“Sorryagain,” Blair said, taking a drink and swallowing. “I ruin every moment.” She shook her head. “I know you both have your own issues to deal with.”
Sienna stood up and stomped her foot. “Stop apologizing every time you open up.” She waved her arms between the three of them. “I don’t know how many times we need to tell you that this is the place to do it. Yes, we have our own crap. But we want to support your crap too.”
Blair cracked a smile. “Thank you.”
Sienna plopped back in her chair. “This is a free space for crap.”
They stared at each other, the mood lightening.
“Let’s go down to the beach,” Emily suggested. “Maybe we can take a few photos there.”
They gathered up the tripod and supplies, put their drinks in the fridge, and went down to the soft, powdery sand. The pearly coast stretched out before them, leading to an expanse of bright turquoise-and-cobalt-blue striped water. The waves rolled softly onto the shore.
Blair buried the bottom of the tripod legs in the sand to keep it from blowing over and fiddled with the timer on the camera. “I set it for five minutes. Let’s just do our thing and see what it captures.” She lifted the hem of her dress and padded down to the water.
Emily followed, along with Sienna. The salty spray bubbled over Emily’s toes, her predicaments seeming so far from here. She breathed in a cleansing breath of briny air.
Blair bent down and ran her fingers through the water. “You can see all the way to the bottom.” She fished out a white shell and held it up to show them. “My first memento.” With a grin, she slipped it into her pocket.
Wind rippled the bottoms of their dresses as they walked back up the beach and sat down in the sand. They fell into a comfortable silence. The only sounds were the quiet shushing of the tide and the occasional squawk of a seagull.
There wasn’t another house visible in either direction, the smooth sand reaching for each end of the shoreline. The sun beat down on them, and Emily was glad that whatever storm had been on Sienna’s phone was far enough offshore to be nonexistent. It was as if this perfect day were meant for the three of them—a balm for their souls.
Sienna was the first to break the hush. “Look.” She pointed to the horizon where a white sailboat was almost out of view.
The breeze coming off the water cooled Emily’s hot skin. “This place sure does make you feel like life might turn out okay, doesn’t it?”
Sienna leaned back in the sand. “It does.” Then, right away, she sat up. “I’ve got an idea.”
“That’s scary,” Blair teased.
“Seriously.” Sienna looked out over the ebbing surface of the Gulf. “What if we took a few hours each day where wepurposelysteered clear of our regular lives? We could fill the time with all sorts of adventures—boat rides, shopping, long hours reading…”
Emily raised her hand. “I’m in.”
Blair tipped her head and made eye contact from under her hat. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a while. But what if we took it a step further and one of us plans each day? The outing can be a surprise.”
“I love that,” Emily said with an excited gasp. “Should we start today?”
“I’ll take today,” Sienna said. “I already have an idea. I spotted it on the way into town.” She got up and brushed the sand from her dress. “I’ll see if I can get us in.”
Emily and Blair stood as well. Blair went over to the camera and peered at the image it had caught. They gathered around as she shielded the screen from the sun. The three of them, from the back, were sitting side by side on the beach, looking out on the water.
“That looks more posed than the shots wetriedto do,” Sienna said with a laugh.
Blair shut off the camera and folded up the tripod. “It’s a keeper, for sure.”
When they got back inside, Emily checked her phone and slumped in dread. All the calm she’d worked for dissipated in an instant. She shouldn’t have looked at it.
“What’s wrong?” Blair asked.
“I have two missed calls and a text from Will saying I need to call him ASAP.”
Sienna gave a quiet scoff.
“He says I need to sign a form. It could be something for the real estate agent. I’ll be right back.” With a sigh, Emily went out by the pool and dialed his number. Her shoulders tensed the minute he answered. “I need to sign something?” she asked, turning toward the coastal breeze, yearning for the tranquility it offered.
“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Where have you been?”
