“What exactly are we looking for?”

Gareth stared at the front of the small boat where Katelyn sat facing him, binoculars hanging around her neck. Her long hair hung in a braid down her back and his eyes dropped to her yellow tank top, underneath her hoodie, and cut-off jean shorts showcasing her long legs. Grinning, he said, “Well, I thought we would go around to the golf course, but I realize I have no chance of looking for any clues while you’re sitting there like that.”

“Like what?” she asked, her head cocked to the side.

“Like all my dreams rolled up into one gorgeous woman.”

Katelyn’s jaw dropped as her eyes lit. “Wow, that line alone was worth getting up at the ass-crack of dawn!”

“Well, it’s true,” he claimed, leaning forward to capture her lips. The boat rocked gently in the water as she threw her arms around his neck, his lips moving across hers. Pulling back regretfully, he kept his hand on the tiller. Throttling back, they drifted for a few minutes, the early morning sounds of the bay coming to life surrounding them. Gulls called from above before diving into the sparkling water. A blue heron stood statue-still with its legs in the surf, hunting for its next meal of fish.

Katelyn turned her face up toward the rising sun, letting the cool breeze toss her braid over her shoulder. With her eyes closed, she allowed the rocking movement of the boat to lull her thoughts along. Growing up on the bay afforded her the opportunity to spend as much time on or near the water as possible. Summers and weekends were filled with fishing off the pier, playing on the beach, learning to kayak and boat as soon as she could hold an oar.

A memory darted through her mind of Philip rowing her along the shore, landing in a small cove where she looked for sea glass. For a moment, with her eyes closed, she could almost imagine him sitting in the boat with her. But, instead of blond hair, his hair was brown. Instead of a teenage boy’s body, a hard, muscular body sat across from her. When he called her name, the voice was deeper…more mature.

“Katelyn…you awake?” the voice called out louder.

Her eyes opened with a jerk, blinking rapidly as her body jolted when the words penetrated. Seeing Gareth staring at her, his eyes full of mirth, she sat up quickly.

“I thought you’d gone to sleep for a moment,” he joked.

“No! Uh…no…just…um,” she babbled. Guilt flooded her, but she was uncertain what was worse—having trouble remembering Philip’s face or dreaming of him when out with Gareth. Licking her dry lips, she turned toward the shore, saying, “Maybe it’s time we headed in. I’m kind of hungry.”

Gareth watched her carefully, noting her sudden unease. “Sure,” he said, hesitantly, wondering what came over her.

Thirty minutes later, ensconced in one of the red, plastic booths of the diner, they ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

The long stretch of beach was unoccupied as Katelyn bent over to pick up a piece of sea glass. Dark blue—rare! Her thoughts may have been as tangled as her wind-blown hair, but she clutched the glass in her palm, its bright color giving her a reason to smile.

Hearing a shout behind her, she saw Jillian and Tori walking over the dune toward her. Slowing her pace, she allowed them to catch up as she gathered a few more pieces of glass.

“I thought you and Gareth were going out boating today,” Jillian said, her gaze already at their feet, her eyes searching for more sea glass.

“We did. We went this morning before breakfast.”

“So what are you doing out here alone?” Tori asked.

Shrugging, she turned toward the wind, allowing the breeze to sweep her hair back so she could pull it into a ponytail easier. “We ate at the diner and then I decided I wanted some time to myself.”

She noticed Jillian and Tori sharing a look, but pretended to not care. Facing downward, she continued to walk along the shore.

“Hey, sweetie,” Jillian said, placing her hand on Katelyn’s arm. “I’m not going to lie to you. Gareth called and asked if we would check on you. He said he thought you were upset about something.”

Pinching her lips together, Katelyn stopped walking, facing the bay, sighing heavily. After a long moment where the only sounds were the gulls calling, hoping they had crackers for them, she finally turned back to her friends, admitting, “I’m forgetting.”

Cocking their heads together simultaneously, Jillian and Tori remained quiet, letting Katelyn speak when she was ready.

Swallowing deeply, she repeated, “I’m forgetting…Philip.”

The three women slowly began walking again, this time their search for sea glass more instinctive than purposeful. After some silence, Katelyn said, “I used to look at his picture on my bedside table every night when I went to sleep and every morning when I woke up. I did this for years and years and years. Before Gareth spent the night the first time, I placed Philip’s picture in the drawer, not wanting to make Gareth uncomfortable. At first, the nightstand seemed naked, and now? I wake up and don’t even think about it. I jump out of bed and am ready to greet the day, knowing I’ll see Gareth.”

Coming to the end of the beach where the cement factory had a fence, halting their progress, the trio turned wordlessly and began walking back down the beach in the opposite direction.

“And this morning, Gareth and I were out on a boat and at one point, it was so peaceful…so quiet. I closed my eyes and my mind drifted off with the sun beaming on my face. I was taken back to when Philip and I would go out on his old boat, but then I couldn’t bring his face to mind. His blond hair was darker. And when he called my name, it wasn’t his voice. It was deeper. It was Gareth’s.”

