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As we both turn away, I take a deep breath and let the sea air heal me.
“Hey?” he calls, and I spin around on my heels. “I never got your name.”
How ridiculous.
We’ve been sitting there for almost an hour, spilling our guts out to each other, and we don’t know each other’s names.
“It’s Claire,” I shout back.
“Do a stranger a favor, Claire? Call whoever offered you the job you wanted in the city and ask for another chance. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
I close my eyes and smile, a small ray of hope setting my chest on fire.
“And if by chance you ever find yourself in the city, I’ll look out for you on a bench somewhere. Hopefully fewer tears next time.” He winks and stuffs his hands in his pockets.
He turns to walk away again, but I stop him. “Wait. What’s your name?”
He grins, and I think I’ll always remember his smile.
“Jake,” he answers. “My name is Jake.” He turns, walks again, and bellows over his shoulder. “Oh, and Claire?”
“Uh, huh?”
“You’ve still got sugar on your lips.”
Damn it.
Chapter Three
“Hey,” I breathe, forcing a smile. I hope my red and blotchy eyes have calmed as Mandy swings open the door to her and Alex’s beach house. She smiles back, and I swear, Mandy’s smile can calm even the wildest of heartbeats.
“Hey, you.” She pulls me into her embrace, and I melt against her.
My friends know something is wrong. They’ve known since they turned up at my graduation earlier today, and I didn’t even leave my gown on for a photo.
“Where’s Caleb?” she asks. “Did you walk here?” Her brows draw tight as she looks over my shoulder and doesn’t see my car or a cab pulling away. My shoulders round, and I hate it when my eyes water again. “Just come in. I have wine.”
My savior.
She always knows the right things to say.
“So,” I begin, walking with her through the house and toward the kitchen. I’ve always loved this house, and Mandy’s at home here with her daughter and Alex. She deserves it. “I got a cab to drop me a few minutes away. I wanted a walk on the beach to clear my head.”
Her apprehensive gaze burns a hole in the side of my face. “Why do you need to clear your head?”
“This is the answer to your first question. I don’t know where Caleb is, and I don’t care. He’s probably buried in the screaming blonde I walked in on him with yesterday.”
She stops walking and slaps her chest as she chokes on air.
I rub her back and laugh. “Jesus, he’s not worth dying over.”
She tries to speak, but it only makes me laugh harder as she fights with herself to form words. “I’m going to kill him.”
I think that’s what she says.
“What the hell is going on?” Alex appears at the doorway with Garry following close behind. “Are you trying to kill my fiancé before I even get a chance to marry her?” He chuckles and holds her by the shoulders so she’s upright. “Breathe, baby,” he instructs, looking at her like he always does—like she’s the only woman to walk the planet.
“You don’t understand, Alex. I’m going to kill him,” she sputters, gasping, and breathing through her nose when Alex tells her to.
