Page 14 of Shift the Tide

CHAPTER 5

Kiera

The salty breezewrapped around Kiera as she balanced on her paddleboard, the gentle waters of Mission Bay rocking her like a cradle. The sun had climbed higher in the sky, its rays warm against her skin as she adjusted her stance. Maggie paddled lazily beside her, her sunglasses glinting as she tilted her face up toward the sun, while Danica floated a little farther ahead, her paddle cutting smooth arcs through the calm water.

"This is the life," Maggie declared, stretching her arms dramatically and nearly toppling off her board. She righted herself with a laugh. "No screaming kids. Just us and these unsteady boards ready to dump us into dark, depthless water.”

“Do you guys think there are sharks in here?” Danica asked, staring off to the side of her paddleboard.

“Probably,” Kiera answered.

“What? Really?” Danica looked up at Kiera frantically. “Like,sharksharks?”

“Shark sharks? As opposed to regular sharks?" Kiera responded with a grin.

"They’re actually fairly harmless,” Maggie said. "More people are killed by donkeys each year than sharks."

“Even Spielberg said he regrets giving sharks such a bad reputation after makingJaws,” Kiera added.

“When a shark eats me, can you two add both of those lovely shark propaganda talking points to my eulogy?” Danica looked between the two of them, and Maggie and Kiera burst out laughing.

“Just a eulogy? Why not the tombstone, too? Here lies Danica. That shark thought she was a seal, honest mistake,” Maggie said.

Kiera smiled, adjusting her sun hat. She glanced toward Maggie. "Donkeys, really?"

Maggie nodded solemnly. "Izzy taught me that."

Kiera frowned, grateful for her sun hat and giant sunglasses to hide her reaction to Izzy’s name. Izzy had been so weird at the market, like Kiera had personally attacked her.

Kiera had watched Izzy out on the waves that morning, the petite woman cutting through the water with a natural ease that made it impossible to look away. There was something mesmerizing about the way she moved, a seamless blend of precision and freedom as if she belonged out there more than anywhere else. Even from the shore, Kiera could see the grin on Izzy’s face when she caught a wave, a flash of pure, unguarded joy. It wasn’t just the surfing — it was Izzy herself. In the years she’d known Izzy, she’d always admired the effortless happiness Izzy seemed to exude, the kind of energy Kiera had spent years trying to cultivate but could never quite grasp. Watching her that morning, she had felt a pang of longing, not just for the life Izzy seemed to embody, but for that spark of unburdened lightness Kiera had lost somewhere along the way.

Danica glanced back over her shoulder, her face framed by wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail. "At least we can allagree this beats sitting on the sidelines while Izzy and Pete try to out-surf each other."

Kiera gazed toward the distant shoreline, where she could see the outline of palm trees and colorful kayaks and boats docked along the bay. "Itisnice,” she admitted.

Danica's tone was both soft-spoken and knowing. "I’m glad you’re here.”

“Are you?” Kiera responded more quickly than she intended, though she hoped her tone was more worried than accusatory.

Danica looked caught off-guard. “Of course I am.”

Then why don’t you ever return my calls?Kiera wanted to ask, but she held back the words. Instead, she forced herself to nod. “Thanks for saying that.” Kiera looked down at the clear blue water, watching the sunlight ripple across the surface. She wanted to believe Danica, but a part of her couldn’t accept that Danica would ever forgive her.

“You okay?” Maggie asked, her voice gentle.

Kiera shifted uncomfortably, her paddle dipping in and out of the water as she tried to articulate her thoughts. "Between our last trip and the divorce and the move… everything has just felt hard for so long, you know?”

Maggie let out a sympathetic hum. "Oh, Kiera, of course everything feels hard right now. But, Izzy is divorced, too. She might be able to give you ideas on how to get through it."

"I don't want Izzy's ideas," Kiera said automatically.

Danica and Maggie exchanged a look, and then Danica cleared her throat. "I'm sorry you're having a hard time, Kier. It sounds awful. I’m sorry we haven't spent more time together since you landed in Denver. Between work and travel and Pete and Gladys… It’s been a lot of adjustment.”

Kiera's throat tightened with emotion and embarrassment. Danica had once been her best friend, and now she hadn’t mademuch of an effort to see her in the last year. "It's okay, I know you're busy."

Danica looked like she wanted to say more, but she glanced toward Maggie and then stopped, chewing on her lower lip.

Kiera’s chest tightened further, but before she could ask Danica what she was about to say, Maggie pointed toward a small inlet nearby, bordered by a sandy strip and a few paddle boarders resting in the shallows. The inlet seemed quiet, a pocket of serenity tucked away from the busier parts of Mission Bay. As they drifted closer, the soft rustle of palm fronds and the chirping of unseen shorebirds created a tranquil soundtrack. "Let’s head over there," Maggie suggested, her voice eager. "It looks nice and quiet and shark-free."

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