Page 69 of Broken Hearts

“What are you doing?” Sage asks, reaching for my hand.

“We’re doing a paddle out,” I tell her, unbuttoning my shirt.

Sage glances over at where all the boards are, watching as those who are coming start to undress to their boardshorts or swimsuits and grab their boards. “Can I come?” she asks, turning back to me.

I smile, squeezing her hand as I say, “We’re going out on the water, you’re gonna get wet.”

She stands now, shaking her head as she lets go of my hand and pulls her sundress off to reveal a white bikini underneath that honestly makes my mouth go dry. “Alana told me to wear this,” she says, giving me a shy smile.

I step closer, hooking my arm around her neck as I pull her in for a kiss. “In that case, you’re coming out with us.”

“I don’t have a board,” she whispers, her hands on my chest.

Smiling, I say, “I got you.”

We walk down to the water’s edge, all of us walking out with our boards until we’re about waist-deep, where everyone then gets on their board, paddling the rest of the distance out to where the ocean is calm and still.

“What should I do?” Sage asks, turning to me.

“Jump on,” I say, giving her a smile. “Move to the front and lie down.”

She does what I tell her, and once she’s settled, I hop on behind her, lying so my body is between her legs and my chest is basically resting on her ass. It’s not the easiest way to paddle out, but when she sees what I’m doing, Sage starts to help.

When we reach the rest of the group, I sit up, telling Sage to do the same before I hook my arm around her waist and pull her back against me, so she’s sitting between my thighs, both of us straddling my board. In the middle of us all, Tanner is handing out the leis that were hanging on Mitch’s board, which now stands alone on the beach beside his picture and what’s left of him.

“What happens now?” Sage whispers, glancing back at me.

I smile, kissing her temple as I say, “We each say something about Mitch, something we’re grateful for, before throwing a flower into the water.”

I pull a couple of the hibiscus flowers off the lei Tanner handed us, giving one to Sage and keeping one for myself. Around us, people start to take turns, thanking Mitch for something before they let their flower go in the water.

“Thank you for the friendship,” Tanner starts, his eyes on the horizon as he lets go of his flower.

“Thank you for teaching me to surf,” Alana says, shooting me a quick glance as she adds, “And for making sure I was better than all the boys.”

This gets a laugh as Eddie adds, “Thanks for the laughs, man. The Coconut Grove won’t be the same without you.”

The thanks continue as each person says something before letting go of a flower. There must be nearly fifty of them in the water by the time it gets to me.

“Thank you,” I start, my words quiet, my arm still wrapped around Sage’s waist as I stare at the yellow hibiscus flower in my hand. “For saving me,” I whisper as I drop the flower in the water, watching as it slowly bobs away.

Sage’s hand falls to my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze as she now says, “Thanks for being my dad,” before dropping her flower into the water.

And then we all watch as they float on the surface, surrounding us, the sun now low in the sky as the finality of saying goodbye to Mitch hits us. Somewhere, someone starts humming a tune, a song I quickly recognize as one of Mitch’s favorites, something he’d hum constantly in the shop as he worked.

Before long, we are all humming it, watching as the flowers all float out to sea and the sun slowly sinks below the horizon.

I wrap both of my arms around Sage, my chin resting on her shoulder as she rests her hands over mine.

“This is so beautiful,” she whispers, and when I look up at her, I can see she’s both smiling and crying.

Nuzzling into her neck, I place a soft kiss behind her ear. “This is exactly what he would’ve wanted.”

After we all paddle back to the shore and dry off, everyone starts to say their goodbyes, hugging and smiling.

“What happens now?” Sage asks as she pulls her sundress back on.

Smiling, I slip on my shirt, leaving the buttons undone as I say, “Now a bunch of us go back to the shop and eat and drink and tell stories about Mitch.”

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