Diving into Love

by Kat Bellemore

  Isaac knocked Caleb’s hand away. “Of course not. But just sitting out there, looking good, is going to put me to sleep.”

  Caleb grinned but retracted his hand. He had to remind himself, even now, that Isaac wasn’t as little as he used to be. It was hard to think of him as anything other than the fearless boy who’d scared the town half to death every time he disappeared. No one ever knew if they’d find him in the ocean, on someone’s roof, or at the top of a water tower. Thankfully he was as resilient as he was stupid. Isaac was in his early twenties now and had decided to stick around Starlight Ridge, despite his friends leaving town. No one could figure it out, but whenever someone asked about it, Isaac would just say, “She would never forgive me.”

  Caleb was unsure who Isaac was referring to, but he liked to think it was the ocean that was keeping Isaac rooted down.

  “You just have to look good for another couple of hours before Eliza takes over and you can go play in the ocean and show everyone how it’s really done.”

  Isaac’s dimples returned. “Very true. Speaking of which, are you going to come out and surf this weekend? Everyone’s dying for a rematch.”

  Caleb leaned forward, his eyebrow raised. “Everyone? Or just you?”

  Isaac lifted one shoulder as if it didn’t matter. His eyes danced, full of mischief. “Both.”

  Caleb doubted that. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve got a shop to run.”

  After a quick glance around the empty store, Isaac snorted. “It’s not like anyone’s going to buy anything during the few hours you’re gone.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Caleb tried to ignore the pang of the truth of it. The last couple of months had been brutal—worse than the year before. He just had to make it through one more month.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” Isaac said quickly. “I just miss going out in the waves with you, that’s all.”

  There it was. He sounded like the little boy again, not that he was that much younger than Caleb. There was only about eight years’ difference, but it had seemed like a lot more when Caleb was eighteen and Isaac was ten.

  “Why don’t we go diving instead?”

  Isaac crinkled his nose. “What’s fun about that?”

  “You mean, what’s fun about exploring the bottom of the ocean, seeing animals you’ve never discovered before, not to mention the sunken ships and treasure?”

  “You placed the ships and treasure for the tourists to find,” Isaac pointed out.

  “That doesn’t make it any less awesome,” Caleb said.

  “You just want me to have to rent gear from you.”

  Caleb quickly countered, “I’ll give you a discount.”

  Isaac laughed and gave a quick wave goodbye. “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.” Isaac left the shop to resume his lifeguarding duties, but not without more grumbling under his breath. Caleb smiled as he watched him go, but it faded after a moment.

  What he wouldn’t give to have Isaac’s carefree nature, living each day as if it were his last.

  Of course, it was Isaac’s nature that had got him into trouble with online gaming after his girlfriend had left town a couple of years earlier—spending thousands of dollars on virtual items whose only purpose was to defeat trolls. Some people used alcohol to deal with grief. Others? Make-believe worlds where you could be anyone, do anything, without real-world consequences. Or so Isaac had thought. Thank goodness Caleb’s brotherly instincts had helped him step in at the right time.

  He stared after Isaac’s retreating figure for a moment longer, then returned to his office at the back of the store.

  Maybe it wasn’t so bad being the practical, and boring, bachelor of Starlight Ridge.

  Eight o’clock eventually rolled around. Closing time. Caleb stood from his desk and stretched his arms over his head. Isaac had been his only visitor, which meant he’d been able to get a lot accomplished. He walked out to the front and flipped over the OPEN sign to the side that said CLOSED. After locking up, he grabbed his coat, then slipped out the back and meandered along the winding path that would eventually lead him to the boardwalk. Palm trees towered over him and plants overran the ground, leaving the impression that he was actually walking through a foreign jungle. Though the shops hid Caleb’s view, he knew the sun was just beginning to set and sending pinks and yellows and purples across the ocean, which would bring the rest of the town to the beach. But for this brief pause, the world was his own.

