Cody’s dad waved her off as a crack of thunder shook the house. He raced around the cottage and into the garage, returning moments later with the biggest golf umbrella Louisa had ever seen. He balanced his spatula in one hand and the umbrella in the other, carefully flipping the burgers so no water touched them, but as soon as he closed the lid to the grill, he folded the umbrella, spun back to face them and grinned, letting the water soak him straight through.

Marissa opened the door a crack, and the water, which seemed to be coming down sideways, pelted the door. “Daniel!”

“Why are you all hiding inside?” he called out. “It’s a beautiful day!”

He laughed that infectious, jovial laugh, and Louisa giggled. Her feet were bare, her pink toenail polish chipping at the edges. She wore her swimsuit and shorts and her hair was still damp from their long day at the beach.

She opened the door and raced out on the deck as Mr. Boggs hopped onto the grass, kicking up water from a puddle that had formed.

“LuLu!” he called out. “Are you the only other soul brave enough for a wild adventure?”

She let out a scream as she followed him into the yard and ran around, the rain soaking her, and then all of a sudden, he stopped and looked up at the sky, arms stretched out wide. “Feel that, Louisa?” he hollered over the sound of the rain. “That’s God making everything new. No matter what, he can always make things new.”

Ever since that day, when it rained, the words drifted through her mind, a quiet comfort, even on the days that felt overwhelming. “That’s God making everything new. No matter what, he can always make things new.”

How many times in her life had she relied on those new and fresh days? How many times had she been grateful for a second chance? She glanced at Cody, standing in the doorway of her kitchen, and thought maybe this was one of those times. A second chance. An opportunity to do better.

She glanced down and saw he was holding an unmarked box under his right arm. “What’s that?”

“Some of my dad’s stuff,” he said.

The box appeared to be taped shut. “What’s in it?”

“Not sure. I’ve never opened it before.”

In a flash, she heard his screams, echoing through the past. She’d been there as they pulled Daniel’s body from the ocean. She remembered the heartbreak on Cody’s face, in his sobs.

“I’m so sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry.”