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Dead.
“The Hartfords sent the police here. They just left.”
“Why didn’t you come and get me?”
“You were in the shower, dear,” Karen answered patiently. “We didn’t even let them in the house. They told us he’d been surfing last night and must have hit his head on the pilings. No one was with him.”
“Where was he? Ocean Beach?”
“No, honey, he was right here. Oceanside.”
“He was afraid of the Oceanside Pier,” she whispered. “Why would he go out during a surf advisory? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“His roommate called around when Jake didn’t show up in time to leave for his bachelor party today. It wasn’t until then that he noticed Jake’s surfboard was gone and that he wasn’t answering his phone.”
“His bachelor party was supposed to be tonight,” Sofia said, sitting on the edge of her bed. “I wonder why his roommate never called me. I’d have gone out looking for him right away. I’d have risen hell with him.”
“No, you wouldn’t have, honey,” Isabella said softly, climbing on the bed behind her. “You let Jake be Jake. At least he died doing what he loved the most.”
“He’s dead,” Sofia whispered. Then the realization that her wedding wasn’t going to happen exploded in her mind, and she looked up at her parents. “That means all of our wedding plans are going to waste.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Steven said. “If they won’t refund our money, I’ll put a notice in the paper inviting the entire town for dinner next Saturday night. That will shake up the inn.”
Numb, she sat with her hands folded in her lap. What on earth was she going to do with her life now? Her parents sat on the bed on either side of her, with their arms around her waist.
“Poor Dr. and Mrs. Hartford,” she said. “I can’t even imagine what they’re feeling.”
“Well, there’s certainly no love lost,” Karen said, sneering. “They couldn’t even be bothered to call here, sending the police instead.”
“Yes, they never thought I was good enough for Jake, but he didn’t care.”
“You’re better than they are,” Karen cried. “Who are they?”
“Mom, don’t worry about it. I made peace with them while we were in college.”
What was so comical about the conversation and her mother’s sudden concern for Sofia was that Karen’s family couldn’t stand Steven’s family, the Saints, either. Sofia had known from the first meeting that Jake’s mom, Betsy Hartford, didn’t approve of her. She didn’t exactly flare her nostrils at her, but she might as well have. The big issue was that Steven Saint was just a small-town, pro bono attorney, and Ben Hartford wasDr.Ben Hartford, chief medical officer.
Then when Steven Saint bought the little beach paper with ads for summer rentals and garage sales and sex therapy clinics held in people’s homes, they didn’t stand a chance with Betsy Hartford’s charity good works and Ben’s MD title.
But it was okay, because Jake loved Sofia. “I’ve never dated a girl who accepts me for who I am,” he’d said.
Sofia couldn’t figure out exactly what that meant because all the girls she knew would have knelt at his feet. Jake was just larger than life.
“It’s because you don’t expect anything of him,” Isabella had said. “You smear number fifty sunscreen all over your body and wear a straw hat like a grandmother would, and sit and watch him surf for hours. For days. You never ask him to do anything you want to do.”
“It’s because I don’t want to do anything,” Sofia had said, laughing. “All I want is to sit on the beach and read. If that’s all it takes to make the man happy, I’m game.”
It took a little more, actually. Patience was also called into play. Jake took on causes and, like a rabid dog with a bone, fought to the death to get his point across. Add to that his libido, which was insane, and he was the same way about sex. When they met, Sofia was still a virgin, but not for long. Craving his attention, his desire for her increased her yearning for him, and their addiction for each other grew.
“I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you,” was his constant refrain.
The last time they were in bed together, holding on to each other, they’d proclaimed their devotion.
“I never want to live without you,” she’d cried.
“And you’ll never have to,” he’d replied.
Of course, it didn’t work out that way after all. The night after his body had been found, Sofia began to have enchanted dreams where Jake came to her, apologizing for leaving her, telling her it was okay to move on. At first, she just pretended he was still alive and the visitor in her dreams was really Jake.
