Chapter Twenty-Eight
The house was unusually quiet except for the soft hum of the dishwasher and the distant, rhythmic tapping of Kelsey’s thumbs on her phone screen. Everett leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, watching her.
She was curled into the corner of the couch like she was trying to disappear, hoodie pulled halfway over her head, face half lit by the glow of her screen.
He cleared his throat gently. “Hey.”
She jumped. “Oh. Hey, Dad.”
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She didn’t look up. Just kept tapping on her phone.
Everett walked over, trying not to let the hurt creep in. “You’ve been glued to that phone all afternoon.”
“I’m just texting,” she said too fast. Then, softer: “Friends.”
He nodded, even though her tone had that telltale edge like she was trying hard to sound casual and just missing the mark.
After spending the night with Rowan and confessing he loved her, Everett had been buried in work.
People were getting frantic with the opening and he was putting out regular fires, but he’d managed to wrestle a quick dinner break. “How was your night at Chelsea’s?”
A smile quickly flashed across her face. “Really great. We had fun watching movies, doing our nails, and I finally had Hawaiian pizza. I like the pineapple!”
He grinned back. “Better you than me. What’d you do this afternoon? Lessons?”
Kelsey shook her head. “Everyone’s practicing for the next surf competition, and Rowan couldn’t meet today.”
He sat down beside her. Not too close. Why was he nervous about giving her great news? “I have something to tell you. Good—not bad. It’s about work.”
She narrowed her gaze with caution.
“I’m close to getting the promotion. I’ll know for sure after the opening but it’s looking good. Figured we’d talk about it now.”
Her brows furrowed. “The one with Purity?”
“Yeah. I’d be leading the worldwide team with a fancy new title of Senior VP of Global Expansion. It’ll be a big deal. A lot of responsibility, but it’s . . . it’s what I’ve worked toward for a long time. For us.”
Kelsey didn’t smile. Her expression shuttered like a storm door slamming shut. “So you’d be gone more?”
“No. I mean, maybe. For a little while.” He hesitated. “There’ll be travel, yes, but—”
“You’re taking it, right?”
“If they offer it to me? Yes,” he said carefully. “It’s an incredible opportunity. And I thought you’d be proud of me.”
“Well, I’m not.”
Her voice cracked, and that’s when he saw the sheen in her eyes. His stomach twisted.
“Kelsey . . .”
“I don’t want to go back to New York.”
Her words sliced through the room like broken glass. He blinked. “What?”
“I don’t want to go,” she said again, louder now, her phone pressed against her chest like a shield. “I don’t care about prep school or Purity or your stupid meetings. I like it here. I like the ocean and the surf shop and people who actually talk to me like I’m a person and not a project.”
“Kels, where is this coming from?”
Her mouth wobbled like she wanted to spill something—something big—but she bit her lip and shook her head. “Forget it.”
He sat forward. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
She hesitated. Her fingers tightened around her phone. “There’s just . . . stuff. I don’t wanna talk about it right now.”
“Is someone bothering you?” he asked gently, alarm sharpening his voice. “Online? At the beach? At the shop?”
Just then, his phone buzzed on the counter. Loud. Jarring. He reached for it out of habit and saw his assistant’s name flash on the screen.
He winced.
Kelsey stood up. “Of course. Work. Always work.”
“Kelsey, wait—”
“Don’t worry about it, Dad. It’s not like you’d really listen anyway.”
Before he could respond, she was gone. Her bedroom door slammed shut with a finality that left him staring at the hallway, heart pounding.
The call went to voicemail. Everett sat back on the couch, staring at the empty space she left behind. Something was wrong. And he had no idea how to fix it.
He waited awhile, then tried again. Tapped on her door. “Kels, I’m not going into work. Can we talk?”
No answer. A rustle, then a bang. Her voice whispered through the door. “No, Dad, not now. It’s okay, just forget it. I wanna go to bed.”
He hesitated. He didn’t know what to say. Should he push? Give space? God, he wished Rowan were here. Was it hormones? Should he walk away?
His phone buzzed. The text flashed.
Matthew called emergency Zoom. Are you free?
“Fuck,” he muttered. He quickly texted back.
Yes. Will log on in five.
He’d take the Zoom call but stay close, just in case she changed her mind. It was probably the normal end-of-summer blues and the thought of meeting new people in a new school. It was a ton of pressure, but he was positive Kelsey could handle it.
