“Where do they go?”she asks the kid.He points at the soda machine.
I shake my head at him, and he blinks fast, looking startled.
When Chloe comes back, I gently catch her wrist.“You don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Everything.”For everyone.All the time.
Her brows knit.“He’s fifteen.”
“I don’t care if he’s five.It’s his job to pick up those napkins.”
She snorts.“Please.It took two seconds.”She reaches out to collect her ice cream from the other dozy server.
“You don’t have to please everyone everywhere you go,” I say.“You’re allowed to just...exist.”
“I know, you big grump.”She licks the melting top of her cone.Somehow, though, I think she heard me.
Ice creams in hand, we stroll down the sun-warmed boardwalk toward the beach, chatting about everything and nothing while flocks of seagulls swoop over the pier, squealing kids zip by on bikes, and parents wrestle with giant umbrellas and coolers.All of it is so idyllic, it almost stops me in my tracks.In summer, this place is about as busy as downtown Philly, just without the stress of the daily grind.
After we’ve finished (rocky road before lunch is my new go-to), we hang out for as long as we can, our threaded fingers stroking lightly together.Time seems to slow, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.
Eventually, Chloe grumbles that she has to get back to work.
Chuckling, I shake my head.“Isn’t that my line?”
Her laughter warms me more than the sun.
What am I going to do when it’s gone?
Early the next morning,I crouch down to give Kat’s furry chin a scratch.She trails me into the kitchen where I open the fridge, deciding what to make for breakfast.
I went to grab some groceries right after I got my truck back, but I didn’t buy too much, not wanting anything left when I leave Inner Shores.
The thought of being back on a dirty, noisy building site makes a deep trench form in my stomach.I used to love nothing more than seeing a city skyscraper rise under my hands and watching the Philadelphia skyline change floor by floor.
Now, the only view I want to admire is the one from Mom and Dad’s back deck.
Chloe’s right—why would anyone want to be anywhere else when you could have this every day?Every morning, you wake up to a postcard.
As I gaze out at the aqua-blue waves tossing themselves against the shore, a thought creeps in.
What would happen if I stayed in town a bit longer?Just enough time to help Mom and Dad get fully settled, make sure everything is in place, and give them a hand while they adjust to life out here.I’m sure they’d love it; they always jump at the chance to have me around.
I’ve still got just under a couple of weeks before I’m due back at work, but staying here for as long as I'm thinking would mean convincing my boss to extend my leave by another two.
If he did, that could mean another whole month with Chloe.
I tread the floor of the living room, weighing the pleasure of staying against the obligations waiting for me in Philly.
The buzz of my phone cuts through my thoughts.I drag it out of my back pocket, expecting to see a text from Mom or Dad.But it’s not them.
It’s my boss.
Maybe this is fate.
I press the phone to my ear.“Hello?”
