Page 64 of This Could be Love

At first he thought I was joking, but a quick glance at my face told him I was serious. “They’ve all got different strings. Every surface and every kind of weather requires a different tension.”

“Hmm.” He nodded.

He opened the trunk and stuffed my things inside. I caught a glimpse of a box full of snorkeling gear as well as a cooler.

“You thirsty? I’ve got water, Coke, and iced tea.”

“A water would be great.”

He pulled out a mid-sized bottle of water for me and a bottle of Coke for himself. I thanked him and opened it on my way to the passenger side.

“What kind of beach are we going to anyway?”

“Can’t tell you.”

I frowned and got in.

“It’s not in any guidebook, and it’s going to stay that way.”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

He started up the car and put it in reverse. “That’s what you’re saying rightnow. And then one day in a few years in some interview you’ll remember that dude from Hawaii you oncemade out withand that beach…”

I punched him in the arm, and he laughed.

“What bothers you so much about that phrase?”

“What phrase?”

“Making out. You always say it so sarcastically.”

“I do?” He shrugged but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he switched on his blinker and turned onto the coastal road toward Haleiwa.

“Do you go to this beach often?”

He shook his head. “It’s no good for surfing.” Without looking away from the road, he reached for the console and grabbed his bottle of Coke. He brought it to his lips and took a drink, and I realized that I was staring at his mouth. “My dad used to take us there pretty often.”

The mention of his dead father was like a cold shower.

“He worked in sales for a large pharmaceutical company and was rarely at home. But whenever we were here on vacation, he did something with Laurie and me every day. We’d go sailing, boating, snorkeling, hiking.” His voice had taken on a nostalgic note. “Jim was the one who told us about this beach. Laurie and I had annoyed Dad the whole time about wanting to see sea turtles. Stupidly, Jim had forgotten to mention that you had to climb over a bunch of rocks to get to the beach. Dad cursed up a storm.” He grinned. “I can still see him in his flip-flops, making his way down there with all our swim bags, the umbrella, and the cooler.”

I smiled. “But it seems to have been worth it if he was there with you more often afterward.”

“Oh, definitely. The beach is tiny and only locals know about it. Most of the time you’re there alone.”

The wordaloneechoed through my head, and what wentwith it caused my cheeks to grow warm. I quickly looked out the window in the hope that Vince didn’t see how much that little piece of information had stirred me up. On the side of the road a sign announced Laniakea Beach. There were a ton of cars all over the place. Directly behind them, the Pacific rolled toward the white sandy beach. Vince stopped and let a family loaded down with beach bags cross the road. I wonder if the sight hurt him. If it ever stopped hurting. For a moment, I was overcome by an intense longing for my parents. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a message to our group chat. They would probably be surprised when they woke up in a few hours to read my incoherentlove you, but at that moment, that’s exactly what I wanted them to know.

We drove along the coastal road for a few more minutes until Vince flicked his turn signal just before Haleiwa and turned right. After driving through a residential area for a while, he parked the car at the end of a cul-de-sac. Mystified, I looked through the windshield. Nothing here suggested a beach or any sea turtles. More like a good spot for burying corpses. I was already close to making a joke when I noticed the narrow path leading between a few bushes.

“We’ve got to walk a bit,” Vince said, noticing my expression.

“I thought we had to climb over rocks.”

“That comes later. It’s worth it. Trust me.”

Once I got out of the car, I didn’t doubt for a second that we were by the ocean. The air smelled damp and salty, and the sound of the waves roared in my ears. Vince walked around the car andpulled open the trunk door. While he unloaded, I opened my tennis bag and gathered my swimwear.

“You can leave the suntan lotion in the car. I’ve got some too.” He nodded at his worn Nike sports bag next to him on the ground. “You can add your stuff to mine, there’s enough room.”