The Summer Between Us (Love in Hawaii #1)

Threes was already waking up when Rowan arrived. Soft morning light brushed gold over the break; the familiar chorus of locals ribbing each other from the lineup; the steady hush-boom rhythm of waves that never failed to loosen something tight in her chest.

She should’ve been exhausted after last night. But her body still hummed, warm and restless under her skin, and she’d shoved that entire swirl of trouble into a mental box labeled Deal With Later.

Today was for Kelsey.

The girl paddled out beside her with a confidence that hadn’t been there a week ago. Her lanky limbs had found rhythm; her pop-up was smoother; even her falls had purpose now. Rowan watched her paddle and felt it again—that ache of pride that made her throat burn.