Jillian Maready slid her sunglasses over her eyes and tipped her head back to stare at the sky above. Bright and clear, unlike everything else in her life.

A pelican glided over the water, and her breath caught at the sight. There was a lot of beauty to be seen in Asheboro too, but she mostly sat behind a desk in a windowless office. And that was the exciting part of her day. The creature spearheaded into the water below and promptly came back up with a silver-toned fish in its beak. It knew exactly what it wanted, and got it.

She, on the other hand, had no idea what she wanted. Not anymore.

Thus, the reason she’d driven three hours here to Blushing Bay two days ago and had been crashing on her childhood BFF Lorelai Sawyer’s couch. Not because she was down on her luck. Or she was, but not financially. She’d spent the last decade in corporate America making a lot of money. She’d also spent the last decade slowly drowning in a life she hated.

A man’s voice in the distance caught her attention. Even though she was on the neighboring boardwalk, she immediately recognized his form as she stopped walking to admire him now too. Tall, muscular, tanned skin and dark hair. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she remembered they were also dark. Gabe Sawyer, Lorelai’s older brother and Jillian’s teenage crush.

Crush being the key word.

He had been older, cooler, and uninterested in her. He’d made that very clear on one such night that she tried never to think of. Even though she’d only been fifteen at the time, the memory still had the power to make her feel two inches tall. She watched him walk to the end of the pier of the Sawyer Water Recreation and Sports Center that he owned. The center rented out kayaks, rowboats, paddling boards, and sailboats to name just a few things. He helped a couple of customers load into a kayak and handed them a paddle. There were also a few sailboats navigating the smooth waters nearby.

She and Lorelai used to love taking sailboats out exploring when they were young. She remembered how free she’d felt with the wind at her back and leaving her cares on the shore behind. What she wouldn’t give to feel that way again. Especially after this past year. That was one of the reasons she’d come here. Blushing Bay was the place of her fondest childhood memories, and maybe here, cliché as it sounded, she could find herself again. She could find her smile. Her laugh.

Hell, she didn’t care what emotion she found, just as long as she felt something.

And she was pretty certain she’d feel something in one of those sailboats at the rec center, if she could manage to rent one without having to interact with Gabe Sawyer. She wasn’t interested in any of the feelings he would stir up.

Jillian pulled out her cell phone, did a quick search for the business’s number, and dialed. She knew Gabe was outside and wouldn’t be the one to answer the main phone.

“What’s up? Sawyer Water Recreation and Sports Center,” a voice answered. “Whoa! That is a mouthful to say. Can I help you?” the man asked on the other end of the line.

“Um, yes,” Jillian said, slightly thrown off by his surfer-esque accent. This was North Carolina, not a valley in California. “I would like to reserve a sailboat for this afternoon.”

“Sure thing. About what time do you think you’ll be coming?”

After staying with Lorelai for the last few days, Jillian knew that Gabe picked up his niece, Lorelai’s daughter, from school at three o’clock every day. Lorelai was a single mom and her job at the hospital didn’t allow her to pick up little Kimberly herself. “Three o’clock.”

“You goooooot it,” he said, drawing out his syllables.

She waited for him to ask for her information. He didn’t.

Instead, he said, “I’ll help you load up in the boat myself. My name’s Jonathan.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you at three, Jonathan.” She hung up her phone and shoved it back in her pocket with a wide smile. For the first time in a while, she felt excited. And that was something.

Gabe Sawyer waved as the young couple he’d just helped into a kayak set off down the channel. The sun was already beating against the back of his neck as he walked down the pier to the main office. Today promised to be hot and busy. It was the start of summer in Blushing Bay, which meant that the next few months would be active with people wanting to rent kayaks and sailboats and every other water navigation item he offered.

Somedays he couldn’t believe this was actually his job. It felt more like play, and he loved every minute. He also loved being in the Coast Guard Reserve, which he did one weekend per month. He had joined the Coast Guard after graduating high school. After serving his four years, he’d returned here to his hometown to open this recreation center.

“We’re booked up through the afternoon,” Jonathan said as Gabe walked into the office.

“You okay to manage things by yourself after I leave to pick up Kimberly?” Gabe asked. Jonathan was a new hire and, while he was smart, he was a bit distractible.

“I’ve got this, boss,” Jonathan said with an easy smile.

