He sat forward. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
She hesitated. Her fingers tightened around her phone. “There’s just ... stuff. I don’t wanna talk about it right now.”
“Is someone bothering you?” he asked gently, alarm sharpening his voice. “Online? At the beach? At the shop?”
Just then, his phone buzzed on the counter. Loud. Jarring. He reached for it out of habit and saw his assistant’s name flash on the screen.
He winced.
Kelsey stood up. “Of course. Work. Always work.”
“Kelsey, wait—”
“Don’t worry about it, Dad. It’s not like you’d really listen anyway.”
Before he could respond, she was gone. Her bedroom door slammed shut with a finality that left him staring at the hallway, heart pounding.
The call went to voicemail. Everett sat back on the couch, staring at the empty space she left behind. Something was wrong. And he had no idea how to fix it.
He waited awhile, then tried again. Tapped on her door. “Kels, I’m not going into work. Can we talk?”
No answer. A rustle, then a bang. Her voice whispered through the door. “No, Dad, not now. It’s okay, just forget it. I wanna go to bed.”
He hesitated. He didn’t know what to say. Should he push? Give space? God, he wished Rowan were here. Was it hormones? Should he walk away?
His phone buzzed. The text flashed.
Matthew called emergency Zoom. Are you free?
“Fuck,” he muttered. He quickly texted back.
Yes. Will log on in five.
He’d take the Zoom call but stay close, just in case she changed her mind. It was probably the normal end-of-summer blues and the thought of meeting new people in a new school. It was a ton of pressure, but he was positive Kelsey could handle it.
He made a note to mention it to Rowan during one of their lessons, then headed to his computer to fix the next issue. By the time he wrapped up, it was late. Rowan texted, and he made plans to see her tomorrow night. His gut said to be here for Kelsey if she woke up and wanted to talk.
He eased down the hall and listened at her door, but it was silent. Gently tapped. When she didn’t answer, Everett peeked in and saw her sprawled out in bed, asleep.
She looked so innocent and peaceful like this. He wished it could stay that way; wished he could stop time and this magical summer and never move forward. But that was a child’s dream.
For both of them.
Everett swallowed past the lump in his throat and gently closed the door.
She was in love with Everett Hale.
Rowan waited for Kelsey and kept replaying that night in her head. Giddiness sparkled in her veins like champagne, along with an ache she kept trying to avoid. He hadn’t held back with his feelings, and after he claimed her body with such ferocity, she knew this was it. He was her person. The one she’d been waiting for and never expected.
They just had to figure things out.
This summer changed everything. Not just Everett and Kelsey, but repairing her friendship with Lea and the other girls. Getting back on a surfboard. The future suddenly seemed hopeful.
She caught sight of Kelsey trudging across the sand. Rowan frowned, noticing the girl’s dropped shoulders and tense face. Something was definitely bothering her. Besides being on her phone much more, Kelseyseemed stressed, and it wasn’t just hormones. This was a problem not going away.
“Hey, surf girl,” she greeted. “How are you doing today?”
“Fine.” A half shrug and forced smile. “Sorry, just feeling a little tired today.”
