Adrift

humans.”
He continued, and I searched for a conversation changer. “What’d you do after Greenpeace?”
“Helped an organization get women out to sea so they could have abortions. It’s an organization that helps women in countries with no rights.”
“Damn. I guess I can see why you didn’t want to tell your folks about that.” I was fairly certain his family was Catholic.
“Yeah. I did that for less than a year.”
“And then? Ten years,” I reminded him. None of this would solve Gregg’s issues.
“I started working for a man based out of Mississippi.”
“Let me guess. Saving whales?”
Tate slung back the rest of his beer and slid it forward for a refill. “Hardly. Stealing boats behind on payments.”
“No way. A repo man.”
“Yep. Paid good. That’s about it.”
“Your dad considered hiring contract help to find you, but they weren’t even sure where to start. Said the GPS tracker they’d bought you stopped working your first year.”
He froze, and I followed his sight line to the bar entrance. Two drenched blondes filled the doorway. One reminded me of pretty much every girl Tate had ever had a crush on. Athletic, all-natural. But the other girl oozed sex. Voluptuous curves, the slightest smear of mascara beneath her eyes, and her white…yes, white…sundress drenched from the rain. The tops of her luscious breasts might as well have been fully exposed. A thick white bra provided a semblance of coverage, but dark shadows hinted at large, saucer-sized nipples. The bra held those babies perfectly, creating deep cleavage. Perfect for motorboating.
I welcomed the women over with a broad smile. We dispensed with cordial greetings and whatnot. The other blonde apparently knew Tate, and she sat beside him. I centered my attention on the curvaceous one with a semi-transparent dress, and pulled out a stool, leaving the shapely blonde no choice but to sit by me.
“Poppy, do you have a last name?” Her full pink lips spread into a smile, off-setting spectacular crystal blue eyes.
“I do, but I don’t share it.”
“Is Poppy your real name? It sounds like it could be a stage name.” I’d only meant it as a tease, but those cheeks transitioned from a dusting of pink to a full-on rouge. Interesting.
She settled onto her stool and released a girly giggle. I slid my stool forward, closer to her, creating a bigger divide between Tate and her friend. I smiled, full enough my dimples popped. Girls loved the dimples.
“Have you ever heard of OnlyFans?” A slip of her tongue wet her lower lip. Sexy didn’t begin to cut it. I couldn’t believe my luck. An OnlyFans girl. Come Monday, Reed would never believe me.

Chapter 2
Poppy
That grin. Talk about having you at hello. When those lips stretched into a full-on smile, dimples popped on both sides. Forest green eyes and dark hair. The man had more appeal than a hot fudge sundae on a diet day.
“Have you ever heard of OnlyFans?” His mouth dropped open when I asked, and I couldn’t squelch my laugh. Yeah, he’d definitely heard of the site where I earned my income.
“Where are you from?” If he was local, I couldn’t share much. I’d hidden the account from everyone, kept it as my deepest, darkest secret forever. But I’d let my guard down with Luna recently. And she’d been cool…
“Let’s back-up to OnlyFans. Your internet business.” An all-dimple assault ensued. Danger, Will Robinson.
“I haven’t seen you around before. Is this your first time here?” I reached out and touched his knee, as if he were an old friend, then snapped my hand back as my brain caught up. You. Don’t. Know. Him.
“Nah. I grew up coming here every summer.” He angled a thumb in Tate’s direction. “Old friends with that guy. Here for the weekend. So, what’s your story? Is Poppy your OnlyFans name?”
My OnlyFans account ran under the name Blue Poppy. I kept my Fans profile and my real life separate. And this stranger, meeting the real me, didn’t need to know my full name. My acquisition brain kicked in. He could become a profitable subscriber. His expensive watch said he might not mind a monthly fee he’d forget about.
His gaze fell to my cleavage, and I weighed my options. Luna and Tate would eventually be an item. She didn’t know that, but they went all goo-goo eyes for each other. Add to the fact there were a grand total of three single year-round residents our age on the island, and it was kind of a no-brainer. By my math, I’d be seeing Gabe again, although most likely rarely, as he probably wouldn’t visit Tate all that frequently. Luna knew about my OnlyFans business, and Gabe might be a source of new subscribers–potentially. I’d been losing those. My Instagram ads were becoming less effective at pulling in new subscribers.
Will, the bartender, leaned over the bar. “Poppy girl, you want your usual?”
“Yes, thank you. How’re you doing?” Will’s expression darkened, and he grimaced before walking away. Will and his wife were going through a divorce. Will didn’t gush about his own problems, even though he heard everyone else’s. I’d have to come back and catch him one on one.
“Should we order dinner?” Gabe asked as he held a paper menu in the air. “Maybe start with some calamari?”
“Sshhh,” I warned him. “Don’t ever suggest calamari near Luna. Doesn’t go over well.”
“Are they endangered?” His puzzled expression amused me.
“Apparently the octopus is quite brilliant. You should not eat them.” I learned forward to whisper, “Especially in front of Luna.” Although, really, all it took was about ten minutes of lecture about the playful problem-solvers and she converted me. I supposed my internal organs thanked me for one less dose of fried food, too.
“Ah. She’s one of them,” His grin returned, and with it that little dimple on his chin.
“Yeah, she is.” I smiled fondly at my nature loving friend, then ordered my standard rabbit fare. After consulting with Tate, Mr. Gorgeous ordered grilled lionfish.
With our order out of the way, those tempting greens