Page 38 of Coastal Rewind

“Have fun tonight,” Mason said as I turned.

I just smiled back at him before slipping through the door.

Owen got out of the car and opened the passenger door for me. He was dressed in a navy suit and white shirt with two buttons undone in lieu of a tie.

“Your chariot,” he said with a cheeky grin as he gestured to the car.

“Why thank you, kind sir.” I slipped inside as he shut the door and rounded the hood to get behind the wheel.

“So, where are we off to?” I asked when he pulled out of the driveway.

“There’s a new spot I thought we could try near the pier.”

“Am I going to be overdressed?”

“No.” He laughed. “Maeve perfectly curated your outfit.”

I smiled at my brother. The sun was setting over the mountains giving him the perfect backdrop of pinks and oranges. I got this pang in my chest as I took it all in. I had missed him. I missed us.

He pulled into the parking lot of a little Italian place not far from the Santa Monica Pier. We were seated at a window that looked out over the moon lit ocean. The entire dinner we laughed about old times and Owen told me about his upcoming annual trip to Montana with Lottie. I told him about my recent travels as we sipped on martinis. It felt amazing to just relax with Owen, knowing I wasn’t leaving tomorrow or the next day or the next week.

Normal was feeling too good these days.

Owen paid the check and we walked outside in the warm air. May was my favorite time of year, despite it being the month I was born. There was just something about summer being on the horizon that put something into the air. School was letting out for break and vacations were being planned. It was like you could feel the energy buzzing around you.

Owen drove out of the parking lot, but only made it about half a mile before pulling a left toward the pier. I looked over at him, confused. He reached behind his seat and pulled out a pair of white Vans.

“These might be more comfortable but when Maeve asks, don’t tell her it was me.”

I eyed him suspiciously but slipped on the sneakers and followed him out of the car. The pier was dark, which I found odd. It was a Saturday night, there should have been lights and sounds of kids screaming on the roller coaster. Instead, there was an eerie silence as we approached the dark rides.

“Are you sure it isn’t closed?” I whispered into the pitch black night.

“Yeah, Ry, I’m sure,” he whispered back.

The moment we walked past the ticket booth, lights turned on, illuminating the entire pier in neon. Music blasted through speakers as a crowd of people screamed “surprise.” I stood, speechless, as my siblings ran for us and tackled us in a hug. One by one my sisters wrapped their arms around me. I stood in shock, still unable to process my surroundings.

Keegan looped her arm in mine and pulled me into the crowd. There was a band set up on stage toward the back of the pier and the sounds of Hall and Oates filled the space around us.

“I can’t believe you did all this,” I said as we walked through the crowd.

“I would love to take credit, but I didn’t do any of this.”

“Then who did?” I asked.

She pointed in front of us and I nearly choked as I spotted Mason waiting with two glass bottles in his hands, standing next to my dad.

“I believe you that nothing is going on, but I also think you’re an idiot if it stays that way,” she said through her teeth as we stepped in front of the two men.

Mason’s smile was ear to ear and my traitorous heart couldn’t help but agree.

seventeen

Mason

Ryleigh looked like the most adorable deer in headlights when the lights turned on. I watched as she processed what was happening, every emotion showing on her face for once. When she finally approached me, it took everything I had not to pull her into my chest like I wanted to.

Ryleigh’s dad wrapped her in for a hug before she turned to me. She looked down at her fingers nervously before asking, “You did this?”