𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝

"Hey, look. You've-you've gotta admit, that was kind of promising," John B gave Tatum a hand, helping her up the sand dune.

"I mean, my dad, the Royal Merchant, the ranger, the Royal Merchant. I mean, coincidence? I don't-I don't think so."

"It's his job to know about shipwrecks," Tatum reasons. "Okay, but the Royal Merchant?"

"That's like the most famous shipwreck of all time, John! Redfield's one of the most common names in Outer Banks. That could mean literally anything. As wild good chases go, this was a good one, I'll admit that, okay?"

"Look, I don't know. Maybe we missed something at the lighthouse. We-we should go back," John B points at the lighthouse behind Tatum.

She gently grabbed his hand, and lowered it. "You believe me, right? Right?" Tatum looks down at her hands. "John, I think there might be some concocting going on at this point. Look, I get it."

"Tate, come on," John B grabs her hands. "You miss your dad, believe me, I know what the feels like. I just don't understand why he would leave a clue on a compass of all things."

"Cause he knew it would come back to me," John B and Tatum looked at each other for a long second before Tatum pulled him into a hug.

"You're being unreasonable. You gotta pull it together," Tatum rubbed his neck, pulling away. John B crashed his lips onto hers and held her face in his hands.

Tatum's eyes went wide before she pushed him away. "John." "Shit, I'm sorry." "It's okay," Tatum tries to smile. "Oh, God. I'm an idiot."

"No, John. it's okay." "I'm-it's because I'm freaking out..about my dad and the DCS stuff," John B tried to apologize.

"Stop. It's fine." "I can't breathe sometimes," he rambled. "I know. Look, I didn't hate it," Tatum touches his shoulder.

"What?" "It's just really bad timing, that's all." "Right, timing," John B thought it over.

"Routledge, I got you, son. Now why don't you just be chill and not make me chase you?" Shoupe says, getting out of the cop car.

Tatum steps behind John B, grabbing the compass out of his pocket, sticking it into hers. "Hands where I can see 'em."

...

"I can't believe you, Tatum. If he skips out on his bail, and I lose my money, I'm gonna send him right back to Peterkin," Cynthia threatened her daughter.

"Mom!" Tatum exclaims as they walk out to their car, John B following. "Cut it," She said sternly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Thornton." "Don't thank me. Get your act together." Tatum and her mom walk over to the Lincoln, and Tatum pulls the compass out of her pocket.

"Let's go Tatum Monreau," Cynthia told her daughter. "Give me a second, please, mom?"

"You're okay. Everything is gonna be just fine," Tatum looks between John B's eyes. "Everything is gonna be okay," he repeats after her. "Sorry," Tatum says goodbye, getting into her mom's car.

"I told you, you hang out with trash, you get dirty," Cynthia tells her blonde child. "Thanks, Mom. Really love this mother-daughter bonding moment," Tatum scoffs, looking out the window at John b as they pull away from the Police Station.

...

"I can't believe you guys finally kissed!" Kie held Tatum's hands in hers, interlacing them.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not letting it go anywhere though. It felt wrong, like I don't know how to explain it. But it was wrong, you know?"