Finn laughs, already backing away. “Good man.”
He takes off again, resuming his run down the beach. Halfway down, he looks back over his shoulder and winks at me.
I shake my head, then turn to Aiden. “Have you guys known each other long?”
“A few years,” he says. “We work with search and rescue pretty often.”
“Are you… friends?” I ask.
He exhales lightly. “Not really. We’re… different.”
“I can tell,” I say with a smile. “Very different personalities.”
“Very,” he agrees.
I glance at my watch. “I'd better get going. I need to grab something to eat before everything closes.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
We don’t say much after that. We don’t need to.
The dogs fall into step between us as we make our way off the beach toward the parking lot, their shoulders brushing occasionally as they walk side by side.
At my truck, I unlock the door and open it. Aiden lingers beside me.
“I’d like to give you my number.” His sincerity catches me off guard. “In case you need help with your move. Or anything at all, really. If that’s okay.”
I smile, warmth blooming in my chest.
He could’ve asked for mine. Instead, he’s offering his. No pressure. Just… there, if I need him.
I pull my phone from my pocket and unlock it, opening a new text message thread. “Here.” I hold it out to him. “Text yourself. That way you’ll have mine too.”
He takes it and types for a few seconds.
His phone chimes in his pocket.
He locks my screen and hands it back. “It was nice to see you.”
“You too.” I smile. “Neptune, up up.”
He hops into the passenger seat without hesitation.
I bend to pet Skye’s head. “Bye, pretty girl. It was nice to meet you.”
With one last smile at Aiden, I climb into the truck and start the engine.
My phone vibrates in my lap.
I glance down, and there’s a new text from Aiden.
Aiden:
I’ll do better next time, I promise.
I unlock the screen and open the thread.
The first message—sent from my phone—reads:
