Last night, I had a dream about Noe.

We were on the ocean, straddling our boards and waiting for a wave, but the water was flat all the way to the horizon.

I told him we should head in and get some food, but he shushed me. “It’ll be worth the wait,” he assured me. “You’ll see.

Suddenly, it was night; the sun blinked out and there was the moon, bright and huge above us. I turned to ask Noe how he did it, but he was gone.

In his place was Luka. He looked confused when I asked where he came from. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

When I woke, I wasn’t sure how to feel. For some reason, though, I got up, checked the surf report, and snuck down the hall to Luka’s room.

He fell asleep in his clothes, a dress shirt and pants I’d never seen before. Even his tie was still knotted.

“Hey, Luk,” I whispered, shaking his shoulder. He swatted at me. I shook him again, then punched his arm.

“Stop, dude, I’m awake! God.” Groggy, he sat up and rubbed his palms into his eyes. “What do you want?”

I threw my spare rash guard at him. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The sunrise was a blaze of pink and white as we paddled out. We caught a good one right away, but it closed out quick and took us under.

“I can’t remember the last time we went surfing together,” Luka laughed, spitting water as he paddled back to me.

“Well, you never surf anymore. It’s been, like, two years since I even saw you pick up your board.” Worrying I hit a nerve, I added, “I mean, I get it. Dad hasn’t surfed since Noe died, either.”

Luka looked at me like I was speaking another language. “I didn’t quit surfing because it reminded me of Noe,” he said. “At first, yeah, it was because of that, but the main reason was because…” He trailed and shrugged. “…you stopped asking me to go with you.”

An ache formed in my chest. “I did?”

His fingers traced the design on his board, water beaded across the surface. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is, though.” I put my hand in the water and pushed myself closer. “Luk, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.... I mean, I never saw you go out on your own, so I guess I figured you didn’t want to go at all.”

“It was too hard to go by myself.” He shrugged again, his hair dripping in front of his face. “After a while, it felt too late.”

I thought about what Mom said yesterday: “Just because you react one way, at first...doesn’t mean that’s how you really feel.”

“I really am sorry, man.”

“It’s okay.” He skimmed some water at my face. “Better late than never.”

I splashed him back. We caught another barrel, this one open and stretching on for what seemed like miles. I even let him get ahead of me, at the end.

Now, hours later, we’re still out here. My muscles ache; it’s been a while since I spent this much time on the water, but I’m still not ready to leave.

“I should go,” Luka says, checking his watch just as I think this. “I’ve got a meeting at ten.”

While we paddle towards shore, I cut my eyes at him. I still see my kid brother, class clown, pain in the ass. But then, layered over that, I see more. Go-getter, future CEO-type, that boundless energy that always got him into trouble now channeled into something so different. It’s weird, the way all these things fit together. They shouldn’t, but looking at Luka, somehow, they do.

“Did Mom tell you I talked to Dad yesterday?”

“Yeah. She said he didn’t take it well. Which I assume means he totally lost his shit.”

I laugh. “Yeah, that’s about right.”

“She, uh...also mentioned you were changing your mind. About taking over.”

I let my silence confirm this.

“I’m doing really well, man. I think when Dad sees that, in person, he’ll be okay with it.”

“I know you’re doing well. Trust me, it’s not like I want to take over.”

“Then why would you consider it?”

I focus on the warmth of the water as I paddle. Because I feel guilty.

Bottom line, that’s it. Mollie was right. Mom was right. Everyone seems to know it, including me. I just don’t see any way out of it. Even learning that Dad doesn’t blame me hasn’t absolved it.

“You know what I love most about the resort?” he asks.

I shake my head. I honestly can’t see why he likes it, let alone loves it.

“I love the size.” He stares down the beach, where the resort is just barely visible in the glare of the sun on the sand, blindingly white. “I love watching the chain of command, you know? I implement something at the top, and by the end of the day, it’s trickled down to the bottom. And I get, like, excited about going there every day. I’m always thinking of ways to make the place better.”

“Make more money, you mean?”

“Well, there’s that,” he smirks, “but it’s more about...the potential. There’s hundreds of ways this business could go. That’s fun for me, thinking about that stuff.”

“See, I don’t get that.” I wipe some salt from my brow. “To me, the whole thing is just too much. I don’t understand the appeal at all.”

“That’s my point,” he says. We slide off our boards, plant our feet in the sand, and walk to shore. “I don’t just love it. I get it. So it makes sense that I should run it.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, dude. But Dad—”

“He sees how much you hate it. And when he gets out of the hospital, he’ll see how much I love it. That’s when he’ll change his mind.” He pauses, hesitating as he glances my way.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Luka coughs, but I can tell it’s forced. “I mean, I was just thinking...maybe there’s another reason you feel like you have to take over.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Because you don’t know what else to do.”

I look down at my feet, churning up the sand as we walk. This assertion isn’t news to me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not embarrassed to hear someone else—someone younger than me, to top it off—tell it to me.

“Do something you love, Kai. Dad will get over it.”

“I don’t know what I’d love. The family business is all I’ve ever done.”

“Then how would taking over help you figure it out?” He pauses again. “Or even, you know…staying on the island, when you obviously don’t want to?”

I stop in my tracks and stare at him. He stops, too, and gives me a smug smile. “That’s right. I’m a lot smarter than I look.”

“Kai!”

Both of us turn. There’s a girl jogging towards us, and I know I’m not the only person on the beach who notices her bathing suit...um, bouncing. Luka, in particular, can’t seem to look anywhere else.

It’s Tanya, Mollie’s friend. She stops in front of us and catches her breath. “I’ve run all over this damn beach, looking for you,” she wheezes, taking off her sunglasses.

“How did you know I’d be on the beach?”

Tanya holds her side. “Right,” she says, “like a jobless surfer wouldn’t be out here on a perfect day.”

Luka laughs hysterically at this. I kick sand at his ankles.

“What are you doing here?” I ask her. “Is Mollie.... I mean, is she okay, or—”

“She’s leaving,” she blurts, finally able to take a breath without gasping. “And I know all that stuff you said to her yesterday was bullshit, so you’d better go stop her.”

“Leaving?”

“Leaving. As in, on her way to the airport right now.”

The heat from the sand radiates straight into my face. “Because of me?”

Tanya rolls her eyes. “Yes. So? Are you going to go after her or what?”

Words tangle in my head, then in my throat. “I—I don’t know,” I stammer. “She’d be leaving soon anyway, and—”

“You’re only doing this,” Tanya interrupts, “because you feel guilty about your brother. You know you don’t want to take over the business. Hell, you don’t even like being stuck on this island.”

I widen my eyes at her.

“Yeah,” she says, putting her sunglasses back on, “girls talk.”

“Look, it’s not that simple.” I glance at Luka; if anyone will back me up on this, it’s him. “Our dad is sick. I can’t just go jetting off with some girl I met a few days ago.”

“Actually,” Luka chimes in, and both of us stare at him, “it’s not the worst idea in the world. Dad would have to give me a shot, at least, if you weren’t around. Even if you just go for a couple weeks.”

“I can’t believe this.” I close my eyes and tilt my head up to the sky. I’m surrounded by insanity.

“At least tell her goodbye.” Tanya hands me a piece of paper. It’s got Mollie’s flight number and departure time written on it. “She deserves that much.”

This, I can’t argue.

I pass Luka my surfboard. “Carry this back for me,” I tell him, already running towards the road that leads home. “It’ll just slow me down.”

“No problem, your Majesty.” The last thing I hear is Tanya taking the board from him, offering to help, their easy laughter floating out across the sand.