook his head. “Like I said, it might as well be you.”
    He and Wyatt each took another drink, and David sat back and looked at Wyatt more seriously. “But, man, I’ll tell you what. You hurt her, and I swear I’ll beat your ass.”
    Wyatt remembered Gray Redmond saying almost that very thing to him the night Maggie had taken him over for dinner. He nodded. “I get that a lot lately.”

    When Maggie pulled up in front of her house, Kyle was feeding the chickens, and Sky was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, earbuds in, texting someone on her phone.
    Stoopid made a wings-akimbo beeline for the car from some mysterious location, but was run over by Coco halfway there. Once he righted himself, he proceeded onward and gave Maggie one of his odd, broken crows before heading over to see what Kyle was dispensing.
      Coco fragmented at Maggie’s feet, and she bent down and gave Coco’s tummy a rub. When she stood up, Sky had pulled one earbud out.
    “Hey,” Sky said.
    “Hey. How was your day?”
    “Dude. Sucked like a Dyson,” Sky said. “Bella got dumped by her boyfriend and I’ve spent like the whole day keeping her head out of the oven.”
    Maggie stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Well, he was probably a dink, anyway, but tell her I’m sorry.”
    “She’ll get over it, but you know how she is. Right now, the world is commencing to end,” Sky said. “But we want to know if we can just stay here tomorrow night.”
    “You don’t want to go to 3 rd of July?”
    “Not really. I mean, it’s cool and all, but we’re going out to the island for the 4 th , anyway. We’re just gonna rent some movies and I’m gonna redo her highlights. Highlights fix everything.”
    Kyle piped up from behind Maggie.
    “If Sky’s having a sleepover, can I stay home?”
    Maggie turned and ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t you want to go?”
    “Nah. I’d rather hang out at home. It’s too crowded over there.”
    “Well, it’s up to your sister.” Maggie looked at Sky, but she already had her earbud back in.  
    Maggie pointed, and Sky pulled it out. “What?” she asked.
    “Kyle wants to stay home tomorrow. I told him it’s up to you.”
    “I don’t care, as long as he doesn’t mind helping us wax our armpits.”
    “What?” Kyle asked, looking mildly alarmed.
    “It’s a joke, dork.”
    She stood up as Kyle headed up the stairs, then she stuck a finger in his ear as he passed. He laughed and brushed it away.
    “What about your Dad, though?’ Maggie asked. “He’s probably looking forward to seeing you there.”
    “No, we were texting earlier,” Sky said. “He might go, but only for a little while and he’s not staying for the fireworks. He’s working tomorrow night so he can go to the island with us.”
    “Well, I guess I’ll have to hang out with Grandma and Granddad, then,” Maggie said as she followed Sky up the stairs.
    “It’ll be way cooler,” Sky said. “You can act weird without us seeing you.”
    “Geez, you’re such a jerk,” Maggie laughed.
    She followed Sky into the house, where Kyle was already entrenched on the couch with Minecraft.  
    “Hang out with Wyatt,” Sky said, heading for the hallway and her room.
    “I’m not allowed to hang out with Wyatt,” Maggie said.
    “Well, then quit it.”

    Later that night, Maggie luxuriated in a long