Page 16 of Tides of Change
Heat crawled up my neck, and I shoved my hand into my pocket, curling my fingers into a fist. Would Ethan welcome the gesture? Was he even gay? He’d said he’d like to see me again—just the two of us. Had he picked up on what I was really asking? That maybe I wasn’t just looking for friendship?
We hardly knew each other, despite our easy conversation the previous evening. But I liked what I knew, and he drew me to him unlike anyone—woman or man—had before.
We joined Noah at the edge of the wet sand, where the waves crept up, pulling the ocean’s chill onto the shore. The rhythmic roar of the surf wrapped around us like a living heartbeat. I took Noah’s hand in mine, the warmth of his fingers a stark contrast to the icy Northern California water we stepped into. A jolt shot up my legs as the cold water washed over our feet, the grit of sand shifting with the tide’s pull.
Beside us, Ethan approached the water. The instant it touched his toes, he hissed and leaped back onto the dry sand. “That’s fu—friggin’ cold.” His shiver was almost theatrical, and his reaction wrung a laugh out of me.
“Come on, Noah.” I tugged his hand gently, and we stepped out of the surf. “Let’s go for a walk. This way.” I nodded toward the north, where a towering cliff, jutting into the water on a spit of rocky land, loomed in the distance. The promontory formed the northernmost curve of the cove.
“Yeah! I can show Mr. Ethan the sea cave!” Noah’s hand slipped from mine as he bolted ahead, his energy boundless as the waves themselves.
“It’s high tide, buddy,” I called after him and raised my voice to be heard over the crash of the surf. “The sea cave will be underwater. Don’t go anywhere near it.”
Ethan’s gaze followed Noah; his brow furrowed as if he was judging the danger.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly telling him what not to do,” I admitted and exhaled a breath of exhaustion.
Ethan’s smile was small but sincere. “I assume that’s part of being a good parent. You care, so you guide him.” He shrugged, as though the answer were obvious. “You love him.”
His simple observation hit me like a wave, a swell of emotion rising in my chest. “I do.” Though the words didn’t convey the depth of it.
Noah sprinted ahead, pausing now and then to pluck a seashell from the sand or hurl a piece of driftwood into the surf. The ocean returned the sticks, each wave depositing them back onto the shore. He flung the wood again, like he was playing fetch with a dog.
Ethan snorted a laugh. “He sure has a lot of energy.”
“Tell me about it. That’s why we’re taking a walk—to burn some of it off. This morning, we drove over the mountain to buy a Halloween costume, and he’s been bouncing off the walls in it ever since.” My tone was wry, but the fond smile tugging at my lips probably gave me away. “At this rate, he’ll tear a hole in it before Halloween even gets here.”
“Is he going trick-or-treating?” Ethan glanced at me.
“Yeah, I’ll take him around the neighborhood.” Our steps fell in sync again as we moved closer to the cliff.
“Well, stop by my house. I want to see him.”
Warmth spread through my chest, not just at the invitation, but at the way Ethan had quickly woven himself into our lives. “Will do.” After a few moments of companionable silence, I asked, “What brings you out today? Enjoying the sun?”
He shrugged. “I walk when I’m working out a sticky plot point.” He chuckled, the sound light against the heavier crash of waves. “So, I walk a lot.”
“Can’t help you with sticky plot points.” I shot a quick look his way. “But I can walk with you if you ever want company.” My shoulders tensed, and I wanted to take the words back. I might have overstepped and assumed he wanted more time with me.
His head turned toward me, his gaze hidden and unreadable behind his sunglasses. “I’d like that.”
Relief loosened the tension I was holding.
We caught up to Noah, where he gestured toward the base of the rock face. “Look, Mr. Ethan. There’s the sea cave!”
I followed his pointed finger to where the waves ebbed and revealed the triangular top of the cave, only for the next swell to crash and swallow it again. “It’s carved about one hundred feet deep into the cliff,” I explained, “narrowing, twisting, and branching off. It’s a labyrinth. At low tide, people sometimes explore, but…” I hesitated and lowered my voice. “Not all of them make it out.”
Ethan shuddered and rubbed his arms. “I’d never go in there, anyway. Claustrophobia.”
“Smart choice. Walking, enjoying the sun, playing volleyball—those are all much safer beach activities.”
Noah wandered nearby, his dark head bent as he searched the sand for treasure. He occasionally picked something up, only to discard it. The sight of him, his boundless curiosity now tempered by a growing tiredness, filled me with tenderness.
“Ready to go home, buddy?” I called.
He trudged to my side. “Yeah, Dad.” He lifted his hopeful gaze. “Can I watchBluey?”
“Sure thing.” The three of us began the trek back, and this time, Ethan and I had to slow our steps for Noah as he lagged.
