‘He died.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘It was a while ago now, when we were teenagers.’ She looked around, at the beach. ‘This was actually one of the last places I saw him alive.’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’
She shook her head. ‘Not really. It just hits me sometimes, usually at moments like this, when I’m happy. I had an amazing night and I hate that he never got to experience anything like this.’
I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb. ‘I know what you mean. Owning a restaurant here in Pine Harbor was Alex’s dream, and it’s not right that I’m the one here doing it, and not him. But I guess that’s why they say life isn’t always fair, right?’
29
TAYLOR
I shook off the melancholy that inevitably enveloped me whenever I thought of Cal. I didn’t want to be sad. Not today. I held Jack’s hand, my head resting on his shoulder, and we watched as the sky slowly began to lighten, streaks of pink and orange dusting the sky, chasing away the stars and the dark for another day. It never failed to amaze me, the sunrises over the ocean. The colors were always spectacular when they were mirrored by the water, but today the sky was especially pink, courtesy of wildfires in Canada. There was no sound apart from the occasional bird cry and the waves crashing on the shore.
‘It kind of feels like we’re the only two people in the world awake at this moment,’ I murmured, right before a lobster boat appeared around the point and chugged slowly out to sea. ‘Well, itdiduntil he showed up.’
Jack laughed. ‘I know what you mean. There’s just something magical about this place. I come down here often to watch the sunrise. Usually, I bring a coffee with me.’
I moaned. ‘Coffee sounds so good right now.’
‘Late night?’ he teased.
‘Yeah, someone kept me up for hours.’
He tutted. ‘Some people are so inconsiderate.’
‘Oh, I’m not complaining,’ I clarified.
‘Good to hear.’
I could feel his eyes on me. Not the gorgeous sunrise that was happening right in front of him, but me. It made me feel special.
‘I used to come down here a lot as a kid,’ I told him. ‘When Mom and Cal were still asleep. It was my favorite part of the day. I’d sketch the sunrises with oil crayons. They weren’t very good, to start with. But I got better.’
‘That’s an understatement. I’ve seen your work. It’s incredible.’
I regarded him curiously. ‘You’ve seen my work? Where?’
He had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘Instagram,’ he admitted. ‘I’m not tech-savvy when it comes to social media, but Lucy at work showed me how to find your page. She’s very impressed, by the way. Wants you to do her a tattoo.’
‘Sure, at the arts festival, or if she comes to New York.’
At the mention of the city his smile slipped a little. ‘I’ll tell her.’
I nudged his body with mine. ‘So you liked what you saw?’
‘Are we still talking about your art? Or last night.’
I laughed. ‘My art, of course.’
‘I loved it. You’re very talented.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You have a way of making the scene come to life. Some of your sunrises and waves were incredibly realistic.’