  “You owe me fifty bucks.”

  He groaned. The world had been his own. But Adeline knew his ways all too well.

  “Come by the shop tomorrow,” he said, not bothering to turn around to face her. He kept walking. “But that’s the last bet I ever make with you.”

  “That’s what you said last time.”

  Caleb slowed his steps. “I know, and the time before that.” He glanced over his shoulder. “But this time, I’m—” His words faltered. Adeline wasn’t alone. Her friend Bree was with her. He should have known Adeline would want to show her the sunset. Everyone wanted to see the sunsets; even people who had lived in Starlight Ridge their whole lives wouldn’t miss it, if it could be helped.

  “You were saying?” Adeline said, her lips pulled into an impish grin.

  Caleb tore his gaze away from Bree, who looked stunning in a light jacket and with her hair pulled into a ponytail. “I’m serious this time,” he finished. “No more bets.”

  “At all?” Adeline’s grin morphed into mock disappointment.

  “Yup. I’m standing my ground this time.”

  “If you say so,” she said, heaving a dramatic sign, as if he were losing out on something really great.

  Caleb turned and continued his walk, not having anything else to say, but he was very aware of the footsteps that followed him. Did Bree think him rude? Maybe he should have done more to welcome her to town. Caleb had meant to. Starlight Ridge didn’t get many visitors who weren’t tourists, and in the past, he’d usually offered them a T-shirt or hat from his shop.

  But something about Bree had caught him off-guard and made him hesitant to offer her a gift. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, after all, and think he was flirting with her. Which meant that so far, all he’d managed was to make Bree feel guilty for helping Adeline make fifty bucks off him. In all fairness, that hadn’t been his fault, and he had then given her useful directions, unlike Adeline.

  But all the same.

  Caleb paused mid-step, then glanced back at Bree. “How are you enjoying Starlight Ridge?”

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, turning her chin up as if searching for the sunset that was still hidden from view. “Everyone has been very welcoming.”

  “Who is ‘everyone’?” he asked, giving Adeline a cautious look. He hoped they hadn’t all been waiting on her porch when Bree arrived. That would be enough to scare anyone away. Whether she was staying for several years or just the weekend, the town would behave the same way, overwhelming her with baskets of fresh seafood, baked goods, and offers to show her around town. Not that there was much to see. Bree had already been to the boardwalk and the ocean—that was most of what the town had to offer.

  Bree answered his question. “It started with Jessie and Erwin, and since then, I’m pretty sure the rest of the town has shown up, unless there are a few hiding somewhere.” She released a small laugh. “I don’t think Adeline will have to go grocery shopping for a month.”

  “That’s why you made a big deal about telling everyone Bree would be arriving today,” Caleb said, spinning to confront Adeline. “You wanted the free food.”

  Adeline linked her arm through Bree’s, and her lips dipped into a pout. “What an awful thing to say about one of your oldest friends.”

  He raised an eyebrow and waited until Adeline caved under his stare.

  “Fine,” she said. “I may have mentioned her arrival with Jessie’s tarts in mind. And Jules’ muffins. And possibly Erwin’s shrimp and Dale’s fish.” Adeline didn’t s
eem the least bit sorry for it.

  Caleb turned his gaze on Bree. “Don’t you dare let Addie eat your shrimp. People drive for miles for a taste of that stuff.”

  Bree looked like she was about to respond, but her lips parted in surprise instead. She stepped away from Adeline and around Caleb, her footsteps quick. He followed her movements, curious as to what could have caused her reaction.

  Bree reached the end of the shops and stopped, the last rays of the sun illuminating her features. “You come out here every night?”

  “Yup,” Adeline said, joining her friend. Caleb wondered if he was allowed too or if he’d be intruding. He settled for walking to their other side and leaving a few feet of space between them.

  “Does it ever get old?”

