Now that I was here, it was easy to think of Busy’s as my castle and the separating counter as my moat. It divided me and Penny, made me feel a little less emotionally and physically attached. Not quite a drawbridge, but it’d work in a pinch.

“Slow morning,” I said, surveying the room.

Busy’s earned its name during the summer months when the tourists descended en masse on our coastal Maine town. In the days leading up to tourist season, however, work consisted of chatting with the locals who came in with their books and portable chess sets, half-heartedly wiping down spotless counters, and offloading the day’s baked goods before they got dry and stale.

“Mhm.” Lucy pressed domed plastic lids on the to-go cups. “Everyone’s down at the beach. Surprised you didn’t see them.”

Truth be told, I’d been a little distracted by Penny’s presence, otherwise I was sure I would have been more observant. Hands behind my back, I tightened the apron strings. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Sign-ups for the sandcastle competition start today!” Lucy chirped, sticking in the bright red straws. “You signing up?”

My neck prickled. The sandcastle competition was an annual tradition that came around every August, and competition was fierce. In the weeks leading up to the event, our town would spill over with tourists, and there wouldn’t be a lot of space on the beach to practice.

In the kids’ division, teams could have as many members as they wanted, since it was all about the fun of participation. When we were younger, Chad, Penny, and I had dominated the competition, but once we hit sixteen, we were in the adult group. It also meant everyone taking part was in it to win it, and there were some pretty savage pseudo-professional sandcastles erected on our beach. And because it was more competitive, teams were restricted to just two people. Since Chad and Penny were dating … well, it hadn’t been a surprise who the odd woman out had been.

“Signing up for what?” asked Penny. She sidled up to the counter and leaned forward on her elbows.

I made eyes at Lucy, but she answered Penny anyway.

“The sandcastle competition,” said Lucy. She shot Penny a grin. “Think you and Chad have what it takes to beat me and Lorcan?”

Penny’s smile dwindled. It was no secret that she and Chad always came in second to Lucy and her boyfriend. Chad always stressed, coming up with convoluted plans to maximize the number of towers and fortify the walls against collapse. Penny hated getting sand everywhere, but she loved the limelight of being a winner’s girlfriend.

“Hey, sorry. Too early in the day for trash talk?” Lucy made eye contact with the table of girls and waved them over to collect their drinks.

As the door banged shut behind them, Penny said, “I’m not competing this year.”