Chapter 2
AVERY
One day, it will be my turn to be dropped off at the airport and ready to fly off to an all-inclusive resort. For now, though, I’m the specialty driver.
It’s like an Uber driver, but without the consistency, especially in the offseason for Penrose Beach. I take people who need a ride to the closest major city and pick them up from their journeys since most don’t have a car in our small beach town. Well, small for the next two weeks.
When I arrived last August, I was surprised by the number of people. The streets and beaches, and the boardwalk and marina were all bursting. It’s what the locals call “The Season.” I didn’t understand what they meant until things died down in mid-September, which made it feel like a ghost town.
After a rough breakup from my ex-boyfriend of almost three years, my sister asked me to move here to help be the backup parent to her fifteen-year-old while she travels for work.
Cora is a short-term contract or travel nurse, and she’s gone for inconsistent lengths to varying cities, which is hard when she needs to give Lila a stable home life. There are a lot of medical and mortgage debts she found when her husband passed, so most of her paycheck goes to paying those off.
My niece, Lila, might not be able to drive, but her conversational skills could pass her off for nearly eighteen.
That’s good because I have someone to talk to, but bad because sometimes I forget she needs a more adult-like influence when it comes to rule setting.
I don’t like being the bad guy, but I’ve had to slide into that role more than the fun Aunt Avery I’m used to being.
She hasn’t been boy crazy, which I’ll take as a huge win. I might have to resign once that hits.
I’ve tried to settle into the slower-paced life. My coffee shop, Honey & Harbor, opened last Monday, and as much as I would love to say things are going well, obviously I’m still driving people around to make sure the bills are paid.
Lila is sitting shotgun, searching for the next “greatest song in the world” to play, and I’m just trying to get us home before dark.
“Are you sad your mom is gone again?” I ask. Cora is heading to Oklahoma this time for at least a week.
“Yeah, I guess,” she says, keeping her nose buried in the screen.
“That’s not a real answer.”
She turns to me with her eyebrows raised. “It’s not like she’s here a whole lot. I mean, since you moved here, I think I see her once a month for a few days.”
I wince, even though she’s not talking about me.
It’s hard because I don’t want to be blunt about Cora’s choices, but she’s missing out on a lot with her daughter.
Sure, there’s the panic of finding out her husband had remortgaged their home for a Ponzi scheme, but she could be a nurse in town, or the next town over, and make it work.
“What homework do you have when we get back?” I ask, hoping the change of subject will let my brain rest. Instead, it’s like my mind is set to hyperspeed, going through the long list of things I need to get done before I can go to bed tonight.
I never understood what people meant when they said owning a business means you never really clock out. I get it now. Even though I don’t need to reorder supplies already, it’s more about the financials and trying to figure out how to get people into the shop.
I’ve been so consumed by it that I haven’t done much more than pull my long hair back and get to work day in and day out.
Sure, it’s not completely where I want it to be either, but I’d hoped to use some profits to finish out the decor and such. I have an emergency fund and a small savings account, but pictures and decor don’t seem to fit in either category.
I blow out a breath, glancing toward the setting sun and then back to the road.
“What is that guy doing?” Lila asks, leaning forward in her seat to point.
I raise an eyebrow, trying to follow her finger. “What do you mean?”
“He’s got his thumb in the air. Is this some weird social media trend? I haven’t seen it before.”
We drive closer, and I can see the man she’s talking about. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked because I couldn’t see him before.
“He’s hitchhiking.” We get a few yards closer. “He’s dressed awfully nice to be hitchhiking.”
“You’re not going to stop, right?” Lila looks at me with saucer-wide eyes and her lips pinched, as if willing me to say no.
“We can help,” I say. There’s nothing for another three miles, and wherever he’s heading, it’s going to take a while. Not to mention, his footwear isn’t ideal for this kind of journey.
As I put my foot on the brake, Lila shakes her head. “Have you not heard about people who die from picking up strangers? What if he tries to steal your car and leaves us to die out here?”
I laugh. “Lila, we’ll be okay. We can at least ask what he needs and send someone out here if need be.”
She takes a deep breath, looking a little more comfortable with the idea.
I glance in the rearview mirror to make sure no one is coming behind me and then pull over so we’re driving over the white line.
“Do you need some help?” I call through Lila’s window. She’s sunk down in her seat, trying to be as still as possible. I love her, but the drama factor must go.
The man turns to look over at us, as if he hadn’t heard us approach. “Hi.”
I’m not sure what I expected, maybe an older man with a round belly. This guy has a slight wave to his brown hair and crystal blue eyes that feel like he can see right through me.
I let out a small chuckle and say, “Hi. Do you need us to get you some gas or give you a lift somewhere?”
Lila reaches over and grips my arm with a steely quality, her longer nails digging into the skin near my wrist. “That’s dangerous,” she breathes out.
I stop the car, and the man walks over. He’s close but keeping his distance, as if my older model Honda Civic would stain him. Or maybe a normal thought would be that he’s giving us distance because we’re females.
Seeing his more expensive clothing sends me back to my time at the law firm. From the minor details on his shirt and slacks, he looks like he should be going to the city rather than heading to a sleepy beach town.
