Page 93 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

She watched him go, a little surprised that he hadn’t asked her to come with him or asked if she needed a ride home. She glanced at Last Call, the music carrying over the water, the party still going strong. Rejoining her cousins and friends held little appeal, and she sat on the pier, dangling her legs over the edge the way she used to. She gazed up at the star-littered sky, listening to the waves lap against the pilings, the briny smell of the ocean filling her nose.

“Admiral, careful.”

Lila turned to see Admiral loping toward her with Luke jogging to catch up. Admiral plunked himself down beside her, giving her a goofy doggy grin. He licked her face. “Hey, you. I’ve missed you.”

“He’s missed you too,” Luke said, lowering himself onto the wharf beside Admiral. “Are you okay?”

By the tone of his voice, she was pretty sure he’d seen what she had. “You saw David kissing Sam, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I did.”

She explained what had led up to the kiss.

“And you believed him?”

“Don’t you?”

He lifted a broad shoulder. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I’m not the one marrying him.” He glanced at her. “Are you still marrying him?”

She nodded. “It would be a little hypocritical of me to hold it against him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last week on the bridge, when you said my feelings for you had crossed the line?” She looked out over the bay instead of meeting his gaze. “You were right. I really liked spending time with you. You and Admiral. I think it’s probably the same for David and Sam. They’ve spent a lot of time together too. But we have a baby to think about.” She glanced at him, and a muscle flexed in his clenched jaw. She’d probably embarrassed him by talking about her feelings. “What happened to you and your fiancée?”

“She dumped me a few weeks before the wedding and married her best friend six months later.”

“I’m so sorry, Luke.”

He shrugged. “They’re happy. They’re expecting a baby any day now. She wouldn’t have been happy here anyway. She wasn’t a fan of small beach towns, my house, or my dog.” He rubbed Admiral’s head.

“It sounds like you’re better off without her.” She hugged Admiral. “I bet you think so too, don’t you, boy?”

He woofed. Luke smiled and then started to stand up. “I’ve got an early morning tomorrow. Do you need a ride somewhere?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate a lift to the beach house,” she said, taking the hand he offered. As his warm, callus-roughened hand closed around hers, she felt a moment of longing, of wishing things were different. She brushed the thought away. Luke was right: life turned out the way it was meant to.

“How was the charter? Do you hate me for twisting your arm to take it on?” she asked as they walked down the pier.

“You didn’t have to twist too hard. The money’s fantastic. And in case you haven’t checked, our Instagram account is blowing up.”

She high-fived him. “Awesome.”

“Yeah, it worked out better than I’d expected. I had some trouble getting people to work. The Fourth is a big draw in Sunshine Bay for the twentysomething crowd, which is the age of most of my deckhands.”

“You’re right. I completely forgot about that. But you managed okay?”

“I had to twist some arms of my own, but I eventually got Grams and the aunts on board. Now I’m kind of regretting it. They had a little too much fun, and they’re already asking me when’s the next sunset cruise.”

Lila laughed. “I bet the passengers loved them.”

“They did,” he said as they reached his truck. He held the door open for her and Admiral. “But I spent half my time trying to keep an eye on them, especially after I caught Grams sharing shots with one of the guests.”

Lila brought Captain Joe’s account up on Instagram, laughing as she scrolled through the photos of Ruth and her sisters and sisters-in-law and the comments. “They’re calling them the Golden Girls. You know, you could totally capitalize on this, Luke. They could be a big draw.”

“Lila,” he said in a tone she was familiar with. The one he used every time she had another idea.

“Just hear me out,” she said, and told him what she was thinking.

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