His lips curl up on one side as he thinks about it. “It was good. We got up, surfed before school, did school, and mostly knew everyone. It’s a small town. It was paradise.”
He’s not wrong. This place is definitely paradise.
“Jonah is like a dad to me,” he continues. “I never knew my dad. He was a tourist, and my mom was working a summer job here when she was eighteen. She met a guy and had a summer-long fling, and at the end of summer, he went back to New York City to work. He ghosted her. She tried to tell him about me, but he and his family wanted nothing to do with my mom or me.” He frowns and looks away.
I can’t imagine how that felt for him as a young boy. It breaks my heart for him.
“I’m sorry, Cal.”
He shrugs as if it’s nothing, but I know it bothers him. His shoulders are tense and the frown lingers. “I had an aunt and uncle I’m close with. My uncle passed away a few years ago, but my aunt still lives in Wisteria Cove, Massachusetts. I’m close with my cousins, too.”
I have the urge to hug him, but I keep my hands to myself.
“Do they come to visit?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, all the time. My aunt Donna has a cottage here close to mine.”
“Does your mom still live here in Coconut Beach?”
A flash of something passes across his face that I can’t read. “Yes, she’s still here in Coconut Beach.”
Interesting. I wonder what’s going on there. Maybe he’s not close to her. I’m not close to mine. And after the wedding, I don’t know that we ever will be.
He laughs, that low and easy sound thatmakes me smile. “But one cool flex is that my aunt is Donna Bennett. Have you ever heard of her?”
My jaw drops. “Donna Bennett, the author?”
He nods.
“Donna Bennett, theNew York Timesbestselling author?”
He laughs. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“You’ve been hanging onto that little gem and just now felt like sharing with the class?” I ask, in awe.
He shrugs. “To me, she’s just my aunt. And she’s pretty great.”
“Um, yeah. She’s an icon. I’ve been reading her stuff since high school. Way cool, Cal.”
“Maybe you’ll meet her when she comes to visit.”
I gasp in shock. “Here? I can’t wait.”
“Sometimes she comes here to write when she has a tight deadline,” he says. “Around here, she’s just Donna. She’s pretty chill.”
Wow. Incredible.
Not just his flex about being related to one of my favorite authors, but this time together. Getting to know little kernels of information about him and his life. Our conversation is unhurried and comfortable. I could stay here all day chatting with him and never get bored.
“What about you? What do you have going on this week?” he asks, as he leans back on his hands, his arms flexing and looking amazing.
“Well, my friend is coming to visit. He gets in tonight.”
“Oh, another friend, I see. Cheating on me already?” he teases. Then his face changes, and he looks embarrassed. “Actually, that was super dumb. I’m sorry. Your wedding...ugh, too soon.”
Truth is, it didn’t sting like it might should have. Cal has a calming effect on me. It’s easy to forget about my problems when I’m in his orbit.
“It’s fine,” I assure him, giving him a warm smile. “Wilby’s the one I was telling you about anyway. I think you’ll like him.”
