Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
brADEN
I stood behind the portable bar and poured another pint of Reef Saver IPA, trying to process what I was witnessing. Driftwood Beach was buzzing. The fundraiser was a hit.
No, scratch that.
It was more than a hit. It was a phenomenon.
Everywhere I looked, the beach teemed with life.
Families sprawled on blankets, kids chased each other near the shoreline, and locals mingled with tourists at the vendor trucks lining the access road.
The smell of wood smoke from the bonfire pits mixed with salt air and fried conch fritters.
Someone had strung café lights between the palms, even though it was still afternoon, and a local band played acoustic covers near the water’s edge.
Their stripped-down, acoustic rendition of Sutton Vale’s monster hit “Neon Heart” drifted over the crowd.
Even I had to admit, without the synthesizers, the song actually had good bones.
I couldn’t help the grin spreading across my face.
This was exactly what Tessa had envisioned when she pitched the idea.
I handed off the pint to a sunburned tourist wearing a “Save the Reef” T-shirt we’d printed for the event and scanned the crowd for her.
It didn’t take long to find her. She was impossible to miss.
Tessa stood near the interactive reef display she’d set up with Kaia and Zane—several touch-screen tables spaced out on a table and showing real-time data from their research sites.
She crouched down, eye-level with Finn, pointing at something on the screen.
Chase and Harper were there too, with Chase absently holding the handle of a double stroller as he examined the next tablet over.
Tessa’s dark-red hair caught the sunlight, and animation lit up her face.
Finn’s mouth formed an O of wonder, and Tessa laughed, ruffling his hair.
A sharp pang went through me, centered on my heart. She looked like she belonged here. Not just at this event, but in this town. With these people. With my family. With me.
“Hey, golden boy, you gonna pour that or just stare at your girlfriend all afternoon?”
I blinked as Maria hip-checked me away from the tap. She grabbed the empty glass I’d been holding and started filling it herself.
“I wasn’t staring.”
“Right. And I’m not about to drink this beer myself because you’re useless today.” She tipped me a wink and grinned.
I shook my head but couldn’t muster any real annoyance. Maria had been riding me hard about Tessa since the day she walked back into my life, and now that we were officially together—publicly—she’d only gotten worse.
“Go,” Maria said, waving me off. “I’ve got the bar. You’ve been back here for two hours. Go be the proud host or whatever.”
She was already turning to the next customer, so I stepped out from behind the portable bar and into the fray.
The energy hit me immediately. Everywhere I turned, someone stopped me to shake my hand, compliment the beer, or ask questions about the conservation center.
Gus Davis, the contractor who’d been working on these islands since before I was born and one of my regulars, clapped me on the shoulder hard enough to rattle my teeth.
“This is an amazing event, Coleridge.” His dark face split in a grin. “That lady of yours knows her stuff. Been fishing these reefs for fifty years, and I never knew half of what she just told me.”
“She’s pretty incredible,” I said, and the understatement made me laugh.
He moved off, and I continued weaving through the crowd, the vibe of the event humming in my veins.
Nearby, the Dove Key Fire Department had a small setup, and Ben was handing a pamphlet on rip currents to a tourist while patiently explaining something.
I was struck by how different he looked.
The old tension in his shoulders was gone, replaced by steady confidence.
When he finished, he saw me and broke into an easy grin.
“You’re in a good mood,” I said after walking over. “Figured you’d be hiding from the crowds.”
“Nah. It’s good to be out here.” He gestured at the scene. “This is a hell of a thing you two put together.”
“Thanks, man. It’s a lot, but it turned out pretty damn well.”
“Understatement, little brother.” He made a bow. “I also happen to be in a good mood because I aced my midterms.”
My smile stretched wider. “No shit? Ben, that’s huge.”
“Home stretch now.” A current of pride ran through his voice. “Not much longer until I’m ready to take the certification exam.”
“We are definitely celebrating that.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “The whole family.”
His gaze drifted over my shoulder toward the interactive display where Tessa was laughing with a group of kids. He shifted his gaze back at me, his expression clear and sincere. “I wasn’t sure at first, but she’s good for you. You look happy.”
