cuffing the gravel as she stared at the old rowboat propped against the garage. It was a relic from her childhood, a weathered wooden thing her father had bought before the divorce, its

sn't ready to let go of the boat-or the memories it carried-

into submission," Evan's voice came from behind,

as tucked under a faded baseball cap, giving him a boyish charm that made her heart stutter. Since their moment on the deck yesterday, when his hand had brushed hers

tone. "She wants the boat pretty for her clie

"Sounds like a two-person job. Mind if I help? I'm avoiding M

lling, dangerous, and too tempting to step back. But the boat needed fixing, and she couldn't do it alone

eyes crinkling. "Deal.

ards, his movements precise yet effortless. The air smelled of sawdust and salt, the ocean's hum a constant companion. Lila stole glances at him, watching the way his hands worked-str

odding at the board he'd just replaced. "

his hand. "I worked construction in college. Built a fe

up, caught by the sincerity in his voi

're sturdy. Beautiful, even with the rou

p her neck. His words were a current, pulling her under, and she didn't know how to swim back to s

was reclaiming something lost. Evan handed her a water bottle, their fingers brushing for a fleeting second, and the spark was there aga

silence as he mixed paint, a soft blue that match

He'd tell me about the fish, the currents, like he was teaching me the ocean's secrets." Her voice softened, the memo

ounds like it means more than just wood

t now Claire's turning it into a prop fo

t confiding. "Sometimes, the things we lov

ut him, about Claire, about the loneliness she'd glimpsed in him yesterday-but the words stuck in her throa

mmed softly, an old folk tune Lila didn't recognize, and she found herself smiling, the sound weaving into

the paint. His touch lingered, warm and deliberate, and Lila froze, her heart pounding like the surf. His e

his hand back, his voice

turned back to the boat, her brush trembling slightly,

he boat gleamed, its blue hull a mirror of the sea, and Lila stepped back, her hands on her

h down. "High praise. You're n

. Her heart ached with the sweetness of it, the danger of it, and she wanted to say something, anything, to bridg

ls clicking on the pavement. She wore a tailored blazer, her blonde hair pull

ed at Evan, who was wiping paint from his hand

ing along," she said, her tone light but edged with something Lila couldn't place

ut Lila caught the tightness in his

eetheart, don't forget to call Mia about your birthday. I'v

her throat ti

mother's presence like a cold wave. She glanced at Evan, who was gathering the p

said, her voice soft, almos

r eyes for a brief, searing mo

Claire inside, the boat gleaming behind her, she felt the tide of her feelings rising-wild, unstoppable, and t