are you trying to do?” Caitlyn whispered, hearing the pain, the heartbreak in her voice. Because that’s what it was. Noah had broken her heart when he’d left, when they’d had their last fight, and she hadn’t forgotten that pain.
“Maybe I still believe in second chances,” Adriana said simply and let herself be helped into the car by Henry. Caitlyn waited a moment and then followed.
Chapter 19
Caitlyn woke the next morning as dawn crested. She lay in her old bedroom, which faced north, and watched from an angle as the sun rose, pushing light up over the ridge of hills that ringed the harbor. The light appeared from behind the spindly branches of the bare trees, turning them into black lines etched against the very pale sky. Cold air seeped in from the window she left cracked open, and she took a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of sand and salt water, mixed in with mud, the smell weakened by the fall’s strong wind.
In the summer, the whole scent would be stronger, and there would be more to it, perhaps a whiff of gasoline, the smell of barbeque. Instead, this morning she could smell fire, someone burning leaves.
She’d been avoiding her runs along the beach, a normal, but silly reaction. But she shouldn’t keep putting it off any longer. She needed to reclaim her beach, from both the dead and the living. Caitlyn pulled on her warm running pants, a turtleneck and a fleece vest.
Setting off from the drive, she took her traditional path, finding her stride a little rough after her time off. She didn’t really like the exercise bit, but it was something you had to do, she reminded herself. It got a little better after the first mile, and she started to zone out, focusing only on her breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.
She had to pass Sailor’s Rock, but it wasn’t until she rounded the bend for the final stretch that she saw him standing there against the sky, hair blowing. She guessed he had made it home last night after all. She looked away quickly, eyes straight ahead of her as she ran towards home. She had as much right to be on the beach as anyone else.
“Caitlyn,” he called, the name stretching out with the wind. She debated whether or not to keep going, but she heard him jump to the ground, the rocks sliding underneath him as he came after her. She slowed her pace and then stopped, turning. He was jogging towards her, one hand raised in hello.
<<>>
Noah had a feeling she’d be here; in fact, he was waiting for her. He hadn’t been quick enough to see her leave, had wondered if she’d left with the guy in the suit, the banker who’d been all over her all night.
She was breathing heavily, beads of sweat across her forehead.
“So, you got home all right?” she asked casually.
“No thanks to you,” he smiled faintly. It had been hard to watch Caitlyn dancing with a parade of bankers, their grabbing hands on Caitlyn’s bare skin. He had watched one of them escort her off the dance floor with his hand on the small of her back, skin touching skin. But he couldn’t very well make a scene every time Caitlyn danced with someone, so he had paid attention to the blonde, whose name was Jennifer. She had given her number to him, but he threw it away as soon as he left. He drove home with the windows open to clear his head.
“You?” he asked equally as casually.
“Yes, the car took us home to Adriana’s, and then I drove back from her place.”
“Did you have a good time?” he asked.
“Relatively,” she said, though something flashed across her face. “Did you?”
“It was business. A little different than an all-night coding session with a bunch of college-aged kids, but not bad.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“About Horatio’s?
She nodded. “And everything. Everyone was all abuzz about you. Software entrepreneur, moving back to the East Coast, investing in restaurants. It sounds like you’ve been quite the busy boy.”
“I’ve been
“Maybe I still believe in second chances,” Adriana said simply and let herself be helped into the car by Henry. Caitlyn waited a moment and then followed.
Chapter 19
Caitlyn woke the next morning as dawn crested. She lay in her old bedroom, which faced north, and watched from an angle as the sun rose, pushing light up over the ridge of hills that ringed the harbor. The light appeared from behind the spindly branches of the bare trees, turning them into black lines etched against the very pale sky. Cold air seeped in from the window she left cracked open, and she took a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of sand and salt water, mixed in with mud, the smell weakened by the fall’s strong wind.
In the summer, the whole scent would be stronger, and there would be more to it, perhaps a whiff of gasoline, the smell of barbeque. Instead, this morning she could smell fire, someone burning leaves.
She’d been avoiding her runs along the beach, a normal, but silly reaction. But she shouldn’t keep putting it off any longer. She needed to reclaim her beach, from both the dead and the living. Caitlyn pulled on her warm running pants, a turtleneck and a fleece vest.
Setting off from the drive, she took her traditional path, finding her stride a little rough after her time off. She didn’t really like the exercise bit, but it was something you had to do, she reminded herself. It got a little better after the first mile, and she started to zone out, focusing only on her breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.
She had to pass Sailor’s Rock, but it wasn’t until she rounded the bend for the final stretch that she saw him standing there against the sky, hair blowing. She guessed he had made it home last night after all. She looked away quickly, eyes straight ahead of her as she ran towards home. She had as much right to be on the beach as anyone else.
“Caitlyn,” he called, the name stretching out with the wind. She debated whether or not to keep going, but she heard him jump to the ground, the rocks sliding underneath him as he came after her. She slowed her pace and then stopped, turning. He was jogging towards her, one hand raised in hello.
<<>>
Noah had a feeling she’d be here; in fact, he was waiting for her. He hadn’t been quick enough to see her leave, had wondered if she’d left with the guy in the suit, the banker who’d been all over her all night.
She was breathing heavily, beads of sweat across her forehead.
“So, you got home all right?” she asked casually.
“No thanks to you,” he smiled faintly. It had been hard to watch Caitlyn dancing with a parade of bankers, their grabbing hands on Caitlyn’s bare skin. He had watched one of them escort her off the dance floor with his hand on the small of her back, skin touching skin. But he couldn’t very well make a scene every time Caitlyn danced with someone, so he had paid attention to the blonde, whose name was Jennifer. She had given her number to him, but he threw it away as soon as he left. He drove home with the windows open to clear his head.
“You?” he asked equally as casually.
“Yes, the car took us home to Adriana’s, and then I drove back from her place.”
“Did you have a good time?” he asked.
“Relatively,” she said, though something flashed across her face. “Did you?”
“It was business. A little different than an all-night coding session with a bunch of college-aged kids, but not bad.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“About Horatio’s?
She nodded. “And everything. Everyone was all abuzz about you. Software entrepreneur, moving back to the East Coast, investing in restaurants. It sounds like you’ve been quite the busy boy.”
“I’ve been
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