Page 55 of Beachside Kisses With My Enemy

She jumps up to slap it but misses. Laughs at herself when she falls to the ground.

I rush over to make sure she’s okay, but she’s smiling and sits upright. When I reach down to help her up, she stands and brushes off the seat of her jeans. Sand clings to the wet part of her pants, but she doesn’t seem to care. “I think I might be done with volleyball for the night. Wanna take a walk?”

“Sure.”

We start off walking south at a slow pace along the water’s edge. We could head up to the boardwalk for more even footing but know from experience how clogged with tourists it gets around the late dinner hour.

As we pass by the volleyball game, Mare tosses the spare ball back toward the group, where it rolls and eventually stops. Ryder and his friend—who are building a sandcastle—shout and run for it. Mare waves at them before turning back to me. “So you might leave sooner than expected?” She’s not judging me or guilt-tripping me with the question. She’s just invested in the answer. Invested in me.

I kind of lucked out in the sister department. And I hate that it’s taken me thirty years to really figure that out. On the one hand, leaving early means I won’t have as much time with her. On the other, we’re good now. We’ve made peace. Regarding Marilee, I’ve done what I came here to do. No matter when I leave, I know I’ll be back. We’re going to stay close.

It’s not her I’m worried about.

“Maybe.” My hands find the pockets of my pants. “Nothing’s for sure.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

I huff out a laugh. “There’s no reason I shouldn’t feel fine about it. I’ve got the recipes I came for. You and I are good.” And yet. Nights like this are so rare back in Los Angeles. Nights when friends’ laughter is on the air and I’m enjoying the outdoors instead of stuck inside in an office at the back of a crowded, noisy restaurant. Maybe it’ll be different when I’m in the kitchen instead.

But even then, I’ll be cooking for strangers. I won’t have old ladies coming up to me in the kitchen and bugging me about eating my vegetables or finding a wife. Won’t have young kids saying, “Mr. Blake, can you pleeeeeease add extra cheese to my sandwich?” with their gap-toothed grins. Won’t have buddies stop by and invite me to hang out after work—because work won’t end until midnight or later, and by that time, I’ll be wrung out and exhausted.

But I’ll be living my dream. The one I’ve had since I was a kid.

Beside me, Marilee just hmms, communicating without words like she’s so good at doing. “And what about Lucy?”

That makes me stop and turn to face her. The sky’s darkened, but I can still somehow see the meaning in her eyes, hear it in her tone. I grunt. “It’ll be better for Lucy if I leave sooner than later.”

She tilts her head. “You really believe that?”

I think about the desire in Lucy’s eyes on Monday night. The trust I’ve finally earned. “If my truck isn’t here stealing her business, she’ll be better off.”

“The Robin was already struggling before you got here.” She holds up her hands. “I know it makes me sound like a bad friend to say that, but it’s the truth.” Then Marilee pauses, sighs. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, Blake. The way she looks at you.”

She lets the words hang there between us before resuming our trek down the beach.

I follow in silence, my mind working overtime. My sister and I have never broached this subject in quite this way before, but I shouldn’t be surprised she’s doing it now. She’s Lucy’s best friend. She wants to protect her heart.

“I won’t hurt her again, Mare.”

“Oh, Blake.” She crosses her arms, stopping again to stare up at the moon. “Why’d you do it the first time? I wasn’t blind back then, just like I’m not blind now. I know you liked her. Maybe even loved her. So why’d you leave like that?”

How can I tell her without sullying her memory of Dad? “I had my reasons.”

Then she surprises me. “She wasn’t good enough for Dad, right?”

“What? No.” But then I remember, Lucy’s told her about the conversation she overheard. “It wasn’t Lucy. It was any small-town girl.”

“But Mom was a small-town girl.”

See? This is why I didn’t want to go here. “We don’t have to talk about this if it’s going to upset you, Mare.”

It takes her a while to respond, but finally, she inhales sharply. “No.” Her voice is soft. “I need to know. Was Dad…was he not happy with his life with Mom?”

“I don’t think it was Mom. You know he loved her. But I think he regretted what marrying her meant. What he gave up, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. Sure, he always talked about how his college roommate got that fancy job in New York after Dad turned it down to stay in Hallmark Beach, but…” She turns to me. “So he really warned you off of Lucy because he didn’t want you to end up like him?”

What can I say? “He just wanted me to be the best I could be. To not get distracted, stay stuck in a small town because of a girl. To live a big life that means something. To be the best I could be.”

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