Everett trudged inside and peeked through the doors of Tino’s workshop. The scent of resin and wax filled the air. He shifted awkwardly at the entrance, watching the shaper work. Tino hummed under his breath, gaze locked on the board, hands both gentle and steady.
“Aloha.” He didn’t look up. “Rowan took Kelsey to the North Shore.”
“Um, yeah, I got the text.” Light trickled through the glass and bounced like golden beams. “There’s another party tonight?”
“Yes. We like our gatherings. Family is important.” Everett nodded but the man didn’t see him. “You should come. Say goodbye.”
The word was like a ricochet but he tried not to wince. “Definitely. We’re going to miss everyone. It’s been a hell of a summer.”
Back and forth, Tino continued to sand. “Rowan told me you got your big new job. Congratulations. It’s what you’ve wanted, right?”
“It’s not official yet, but I’m positive the offer’s coming. It’s a life-changing opportunity.”
“That’s good.” A pause. “I’m sure you’ll miss Rowan.”
And just like that, Everett broke. “I asked her to come with me. I wanted her to live with us in New York and start a life together, but she said she can’t leave.” He began to pace the tiny space. “I don’t blame her, either. But I fell in love with that woman and now I can’t be with her and this whole thing is a damn mess that’s killing both me and my daughter.”
Tino stopped and looked up. “Hmm. That’s hard. I guess there’s nothing you can do, Suit.”
Everett blew out an annoyed breath. “I’m trying to get your advice, Tino. You know her best. What should I do?”
“Stay.”
His jaw unhinged. He snapped it closed. “Stay in Hawaii? Am I supposed to blow up my life when I’m finally close to the promotion I dreamed of? Drag Kelsey out of the finest schools in the country to chase waves on Waikiki? Trade in my suits for a surfboard and live on the beach?”
Tino’s dark eyes were kind but sparkled with a tad of mischief. “Yes.”
Everett stared at him. “Yes? What do you mean, yes? It makes no sense. People just don’t do that in their thirties with a practical job and a daughter!”
The sanding of the board remained smooth and consistent. “Why not?”
He blew out a breath. “Obviously, it was a mistake to come here for advice.”
Tino shrugged. “I just tell you the truth. You only have to ask one question, but the answer comes from the body, not the mind.”
“That sounds way too easy, Tino.”
The man cackled. Everett glared. Then Tino reached for a board, pressing it into Everett’s hands, gazing at him with a solemn intensity that made him pause and listen. “You go out to the waves. You ask the question why would you move here. You let the body tell you, not the mind.” He tapped his temple slowly. “Mind isn’t in charge.” He patted his chest. “The heart is. Go and see. Whatever your answer is, it’s the right one.”
“Ask the ocean? Are we in a Disney movie where the mentor suddenly solves all the problems for the protagonist?”
Tino ignored him. Humming under his breath, he refocused on the board under his capable hands, caught in a vision only he could see. Like he hadn’t just told Everett to go commune with the ocean and let his “body” answer the biggest question of his life.
Tino’s shoulders relaxed, mind somewhere else entirely—as if he’d detached from the conversation the same way a monk detaches from worldly suffering. Everett glared harder, hoping annoyance alone could force the man to turn around and explain himself.
Nothing.
He shifted the board awkwardly from one hand to the other, feeling utterly idiotic, then cleared his throat. “So that’s it? That’s the big wisdom? I’m supposed to take this thing”—he lifted the board an inch—“out into the ocean and ask a question like I’m in some midlife crisis guidebook?”
Tino didn’t even bother pausing his sanding. “A midlife crisis is buying a red convertible. Asking the ocean is normal.”
“What if the ocean doesn’t talk back?”
This time, Tino gave him a look. Not pitying. Not patronizing. Just mildly amused, like Everett had said something very obvious. “Ocean always talks back.”
Everett let out an incredulous laugh. “Unbelievable. I don’t even have a bathing suit.”
Tino jerked his head. “Grab one from the shop and change in the back.”