He made a note to mention it to Rowan during one of their lessons, then headed to his computer to fix the next issue. By the time he wrapped up, it was late. Rowan texted, and he made plans to see her tomorrow night. His gut said to be here for Kelsey if she woke up and wanted to talk.
He eased down the hall and listened at her door, but it was silent. Gently tapped. When she didn’t answer, Everett peeked in and saw her sprawled out in bed, asleep.
She looked so innocent and peaceful like this. He wished it could stay that way; wished he could stop time and this magical summer and never move forward. But that was a child’s dream.
For both of them.
Everett swallowed past the lump in his throat and gently closed the door.
She was in love with Everett Hale.
Rowan waited for Kelsey and kept replaying that night in her head.
Giddiness sparkled in her veins like champagne, along with an ache she kept trying to avoid.
He hadn’t held back with his feelings, and after he claimed her body with such ferocity, she knew this was it.
He was her person. The one she’d been waiting for and never expected.
They just had to figure things out.
This summer changed everything. Not just Everett and Kelsey, but repairing her friendship with Lea and the other girls. Getting back on a surfboard. The future suddenly seemed hopeful.
She caught sight of Kelsey trudging across the sand. Rowan frowned, noticing the girl’s dropped shoulders and tense face. Something was definitely bothering her. Besides being on her phone much more, Kelsey seemed stressed, and it wasn’t just hormones. This was a problem not going away.
“Hey, surf girl,” she greeted. “How are you doing today?”
“Fine.” A half shrug and forced smile. “Sorry, just feeling a little tired today.”
“No problem, we can take it easy and play. Late-night partying at Chelsea’s?” she joked.
Kelsey shook her head and fiddled with her beach bag strap. “No.” Rowan waited for more but the girl didn’t seem ready. Tucking the fact away for later, she decided to keep things light and follow her lead.
“Then let’s do it.”
They waxed boards and kept up a light chatter. The lesson brought out a bit of Kelsey’s playful side, and her body relaxed into the flow. But when they returned to the shop, the phone was brought back out. Rowan decided to take the leap, and back off if the girl snapped.
“Kels, what’s going on with you? Girl drama?” she asked easily, tossing her an ice pop. Rowan turned her back deliberately to give her space and refreshed Bagel’s water. “Or a boy? Or do you want me to mind my own business?”
Silence. Bagel rushed out to greet Kelsey in his usual way. When Rowan spun around again, her breath froze in her lungs.
Kelsey was holding Bagel and tears glittered in her eyes.
She walked toward the girl, leaned against the counter, and kept her tone gentle. “Bad, huh? God, sometimes it truly sucks being thirteen. I can’t promise to solve it, but I’m here for you to talk to or dump or brainstorm. Anything you need.”
The girl’s lower lip trembled and she swiped angrily at her face.
Bagel made a low distressed noise and bumped against her chest, as if reminding his new favorite person it would all be okay now that he was near.
A weepy half smile curved her lips, flashing blue braces.
“I’m so mad, Rowan. I hate them. All of them.
They’re mean and Dad thinks they’re my friends because I didn’t want to bother him but I’m over all of it. I can’t go to that school!”
The words came out in a rush, like a locked vault finally being open. Rowan held the space and didn’t try to batter her with questions. Kelsey took another breath and spilled.
“They made fun of me last year, so I tried everything to fit in and finally, I thought I had. They were being nice and even invited me to a few parties. We’re all going to this private school in the city that’s hard to get into, and Dad was all excited, and my friends and I got on this private text message to keep in touch over the summer.
Except they’ve been using it to talk about me, and when I tried to defend myself, they all got involved and said they wished I wouldn’t go there with them because I think I’m better than them.
” Now the tears came and her voice grew angry.
“I thought it’d blow over if I kept quiet!
And a few texted me privately and acted nice but now they’re all on Snap making these awful videos and making fun of me.
Dad won’t let me get a TikTok account but I got screenshots of those, too, and now everyone will be laughing at me and freeze me out when I get back. ”
Rowan wanted to cry with her. The tech was brutal in this world and could ruin a person with one quick swipe. “Do you have any friends outside this group that you trust?” she asked gently.
“No! No one—and they’re the popular crowd, so I’m screwed. They won’t stop.”
Rowan tried to think of the best way to respond. “Can you talk to your dad? Is another school possible? I know it’s late, but maybe if you told him all this stuff he can help?”