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“Oh, he definitely did. I met him at the beginning of the summer. I came to Bald Head like I always did the day after school ended. I’d just committed to Wake Forest, which was my dream school, so I was on cloud nine when I got here. And then the second I walk into my grandparents’ house, I lock eyes with this insanely cute guy I’d never seen before.”
“DR,” Goldie says.
“Yup.” I smile ruefully. “He was so different from the guys back home. Or so I thought. He was kind, down to earth, and interesting. He also surfed, which didn’t hurt.”
“I think my teenage brain would’ve exploded seeing eighteen-year-old Riley Dixon with a surfboard under his arm and no shirt on.”
“Mine did. I fell so hard, Goldie.” I swallow. “We had this magical summer together. Hot and heavy from the start. I mean, three weeks in, we were saying we loved each other.”
Goldie slowly shakes her head. “Summer lovin’.”
“We made plans to be together after the summer ended. I was off to Wake, and Riley was going to work full-time at the marina. But I had a car, and he was working to save up to buy one too. He told me he’d visit me as often as he could. I felt—no, I knew—it was real. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I thought there was a good chance we’d get married.”
“Oh, boy.” Goldie sways side to side. “I don’t like where this is going.”
“Come August, I kissed Riley goodbye and boarded the ferry. I was headed back to Charlotte with Mom. She was going to help me move into my dorm later that week, so we had a lot of shopping and packing to do. Anyway, we’re halfway through the ferry ride—there was a terrible storm that day, just sheets and sheets of rain—and I glance at my phone, and there it is. A text from Riley saying there was someone else and he was breaking up with me. So basically he cheated and ran.”
Goldie gasps again, louder this time. “No!”
“Yes. It didn’t sound like him—”
“Exactly what I was going to say.”
“So I pushed back, but he didn’t respond to any of my texts or calls. I emailed him. Slid into his DMs. But yeah, long story short, I never heard from him again.”
Goldie’s eyes are wet, making my throat tighten. I don’t get this emotional anymore reliving the saga. Until I do, I guess. Maybe because I’ve only relived it privately in my own mind. Now I’m sharing it with someone, out loud, for the first time ever.
Or maybe I’m emotional because history just repeated itself and reopened old wounds.
“And you couldn’t tell anyone about what happened, so you went off to a brand-new school in a brand-new city while dealing with a broken heart all by yourself.”
I nod. “Low point.”
“Aw, friend.” Goldie wraps me in a tight hug. “I’m so, so sorry. If I’d known you back then, I would’ve murdered him and helped you bury the body. What a dick.”
“Right? For a while, I wondered if I did something wrong. Like, was I not enough for him? Not hot enough, or cool enough . . .”
“Fuck him for making you doubt yourself that way.”
I let out a mirthless laugh. “Not gonna lie, I still hate him.”
“I do too!”
“I mean, to be fair, it was ten years ago, and we were really, really young. I’d like to think Riley’s changed, but . . .”
Goldie loosens her grip on me, but still keeps her arms wrapped around my waist. “I’m shocked hearing this. I wasn’t lying when I said he’s my favorite out of all Coop’s friends. Then again, I don’t know him super well. He lives on Bald Head full-time, so we don’t get to see him often—”
“And he really owns, like, half the island? What’s the story there?”
“Welp, he sure as hell isn’t the housekeeper’s son anymore. Coop told me the guy who owned the marina left it to Riley in his will. Riley borrowed money against it to buy some real estate here on Bald Head, and when things boomed, he made a big old pile of cash.”
I scoff, heart palpitating. “He was super smart. And he worked really, really hard.”
Goldie searches my face. “He never deserved you. Still doesn’t. You know that, right?”
“I know.” The tightness in my throat is making my whole head hurt. “Being back here . . . it’s just weird.”
Goldie tucks my hair behind my ear. “I’ll make sure y’all don’t see each other this week, okay?”
“Not necessary.” I shake my head. “Honestly, this is all ancient history. I’m fine, I promise.”
She smiles kindly. “You’re obviously not okay. Louise, you vomited when you saw him. And let’s not forget that Patrick just pulled the same crap on you that Riley did ten years ago.”
