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Chapters (47)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraphs
  5. Prologue
  6. Part One
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. Part Two
  25. EIGHTEEN
  26. NINETEEN
  27. TWENTY
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. TWENTY-EIGHT
  36. TWENTY-NINE
  37. THIRTY
  38. THIRTY-ONE
  39. THIRTY-TWO
  40. THIRTY-THREE
  41. THIRTY-FOUR
  42. THIRTY-FIVE
  43. THIRTY-SIX
  44. THIRTY-SEVEN
  45. Acknowledgments
  46. About the Author
  47. Newsletter Sign-up

Ann didn’t realize she’d been lost in a spell until Anthony cleared his throat. “Well. I hope you’ll forgive me. This is entirely inappropriate, Ann. My work has been stressful—incredibly stressful—and the drive out here was long. Horrible traffic at the bridge. When I walked into my room and saw you, what could I do?” He paused. “What could any man do?”

“It’s—it’s fine,” she said.

“No. It’s not. I let this go too far. It was my good fortune to see you in all your glory. Now if you’ll excuse me, you should change. Mo would be upset if she knew you were rummaging around through her things. She likes to keep things separate.”

Keep things separate? What did that mean, she wondered.

“But don’t worry, I won’t share your secret.”

“My secret?”

“I wouldn’t think of it.” He walked to the door and winked. “It was so nice to meet you, Ann.”

He lingered over her name before he walked out of the room and gently clicked the door shut behind him. By the time she’d taken off the dress and hung it back up she could hear his car engine turn over, followed by the sound of his wheels rolling backward.

FIVE

Poppy

Kit taught Poppy all the parts of the board: nose, tail, deck, rails. Before they even got in the water she lectured her about safety, which made Poppy think Kit was a little less cool, because safety was something only adults were supposed to care about.

Poppy’s parents took the ocean seriously. Over the years, Poppy and Ann had frequently lost track of the shore while they were swimming. Depending on the direction of the wind, the gentle pull of the tide would slowly and imperceptibly tug them north toward Truro, or south toward Orleans. They’d get caught up in their bodysurfing, and when they looked at the beach for the lifeguard stand and the familiar yellow umbrella marking their parents’ encampment, they’d see only a blank expanse of sand. Suddenly, they would swim to shore and race down the beach, finding Ed and Connie frantically calling out their names. They knew that the pull of the ocean could take their girls away into unsafe waters, farther from the main swimming areas, where the seals swam and the sharks followed.