Page 30 of The Love In Sunsets

Kiel thought about it for a minute and then shrugged. “The problem is, I can’t see myself sitting at a desk all day or crunching numbers, even though numbers make sense to me. I excel at science, but the idea of going to med school scares the shit out of me, and again, I don’t see myself cutting people open.”

Eloise shuddered. “I have such a weak stomach. I could never do anything with blood or wounds.”

“See, that stuff doesn’t bother me. Being bored does. I don’t want to waste time and money on a career I’d be bored with.”

“I get it.” They stood at the crosswalk and waited for cars to stop. “The out of staters don’t stop even though it’s a state law.”

“People are always in a hurry,” he added, to which she agreed.

After they got their bag of tacos, they headed toward the beach. The crowd had doubled now—mostly families getting ready to watch the fireworks. Luckily, they found a spot near the water and laid a blanket Eloise had brought with them down onto the sand. They kicked off their shoes before sitting down. Kiel piled the tacos between them and then realized his mistake.

“Shit.” He quickly covered the extras before the seagull could snatch it from them.

“They’re relentless. Now that they know there’s food, all his friends . . .” Eloise quit talking when a group of birds waddled toward them, squawking their heads off.

“How do we get rid of them?”

“Ignore them,” she told him. “They’ll give up after a bit.”

“Fair enough.” Kiel bit into his taco and moaned. “Shit, this is good.”

“Best on the island.”

“I bet you have a lot of places like that.”

Eloise shrugged and took a bite. “What really sucks is when you find a place you like and then they leave. When I lived here, there was always so much turnover. One summer, we’d have a favorite place and go every day, and then they’d be gone by winter. A lot of companies don’t realize they need to bank their summer earnings to make it through the winter here.”

“See, that’s the number thing.” Kiel shook his head and took another bite. “Like, how do you project the future like that?”

“Most places close,” she told him. “And some for only a few months. Usually in January and February, but then tourism picks up again once the snow melts.”

“You get snow here?”

Eloise laughed. “You act like you’re not from the region. I’m sure you’ve heard of a nor’easter.”

Kiel shook his head and sighed. “You’re right. I just forgot for a moment.” He took the last bite and then balled his wrapper up. He reached for another, just as Eloise did. Their hands brushed together, neither of them willing to move. He took this as a sign and linked his pinky with hers. His eyes slowly rose to find her staring at him. Eloise smiled, but there was meaning behind it. Kiel wasn’t smooth. Not like his friends, but he was damn certain Eloise liked him. Hopefully, as much as he liked her.

Kiel didn’t want to let go, and neither did Eloise. The seagulls had other ideas and thought they could take advantage of them by sneaking onto their blanket. Eloise screamed and Kiel batted the bird away, only to be verbally assaulted with bird chirp.

“I’ve never wanted to fight a bird before, but I’m about to throw down.” Kiel puffed his chest at the bird. Eloise laughed hard, falling back onto the blanket. “Don’t leave the goods unattended,” he said to her while he squared off with the gull.

“Oh, shit.” Eloise scrambled to protect their food. “I think we need to take cover.”

“Nah, that pirate over there is coming to help us.” He motioned to a little kid with a pirate sword coming toward them. “It may cost us booty, but I’ll walk the plank for you.”

“He’s lucky seagulls have webbed feet, otherwise they’d carry him away.”

Kiel glanced at their feet. “Huh, I never realized that.”

“The osprey, on the other hand.” He followed where Eloise pointed. At the stop of the light pole sat a massive nest, with a rather large bird roosting.

“Yeah, I like you, but I’m not fighting that one for you.” Kiel turned his head slightly and grimaced. He hadn’t meant to tell her he liked her.

“I like you too,” she said as she tugged on his sleeve. “I’m glad you came down to the pier tonight. Like, really happy.”

“Me too,” he said. Kiel scooted closer to her. He told himself it was to protect their food, but they both knew it was for other reasons. Once they finished their bag of tacos, Eloise put the trash in her bag. The beach had a strict carry in and carry out policy.

By the time the sky turned dark, Kiel had moved as close as possible to Eloise. Their legs pressed together, and she leaned into him as if this wasn’t their first time together. He had never been to a beach at night. The sound of the waves coming ashore with nothing but the moonlight guiding them made him feel at peace. This was the first time since he arrived in Seaport, he actually felt like his summer could be something magical.

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