Finn winked. ‘That’s good, because there isn’t room in this town for two Summerween Kings.’
Out at sea, a yellow light blinked, furred by the ocean mist and the slowly dispersing clouds. We both regarded it for a moment. So much had happened these past few weeks.
‘I think it’ll be good for me to be officially single,’ he said quietly. ‘To take some time to sit with all of this. To actually let myself feel Dad’s absence and everything that means. Andto figure out what’s next for me. Because partying probably isn’t it.’
‘I bet Rosie’ll be glad to hear that you’ve come to your senses.’
The look he gave me was oddly vulnerable. ‘I think I also owe Mom more of my time and energy. She’s been doing it all since Dad … you know. And maybe it’s time someone looked after her for a change. I might go stay with her when she heads back to the city. Keep her on her toes with all the laundry. Joking, joking,’ he added. ‘A bit.’
‘Just don’t interfere with her baking,’ I said. ‘Or her garden.’
Finn clutched his hands to his heart, pretending to be insulted. ‘I would never dare prune her roses. Not after last time.’
We both smiled at the memory.
‘I’m really proud of you,’ I said eventually. ‘It takes a lot to step back to figure out what’s next. And Rosie will love the support – I know it.’
‘Well, until she realizes that I have my heart set on being a folk singer.’ Finn’s dimple deepened, then did its disappearing act. ‘Audio engineer, maybe. Or promoter. Something in line with my interests. And magic.’
‘Lara might have something for you,’ I said thoughtfully. ‘Her firm is all about these huge activations. They almost hired me.’
Finn cocked his head. ‘Why’d you turn them down?’
‘I wanted to do the thing that was right for me.’ Now it was my time to mess with the sand. I let it sift through my fingers like tiny hourglasses. ‘Sometimes there’s an amazing opportunity, and on paper it checks all the boxes.’
‘You did a pros and cons list, huh?’
‘It was Tiff’s idea.’
‘About me as well?’
I blushed. ‘Maybe. But it wasn’t the lists that I listened to in the end.’
I pressed the hand with Josephine’s ring to my chest.
‘Ah.’ Finn nodded slowly, in understanding. ‘Your heart.’
‘Yeah. Sometimes it has an understanding the brain just can’t quite reach.’
‘I hear you.’ He reached for my free hand, cupping it like it was a flame he was trying to stop from being extinguished by the ocean breeze. ‘And you’re right. I’m glad you can be happy. And that I have a chance to be, too.’
I motioned at Finn’s guitar. After all the chaos I’d caused, perhaps there was something I could set to rights. ‘Here. Let me take a look at that.’
A slightly askance look on his face, he passed me the damaged guitar. He’d tried to repair it, but his magic wasn’t up to the task – even though usually a job like this would be simple for him.
But magic could be a complicated business where heartbreak was involved.
I ran my fingers over the warped fretboard and the tangled strings, feeling a pang as I saw the hole burned into the heart of the guitar’s body. Then, calming myself, I sought the stillness in the air, the whispered magic that ran through the tiny town that curved around the cove. There it was. It sparkled through me, warming me from inside and out, and then flowing out from my fingers into the wood that Charlie had so carefully shaped and polished. Bit by bit, the grains started to flow back together, knitting into a gorgeous golden-orange tiger pattern. The fretboard straightened with a sigh, and the strings hummed as they found their equilibrium.
I let out a breath: magic, sustained magic like this, always took something from me. But it was worth it to help someone you cared about. Especially as it was my actions that had caused the damage in the first place.
‘Thank you,’ said Finn, taking the now-whole instrument back, turning it over in his hands and running his long fingers over its beautiful finish. He strummed the strings lightly,his callused fingertips pulling the most beautiful of notes from it.
Then, giving me a sidelong look, he said, ‘Do you mind if I sit a while? And just play?’
‘Of course.’ I stood, touching a hand to his shoulder. ‘I’ll let Rosie know so that she doesn’t worry.’
‘Thanks,’ he said at last. ‘She’s done enough worrying over me.’
