I grabbed my coat, shutting the door and leaving the letters, the biscuits, and my hopes behind.
The wind kicked off the waves, lifting my hair off my neck. I stared out at the cove, the constant motion of the water soothing. It always had been. Whenever I was upset, worried, or my sisters were driving me to distraction, I would escape to this place. Eventually, I shared it with Linc and it became our place, but once he was gone, I still went there. It had been my spot first. I refused to let him take that away from me too.
Despite all the development around the town, this little spot had never changed—the land around it the same as it had been for years. The land adjacent to it, the deserted area Linc and I would meet up in was now a park loved by the community and, as Linc confirmed, named after me. But this place remained the same. Idly, I wondered if Linc had anything to do with it, then dismissed the thought. I’d come here to escape him. To let the sound of the waves and wind clear my head. I built a fire, having learned how to do it myself over the years once I started coming here alone again. I kept a small pile of wood and some waterproof matches tucked under the edge of the rock. I knew one day I would come here and find it gone. Discovered by teenagers or sold and used as part of a development, but for now, it was still my spot.
I sat beside the small fire, poking the flames, watching them dance in the dark, chasing away the chill as night descended and the stars came out. I huddled close, my knees drawn to my chest, and with a sigh, I laid my head on top of them, feeling the emotion of the day catch up with me. Tears drifted down my cheeks, and I allowed them to fall, knowing I needed to clear them from my system. Tomorrow, I would face the day and be strong, but for now I had to let it out.
Linc, the past, the letters, today, the woman he was holding…it all was too much. My head ached with too many thoughts, and my heart yearned for something I didn’t think I could have. Tears dripped down my face, soaking into the fabric of my pants. I didn’t bother trying to stop them.
The back of my neck prickled, and the sound of the rocks moving under heavy footsteps startled me. In all the years I had been coming here, no one else had ever shown up, except one person. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. My body always knew when Linc was close. That hadn’t changed.
“Please go,” I pleaded. “I can’t, Linc. Not tonight. Tell me your excuses another time. Just leave me alone.”
He sat beside me, his warmth beckoning, his scent drifting around me. He still smelled like home, even after all these years. Ocean, cedar, and something pure Linc.
“I can’t,” he stated simply.
I refused to look at him, not wanting him to see the tears, or see the vulnerability he had somehow brought back out in me. I had worked for years never to show weakness to anyone again—to be a tough business owner, a capable daughter and sister, a trustworthy friend. But I refuse to care too much about anyone outside the people I considered my trusted circle. If I was being honest with myself, I even held back parts of me from them. The part that had been torn away from me the day Linc disappeared—the same part that seemed to have reemerged when he walked into my bakery.
“Please,” I repeated.
“Not until you hear what I have to say. If you still want me to go, I will.”
His voice was low—determined. I turned my head, meeting his gaze. His eyes were dim, worried, and grief-stricken. He gasped when he saw my face, reaching out his shaking hand.
“No, Sunny. I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.”
“You know that woman—you’ve known her a long time.”
“Yes.”
“You’re close.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Not the way you think.”
“You love her,” I stated.
He didn’t deny it. “Yes. I love her. She’s been my best friend for more than nine years, Sunny. If it weren’t for her, I’m not sure I’d be sitting here with you right now.”
A tear dripped off my nose. Linc bent close, wiping the wetness away from my skin with his fingers, making soft sounds. “Please, Sunny-girl. Let me explain. I know you don’t owe me anything and I know how it looked when you came in, but please, god please, listen to me.” He moved his fingers faster as the tears came harder. “Tell me I haven’t lost you all over again.”
It was the break in his voice, the catch, that hit me. He sounded as if he was in the same agony I was sinking into.
“I want the truth.”
“I swear I’ll give it to you. I’ll tell you everything about Abigail Price.” He smiled sadly. “It’s only fair. She knows everything about you.”
I sat up, roughly rubbing my hands over my face. I missed the gentle swipe of his fingers, but I needed the distance.
“How?” I asked. “How does she know about me?”
He regarded me in silence. “We were both sent to that place by our families. She was one of the few females there. We became close friends.” He emphasized that word. “Just friends. When I finally left and got my hands on my money, I got her out. She’s been my right-hand ever since.”
I frowned. She was his business associate?
“I have Abby’s permission to tell you about her past, Sunny. As long as you promise to listen, I’ll tell you.”
I shivered, shifting closer to the dying fire. Linc cursed and pulled off his jacket, draping it around my shoulders. Then, as if he had only done it yesterday and not ten years ago, he reached behind him and grabbed more wood, adding it to the fire. He poked at the burning wood until he was satisfied with the flames.
“Will you listen?” he asked, sitting back beside me.
I thought of the endless hours of conversations that had happened in this spot. The plans we made, the dreams we shared. The years I spent sitting here, alone, always wondering, always wishing for another night of him here beside me. Then the broken hitch to his voice echoed in my head, and I knew I had to try.
“Yes, Linc. I’ll listen.”
11
Linc
When I couldn’t find Sunny at her apartment, I sat in my car, swearing under my breath. I cursed Abby’s mother. I wished death—a long, slow one—on Carl. On both of them. I called the lawyer I kept on retainer for anything to do with Abby and filled him in on the situation.
“Get his parole revoked, Milo. Put a tail on him. Keep him the hell away from Abby. Her mother too.”
“On it.” He hung up.
Then I calmed myself, centering my thoughts the way I had learned, and concentrated on finding Sunny.
The cliff—the place Sunny and I used to hide—came to mind. I had purposely never developed the land around that area, even though I owned all of it. I had never planned on going there again, but I wanted to know that somehow, some small part of us still existed.
Would she go there?
There was only one way to find out.
I started the car and headed toward that end of town.
I was relieved to have found her, grateful she agreed to listen to me, and cursed myself for not thinking of bringing an extra jacket or a blanket. Her tears gutted me, and I wanted to hold her, but I knew she didn’t want that. I had to wait until she heard my story.