  Adeline didn’t answer this time, so Caleb said, “No. Never.” Nothing could compare to the sunset reflected off the ocean’s water. “It’s even better from the beach.” He took the lead, leaving the path and walking across the road where he’d first met Bree that morning. He didn’t ask them to follow but was glad when he’d reached the sand and saw that they had. Though not all of the town had gathered this evening for it, many had, and he had to work his way around several people to find an ideal spot. The night was chilly, but he still took off his shoes and stuck his toes in the sand. It didn’t feel right any other way.

  Caleb glanced to the side and saw Bree had done the same. A warmth flooded his chest that caught him by surprise. So what, the woman had taken her sandals off while on the beach. Everyone did that. Well, at least all the locals did. The tourists? Not so much. They complained about it being too cold, or said they were nervous about crabs or jellyfish.

  He had to remind himself that Bree wasn’t a local, though. She was a tourist, just like everyone else. She wasn’t there to stay.

  No one ever stayed.

  4

  Despite going to bed far later than was good for her, Bree was up before the sun. She didn’t mind. After seeing how amazing the sunset was the previous evening, she wanted to see if the sunrise was just as good.

  That, and she’d forgotten her camera the night before and now needed to make up for it. The second she’d stepped around the shops and seen the sky burst into color, she’d reached for her camera. Her heart had plummeted when she’d realized it wasn’t hanging around her neck like it usually was, and she’d been tempted to run back to Adeline’s house to get it. But the moment would have disappeared, and she’d reminded herself that she’d have two weeks of sunsets that she could capture.

  Now, wrapped in a blanket she’d found on the couch, her camera in hand, she made her way out to a balcony that overlooked the ocean. Seeing it from her window just wasn’t the same.

  Bree breathed in the salty air as she stared across the dark waves, still not quite able to believe that Adeline lived in a place like this. She had to get closer. Conveniently enough, there was a set of stairs to her right. At the bottom were some large, flat rocks that would be perfect to sit on. Bree snapped a couple of pictures and then tightened the blanket around her as she carefully maneuvered the steps in the faint light. The sun was just beginning to wake.

  The sound of the waves as they met the shore intensified, though Bree didn’t feel like she’d gone very far. She sat on the nearest rock, and as the first rays of sun reflected off the water, she studied how the waves moved. Even though they held so much power, she felt only peace and contentment. Bree would be happy if she never had to move again, if she could just stare at the waves forever. They pulled her in, made everything else in her life seem inconsequential. How could anything matter when something like this existed in the world—something so much more vast than her.

  Bree was startled from her reverie by the sound of someone approaching from behind. She whipped around, but her heart slowed when she saw it was just Adeline, wrapped in a blanket of her own.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Bree said as Adeline settled on an adjacent rock.

  “I always wake up early, a curse of owning my own business. Or maybe it’s a blessing.” Adeline nodded out to the ocean. “I always took it for granted growing up, until I went away to college. Do you remember how much I missed the waves?”

  Bree smiled at the memory. “We had to get you one of those machines that simulate nature noises. You never took it off the ocean setting.”

  “Even then, it took a month before I could sleep through the night.” A pause. “I’ve come out here every morning since I returned.”

  Bree could understand why. “Thank you,” she said. “For inviting me to visit.” She was unsure how to express all of the other emotions. Gratitude didn’t seem enough. Bree had been in Starlight Ridge for less than twenty-four hours, but the welcome she had already experienced was unlike anything she’d thought possible. The town no longer felt like it belonged to strangers, but like it now belonged to her too.

  “I see you brought your camera,” Adeline said, nodding to it with a slight smile.

  Bree smiled and raised it, snapping an impromptu picture of her best friend. She had always loved catching her friends off guard, capturing them in their natural element. They’d never found the same joy in it. “Would you expect anything less?” she asked, lowering the camera.

  “Never.” Adeline laughed as she shook her head, like she didn’t know what she was going to do with her friend, then asked, “Do you think you can put the camera down long enough to help me at the shop today?” She quickly followed it up with, “Unless you have other plans. You’re probably wanting to explore a bit.”

