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“Rhabdomyosarcoma.”
“The same thing your mother died of?”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry. Everything good now?”
I hated talking about cancer, especially while on a beautiful beach, so I gave Beck my standard answer whenever a stranger noticed my scar. “It’s perfect. I was one of the lucky ones.” I pointed to the activities shack not too far away. “I was thinking about going jet skiing. You up for it?”
Beck frowned. “No thanks.”
“Louise wasn’t into it either.”
“That’s not surprising, considering that’s how her daughter died.”
My eyes bulged. I ripped the sunglasses from my face and sat up. “What did you just say?”
“My mother died in a jet-skiing accident when I was eleven.”
I covered my heart with my hand. “Oh my God. I had no idea. This was the second time I asked Louise to go. Today Ibock-bocked her, too—you know, flapping my arms like a chicken.”
“That’s very mature.”
“Well, how the heck was I supposed to know? She’d mentioned that her daughter died years ago in an accident, but I automatically thought car.”
Beck shook his head. “My parents were away on vacation for their fifteen-year wedding anniversary. My father was driving the jet ski, and they collided with a boat. He didn’t have a scratch on him, but my mother suffered a traumatic brain injury.”
“Jesus. So she died on vacation?”
“She actually lived three months after that. They flew her back to the US, but she never regained consciousness. I was only a kid, and it was a horrible few months.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Beck nodded. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to bring your head down. Just figured I’d let you know. That’s probably the one bucket-list-type thing my grandmother won’t be checking off.”
“Of course. Who could blame her?” I shook my head. “Can I ask you a nosy question?”
“What?”
“Did your father pass away after that? I know Louise raised you and your brother after your mom died. I assumed it was because your dad was killed, too. But you just said your father wasn’t injured.”
“He wasn’t. But he had a lot of guilt. Apparently he’d had a few drinks before they got on the jet ski that day. Not enough that he failed the breathalyzer when they tested him a few hours after the accident, but he was never able to move past it. He started drinking heavily, and my grandmother took my brother and me to her place for a few days. He disappeared after that for a while, and we never went back. Last I heard, he was on his fourth wife and still a drunk. He lives down in Florida, I think.”
“I’m sorry you went through that.”
“My grandmother gave us a good life.”
“I guess I can understand why you’re overprotective of Louise now. She’s been so many things to you.”
“Does that mean you’re going to stop these crazy trips?”
“No, because while what you just shared helps me understand your concerns, it doesn’t change the fact that what Louise is doing is not about you. It’s about her.”
“I don’t have to like it.”
“No, you certainly don’t. But you should show her enough respect to accept her decisions.”
Beck frowned. “How about we go back to checking out each other’s bodies? That’s a lot more fun than talking to you.”
