Page 40 of Five Summer Wishes

Eventually, Lily wandered off to collect shells, and Grant turned toward me.

“You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Today’s a good day.”

“You say that like most days aren’t.”

I looked out at the water. “They’re just… full.”

“Of what?”

“Everything. Responsibilities. Expectations. The weight of being the one who never drops the ball.”

Grant didn’t speak right away. He reached down and picked up a small, flat stone, rolling it between his fingers. “You ever wonder what would happen if you dropped it?”

“The ball?”

He nodded.

“All the time.”

“And?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m afraid the people I love would stop needing me.”

“Is that the worst thing that could happen?”

I didn’t answer.

Because I wasn’t sure it was. But I wasn’t sure itwasn’t,either.

He didn’t push. Just sat with me while I stared at the water and tried to remember the last time someone had listened without trying to fix me.

Eventually, I said, “You’re good at this.”

“At what?”

“Staying.”

Grant smiled. “You make it easier than you think.”

I let that sit between us.

Because I didn’t want to ruin it by needing it too much.

Lily eventually curledup on a beach towel and fell asleep, arms wrapped around her plastic shell bucket like it was a pillow. Her breathing evened out quickly. She always slept hard after mornings like this—outside, salt in the air, sand in her hair, surrounded by people who made her feel safe.

I pulled a blanket over her and sank back into the sand beside Grant, my knees pulled up, arms wrapped tight around them.

“I think I used to dream about this,” I said.

Grant didn’t turn his head. “What part?”

“This. The quiet. The freedom. The fact that I can sit here and not be anyone but myself.”

“You say that like you haven’t been allowed to.”

“I haven’t. Not really.”

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