Sasha dropped me off at the Dune Scape office. She still had to finish her shift at the front desk before tonight’s bonfire. The local group gathered on the beach as many nights a week as they could before the summer was too busy to do anything.

Cole’s truck was gone. He had left to make another supply run. The Dune Scape apparently didn’t accept the memo that he didn’t want to spend any more money on parts. This morning he found a crack in room eighteen’s sliding door. It looked like a seagull had flown smack into the glass. The patio was covered with feathers.

The sun was setting on the sound side of the island, the perfect time to hit the beach for a run. I changed into my running shorts and tank top.

Grayson was on the floor surrounded by trains.

“Want to head to the beach?” I asked. “We can look for seagulls.”

He jumped up. “Birds. Beach.”

I laughed. He was cute. Adorable. Even if he wasn’t Cole’s son I would have loved this child. He was sweet and seldom got upset. I knew children were resilient, but this one seemed to take all the uncertainty in his life without complaint.

I understood why Cole worked so hard to give him stability.

“Ok, let’s get your shoes and we’ll find some birds.”

I stooped to lace up his tiny shoes. We walked outside and jogged across the boardwalk.

The beach was littered with late afternoon sunbathers. I watched as two toddlers took turns dumping water out of their buckets and squealing every time the waves lapped their toes. Their parents caught every second of the action with their phones and cameras.

I wondered if Grayson saw scenes like that and wondered why his parents weren’t together.

“Let’s go this way.” I pointed.

I hadn’t explored the beach toward the south, so we took a right and settled into an even pace. My feet pushed off the sandy surface and I dodged rushing waves, making a game for myself. Grayson was on my heels and I would circle back around to chase him. As soon as we crossed the barrier for the first resort, we made a U-turn for the Dune Scape.

It wasn’t my standard run, but it was more fun with Grayson. He giggled every time I got closer to him.

I wondered if he thought of me as one of his babysitters. There was no way to ask. I just wanted to soak this in.

“You ready to walk back?” I asked. “We could get some juice.”

“Yes. Juice please.”

I laughed. “Ok. Come on.”

I wished I had a water bottle with me.

I took Grayson’s hand and we climbed the boardwalk steps. I was completely energized from my run. By now, the beach was desolate and the sun had sunk almost to the horizon.

I slipped off my running shoes and stuffed my socks inside. Grayson sat on his bottom and copied my actions.

“See if you can do this?”

From the perch of the boardwalk, I inhaled the salt air and closed my eyes. I aligned my feet, before extending my arms and bending into warrior pose. Grayson tried to lean forward and toppled over, but he hopped up and tried again.

“Ok, and now try this one.”

I slid my feet so that they were touching and carefully brought my hands together over my head. The last rays of the sun pierced my back. Two more deep breaths in tree pose and I released my form, bending to grab my running shoes. I scooped up Grayson’s in my other hand.

I felt his gaze before I saw him. Cole was standing on the bottom step.

“Daddy!” Grayson ran.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were there.” I blushed.

“What was that you were doing?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled, sending a jolt of electricity through my body. He pulled Grayson into his arms.

I brushed the sand from my feet and wiggled my toes into the socks. “A little warrior pose, a little tree pose. Grayson can do yoga too.” I smiled.

“You looked beautiful.” He walked up the five steps to meet me.

I bit my lip. It seemed like something serious to say in front of his son.

“But, seriously, you looked incredible up here. Did you go for a run too?” He stepped closer.

Grayson answered, “Birds on beach. Go run, Daddy.”

He laughed. “Sounds like you did.”

I looked down at my tank top. It was stuck to me from perspiration. I was a beachy, sweaty mess. “We had fun. He does run fast.”

“I warned you,” Cole teased.

He leaned down and kissed me on the neck before helping me into a standing position with his free hand.

“Sorry I missed it. I would have liked to have gone with you two.”

“How about tomorrow morning we go for a run together?” I wanted to see him in action.

“You’re on. But that means you’re going to have to actually wake up and get out of bed—early.”

I shoved him lightly. “Hey, I don’t stay in bed all day.”

His eyes instantly flared. “What about all night?” I knew that look.

I stared at Grayson. “Cole,” I whispered.

He laughed. “I think it’s cute you can be so shy. It reminds me of the Kaitlyn I used to know.”

I didn’t know if I liked that. That Kaitlyn had crushed on Cole from the corner. She had written about him in journals. She was the kid sister. For a moment, I wondered if I’d ever escape her shadow.