“I probably would’ve if Rowan wasn’t there,” he admitted, and she laughed. “I guess she took care of both of us tonight.”
Silence stretched, warm and comfortable. He stroked her hair, enjoying the snuggle. Then Kelsey tilted her head. “Dad, do you like her?”
Oh, crap.“What makes you ask that?”
“I saw you. When we were packing up, she touched your cheek. You didn’t look mad.”
In that moment, he decided he wouldn’t lie to her. Kelsey deserved more. He took a breath and smiled a little. “I do like her.”
Kelsey grinned. “Cool. Because when you’re around her, you don’t look so ... intense all the time. And she smiles more when you’re there. It’s like you guys make each other better.”
The words pummeled him square in the chest. His pulse sped up. “That’s a really good observation, Kels.”
“So, are you dating?”
Everett hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. We are. For now.”
“For now?”
He tried to find the right words. “When summer ends, we go back to New York. She stays here. It’s complicated.”
“Oh.” The word was small, soft. She picked at the hem of her shirt. “I guess that makes sense.”
The quiet stretched again, not as easy this time. “You okay?” he asked.
Kelsey nodded, though her eyes were downcast. “Yeah. I just ... I wish it didn’t have to end. That’s all.”
He wanted to tell her he felt the same. That every part of him rebelled at the thought of leaving this island, this woman, this version of himself that finally feltalive. But he stayed quiet.
After a moment, Kelsey looked up. “Dad, do we have to always live in New York?”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Just wondering.” She reached for her phone, stared at the screen, and her face shifted—something haunting behind her eyes, quick and uncertain.
“Kels?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly, locking the screen and setting it down. “Never mind. I was just thinking about school.”
He watched her for a long moment, instinct tingling. There was something she wasn’t saying. Something that tightened her shoulders and made her glance away too fast.
But she leaned into him again, resting her head against his side, and the moment passed. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, honey.”
“Love you, too, Dad.”
He settled into the quiet and the peace without thinking of the next thing.
He simply let things be.
The shop was half lit from the late-afternoon sun filtering through the slatted blinds. The heat had been intense, so she’d settled Bagel in his crate with his snacks, ice, and fan. He slept like a little prince, snoring softly. As Kelsey would sigh, he wasadorbs.
The air carried that familiar blend of wax, resin, and salt—comforting and sharp all at once. Rowan wiped down the counter and wondered if Tino would pop his head in. He’d been hunkered down working on a custom board he refused to share. Some bigwig surfer who wanted complete secrecy. It was driving Rowan crazy trying to figure out who it could be, but Tino honored every request, so he’d refused to tell.
She chugged some water and enjoyed the quiet. The week had been busier than usual. She’d extended the lessons with Kelsey as they moved to bottom turns, and Everett popped in when he could manage to sneak away. Since the beach picnic, they’d spent more time together. Three days this week, they’d all had dinner together, and Everett had begun to stay over regularly.
Things were getting a bit more intense.
Rowan wasn’t sure what to do about it, so for now, she’d decided to flow. Easier not to get tangled up in thoughts and fears about when it would all end.
