“I’m going to run the gift shop at the Surf for Laura this summer. After that, we’ll see. I may reopen the Attic next season, but it’s getting late for that this year.”

“It might be nice to have a summer where you don’t have all the responsibility of running your own business.”

“My thoughts exactly. Have you made any plans, yet?”

“Not really. I’ve had a few people ask me to help them with some things here. It’s enough to keep me busy for a couple of weeks. After that, we’ll see,” he said, using her words.

His phone chimed with a text. “Crap.”

“What’s wrong?” Abby asked.

“Forgot to tell my mom I wasn’t coming home last night.”

“That wasn’t very nice.”

“I know. It’s been a long time since I had to tell her where I was. I’ve fallen out of the habit.”

“Doesn’t mean she won’t worry about you.”

“I’ve been duly chastised by both of you. Won’t happen again.”

While Adam exchanged texts with his mother, Abby kicked off her shoes and wandered down to the water, dipping her toes into the chilly surf. By the time he joined her, she’d rolled up the cuffs of her jeans and wandered in farther. The sand between her toes was a welcome reminder of summer days at the beach, one of her favorite places to be.

“We used to come down here to skinny-dip when we were kids,” Adam said when he joined her.

“I’ve never done that.”

“Never? You grew up on an island, and you’ve never skinny-dipped?”

“Nope.”

“You really did miss out, didn’t you?”

“I was too busy being a good girl. They don’t have as much fun as the bad girls.”

His lips quivered with amusement. “So now you’ve gone to the dark side.”

“You know it, and I’m never going back. It’s all about me now. It’s all about what I want.”

“Good for you.” He bumped against her playfully. “You should have everything you want.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” She thought of something else she wanted to say, but hesitated.

“What?”

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea if I ask about Grant, but I can’t help being concerned about him after what you told me yesterday.”

“I understand. My mom said he slept better last night and seems to be more like his old self today, according to Stephanie.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” She glanced up at him. “You don’t think it’s weird that I asked about him, do you?”

“Not at all. You were with him a long time, and you still care about him. I get it.” He took her hand. “Let’s walk.” They wandered along the shore, enjoying the view of the sandy cliffs and ocean. “You ever miss him?”