Nathan stiffens, and then he pushes himself upright.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“It’s nothing.” I send a quick response to Mark’s text.
Nathan doesn’t press. But I know he doesn’t believe me. He forces a smile. “How’s your new job with the city going?”
I’ve been so absorbed in Nathan’s latest project that my position as an entry-level technician at town hall slipped my mind.
“Mr. Stevenson tells me I’m doing well. He may have even hinted that I’m top of the class.”
I can’t stop smiling. Mr. Stevenson didn’t hint. He flat-out told me I’m the best. “Turtle nesting surveys begin next week.”
He grins and clasps my hand. “That’s no surprise to me. They know they’re lucky to have the most talented marine biologist in the field right here on the island.”
“Spoken like a true best friend,” I say and laugh. “I’m still learning. There’s a long road ahead before I can claim to be that good.”
His face changes. He’s finished with the warmup—now he’s going to bring it up.
He turns his eyes away from me and faces the water. “Mark told me things are getting more… serious between you two.”
I feel a flash of anger and confusion. How could Mark say something like that to Nathan?
Other than a few awkward kisses, we’ve been friends at best. The dates are getting less frequent—our conversations are drier. It’s not going to work. After all these years of being in Nathan’s orbit, we tried to find something in each other.
But all I’ve found with Mark is disappointment.
Nathan rubs his face and the back of his neck. “Crystal, hell,” he says as he stares at the sand. One of his hands is closed tightly, holding on to something inside. “I waswayout of line today.” He swallows and blinks his eyes.
I touch my lips and turn my gaze toward the distant shore, catching the silhouette of a ship sailing home. Long seconds pass by as I follow its steady trek across the horizon.
“Don’t,” I whisper. “I was there too.”
And it’s the happiest, most confusing moment of my life so far.
“Do you love him?” he blurts out, squeezing the object in his hand tighter.
“What’s in your hand?”
He opens it, showing me the shell. A pink Dinocardium robustum. Whorls of darker rose trace the ridges. The hinge is broken cleanly, leaving two perfect halves. Each one is shaped like a heart.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cockle shaped like that.” I brush my fingers across it and shiver when I feel his skin. Everything is in slow motion. “It’s pretty.”
“I found it while I was in Belize.”
“And you brought it here with you today?”
His face flushes, and my stomach flips.
“Take it.” His voice is breathy and low. He puts one half in my palm and closes his hand around mine.
I freeze. He’s just given me his…
“Nathan, I don’t love him. I…”
“Wait.” He pulls me onto his lap, facing me toward him.
Instinctively, I close my thighs around his waist, and I lean into his chest.
