Chapter 3

Twenty minutes later, we were back at the beach. I recognized the bumpy road in and could hear the heavy pounding of the shore break. Had I really gone out into that, like a total idiot?

“Oh, crap! I can’t drive my car!”

“What does it look like?”

“Uh…red? Oh, yeah, it’s a red Mustang convertible.”

There was a brief silence, then Steven said, “Dude, it’s not here. There’s nothing here. Did you leave your clothes on the beach?”

“No, in the car. In…the…car. Shit. Well, shit.”

“They must have been very fast, as I don’t remember seeing a car like that on our way out. Geez, there’s so much car theft here. Paradise, right. I’m so sorry.”

A hand cupped my cheek, and, I realized, wiped off the tears that were leaking down my face. The tears made my eyes sting, and I was ashamed to be caught crying.

Steven patted my knee. “Well, then, we’re going to my house, unless there’s somewhere you’d rather go. Where are you staying?”