She laughed and slapped his arm."It's not like that."
"I'm glad you know it.I'd hate for it to seem that way."The smile faded a little, and his voice grew quieter."But at the same time, Callie, I'm hopeful about where things might go between us."
She inhaled deeply before blowing it out slowly.The wind snatched the breath away as soon as it left her lips.
"No secrets, right?"
He nodded.
"In that case, I'll just come out and say it.I'm hopeful too.But even if we go in that direction — even if this gets serious — I'm not going to give up my cottage."
He seemed to tense, and she wondered if she'd ruined the day.But after a moment, he smiled and nodded.
"I'm really glad about that.I love your cottage.Maybe if we get that far, we could split our time between the two."
"But your life's in Napa," she told him."Your work.Everything."
"I know.But your life's in Fort Bragg.Your work.Youreverything."He turned to face her fully, the ocean a gray-green blur behind him."They both count, Callie.Don't think for a second that I don't know that."
They walked along the waterline, the waves rushing in and retreating, leaving the sand dark and gleaming.The wind had settled a little, though it still tugged at Callie's braid and sent strands of hair flying across her face.
She didn't seem to mind.Her eyes were on the ground, scanning the beach the way she'd described to him back in Fort Bragg — looking for treasures.
He found himself doing the same.He still wanted to find something for her.Something she'd keep.
"Oh!"She crouched down and plucked something from the sand, holding it up to the light.A piece of sea glass, pale green and smooth from years of tumbling in the waves."Look at this one."
"It's beautiful."
She tucked it into her pocket and kept walking, and he smiled at the simple satisfaction on her face.
A few minutes later, he spotted something half-buried near the tide line.He bent down and brushed the sand away, revealing a small, flat stone — gray with a single white band running all the way around it.
"What did you find?"she asked, coming back to him.
He held it up."I don't know if it counts as a treasure, but I like it."
She took it from him and turned it over in her palm, tracing the white line with her finger."A wishing stone.The band goes all the way around — that's good luck."
"Yeah?"
"That's what they say."She looked up at him, her eyes warm."You should keep it."
He shook his head and closed her fingers around it."I found it for you."
She held his gaze for a moment, then rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly."Thank you."
The waves kept rolling in behind them as they walked on, her hand in his, the stone tucked safe in her pocket beside the sea glass.
~ ~ ~
Callie took the controls again on the way back, and this time it felt less like a lesson and more like something she could actually learn to do.The coastline unwound beneath them in reverse — the headlands and coves, the dark forests pressing up against the cliffs, the occasional flash of a sandy beach.
"You're getting the feel for it," Ollie said.
"I love it."She meant it.There was something about being up here, the world spread out below, that made everything else seem simpler.When she lived back in Kansas, most of her life played out in an area that covered maybe fifteen square miles.Since she’d moved out here to California, her life back home felt like just one square in a patchwork.And now, up in the sky like this?It felt like she could see the whole quilt and choose any patch she wanted.
She gave the controls back to him reluctantly when they neared Fort Bragg, and he talked her through the descent again.He made another smooth landing, and as they taxied toward the hangar, she realized she wasn't ready for the day to be over.
