He’d probably have just kicked me in the ass.
I promise to do better, Dad.
“Will you forgive me? Still friends?” Cathy asks.
I lean over and brush my fingers across her face, running them through her choppy, shortened hair. She looks up, tears in her eyes. I give her a reassuring smile. “Yeah. We’re good.”
She moves back to Virginia next week and will graduate in the fall. It’s time for her to focus on the rest of her life, and the same goes for me.
The engines drone and the wind carries across the water. I take another deep breath of the salty air, letting my muscles relax.
There’s no sense in dwelling on mistakes.
My next stop—Miami.
SoBe, Miami Beach.
An intoxicating tang of salt, sea breeze, and sunscreen fills the humid afternoon air. There’s nothing I love more than the ocean. That said, sharing the beach with about a million other people at the same time isn’t my idea of fun. I’ve been in Miami for eight months now, and this is my first day off. My buddy Mark demanded it.
My suggestion was Key Biscayne. I wanted to check out Neptune Memorial Reef and take some pictures of the artificial reef designed to resemble the lost city of Atlantis. I’d packed my gear and was ready to go. But Mark pushed for Lummus Park, so here we are.
Bright, sandy, and loud. Mark fits right in. Already lit on the vodka he’s been sneaking into his tumbler. Drinking’s not my thing. It makes you stupid. Takes away all the control you have over what’s going on around you.
After weaving through the crowds, we snatch a small open spot next to the blue and yellow Art Deco lifeguard stand. I drop the cooler and bag on the sand.
Mark whistles. I sigh, glancing in the direction he’s looking. Who is it now? We’ve been here for fifteen minutes, and Mark’s already got four girls lined up to ask out.
“Nice. I’m adding her to the list.”
I follow his gaze. The lifeguard’s pretty, blonde, and about our age.
“Highly fuckable.” He tilts his head in her direction. “You want that one? I’m feeling generous.”
He’s drunk.
“Take it easy.”
“Hey, I’m just a concerned friend. When’s the last time you got laid?”
I ignore his question. The last time was with Cathy in St. Augustine. But I don’t miss it. That wreck fiasco taught me a valuable lesson. Stay focused. My adviser has been warning me that the committee is skeptical of my dissertation topic. A few members are reserving their judgment, and I need to sell them at the draft review.
The rest of my life’s a blur. There’s no time for anything else. I’ve decided that this beach day is the last time I’m going to let anyone talk me into doing anything for a while.
Stay focused.
“Shit. Look at her.” He gazes toward a beautiful girl who’s dipping her toes into the waves. “She’s going to be the lucky lady tonight.” Smirking, he walks off.
Stopping him, I take his tumbler and drop it next to the cooler. “Time to cut you off.”
He laughs and heads over to the girl. Making his standard introduction, he gets her to smile and agree to whatever it is he’s selling her.
Hopefully, she’s smart enough to keep her distance when he makes his move. Leaving him to it, I stretch out on the sand.
Closing my eyes, I let myself enjoy the heat. I’m dozing off when a light, citrusy vanilla scent drifts toward me.
My face turns cool, and I hear a camera shutter.
When I open my eyes, I see the blonde lifeguard standing over me. She’s putting something away in her hip pack.
