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“Sofia, I’m so sorry,” he finally choked out. “How awful. When did it happen?”
“Thank you, Ryan. I can’t believe it, but it’s been a year. As a matter of fact, it’s exactly a year today. I’d forgotten, actually.”
Getting the chills again, she hoped she wasn’t getting sick. She thought of seeing Ryan Albright panhandling and again at Poki Poki. Did Jake have a hand in sending her a distraction?
She stopped on the beach. It was a wide expanse from the road to the water and the public egress spot. A bank of boulders had been dumped to prevent beach erosion, and that was exactly where Jake’s body had washed up.
“You’re a doctor, so I feel like I can tell you this without grossing you out, but right there.” She pointed. “That’s where his body was found.”
“Oh god, I’m so sorry, Sofia.”
They stood side by side, staring at the spot in the moonlight. Not having any idea what the man had looked like, he couldn’t even imagine what the scene had been.
“Thank you, what a bummer,” she said. “I hope you’re not too grossed out.”
“Sofia, not at all. Did you find his body?”
“Oh, my god, no. I didn’t even find out about it until the next day. We’d bought the townhouse but didn’t live in it yet. There was a surf advisory that day, and the waves were phenomenal. He must have decided to surf even though he was afraid of the pier. There had been hazardous surf warnings that evening, too. He was out here alone, which he never did. So it didn’t add up for me. I still don’t completely understand what he was thinking. I guess I’ll never know.”
“Well, it’s a terrible tragedy,” Ryan said, mortified. “My heart aches for you. And it’s fairly recent. It certainly takes longer than a year to get over the loss of someone you loved.”
She assumed he knew about grief because he was a doctor, although losing his medical license was a reason to grieve.
“Great conversation for a first date,” she said, snickering. “This is a date, correct? I’m not just giving a homeless guy a meal?”
“Ha! I’ll panhandle for my food. This is definitely a date,” he replied, looking down at her. “I’m glad you’re telling me your tragic stuff now because it balances my mess.”
“Why do you call it a mess? What happened to you could have happened to anyone. It’s a tragedy.”
“I have more to tell you if you want to hear it. Our lives somewhat parallel.”
She looked at him, questioning. “They do? I feel like an entitled moron next to you.”
“Aw, no. When you’re ready, I’ll share. The worst that can happen is that you’ll never want to speak to me again and I’ll go back to my shed and sweat.”
Unable to help herself, Sofia giggled. “I’ll speak to you again. I felt an immediate affinity for you.”
“’Cause you feel sorry for me.” He snickered.
“No, silly. I was curious and, if I can say so without being too forward, attracted.”
“I’m attracted, too.”
“You are?”
“Of course,” he said, smiling. “I guess I’ve lost my touch. I’m not giving out vibes.”
“Ha! That’s probably a blessing because, after all, I did pick you up.”
“How could I forget?”
They walked along for a while, passed the pier, and Sofia didn’t even notice at first. Its power over her had diminished.
“So what’s the rest of your story?”
“How much time do I have?” he asked.
“The rest of our lives.”