“Great.” Gabe continued toward his personal office for just a few minutes. The whole point of owning and running a business like this was that you didn’t have to stay behind a computer all day. He plopped down behind his laptop and started scanning through his email, pausing on one.

His jaw locked. This was the second email from Todd Matthews, and that was one too many. Yeah, Todd was technically Kimberly’s father, but the son of a bitch had skipped town before she was even born. He left Lorelai to go through the entire experience alone. Or not alone, because Gabe had stepped up and helped. Like a real man. Gabe was Kimberly’s uncle, but he served the duties of a dad because Todd was a loser, coward, and every other despicable thing under the sun. In his last email, Todd had said he wanted some information on Kimberly. He still didn’t want to be in her life, but he wanted to know that she was okay. Todd wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help from afar.

Gabe had yet to reply. “Hell no” sounded like a good response, but the guy was Kimberly’s biological father. Maybe if Gabe gave him a little information about his daughter, Todd might actually want to see her one day. Gabe couldn’t give a shit about Todd’s emotional needs, but he did care about Kimberly’s. She was already asking questions about her father’s whereabouts. As she was only seven years old, Gabe was pretty sure the questions would only increase. And eventually, she would need answers.

At least Todd had come to him instead of Lorelai. He and Todd had been friends growing up. Not great friends, but they’d played on the same soccer team and had gone fishing a couple of times. Lorelai didn’t need any more stress on her plate.

Blowing out a breath, Gabe took his hand off the mouse and decided not to open the email from Todd right now. He didn’t need whatever the SOB had to say hanging over him like a dark cloud as he worked. There was nothing but sunshine forecast for the day, and he intended to enjoy every drop of it.

Jillian had spent the morning in Mocha Books, a little coffee shop and bookstore that overlooked the intercoastal waterway downtown. She hadn’t had a lot of time for reading over the last couple of years, but it had been a favorite pastime of hers when she was growing up. She loved getting lost in a story. It was the perfect way to escape her life for just a little while.

When she walked up to the cashier prior to leaving at two forty-five, the older woman who owned the place smiled back at her. She had a tight perm and thick-lensed spectacles.

“I haven’t seen you in town before,” the woman said.

“No.” Jillian placed a stack of books down on the counter. “Not for a while, at least. I lived here for a couple of years as a teenager.”

“Where are you staying?” the woman asked, making easy conversation as she rang up the items Jillian had placed on the counter.

“Lorelai Sawyer’s place.”

“Yes, I know her. She’s a good girl. She comes in and gets books for her little one, Kimberly, all the time. Her brother is a nice one too.” The older woman lifted an eyebrow and glanced down at Jillian’s bare ring finger. “And single.”

Jillian flushed. Nothing wrong with the old woman’s eyes. “I’m not looking right now.”

“Well, heed my advice. If you wait too long, you’ll find yourself an old maid like my daughter. She can’t even pay a man to date her.”

“Oh. Um.” Jillian laughed nervously, hoping that was a joke. “Actually, I just went through a divorce. It finalized early this week.”

The woman frowned. “I’m so sorry to hear that, dear.”

“It’s for the best.” She would prefer old maid-dom over listening to her ex’s constant complaining any day. And when he wasn’t complaining, he was ignoring her. Better to live happily ever after on her own.

As Jillian reached out to collect her change, she noticed a sign posted on the wall behind the counter. “This place is for sale?”

“Oh yes. I’m afraid so. It’s time for me to retire and see the world. My dear husband passed away last year. We didn’t venture too far outside of Blushing Bay all these years, but now I’m ready to go to France.”

Jillian’s eyes widened. “That’s very far away.”

“After that, I’m going to Italy, and I’m going to stuff myself full of pasta.”

“Well, I think that’s a great retirement plan.”

“Really? Because my financial planner didn’t think so.”

Jillian laughed as she lifted her bag off the counter. “Good luck. And thank you again for the books and the wonderful coffee. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my afternoon outdoors.”

“Be careful,” the woman said, offering more unsolicited advice. “It’s going to storm this afternoon.”

Jillian turned back. “The forecast doesn’t call for storms.” She’d checked already. It was sunny skies all the way until nightfall.

The older woman held up a finger. “No, but my bones do. I can predict a storm better than any meteorologist out there. And it’s going to be a doozy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jillian waved as she exited the store. Then she looked up at the cloudless sky. The old woman was wrong. It was going to be an amazing afternoon out on the ocean.