9. Chapter Nine
Nine
Chapter Nine
Cameron
I slam the front door harder than I mean to when I return to the house, the sound echoing through the quiet evening. My chest feels tight, my breath shallow, like I’ve been holding something in too long. I don’t bother with the living room or my bedroom. I head straight for the back deck, needing space, needing air.
I lean over the railing and stare out at the dark ocean, waves rolling gently against the shore like they don’t know or care that everything inside me feels like it’s coming apart. I replay every second of what just happened—Cricket’s eyes, full of hurt. The way her voice went soft and distant, like I’d become someone she didn’t recognize.
I hurt her. I didn’t mean to, but I did. The deck door creaks behind me. I don’t turn around.
A quiet voice says, “You slammed the door. Which, by the way, is very un-dad of you.”
I sigh, head dropping between my shoulders. “Sorry.”
Natalie comes to stand beside me, wrapping her arms around herself. For a moment, neither of us says anything. Then, softly, “You okay?”
I let out a dry laugh. “Not even close.”
She nods. “Want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know if I can.”
She shrugs. “Try.”
I grip the railing tighter. “I messed it up. With Cricket.”
Natalie shifts beside me, watching the ocean like I am, like we both need something steady. “Tell me the whole thing.”
“She thinks I was hiding my connection to Star Mountain,” I say, then glance over.
“Were you?”
The question doesn’t sting coming from her, not like it did when I asked myself the same thing an hour ago. I rub the back of my neck. “I didn’t lie. But I didn’t tell her. I should’ve. I was trying to keep things uncomplicated.”
“Because she might leave if she knew too much?” Natalie asks.
I nod.
“That’s dumb,” she says, no hesitation. “But I get it.”
I huff a small laugh. “Thanks.”
“She really likes you, you know.”
“I know,” I say quietly. “But tonight, the way she looked at me—it’s like I’d broken something she didn’t think I would.”
Natalie’s quiet for a beat, then says, “You’ve always done that.”
“Done what?”
“Held things back. Tried to protect me, protect other people, by not letting them in all the way.” She glances at me, her expression softer than I expect. “I used to think you were just being strong. Now I think maybe you were scared.”
I swallow hard. “Yeah. I was.”
“Still are,” she says gently.
I nod, unable to pretend otherwise. “I didn’t want to risk what we had by making it more complicated. And now I think I’ve lost it anyway.”
Natalie rests her forearms on the railing. “So tell her. Be honest. Even if it’s messy. Especially if it’s messy.”
I look over at her, surprised by the echo of Luke’s wisdom in her voice.
She shrugs. “I live with Luke. Some of it rubs off.”
I smile despite myself.
“She deserves to know how you feel,” she says, more quietly now. “And if she’s mad, or scared, or unsure—fine. But don’t take her choice away by trying to protect her from something that’s already real.”
I close my eyes for a second. “I love her.”
“I know,” Natalie says. “So go tell her. Before you become the reason she doesn’t believe in stuff like this anymore.”
I nod slowly, pulling in a shaky breath. “You’re a good kid.”
“Yeah,” she says with a smirk. “And my dad’s kind of a mess.”
I laugh. It’s weak and dry, but it’s real.
She bumps her shoulder against mine. “Go clean it up, Dad.”
* * *
Cricket
I sit curled up on the small porch swing outside our cottage, a blanket wrapped tightly around me even though the night air isn’t really cold. I sip slowly from a mug of tea, watching the stars blur and sharpen through the burn of unshed tears. My heart feels like a raw, open wound in my chest, throbbing with every quiet thought that surfaces.
I can’t stop replaying it—Natalie’s casual mention of Star Mountain, the way Cameron’s face had fallen when I confronted him, the way his voice trembled with apology.
He didn’t lie, but he didn’t tell me the truth, either.
That’s what stings the most. That somehow, somewhere deep down, he thought I wasn’t worth the whole truth. It’s irrational. Overdramatic. But the betrayal feels real, no matter how much I try to reason it away.
I bring my knees closer to my chest, resting my chin on top, and close my eyes. I came here for peace. For simplicity. For a break from responsibility and heartache. Falling for Cameron wasn’t part of the plan.
I hear the door creak behind me, and Abby steps onto the porch, her arms crossed loosely over her chest.
“You okay?” she asks softly.
I shake my head slowly. “Not really.”
She comes to sit beside me, pulling the blanket to cover both of us, her presence steady and comforting.
“Talk to me,” she says.
I stare out at the dark ocean, listening to the rhythmic hush of the waves before finding my voice. “Cameron is from Star Mountain. He still has ties there. He never told me.”
Abby’s breath catches softly, but she doesn’t interrupt.
“I don’t know why it matters so much,” I whisper. “It’s just… it feels like I didn’t know him. Like he was keeping parts of himself hidden from me the whole time.”
“Maybe he was scared,” Abby says gently. “Maybe he didn’t know how to bring it up without making everything more complicated.”
“I know,” I say bitterly. “And I get it. I do. But it doesn’t make the hurt go away. I feel like he didn’t tell me because it would get my hopes up about us being together after this week.”
We sit in silence for a long time, the only sounds the distant waves and the quiet creak of the swing.
Finally, Abby says, “So what now?”
I close my eyes, feeling a painful decision crystallizing inside me. “I think I need to leave.”
“What?” she says sharply, sitting up straighter.
I force myself to meet her gaze. “I think I need to cut this trip short. Go home early.”
Abby’s face softens, sadness flickering in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“No,” I admit. “But he’s just a fling, and I have to get away and clear my mind.”
She wraps her arms around me tightly, and for a long time, we just sit there, breathing together under the stars.
“I’ll support whatever you decide,” she says finally, her voice thick with emotion. “But Cricket, don’t run just because you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared,” I lie. Then sigh. “Okay, maybe I am. But mostly, I just need to protect myself.”
Abby pulls back, brushing a tear from my cheek with her thumb. “You’re stronger than you think.”
I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I’ll book a flight tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Abby asks.
“No, you still have four days of vacation, and you should enjoy it. Hang out with Natalie and have fun.”
Abby hugs me again fiercely, and for a few precious seconds, I let myself cry quietly into her shoulder—the heartbreak I tried so hard to avoid crashing down on me anyway.
I love him.
Tomorrow, I’ll leave Love Beach behind.
Tomorrow, I’ll leave Cameron Shaw behind, even if my heart never fully will.