He tilted his head to the side, balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder. “I’m still sharing my art on Instagram, yeah. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve gotten a lot more engagement since—no, I’m not accusing you of stalking my account. I’m not trying to hide anything, Mom. Go! Look all you want. Everyone loves the new stuff I’m putting up.”

I flashed him a thumbs-up.

He made a sound of frustration. “I’m just saying that it’s not the career killer you and that hack agent thought it was.” He made a face at me. “Yeah, I have gotten a lot of interest. Some new commissions, too. Someone asked me if I could do her wedding invitations for her. She wants to get married right here in Oar’s Rest. She fell in love with the lighthouse.” He caught my eye and shot me a small smile.

He spoke to his mom for another couple of minutes, assuring her he was eating well and that he was super happy here. By the time he hung up, his cheeks were a little pink. “Sorry,” he apologized again. “She hates that I’m so far away. She’s been calling me a lot since we made up. I think I’m wearing her down about everything, though. Maybe by the end of summer, she’ll actually let me do things my way.”

“She gets why you had to leave?”

Levi nodded. “Yeah. Dad does, too. He’s still pissed about the hole my pushpin left in his map, though.” A half smile curled his lips. “But that’s just how he is.”

“You’re getting more commissions,” I said. “That’s really good.”

“It’s different from what I’ve painted before. They were pretty, but a little generic. Since coming here, I feel like my style has evolved into something with more character.”

I nodded. I could see the new nuance in his work, too. “Maine left its mark on you.”

“Or you did,” he said lightly.

My face warmed. I hoped that was true.

“What now?” he asked, leaning forward to survey the rest of the tools. “Measuring spoons?” He lifted them out with a wry grin.

“For decorations.” I pulled out some starfish and clamshell cookie cutters. “The sandcastles look really pretty when you decorate them with seaweed and shells.”

“Could we try making something bigger?” he suggested, pointing to the nearest sandcastle.

I grinned. “Let’s go for it.”