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Chapter One
River
“Don’t you ever get your fill of this?”
I peel one eye open and stare up at my buddy from where I’m lying back on my surfboard.
“Never,” I say.
He shakes his head and laughs. “All right, man. Well, enjoy. I’m gonna head out. Lemme know if you want to grab a beer or something later.” He kicks sand at me, spattering my wetsuit with grit before he heads up the beach toward his truck.
I sit up and prop my heels on the edge of my board while I pull the top of my wetsuit down and let the sun dry the salt water in my hair. Scanning the ocean in front of me, I watch the waves rush in and pull out. The water leaves smooth, clean sand behind every time it rushes back out to sea.
Get my fill ofthis? Nah. I’ll never get enough of the ocean. I surf in it. Pay more rent to live near it. I even work in it as an underwater welder. Saltwater runs in my goddamn veins. I can only think of one thing that would ever take me away from the ocean.
The right woman.
But I’ve been on this earth for thirty-eight years and haven’t found her yet. So, fuck it. Guess the sea is going to be the only woman in my life.
I eye the surf again. The waves are coming in too flat for any decent surfing. I lie back on my board again and listen to the water hissing over the sand and the birds calling to each other as a delicious drowsiness washes over me…
Whack!
“What the hell?” I sputter as I bolt upright. Blearily, I look around. Shit. I must have drifted off. The sun is dipping down into the horizon now.
I rub the side of my head and look around, trying to figure out what smacked me awake. A second later, I see a red-and-white beach ball bouncing across the sand.
I jump up and run after the ball, snatching it just before it hits the water. I scan the beach for the owner of the ball, figuring it probably belongs to a group of rambunctious teenagers. But there’s no one around. Not a soul.
Suddenly, a small voice pipes up behind me.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
I turn around and look down. A small girl dressed in a bright pink striped swimsuit is staring up at me. Her hands are firmly planted on her hips and her face is screwed up into a stern look.
“Give that back,” she demands. Then, looking guilty, she adds, “Please.”
I bite back a laugh. This kid is something else.
I hand the beach ball over to her. “Here you go. Maybe be a little more careful next time, though, okay? It almost got swept out to sea.”
She gives me a skeptical look but nods.
I glance around, looking for her parents. This kid isn’t out here alone, is she?
“Hey, where’s your mom and dad?”
“I don’t have a dad,” she says, checking her ball over.
Whoops.
“Sorry. Your mom, then? Is she nearby?”
“She’s…um…” The girl stops fiddling with her ball and looks around. “I…don’t know.” The ball slips out of her hands and bounces toward the ocean—once again, though, I grab it before it makes it very far. When I return to the kid, her little face is twisted and big, fat tears are building up in her eyes.
Shit. Don’t cry, kid. Please don’t cry.
The girl takes in a deep breath and tilts her head back. Even though I’m not a father, I know exactly what’s coming next. When the wails let loose, it makes my chest go tight.