  Bree had been hoping to wander on her own, but it would also be fun to lend a hand in Adeline’s chocolate shop for a while. “I can help. Maybe you can even teach me your ways so I can open up my own place when I go back to New Mexico. Homemade chocolate is something Amor has been missing out on for far too long.”

  Adeline gave Bree a side glance and raised an eyebrow. “You think you have what it takes?”

  No. Bree wasn’t sure of much of anything these days. But really, how hard could making chocolate be? And then she had a brilliant idea. It was beyond brilliant, and her eyes widened. “Chile chocolate. You totally have to do it.”

  “Um…maybe you should stick to engineering,” Adeline said, wrinkling her nose.

  By lunchtime, Bree was regretting her words. Hand-dipped chocolates could probably be fun once she got used to the heat and the mixing and rolling and scooping and bending and dipping. And maybe once she stopped messing up the little flourishes that were drizzled on top of the chocolates to signify what flavor they were. Bree had been more of a hindrance than a help, and Adeline resigned to sticking her up front at the cash register while Adeline fixed all her mistakes. Not that Adeline had said that in so many words. But Bree knew.

  She leaned against the front counter, wishing she’d brought a book to read. No one had come into the store in the past hour. Adeline said not to worry. Although the locals frequented her shop regularly, they didn’t need a daily supply of chocolate.

  “Just wait a month and then you won’t have time to breathe, let alone take a lunch break,” Adeline said. “It sets me up for the rest of the year.”

  “Sounds exhausting.”

  Adeline laughed. “Sometimes. But I love it.” She slipped off the apron she wore, the shop’s logo embroidered on the front. “You ready to grab something to eat?”

  Bree glanced around. “You don’t need someone to watch the place while you’re gone?”

  “If anyone needs chocolate so bad they can’t wait an hour, they can track me down.”

  What would that lifestyle be like? It sounded so refreshing—freeing. Bree had gone to school for engineering, and it had been anything but relaxing. Her grandmother had paid for her education, but with the stipulation that Bree go into a ‘worthwhile’ field. This had been before Bree’s parents had built their own wealth.

  And now that Bree had her fancy degree?

  It meant she was pretty handy wi
th tools, and she could design most anything she wanted. That part was kind of cool. But her employer didn’t care about her creativity, they cared about her getting the job done. Which meant she had been stuck designing cup holders for the past six months. It provided her with a nice paycheck. But that was about it.

  While Bree had been in school, she had pitied Adeline’s degree in entrepreneurship. Now she envied it.

  Who knew, maybe there was still time to learn how to make chocolates and live as Adeline did. Whatever her friend said, Bree knew that chile chocolate would be the next big thing.

  Bree stepped out from behind the counter. “We still have plenty of food at the house.” Muffins, sandwiches, fish, and a cheese platter awaited them. And Jessie had been true to her word and returned the previous evening with blackberry tarts.

  “Let’s have all that for dinner. I actually had something else planned.” Adeline took her keys out of her purse.

  Bree followed Adeline out the door and waited while her friend locked up, wondering what Adeline was up to. “Really.”

  “Uh-huh.” Adeline started down the boardwalk. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Depends on where you’re taking me.” Bree’s gaze scanned the distance. There were a couple of seafood restaurants a ways down, the types of places that had fishing nets hanging on the outside as part of their decor. But Adeline wouldn’t take Bree there, not after her confession. Right?

  Thankfully, Adeline moved away from the boardwalk and onto the beach. “I thought a picnic would be nice on your first real day here. I asked a friend to pick up a few things from our local diner.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t tell Erwin; he’d be devastated that we didn’t visit his restaurant first. He owns Seaside Bay.”

  That wasn’t going to be a problem—there was no way Bree would tell Erwin. Her thoughts stalled, however, when she came upon a blanket set up with plates and three picnic baskets. And Caleb.