Page 12 of Match Made in the Maldives

“Sure,” I say. In the darkness, with our path lit by the stars and moon above, I search for Luna. Her silhouette glides far to myleft, where the water meets the shore. “Let me ask Lou. Meet you there.”

When I reach the end of the boardwalk, I slip off my shoes and my feet sink into the night-chilled sand. Lou might be craving alone time, but I ought to check. I want to check.

“Hey, your mom and brother went for a nightcap at the bar. The one with over a hundred kinds of whiskey. I think I’ll go. You interested?”

“No, thanks.” She swipes at her face and turns to me, her cheeks glistening against the glow of the moon.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t look like it, but I’m relieved.”

“Yeah. Get what you mean.” I dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with her, the tide coming up to kiss our toes in tandem. “I could talk to your dad about using the phraseWe have some news.”

“Please.” Lou sniffles through her laugh.

“C’mere.”

She crumples into my arms, and without my embrace, she might collapse to the ground. Lou doesn’t break down with body-racking sobs, though. She just relies on me for support. For strength. Occasionally, I’ll beat myself up for not knowing what to say to Luna, but this feels like an unspoken language between us. Our mere presence is everything the other person needs.

When she pulls back, she tucks a stray tendril of hair behind her ear and wipes at her cheeks again. “Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing for stuff you shouldn’t apologize for.”

“I don’t understand why I’m so upset. He’s healthy. They’re both healthy, and that’s all that matters. Ugh, and I was such a jerk at dinner.”

She steps into dry sand, kicking an area flat to sit on.

“You are many things, Luna Moore,” I say, following her lead and finding a place next to her, “but a jerk is never one of them.”

“I didn’t ask them questions,” she says, pulling her knees in so the slit of her skirt rides up to her thigh. “I should have been excited for them, given them hugs. And I was so caught up in myself that I failed to even pretend to celebrate this new chapter of theirs.”

“Everyone went through the same thing you did, whether you noticed or not. The same worry. You got a bit more affected by it, that’s all.”

“And the house stuff. I…” She picks at one of her fingernails. “Cass and Carmen bought their dream home last year, so they probably don’t want it. Aaron and Melissa don’t plan to have kids, so they likely won’t need that kind of space. That leaves me or you. You could, but even if I wanted to buy the property from them, I couldn’t.”

“If you think you’d like it, tell them.”

“Maybe I’m getting sentimental over my childhood home. Doesn’t matter, though, because I am so far from being able to afford a house.”

“Doubt Dave and Betsey would play hardball with you.”

“That’s not the point.” With an exasperated sigh, she leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder. I freeze, never wanting her to move.

“I don’t know if I want the house or not,” she continues, “but I wish my job was in a place where I could. To be successful enough to go to my parents and make a big grown-up decision like that. The option would be nice.”

“Work going okay?”

One of her shoulders hikes up. “It’s not buy-a-house okay.”

Seeing her miserable like this rips something inside me. If she looked at me right now and said she wanted the moon, I’d weave a rope long enough to lasso it for her. Lou didn’t let her family see this messy side of her at dinner, but she’s letting me witness it. I want to do whatever will make her happy.

“If it means that much to you, I’ll buy the house for you.”

“Funny.”

“Not joking.” Her lack of response, just the sound of her breath, makes me clear my throat. “Doesn’t solve you wanting to purchase it yourself. But if you have strong feelings about it, we’ll figure something out.”

“That’s…Finn, that’s really, really sweet.”

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