Chapter 1

1

The Uber driver waved cheerfully as she peeled out of the shoulder and headed back towards the bridge to the mainland. Rob raised his own hand in a weak imitation of the gesture. He dropped his hand to adjust the backpack slung across one shoulder. Deep breath, in and out. The sun was low, but a few hours of sunlight remained. He eyed the dunes warily. Tufts of pale grass listed lazily in the wind. Sturdy wooden steps bridged the soft curves of sand.

Motionless, Rob took another deep breath, eyes closed. This was the right place. He knew it would be. Still, the confirmation that ran through his bones was a welcome feeling.

Exactly howhe knew wasn’t something he had the answer to. It was a sense, something that came as naturally as breathing. He mentally added the howto the list of questions he planned to ask, should he get the chance. He’d travelled a long way. It would crush him to walk away empty handed as he had so many times before.

He squared his shoulders and stepped decisively onto the first step. The wood felt good beneath his sneaker. Strong, solid. Emboldened, he kept going until he reached the top of the dune. He looked out at the length of beach before him. Low, lazy waves of blue grey crashed against white sand. There was a scattering of blankets and umbrellas, but most of the vast stretch of sand was vacant. June was barely halfway over. Not quite tourist season yet.

The stark white paint of the lifeguard stand stood out against the dull sand. Rob glanced back over his shoulder. It wasn’t too late. He could message that Uber driver. She had been nice enough. She would pick him up, take him somewhere else. Anywhere but here.

The brief mental debate wasn’t a true struggle. Rob hadn’t waited all this time to turn tail now that he was so close to others. Others like him. Others who might know what the hell was wrong with him. They very well might send him away, but Rob was committed to see things through until the end.

Besides, the Uber driver had been toonice. Her wide smile and flirty giggles had set Rob’s nerves on edge. She had not been his type, but he had certainly been hers, and it had taken every ounce of his willpower to reign in his…whatever itis that he had, and not influence her into liking him even more than she already did.

Rob sat down at the top of the stairs and unlaced his sneakers. He pulled them off, along with his socks, and stuffed them into his backpack. He paused to roll his shoulders and stretch out his spine before he shifted the bag back onto his shoulders and made his way down the rest of the stairs.

A slow sigh of relief shuddered out as his feet touched the sand. He burrowed his toes and inhaled deeply to absorb as much of the crisp, salty air as he could. This was not hisbeach. His beaches were filled with uneven, gravelly sand, and guarded by high, rocky cliffs. His beaches had low, harsh waves that slammed against the surf like careless fists. For as laid back as Northern California was, her beaches were rough and wild.

New Jersey’s beaches were softer, calmer. A small child jumped happily in the shorter waves without threat of being toppled over by their brute strength. The sand slipped between Rob’s toes like granulated silk. These supple edges were not hisbeach, but they still felt like home.

His chest swelled with hope as he started his trek towards the lifeguard stand. He felt drawn to it, knew somehow that it housed what he was looking for.

He stopped in his tracks as a figure leapt gracefully from the stand and began to walk towards him without hesitation. Rob took another step, but paused again as the figure raised one hand slightly, palm facing outwards in an obvious “halt” signal.

Rob tried to shift his weight into a casual slouch, but soon abandoned the effort. He had never been cool in his life. There was no point in making an attempt as this late date. Instead, he straightened his stance and squinted slightly as he sized up the approaching figure.

It appeared to be a woman, curves hugged by a red one-piece Speedo bathing suit. Dark red hair was pulled back tightly into a knot at the top of her head, which was adorned by a Driftwood Beach Patrol visor. Tanned arms skimmed her sides as they swayed in time with her gait. For all her relaxed posturing, there was an edge of something dangerous in the way her eyes flashed as she got close enough for expression to come into view. The bright smile on her face did nothing to make Rob feel at ease. He got the feeling it wasn’t meant to.