Down on the beach, a figure is climbing out of the surf. It’s too far away for me to see his face, but that shock of dark hair tells me who it is.

Cole Culver.

I watch him bend down and pick up a T-shirt. Shake out the sand. Pull it over his head. Then I lose sight of him. He disappears into the dunes, and I can’t see him anymore. Not until he emerges onto the green lawn a few minutes later.

He’s running now. Not jogging. Full-out running up the big hill toward the farmhouse. Like some kind of monster is hot on his heels in pursuit. And I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from him. There’s something beautiful about the way he moves across the bright green grass. Like he’s pure energy. His feet don’t touch the ground.

I manage to force my eyes down toward my script when he gets close, but he keeps on coming. He doesn’t stop until he reaches the sea porch, and then he leans down, hands on his knees. Breathing hard. And dripping. Salt water sliding down his cheeks and arms. His neck.

Not that I’m looking at his neck.

“Hey, skeptic girl,” he pants. “You busy?”

I look up, like I only just noticed him, and Cole is standing at the bottom of the steps, grinning at me. It’s weird seeing him in the daylight, almost like I’d imagined he was a ghost himself. But here he is with his annoyingly good hair and his smoky eyes.

“Reading,” I say. And I hold up my copy of the script.

Cole smirks and takes the steps in one long stride. He settles down beside me, just like I’d invited him. “Is it any good? I’ve never read it.”

I can’t tell if he’s being a smart-ass.

“It’s not bad,” I say with a straight face. “I think it could be a big hit.” Cole laughs then. It’s a real, genuine laugh, and it kind of makes me forget how cocky he was last night.

“Hey,” he starts, almost like he can read my mind. “About that story I told at the bonfire. I wasn’t trying to freak you out. I just—”

“You didn’t freak me out,” I say. “I don’t believe in that kind of stuff. I told you that.”

“Yeah. You did. Right.”

Cole reaches into his pocket and pulls out another little piece of sea glass. This one is a pinkish color. It reminds me of a shell. He rubs it between his finger and his thumb as he stares at the water, and I wonder what he’s really doing here.