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Ali’s voice was wet, tremoring with emotion. “I miss her.”

“I know. I’m sorry you lost her.”

Silence draped over them like a blanket. Comforting this time as Charlotte watched the road, the light giving way to twilight. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a soft glimmer that hadn’t been there before.

“Is this what you do when you miss him?”

“Yes,” Charlotte hummed. “After my mother calmed me down the first year I forgot, James came waltzing into the kitchen. Told me to grab my shoes and come with him.”

Ali’s lips curved faintly.

“He took me out to the garage,” Charlotte adjusted her grip to fit the worn patch her father left behind. “I didn’t know it, but he’d been driving it around the neighborhood a couple times a month. Mama never learned to drive a stick, and he knew how much this car meant to me, so he looked after it until I was ready.”

Her fingers relaxed on the wheel, the memory swirling around her like gossamer.

“When I didn’t try to kill him for touching my father’s car, he gave me this big ole grin and said he was going to teach me to drive it. We spent days just circling the neighborhood while I stalled and cursed like a sailor, which he found hilarious. He taught me how to replace the clutch too when I burned that up. But I kept trying, and once I got the hang of it, he let me drive all the roads my father used to drive me down.”

James was always the one who helped her process her bigger, more overwhelming emotions. Often giving her something to do when talking wasn’t enough.

Ali pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I love your family.”

“They love you too,” Charlotte said, every word ringing true.

The radio changed songs just as Charlotte shifted gears and sped down the road. Going fast enough that when they crested a hill a familiar floaty sensation lifted her stomach.

“It reminds me of the girl car from that kids movie.”

Charlotte’s expression warmed. “That’s because it’s the same model. Just older.” Her thumb brushed the steering wheel again. “He used to say he wanted one in black. But the moment he saw this color he bought it on the spot.” A small breath, eyes prickling. “It’s mama’s favorite color.”

Static-laced rock hummed through the speakers. Moonlight illuminated the fields unspooling on either side, trees blurring into smears as tires ate up the blacktop. Charlotte caught sight of Ali’s reflection and knew the drive provided the same peace she always found out here.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Ali said, voice threaded with emotion.

Their gazes met for a moment. Ali was smiling, eyes soft and glistening. Charlotte’s chin dipped as she pressed one quick kiss to her brow, as she swallowed the words pressing at the back of her throat.

I want to share everything with you…

25

ALI

Ocean air whipped through her hair as she all but hung out the Uber window. It had been far too long since she’d tasted brine on the wind or felt sand sift between her toes. The soundtrack of waves crashing against the shore and seagulls calling overhead made something inside her unclench.

The Pryce vacation home came into view and Ali gaped at the sprawling beachfront property perched above the dunes. As Natasha explained it, with her usual casual elegance, her aunt Jasmine married an international businessman. One who collected luxury properties and had a knack for making money grow on trees.

The moment the car shifted into park, Ali was out, leaving Charlotte in her dust. She followed the covered deck around the exterior, through the open back deck where most of the bridal party was gathered, pausing only long enough to kick off her sandals before pelting down the dock. Her feet sank into warm sand. The feeling was so familiar. But she didn’t stop to savor it, not until the surf curled around her ankles.

Lilah appeared beside her, breathless and grinning as the two of them took in the glittering horizon. Natasha joined a beat later, balancing a glass of wine with practiced ease, braids twisted into a regal knot atop her head. Her cousin Zuri was right behind her, sunglasses on, some kind of fruity frozen drink in her hand.

Ali and Lilah exchanged a mischievous glance. A breath later they splashed water all over each other, then flicked a few droplets toward Natasha’s legs for good measure.

Natasha shrieked in outrage, and the games were on. They scattered up and down the shoreline, hunting for shells and bits of drift-treasure as the afternoon sun began its slow descent.

Charlotte appeared with sunscreen in hand, wrangling a defiant Lilah, who declared she hated the feeling of sunscreen on her skin. But Charlotte heard none of it as she spouted facts about skin-care. Once Lilah was sufficiently covered, Charlotte turned toward Ali with laser focus.

“Your freckles are already popping, McCarthy,” she warned, voice low and throaty and Ali saw the want in her gaze.

Her cheeks warmed and a smirk quirked at the edge of her mouth. She slipped out of her cover-up and shorts to reveal the baby blue bikini she’d thrown on before landing.