“Wow, this is fantastic,” said Chad appreciatively as he ambled over. Penny trailed behind him, looking a little skittish all of a sudden, like maybe she wasn’t sure whether Lorcan and Lucy would want to hang with her after what happened at the pageant.

“Your castle looks pretty good,” said Lucy. She leveled a solid look at Penny. “Ours is better, though.”

Penny peeped at her from under her eyelashes. “Yeah. I’d be really surprised if yours or Babe’s didn’t win.”

While everyone else chatted and waited for the results of the competition, I turned to Levi. “You came.”

There wasn’t a trace of the betrayal I’d seen at the exhibition. Just the same soft promise I’d seen before. “Hi, Babe,” he said quietly, shuffling toward with me with his hands buried deep in his pockets, bunched up into balls like he was nervous.

“How are you?” I asked at the same time he opened his mouth.

A rueful smile tugged at his lips. “I was about to ask you the same thing.” He pulled one hand out of his pocket and unfurled his fist, revealing a shiny silver bracelet set with the sea glass he’d picked up that day we’d gone blueberry picking.

“Is this the sea glass?” I asked, picking it up. “You polished it. It’s beautiful.”

The cuff bracelet was thin and delicate, spidery in the silver wire filigree work. In the center, several glossy, imperfect pieces of sea glass were lined neatly in a row.

“Someone at the art center showed me how to do the metalwork,” said Levi. “I was going to give it to you the night of the exhibition. I know my timing sucks, but I made it for you and I think it should be with you. May I?” At my nod, he slipped it over my wrist.

My skin tingled where his fingertips touched me.

“I’m sorry,” he said, breaking the pregnant pause.

“Don’t be,” I said. “You came in the end. I didn’t think you would.”

His eyes flew to mine. “I wasn’t talking about this.” He gestured to the beach, where the judges were still walking around with their clipboards, taking notes on the sandcastles.

“I’m sorry. Not for keeping Elodie’s name secret, because that was her call, but for you finding out the way you did,” I said. I took a deep breath. “I never meant for you to think I was using you to make her jealous. It was never like that. She’s my past, you’re my—” I had to stop myself. I had no idea if he was my future anymore, let alone my present.