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The owner, Ash Tyler and his wife, Taylor, lovingly ran the restaurant that was dedicated to Laurel Ocean’s grandfather, Larry. It was a testament to the compassion and support he’d given to everyone he crossed paths with, but especially those struggling, like Ash had been when he’d come to Carmel.
Ash had moved here as a recovering alcoholic, and Larry had made sure he’d stayed on the path to sobriety. There was no alcohol served at the Lookout, and Ash hired most of his employees either from Blooms or from the local AA chapter.
The restaurant had massive windows that looked over the jaw-dropping cliffs, but tonight, we sat at a large table on the back patio that was draped in twinkle lights.
Tonight, we were celebrating Larry.
I’d never met him, but it was hard to not feel like I had with the way everyone spoke about the man. He wasn’t just Laurel’s grandfather… he felt like the grandfather for the entire town.And every year, on the anniversary of his passing, Ash held a special spaghetti night for everyone who wanted to remember him… and there were a lot.
The restaurant was packed, but the patio was reserved for us; for Laurel and those closest to her grandfather.
At our table were Laurel and Eli, Eve and Miles, Cammie and Bennett, Gwen and Chevy, Addy and Ace, and open seats for Ash and his wife who were still chatting with patrons inside. In the last hour, even more of their friends had come and gone—Ace’s brother, Dex, and his wife, and the rest of the guys from Covington Security, though I struggled to remember all of their names—they all stopped by to share a story and grab a bite before family duties called.
“I can’t believe it’s been seven years,” Eve murmured, rubbing her hand over her stomach. She was due any day now, but she refused to miss this.
Laurel took a sip of her water and then stared out toward the ocean. Even the dim lighting caught on the glimmer of unshed tears collecting in her eyes. Without missing a beat, Eli wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her close.
What it would be like to have that…The thought made me shiver, and a second later, Zeke mimicked the motion and hugged me to him as though answering my thought that I did have that—that I did have him.
My chest tightened.It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.
But what if it was?
“He’d be happy to see this,” Laurel said softly. “Happy to know he’s still remembered.”
“I doubt he’ll ever be forgotten,” Zeke murmured, and itbrought a small smile to her face.
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Ash chimed in, joining us at the table with his wife and daughter in tow.
There was something about this group of people… something that was as warm and comforting as a crackling fire on a chilly winter’s day. The way they’d welcomed me as Zeke’s wife. There wasn’t a moment that passed where I felt like I didn’t belong, and that tormented me the most—feeling like I did belong. Like I was exactly where I was meant to be.
Ash lifted his glass of water, and we all followed suit.
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” He paused, his gaze meeting everyone at the table. “And above all, be loved.”
A weighted repeat of “be loved”rippled around the table.
Once more, the group erupted in conversation. Memories and musings. Tall tales and stories so funny my sides cramped from laughing so hard. Another hour passed in a blink talking about the man everyone missed and loved. The resounding theme being to not take for granted the people in your life.
The entire time, I felt Addy’s gaze drift over to me. I hadn’t seen her much after Eve’s birthday party, and the times I had it had been at Blooms while I was working.And without Zeke.Now, she watched the two of us as though she had an internal litmus test to know if what was between us was real or fake. I tried not to think about it, and it was easy withZeke’s warm presence next to me. Steady and unwavering. Sometimes he spoke, sometimes he listened. Sometimes his fingers lightly traced my shoulder, other times his hand searched out mine. Always something to let me know he was there.
I didn’t take him or the time I had with him for granted, but I’d be a fool not to think about what would happen when this all came to an end…
Before long, couples began to rise from the table and say their goodbyes. Cammie and Bennett were the first to leave. Then Chevy and Gwen—but not before Gwen promised to drop off a swimsuit for me to wear on Sunday. When Eve and Miles made their goodbye round, Zeke rose, too.
“I’m just going to walk with Eve to their car—”
“Oh, for crying out loud, Zeke,” Eve huffed. “I’m not going to give birth in the fifty feet between here and the passenger door to my car. Plus, Gwen is inside—”
Zeke wouldn’t hear any of it, and I smiled, watching him walk with his pregnant younger sister and her husband out to their car.
I was alone at the table for hardly a minute before Ash took the seat next to me.
“I’m glad you’re here, Kenzie,” he said. The owner of the Lookout had a generous smile and kind eyes—the ones that had weathered a lot of trial before settling into triumph. The sobriety chip around his neck added to the testament of his former struggles.
“Me too.” I smiled, my eyes flitting around the few people remaining outside and catching on Addy’s stare once more.
“I mean, I’m glad you’re here with Zeke,” Ash said, capturing my attention again.