Fueled by the success of the day and my brother’s approval, the last of my guard crumbled away. “Things are going great. Better than old times for sure.”
A mom with a sunburned toddler in tow approached the booth, asking about sunscreen.
Ben turned to help her, shifting seamlessly into his calm, professional demeanor.
I gave him a final nod and moved on, the warmth of his words settling deep in my gut right next to the brilliant certainty beginning to take root.
I spotted Austin and Eli near one of the bonfire pits, deep in conversation with a group of local fishermen.
Brenna was at the book table she’d set up, selling marine biology guides and kid-friendly reef books from her shop.
Even Mom was here, sitting under one of the pop-up tents with a few other resort staff.
They were all here. My entire family, supporting this project like it was their own.
Supporting Tessa like she was one of us.
A burst of feedback from the microphone near the stage yanked me out of my thoughts. The band had packed up, and a makeshift podium stood in their place. Harper was up there, tapping the mic and waving for the crowd’s attention.
“Okay, everyone, if I could have your attention for just a minute?” Her voice carried over the beach, and the noise began to settle.
“Thank you all for coming out today and supporting the Dove Key reef conservation initiative. This event wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of hard work from many people, but there’s one person in particular I want to introduce. ”
My pulse kicked up as I spotted Tessa’s red hair near the front of the crowd.
“Dr. Tessa Donovan is a marine biologist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,” Harper continued. “But more importantly, she’s a Dove Key native who came home to protect the reef that belongs to all of us. Tessa, come on up here.”
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. I stayed rooted to my spot as Tessa made her way through the crowd. She climbed the steps to the small stage, and Harper handed her the microphone with a warm smile before stepping aside.
Tessa stood there for a moment, blinking against the sunlight, her cheeks flushed. She looked nervous, which was absurd considering she’d given keynote addresses at international conferences. But this was different. This was personal.
“Hi. I, uh, didn’t expect this many people.” Her voice was slightly shaky, but as laughter rippled through the crowd, she relaxed. “When I came back to Dove Key two months ago, I was focused entirely on the data. I came here to track stress levels and measure the challenges our reef is facing.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. For a brief, electric second, her eyes found mine.
“But the ocean surprised us. We didn't just find damage. We found a survivor. In the middle of the hardest conditions, we discovered a ‘super-colony’ of coral that isn't just surviving; it's thriving. It’s a genetic miracle right in our own backyard.”
A murmur of interest went through the crowd. She had them.
“But miracles are fragile,” she continued.
“We can’t just study this colony. We have to help it.
We need a place to propagate it, to farm it, and to use it to restore the rest of the reef.
That’s what the conservation center will be.
It’s not just a research station. It’s a nursery for the reef’s recovery. ”
The crowd was silent now, hanging on every word.
“We have a chance to turn this around. But I can't do it alone. This is our reef. This is our discovery to protect. And I believe with everything in me that this is our future to build.”
The applause started before she finished, building into a wave of sound that washed over the beach. People were on their feet, clapping and cheering, and Tessa stood there looking stunned and overwhelmed and so damn beautiful it hurt.
I couldn’t breathe.
She’d said our. Our reef. Our future. Our community. Not your. Not the town’s. Ours.
As in she was staying.
She had to be. A person didn’t discuss a future like that unless they planned to be part of it. The certainty settled over me like sunlight breaking through clouds. All the fear I’d carried for weeks—the dread that she’d leave again, that I wasn’t enough to make her stay—dissolved in an instant.
Tessa descended from the stage and was immediately mobbed by well-wishers.
Sandra Martinez, the town council president, shook her hand.
Brynn Mercer from the Corner Scoop offered to host a fundraising ice cream social.
A group of local teachers asked about setting up field trips to the future center.
And through it all, Tessa glowed.
Eli appeared at my side, grinning like an idiot. “Nice job, you two. I mean, seriously. Look at this.”
“I know.”
Austin wandered over with Iris at his side. He slapped me on the shoulder and nodded toward Tessa, who was now crouched down with a pair of kids, showing them something in a bucket of seawater.
“This could really turn into something.” Austin didn’t hand out compliments lightly. I wasn’t sure if he meant the conservation center or Tessa and me.