With her, I had found it all.
Everything was falling into place. I could see our future, feel it…grasp it with my fingertips. Life was moving forward and I finally had everything I’d been searching for.
Until it all slipped away, so fast I could do nothing but watch it all crumble around me like sand.
* * *
Looking over the giant case of desserts at the local bakery, I tried to make a snap decision and failed.
After weeks of sheer bliss with Everly, I still had no idea what her favorite dessert was.
I guess I could add that to the pile of things left to discover. It had suddenly become my favorite pastime.
“Can I help you?” the old man behind the counter asked. He had kind eyes and bits of flour streaked across his weathered face. Based on the lack of employees and size of the place, I was guessing he was the owner and wore just about every hat under the roof.
As he arched back, stretching his tired old body, I looked over the large case of desserts again, wondering how much time it took him to make each and every one of them by hand. Every single day.
“What would you recommend for a coffee lover?” I asked, with a solid grin as I surveyed his life’s work. Each dessert was like a piece of art, and I could see the proud gleam in his eyes as he spoke.
“Oh, well—you can’t go wrong with chocolate,” he responded, pointing to several different cakes, cookies, and brownies that would go especially well.
“I’ll take them all,” I said. His eyes lit up in delight.
“Yes, sir!” he answered eagerly, and got to work on boxing up half the store—because that’s just about what I’d ordered.
But I didn’t care, because tonight Everly and I were celebrating. After submitting my work to several galleries around the city and hearing nothing for weeks, I’d given up hope. I was a new talent—never heard of and really, why would anyone want to take me on? It had been a risky long shot, but after sitting at home for months on end without any other employable skills, it was one I’d needed to take.
Finally, I’d received the phone call I’d been waiting for. A small, local gallery wanted to display a few of my photographs—on a trial basis—but if they sold, it could work out to be something more permanent.
It was a beginning, a start for something real, and I couldn’t wait to share it with Everly. I couldn’t wait to share everything with Everly.
With my purchases in hand, I left a very happy bakery owner behind and headed for home. Everly would be reaching the end of her shift soon and I wanted to have everything just perfect before she got there.
Summer had arrived without much fanfare in San Francisco. The weather had warmed slightly and the fog had grown thicker, but other than the increase in tourism, not much had changed. It was what made California so desirable—the total lack of seasons. There was no snow to plow, no leaves to rake, and when summer came to the bay, people continued to wear t-shirts and jeans through August, as if nothing changed.
What kept me here, though, was the view—the never ending coastal views. I would have easily given up every penny I had if it weren’t for the panoramic coastline that greeted me every single time I walked in my front door. I may have been a giant asshole back in the day, but I’d managed to get one thing right and that was this house.
Fumbling with packages and cake boxes, I made my way through the front door and set everything in the kitchen. Knowing I had time left before Everly got off work, I grabbed a beer and stepped out on the deck that overlooked the Pacific.
The waves crashed and unfurled below, and the salty spray of the ocean filled my lungs with a sense of peace I’d never thought I’d find. This house finally felt like a home to me. It finally felt like it belonged to me, rather than to a stranger.
Walking in here for the first time all those months ago was like stepping into a life I didn’t want. How could I wake up with the same name and yet be so completely different?
I’d known from the first moment I saw her appear in my hospital room. I didn’t want to be the August Kincaid she remembered, but I had no idea who I wanted to become, so somewhere in the middle I’d managed to find a common ground. I was still a work in progress, but so far, I was digging the life I’d discovered in the midst of it all.
“Remember when I helped you move in here, and we stood out here like fucking kings on a castle tower?” An unfamiliar voice shot through the crashing tide.
Fuck, I really needed to learn to lock the damn door.
My head whipped around to meet my intruder face to face. He was tall, well-built, with glaring brown eyes and a menacing sneer that might pass for a smile. His wavy black hair matched his tailored suit perfectly. He oozed money and sophistication, probably wearing more money in fashion on his body at the moment than most people made in a year.