Page 56 of Second Chance with the Half-Elf
Her laugh is soft, a sound I want to hear again.
“Council still trying to sell the town to the highest bidder?”
“Dimmitt thinks modernization means importing greed.”
“And you?”
I scan the harbor—the working boats, the knotted ropes, the gulls riding the wind like they own it. “I think this town has scars it hasn’t earned. I’m not adding more.”
She looks at me, and it’s the kind of look that holds weight. “That’s a hell of a thing to fight for.”
“I’m not letting them strip this place bare.”
“Maybe it doesn’t want to be saved.”
“Then it’ll have to fight me too.”
We fall into step, walking the curved path toward the jetty. Driftwood lines the beach in sculptural twists, and tidepools glitter with trapped stars—anemones and tiny darting crabs and bits of sea glass.
“You believe in curses?” she asks suddenly.
I glance at her. “Depends. You planning to curse me?”
She shakes her head. “Old places like this… they feel haunted. Not by ghosts. By choices.”
I nod. “This town remembers every mistake. That’s its magic.”
She stops walking, turns toward the sea. The sun’s breaking free of the mist now, turning the water to hammered gold. Her silhouette is sharp against the horizon—camera dangling at her hip, wind teasing the hem of her jacket.
“I think I like it here,” she says.
I don’t breathe for a second too long.
“I hope you stay,” I say quietly.
Her eyes meet mine.
“I might,” she says.
And just like that, the weight in my chest shifts.
Not gone, but lighter.
Hope doesn’t announce itself. It just lingers.
And waits.
CHAPTER 21
EVIE
Rain slams the beach house roof like angry fists. The storm surge chews at the foundation, salt spray clotting the air. I’m pacing—five steps from the mildew-stained sofa to the kitchenette’s chipped enamel sink—when the door crashes open.
Aeron stands in the threshold, water cascading off his oilskin coat. His silver hair’s come loose from its tie, plastered dark against his neck.
“What?” I snap before he can speak.
He steps inside, tracking mud and brine. “Radios are down. Wanted to make sure you?—”
