Sweat rolled down Aidan’s face and neck in never-ending trickles. He’d been out jogging for no longer than ten minutes, but he already felt like he’d jumped into a salt pool.

All day long, he’d been looking for things to do while Nicole was at work. The only thing on his mind was her…well, and his dad.

Rick still hadn’t called. Aidan needed to be true to what he told Nicole and pick up the phone, but every time he thought about doing that his stomach curled in on itself.

He pumped his arms harder, picking up the pace. Maybe if he ran fast enough, he’d wipe all thoughts of his dad and his endless demands out of his head.

Aidan’s whole life, it had been “Jump,” from his dad and “How high?” from Aidan. Now that the tide had turned, there was a strange mix of freedom and emptiness in his core. Some days it felt invigorating. Other days…not so much.

A sudden, painful twinge hit Aidan’s knee. He gasped and nearly tripped over his own feet. Coming to a stop on the sidewalk, he placed his hands on his waist and bent over, gathering his breath.

He’d pushed himself too hard. He needed to be careful or else he’d injure himself all over again. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be running anyway. His physical therapist had warned against anything other than a light jog.

He needed to clear his head, though, and getting his feet moving had always been the best way to do that.

Using his T-shirt to wipe his sweaty face, Aidan straightened up. It was time to walk back to the beach house before he pushed himself even harder and ended up in the hospital.

He took one step and something caught his eye. A ‘For Sale’ sign in the yard next to him.

The house was relatively small, compared to what he was used to. It was white, with a porch and a red front door. A picket fence went around the front yard and the palm trees near the street provided some shade.

Aidan stayed where he stood, staring at the house. For some reason, it drew all of his attention. He wouldn’t have been able to look away from it if he tried.

The front gate was open and he could tell from the big windows with no curtains that no one lived there. Going down the little walkway, Aidan climbed the front steps and peeked in through the windows.

The front room was light filled, with a wooden floor and a kitchen beyond it. If he had to guess from the size, he’d say the place likely had three bedrooms.

Perfect for a married couple. And one little baby, or two.

Aidan stepped away from the windows. Where had that thought come from?

It’s what you want, that voice from deep inside told him.

His heart beat faster. He stepped off the porch and went around the house. As he’d hoped, there was a spacious, fenced-in backyard. The place was idyllic. He hadn’t lived in a house this small since he was a kid, and he missed it. For a good while, he’d felt his Malibu place too large. This house could be what he looked for: a chance to start over.

Excitement rose in his chest. What if he really did this? Bought the house? He wouldn’t necessarily have to live there. If he changed his mind, he could always rent it out and stay in Malibu. What would he do in Haven Sound? How would he occupy himself? He didn’t have a career. Other than the athletic wear shoots—the next one being months away—and working out, his life held very little structure.

He looked up to the sky, inhaling the warm, salty air. Until recently, the idea of moving to a small town and embracing a simpler lifestyle might have seemed to be the solution to his problems. But he was suddenly aware that no matter where he moved, his happiness couldn’t be complete if Nicole weren’t there, too. In his eyes, the house with the red front door didn’t simply symbolize a change of place, but a whole new life.

Taking an easy walk home so as not to hurt his knee, Aidan let himself into the rental beach house and ran a cold shower. He soaped up, his thoughts still on the house. Would he still want it if Nicole’s internship ended and she never set foot in Haven Sound again? He closed his eyes and rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. He knew the answer. He wanted to be wherever the lovely, empathetic girl he’d fallen head over heels for was. Florida. New York. Antarctica. If she named the place, he’d have a ticket booked that day.

Grabbing his towel, he stepped onto the bathmat.

“Hey.” Aidan yelled and covered himself with the towel.

“Sorry.” Mikey cringed. “I was going to shout at you over the water spray, but you got out first.”

Aidan wiped water from his face and turned around to turn off the shower. “What are you doing sneaking into the bathroom?”

Mikey lifted the tablet in his hand. “Do you know what the wifi password is? It kicked me off.”

“It’s written on the pad next to my bed.”

“Right. Cool.”

Aidan walked past him and into the walk-in closet at the other end of the bedroom, where he pulled clothes from the shelf. The bed creaked from Mikey sitting on it.

“I’m going out tonight with Nicole,” Aidan called, pulling a T-shirt on. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about me.”

Dressed, Aidan rubbed the towel through his hair and went to the closet’s entrance. “Are you sure? You’ve been spending a lot of time alone.”

“Yes.” Mikey looked up from the tablet. “Writers are introverts. And guess what? I’m starting the first draft tomorrow.”

“What? That’s awesome.”

“Yeah, I know. I finally finished the outline.” Mikey waggled his eyebrows. “You’re going out with Nicole again. Nice.”

