Page 1 of From the Ashes

CHAPTER 1

Colt

Damn,I’ve missed this.

I stand on the golden beach of my hometown and inhale the salt air deep into my lungs. Sunshine sparkles on the waves as children and adults alike frolic in the water. I’m very proud of the time I’ve spent in Massachusetts and New York, but the West Coast will always have my heart.

Moving back wasn’t in my five-year or even ten-year plan. But neither was my father’s massive heart attack and subsequent triple bypass. It was always the endgame for me to inherit the family law practice that my grandfather founded. I just thought I had another couple of decades before that happened.

Another couple of decades to get my life in order.

Now I’m standing back on this slice of paradise, though, it feels less like my choices were taken away from me…yet again. Destiny intervened a little sooner than expected, is all. Redwood Bay is where I belong. This is still my beach.

Picking up my brand-new board, I march determinedly into the water. It’s been a minute since I went surfing. Outside of a few vacations to Hawaii and the Caribbean, it’s not really been something I could do on the East Coast. The waves at Long Island weren’t half bad. It was more like the vibe didn’t fit withwho I was out there. But I grew up on this shore, and I have no doubt my body will remember everything it’s supposed to do now.

Despite the beaming sun above, I know the water is going to be pretty chilly as it’s still only early spring. Sure enough, it’s bracing as soon as it hits my skin. I laugh and whistle as I wade into the surf in my board shorts, knowing that there’s nothing I can do but let my body get used to it. I’ll soon warm up once I get going.

The beach is busy, but as I power myself farther into the water, it feels like I’m out here all on my own. There’s a peacefulness to be found under the roar of the waves.

They’re not too huge today, about seven to eight feet tall, I’d guess. Just right for easing myself back into the swing of it. As it’s not too crowded, I don’t feel rushed as I paddle to a good spot and wait for a decent wave to hit.

The second I jump up and my feet hit the board, it’s like I’m flying. I let out a primal bellow of glee that’s probably not appropriate for a defense lawyer of my stature, but no one’s out here to judge me. Certainly not my father. I grin and reach out with my fingers into the water as I ride the dazzling blue tunnel through to the end.

This was exactly what I needed after the stress of the sudden move across the country. My old company was very good at letting me go as fast as they could once I’d wrapped up a few major cases. But the rest I was able to hand over and seeing as they’re almost three thousand miles away, the non-compete clause shouldn’t affect me all that much, if at all.

It’s going to be quite a change, shifting from big, corporate law to the kind of clients my family’s small, elite firm usually represents. I have a feeling I’m going to be dealing with a lot of multimillion dollar divorce settlements in the not-too-distant future.

I thought I’d be more upset about that. For years, the thrill of all those cut-throat cases felt like the only thing that got me out of bed most mornings. Whenever I’ve thought about taking over the practice, I’ve been mostly convinced that babysitting couples squabbling over who gets what mansion was going to bore me to tears. But as I hop on another wave, my leg muscles straining and the salt air filling my lungs, it hits me that perhaps a slower pace of life might give me room to care about things other than work.

The beach is only a ten-minute drive from the apartment I’ve just moved into. The idea of getting up early and coming here for a run or a surf before heading into the office sounds like a little moment of heaven every day.

One thing that quickly became clear once I realized I had to move was that I might have had a lot of colleagues and acquaintances back in New York, but no real friends. That was pretty fucking embarrassing to come to terms with. What’s the point of working that hard and earning all that money if I’m just going to find myself alone in an empty home every night? Of course I had a big farewell party, and a ton of people bitched at me for abandoning them. But how many of them will I still be texting by Christmas?

Hardly any, I bet.

Rather than jumping back into the next wave, I straddle my board for a while, letting my legs and hands float in the water. I know exactly why I keep people at arm’s length. When your whole life is constructed around a lie, you’re kind of forced to be cautious and not let anyone get too close. I’ve spent my entire career telling people that I don’t date much because I’m too busy.

Nobody on the East Coast ever found out the truth. At least, if they ever suspected, they never let on to me.

But being back in Redwood Bay makes it almost impossible to ignore. My father might have pressured me to get into ‘the best law school in the country,’ at least in his opinion, but ultimately, I was the one who chose to run away. I’ve been running ever since.

It never felt like there was any other option. But now I’m home, will I be forced to stop and face some of those core, secret truths in a way I’ve never had to before? Am I ready to deal with all that shame of what a coward I’ve been?

Exhaling, I run a wet hand though my already drying hair and decide that I don’t have to deal with any of that today. I arrived in town almost two weeks ago, but it’s been such a whirlwind, this has been the first chance I’ve had to order a board and get down to the beach. No matter my past sins, I don’t deserve to sabotage this experience for myself. I’m allowed to let loose and have a little downtime for a change.

Big, life-altering self-assessments can come later. Maybe on a Tuesday afternoon. Nothing interesting ever happens then. Right now, I’ve still got a couple of hours left of sunlight, then I can envision an enormous amount of Chinese takeout and maybe a nice glass of whiskey to see out the rest of my Friday evening.

But of course, the ocean has other plans.

I’m just about to gear up for another wave when movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I snap my head, not quite sure what I saw, only that it didn’t seem natural somehow. However, I scan the water and don’t spy anything unusual.

Until I do.

My breath catches and my heart rate picks up as I stare unblinkingly at the spot. It was almost too quick to see, but I’m sure I saw a flash of something brown. It could have been a seal, but it’s not really the time of year for them to be getting close to the beach. Maybe it was an otter or a dolphin’s fin or?—

There!

Not any sea life.

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