Stopping suddenly, she turned to the others and her voice cracked as she asked, “What does that mean?”

Jillian stood toe to toe with Katelyn and placed both hands on her arms. “Sweetie, I think it means you are finally moving forward. You’re not being unfaithful to Philip, but you are letting him go. You’ve wrapped yourself in a blanket of grief for so long that it’s all you know. Now, life is giving you more and as you embrace it, you shed the grief blanket a little more each day.”

Sucking in her lips, trying to stave off the tears that threatened, Katelyn nodded. “I feel more alive than I have in so long.”

Tori wrapped her arms around Katelyn from the back, resting her head on her shoulder, placing her in the middle of a hug-sandwich. “There’s nothing wrong with feeling alive,” she said.

“But what if I forget Philip completely?”

“You won’t,” Jillian promised. “This town is full of places and people he knew. You’ll see him occasionally, on the ball field, in the diner, on a boat, and yes…sometimes when you’re with Gareth. But honey, you’re no longer living for his memory. You’re living with his memory. And you can do that and love Gareth at the same time.”

The three women held on to each other for a moment, silent emotions swirling around them as the breeze steadily blew inland.

* * *

Gareth leaned his arms on the wooden fishing rails of the city pier. The waves slapped against the pylons below and the gulls swooped down as a few fishermen cast their lines into the bay. The sun warmed him, although the breeze was cool, and as he dropped his gaze to the surf, he watched as schools of small fish moved as one around the rocks and crabs hovering nearby.

He felt a presence behind him, but before he could turn around, he heard a soft voice, instant recognition shooting through him.

“Hey.” The sound was barely more than a whisper but pierced his heart nonetheless.

Turning around, he observed the beautiful woman standing in front of him, her usual self-confidence replaced with a pinched expression.

“Hey, back-attcha,” he said. Leaning against the pier railing, he bent to catch her eyes. “You okay?”

Nodding jerkily, Katelyn replied, “Yeah. I was…well, you didn’t have to send…I was fine.”

“Hmmm,” he said, giving away little emotion. He lifted his hand to tuck a wayward strand behind her ear. “You want to sit?”

Taking her hand, he led her a few yards down the pier where a wooden bench overlooked the harbor. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she said, linking her fingers with his while her heart beat an erratic rhythm.

“Did you and Philip ever sit on this pier together?”

Uncertain of his reason for asking, she nodded hesitantly. “Yeah…we did. All of us did.”

“And the ball field?”

Nodding again, she searched his face for a clue as to what he was feeling.

“Jillian’s coffee shop…the diner…the town beach…Mitch’s beach cabin…your pub…”

“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, to all of those.” Suddenly afraid, she blurted, “Gareth, I don’t know what you mean. Philip and I were kids together. Part of this town. So just about everywhere you look, I spent time with him.” Hanging her head, her stomach sinking, she said, “Does this bother you?”

Turning his head to stare at her, he said nothing, causing her heart to pound more. “I can’t change it, Gareth. I can’t make this little town with all my growing-up memories go away. I can’t make it any less a place I spent with Philip than I can change the history I have with Jillian.”

Reaching up to cup her cool cheek, he rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin as he said, “I don’t want you to forget, Katelyn. I know there will be things that you do with me that you also did with him. Places we’ll be that you and he were together first.”

Cocking her head, she peered at his face, trying to understand the meaning behind his words. His eyes held hers captive and she remembered the first time she saw them.

A crowded night at Finn's. Aiden cracking jokes and Brogan barking orders. Same old, same old. But then, Zac shouted a greeting. “Gareth!”

As the crowd parted, Katelyn came to a halt in the middle of wiping down the bar as a pair of crystal blue eyes held hers. Men had come and men had gone from the old pub over the years, never catching her attention, but in that instant, her cold heart jolted with long-forgotten electricity.

“I don’t want you to forget,” Gareth repeated. “I just want to make new memories with you, but I need to know you’re okay with that as well.”

“I forgot.” Swallowing deeply, she tried again. “This morning…out on the boat…I forgot. I forgot Philip. When I closed my eyes, I didn’t see him…I saw you. I didn’t hear him…it was your voice that came to me.”

“Are you afraid of forgetting him?” Gareth asked softly, his thumb still caressing her cheek.

“I was at first. It felt strange…not disloyal, but just strange.”

“I’ll do anything to make it easier on you, Katelyn,” he promised.

Smiling, she felt a tear slide down her cheek, captured by his hand. “I don’t need anything to be easier,” she replied. “Jillian helped remind me that I no longer have to live for Philip’s memory. Instead I can live with his memory and still love you as well.”

“I love you, too.”

Nodding as her lips curved, she vowed, “With all my heart.”

Gareth’s breath caught in his throat as he captured her lips, the kiss taking everything she had to give while offering everything in return.