“Yeah.” Aidan tossed the towel into the laundry bin. “It’s going really well.” He crossed his arms, debating whether or not to share the other thing on his mind.

“Spill it,” Mikey said.

“That obvious, huh?”

“You have that serious look on your face that says you’re thinking about something hard.”

“I saw this house while I was jogging, and I want to buy it.”

“Oh. Cool. This is a great vacay spot.”

“No, I mean to live at. Maybe full-time.”

“Ah.” Mikey put the tablet down on the bed next to him. “Wow. Does this have anything to do with—”

“Her internship is going to end.” Aidan walked over to the window and stared out at the ocean. “There’s no reason for her to stay here unless they give her a permanent position. And she won’t live with a man until marriage. It wouldn’t make sense to buy a house for the two of us right now.”

“I never said it was for you and Nicole.”

Aidan turned to look at his friend. “Oh.”

Mikey’s eyes were big. “Man, you’ve got it bad.”

Aidan pushed his fingers through his damp hair. “She’s it for me, Mikey.”

“Really?”

“I know it may sound crazy. I didn’t believe it was even possible to think about a woman in this way after knowing her for such a short time. But the truth is that I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

“After all the running around she put you through, you’ve proven it.”

Aidan’s phone rang. Mikey picked it up from the bedside table and checked the screen.

“It’s your dad.”

Aidan let out a harsh breath as Mikey held the ringing phone up, the question on his face.

“Yeah,” Aidan said on his exhale.

Mikey tossed him the phone and Aidan swiped the answer button.

“Hey, Dad.” He turned to look out the window as Mikey picked his tablet up and left the room.

“Aidan.”

“How are you?”

Rick cleared his throat. “I’m fine. Been better. Look, I’m calling because I figured you’ve had some time to think about what we both said.”

The choice of words got under Aidan’s skin. What was his dad suggesting? When Mikey announced the call, Aidan had half-expected there would be an apology headed his way. Now it didn’t seem like that.

“About the reality show?” Aidan checked.

“It’s the right move for you and it’s come at the perfect time.”

Aidan shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Hurt and anger pressed down on him, each equally suffocating.

“Aidan?”

“Yep. Here.”

“Look, I’m not—I’m not doing this to be hard on you. It’s my job to take care of you, all right? You see what kind of position I’m in here?”

Aidan opened his eyes and looked back out the window. He and his dad were on two sides of the continent, standing near two different oceans. They could have been on two different planets and still the metaphor wouldn’t have been illustrative enough of their situation.

“What position?” Aidan asked. A split second later, he got it. “Oh. The money.”

Of course. Rick made fifteen percent of whatever Aidan made. The Fresh Wear Athletics checks would be hefty, but if Rick had the opportunity to make more bills, why wouldn’t he? He only managed two other athletes, and neither one was as known as Aidan. They’d been clients Rick picked up after Aidan’s injury, once it became obvious Aidan would no longer be a money-making machine.

“The—the money?” Rick sputtered. “Do you hear yourself?”

“It’s your job, Dad,” Aidan said through gritted teeth. “I get it.”

“It’s not about the money. It’s about you. I may be your manager, but I’m your father first. This is about you getting everything set up. A man has to do something with his life, Aidan. He needs purpose.”

“And that purpose is to be found in a reality show?” Aidan asked sarcastically.

“There’s purpose to be found in doing. In making things happen.”

“How do you know that, Dad?” Aidan walked around the room, waving his hand through the air. “What if real meaning is to be found in slowing down? In working on yourself? What if running around and doing things all the time is nothing but a distraction?”

“I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. There’s clearly something going on. Being out of the game for so long has messed with your head.”

“It’s cleared my head.”

The finality of Aidan’s statement hung in the air. Rick cleared his throat, and Aidan could feel his father’s quiet anger.

“When are you coming back to L.A.?” Rick asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Call me when you do.”

The phone went silent. He’d hung up.

Aidan tossed the phone onto the bed. He started pacing the room, each breath burning his chest and nose. Did Rick really not get that not everyone cared about making money and getting attention?

Aidan dropped onto the edge of the bed and cradled his head in his hands. He’d told Nicole to forgive her dad for both their sakes, but he couldn’t even follow his own advice.

Anger and hurt pounded through him. His father was supposed to care for him, to support him no matter what. And Rick had done that—when Aidan did what he was told. But things were no longer that way. He’d strayed from the path his father had laid out for him.

Now he got to pay for it. Now he got to see just what mattered to the man who had raised him.

“I hope you work things out with your dad, Nicole,” Aidan whispered into the room. “Because it looks like I won’t.”