Page 50 of Starlight Bay

“Bourbon.”

“I’ll take that.”

“Alright.” She followed me to the bar in the kitchen, where I prepared her drink. “Here you go,” I said, handing her the amber liquid.

She took a small sip and I watched her face as the sharp liquid stung, then mellowed in her mouth.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Sure. Want to sit outside?”

She nodded. I shut down my laptop, dimming the light in the living room, then we headed out to the patio.

“Nice night,” she said, sitting down on the couch. I set my drink on the side table, took a seat next to her. The moonlight spilled through the slats of the pergola, highlighting her cheekbones, the jade green of her eyes.

“It is.”

Lana blew out a breath. “God, my mother. I can’t believe she just showed up out of the blue. I haven’t seen her in I don’t know how long—eight years, maybe? Then there she is, no warning at all, acting like it’s no big deal. Like, what the fuck?”

I bit my bottom lip, a sudden tightness in my chest. This scenario sounded all too familiar to me.

Except Hudson’s mom never came back.

“I’ll bet that was a shock,” I said, stroking the smooth skin of her thigh. She relaxed under my touch, inching closer to me, the scent of coconut and something floral from her shampoo wafting over on the light breeze.

“It sure was. I thought I was over it, you know?” Her voice broke, her lower lip quivering. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

“It’s okay. She’ll be gone soon, then I can resume normal programming. It’s just weird how she showed up out of the blue, you know? Like, so odd. And you know what?”

Lana pulled away, her brows furrowed, her lips a tight line. “She actually had thenerveto give me advice.”

“Hmm,” I said, for lack of a better statement. “Was it any good?”

“No. I don’t know. I don’t think so. Maybe?”

I laced my fingers with hers. “What’d she say, Lana? It seems like she really got to you.”

Lana shook her head, a stray lock of hair falling over her eye. “No. Her advice means nothing. She knows nothing.”

“What’d she say?”

Lana shrugged. “It’s not important.”

“Oh-kay. But if it’s that insignificant, just tell me.” I took a sip of my drink, my throat dry all of a sudden.

“She told me not to get tied down, that’s all. To leave Starlight Bay, travel, experience life. She said the same thing to Beth, so it’s not like it was specific, individual advice.”

My gut contracted as if I were sucker punched.

Lana’s mom thought she was making a mistake with me, and we’d interacted on the beach for less than two minutes.

What the hell was I doing with a girl like Lana? What did she want with someone like me? Too old, too damaged, with a kid and real-life responsibilities.

And how could I have let myself fall under the spell of someone like her, a living, breathing ray of sunshine? I was jaded, bitter. Unworthy of someone as shiny and perfect as Lana.

And everyone knew you couldn’t hold a beam of light, it was only an illusion.

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