“The one over there, beside Louise, is Stan the Magic Fish,” Taylor said. “Legend has it that Stan would grant three wishes to the fisherman who caught him. For centuries, men from all over the world attempted to catch him. Then, one day in the 1950s, a woman named Louise accomplished the impossible.”

Finley snorted, then covered her face with her hands as the three of them literally rolled around laughing. When Taylor caught her breath, she continued.

“No woman had ever tried to catch Stan, so naturally he was curious about her wishes. Louise’s first wish was for a million dollars. Her second wish was for a brand-new Cadillac. And her third wish was that she would get away with killing her husband. Once Stan granted the wishes, Louise filleted him and cooked him into a casserole.”

They laughed until their stomachs ached, and even afterward, one of them would think about Louise and start giggling, making them crack up all over again. Eventually, they fell into an easy silence, just watching the sky until the first meteor streaked past.

Now Willa scans the stars, searching for Louise and Stan the Magic Fish with a whirlwind of anger and sadness spinning inside her. She never imagined losing Taylor would actually feel like a loss, but now both Finley and Taylor are gone. Willa catches the trail of a shooting star, but it’s too late to make a wish. And she knows her wish will never come true.

Willa falls asleep in the cockpit and the morning brings a sky that’s nothing but blue. She’s slathering on a coat of sunscreen when Taylor comes walking down the dock with her duffel bag and her cat.

Taylor

ON THE DRIVE TO SANDUSKY, both her mom and Mrs. Donoghue assured Taylor that there was no shame in not wanting to continue the trip. Back at home, as her family sat around their backyard firepit, her dad said, “Not everyone enjoys sailing, Taylor.” But she saw the mix of pity and confusion etched on her brothers’ faces, like she’d been switched at birth and their real sister was out there somewhere, longing for water.

Taylor tried to convince herself that her parents were right, but it didn’t stop her from feeling like she’d failed Finley. Or feeling guilty that she’d held Willa to a different standard. Now Willa would be the one to experience everything on Finley’s list and Taylor would be the one missing out.

Her parents went to bed at ten, and Carter left to meet some friends at a bar downtown, leaving Taylor and Campbell alone. She poked at the fire, sending up sparks. “Did I do the right thing?”