I looked up from the napkin I’d begun to shred into little pieces. “Play for you?”

He broke the chip he was holding in half. “I’m not a crowd. You wouldn’t have to take a stage. But I’m someone to hear whatever you want to put out into the world. Whatever you need to say. It’s a place to start.”

It was. And another little risk to add to my pile. But I wasn’t sure I could turn away from Brody or his offer. The idea that he might be able to hear what I needed to say without words but through bow and strings and movement was too intriguing. “I’ll think about it.”

His lips tipped up. “I’ll keep asking.”

12

Shay

Brody bent over, his hands on his knees, heaving. “You’re a masochist. You know that, right?”

I grinned as I caught my breath. “You’re the one who wanted to join my morning workout hour.”

He fell back onto the sand, pulling one of his knees up to his chest in a stretch. “I’m really questioning my sanity for that move.”

“It’s good for the body and the soul. Plus, it might turn you into a morning person.”

“Six a.m. is still night.”

I folded over in a stretch. “By the time you’re up and ready, the sun is rising.”

“Barely.”

I shook my head as I stared down at my sneakers. Sunrise was my favorite part of the day. Everything was so still and serene. It felt as if I were the only person in the world. I’d thought having Brody along for the ride would make me twitchy. Annoyed that another person was invading this sacred space I’d created for myself. Instead, I loved it.

Maybe it was because he always started out the workouts so quiet, still half asleep. But by the end, he was griping and giving me a hard time. It was the perfect balance. Still getting that hit of peace but not feeling so alone.

Brody and I had slipped into a routine of sorts over the past couple of weeks. Working out in the mornings and having breakfast together before I headed off to take care of my tasks for the day, and he locked himself away in his makeshift studio. More than a few evenings a week, we’d meet to share dinner, sometimes a board game or a movie. Everything had remained light since that day at lunch where Brody had shared with me what had driven him from New York. I’d learned that he hated mushrooms and had a soft spot for old Westerns. He’d discovered my addiction to Skittles, how I always had to eat them sorted by color, and that I was a sore loser at Yahtzee.