Page 51 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“We could.” Sierra looked like she warming up to the idea. “I have a couple of originals I’ve been playing around with.”

Jules put her hand on Jesse’s arm. “Are you trying to poach my new band members for the sake of your club?”

“No, sorry.” He was grinning, though. “I don’t see why they couldn’t do both.”

“I know,” Jules said. Then she leaned in. “But seriously, my demo comes first.”

“Totally, Mom,” Cash said, nodding. “But I’m willing to give it a shot if you are, Sierra.”

She nodded. “We won’t know until we try, right?”

Jules smiled. It was so exciting to watch her son, who’d basically been ready to swear off music when he’d arrived in Diamond Beach from L.A., rediscover his love for it.

A server arrived carrying a green tray laden with their food. The burgers, accompanied by fries, were served in large paper dishes lined with sheets of wax paper. The milkshakes were all finished with a fat swirl of whipped cream.

Jules’s milkshake had a sprinkle of cinnamon, Jesse’s had a Nilla wafer cookie stuck in the whipped cream, Sierra’s had a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and Cash’s had an Oreo.

Jules was impressed. It all looked so good. She took a sip of her shake through the wide straw provided. The flavors were so spot-on she looked at her drink in surprise. “Okay, that actually tastes like peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I think there might be pieces of pie crust in there.”

Jesse, who was cutting into his bunless burger with a plastic knife and fork, nodded. “This place seems to be living up to the hype.”

“Totally,” Cash said.

Jules picked up her knife and fork, thinking about how that’s what she hoped her new demo was going to do, too. It made her all the more eager to get back in the studio and practice some more.

Visiting hours would be over in an hour and Kat wasn’t leaving until then. Even if Alex stayed asleep. She just wanted to be with him. Didn’t matter if he knew she was here or not. She knew. And that was enough.

She sat in the visitor’s chair. She’d pulled it closer to the bed so she could see his face but also be able to reach out and touch him occasionally. She wondered if he was aware of her at all. Again, didn’t matter. Being here did.

After he’d fallen asleep, she’d spent a couple of minutes in the bathroom getting the speckles of white paint off her face, then she’d just watched him for a while. She played games on her phone. She’d texted her mom just to say Alex was still sleeping. Then answered her grandmother about when she’d be home. Nice to know dinner would be waiting for her. She was hungry.

When her battery had gotten low, she’d set the phone aside. Now, she’d just been watching him again, hoping he wasn’t in any pain.

“I hope you don’t hurt too bad,” she said softly.

She studied his bandaged hands. That’s where most of his burns were. “I don’t care if you end up with scars. They won’t bother me. I just want you to be okay. I want us to go surfing again.”

She pulled her chair a little closer and rested her hand on his leg. “They’re going to kick me out soon, unfortunately. I won’t be able to come back tomorrow, either. I have to go to Landry and work on getting our stuff moved. But Miles will come for you when you’re ready to go home. I’m sorry I can’t be here.”

“It’s okay,” he whispered.

She sat back. He hadn’t opened his eyes. She’d had no idea he’d woken up. “Alex, are you awake?”

His lids lifted halfway. “A little. Pretty groggy.”

She nodded. “I bet you are.”

“I got hurt, right?”

“Yes. A concussion, a sprained shoulder, and some burns on your hands.”

“I don’t really remember.”

“Probably because of the concussion. I’m sure it’ll come back to you. Do you need anything?”

“Water.”

“Okay, just a second.” He had a pitcher with ice and water in it on his table. One of the nurses had brought it by. There was a cup, too, with a lid and a straw. Kat filled the cup about halfway, then made sure the lid was secure. She leaned in and held the straw close to his mouth. “There you go.”

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