“My rental car ran out of gas on my way from the airport. I’m not sure how much farther it is to a gas station, but I’d appreciate a ride there. Or, if that’s not comfortable, any way to get a small can of gas. Enough to get the car to the gas station.”
I blink a couple of times, trying to mesh this man with the stereotypes I have about men who look like him. But unlike the others, he’s not pushing, not demanding anything from us. He’s considerate of our comfort level.
It’s possible we’ve just stumbled onto another timeline altogether, because I’ve never met a man like this before.
Maybe it’s because my brain has shorted out, or because there aren’t internal alarms going off, but I wave to the back door and say, “We can get you there in about five minutes.”
He leans down a bit more so we’re eye-level, although still separated by a bunch of glass and metal. “Are you sure?”
“It’s no problem. We pass right by there anyway.”
A small flicker of surprise crosses his face before he dips his chin with relief. “Thank you.”
He walks over to the back door and pulls it open.
“What if he’s a serial killer?” Lila asks, lifting her purple hoodie over her head. She pulls her legs to her chest and looks like a grape sitting in the passenger seat.
The man slides into the backseat and must’ve heard the last two words. He raises his hands in front of him and says, “Not a serial killer. Just Max.”
Lila looks at me with those wide eyes again. “Of course, he only goes by one name. Only singers and killers do that. We’re going to be food for the vultures.”
I laugh, glancing at the man through my rearview mirror as I pull onto the two-lane road. He’s definitely appealing—I mean, if a woman were in a place to date and be in a relationship, which I’m not. More like intrigued about who he is.
“I’m Avery, and this is my niece, Lila. How about a song, Lila? Maybe you can lull Max to sleep so he doesn’t attack us.” I glance in the mirror and see Max grinning, which only makes me smile wider.
Lila glares at me before letting her fingers fly across the keyboard and turns on a song I haven’t heard in a while. It’s got a boppy rhythm to it, and it would be perfect as a soundtrack for this strange situation.
“Where are you going, Max?” Lila asks without turning around.
“A place called Penrose Beach?” Max says, sounding as if he’s not sure.
“Why?” she asks.
“Because I, uh, well, I’m supposed to check on a few things for a friend.”
Something about his answer is off, but I don’t need to pry too much into his situation. We’re just trying to help him and get on with our day.
I turn into the gas station and park. “How far back are you parked?” I can’t remember seeing a car off the side of the road, but I wasn’t looking for it either.
“About two or three miles from where you picked me up. Thank you again for the ride. Can I pay you?”
Waving a hand I say, “No, we’re good. Do you want us to wait and help you get back?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to ruin any plans you had.” Again, a man dressed like that considering my time? This is definitely not a situation I’m familiar with.
With a shrug, I say, “It’s no trouble. We’ll wait here. Get the gas you need, and we’ll take you back.”
He smiles, showing very white, very straight teeth. With a quick bob of his head, he gets out of the car and heads inside.
Lila stiffens in the seat next to me. “You want to risk more time with him?”
“Eh, he’s kind of cute.”
“The good-looking ones are usually the highest on the suspect list,” Lila says.
“What did you take all those karate classes for last year? You can save us both,” I say with a smile.
As much as I would normally be worried about taking a stranger anywhere, I get a good vibe from him. And the poor guy looks exhausted. I would be too.
“You know I failed those,” Lila says. “I can’t even kill a bug, let alone keep someone from attacking.”
Shaking my head, I say, “Pretend he’s an old friend. We’ll take him back and drop him off before we head back to the apartment.”
Lila lets out a long sigh. “If we die, Mom will know it’s all your fault when the news comes out.”
“For the last time, we’re not going to die, Lila.”
Max walks out of the building with a small red gas can, heading over to fill it up at a pump. Lila goes back to finding songs on my phone, and I take the time to evaluate our hitchhiker.
He’s tall, with an athletic build. His dark hair is slightly curly and unruly, but that could be from everything he’s gone through today.
His clothes are of nicer quality than I’ve seen on anyone since I came to town, but maybe he had some kind of interview today.
But where? He said Penrose Beach is his final destination, so it wouldn’t be an interview.
There’s something about him that seems familiar, but that could be for many reasons.
When I worked for Lewis, Jacob, and Sons, we had a very specific clientele of people who often dressed in the more expensive name brands.
In comparison, I did a lot of thrifting to look the part while also having enough to pay for my student loans.
But Max somehow sets me at ease, the opposite of how I felt in the office with those clients. I could attribute it to the environment I’m in now. It’s not so much deep sea with sharks circling, more like a turquoise bay of calm waters.
Max finishes with the gas and brings it over, causing me to look forward and pretend like I wasn’t staring at him. I’m a people-watcher, which is a blessing and a curse. I tend to wonder about people when I meet them, trying to figure out what makes them tick.
I pop the trunk by pulling the lever inside, and he sticks the can in before walking over to the door to get in.
“Thank you again. I appreciate it,” he says with a smile.
“No problem.” I turn the car out of the parking lot and driving back the way we came.
The last rays of light shine over the horizon. Lila turns on a Coldstar song, and I can’t help but sing along. Sure, I’m not the best singer, but the advantage of a good song is singing it loud in the car.
It’s only after about thirty seconds that I catch Max’s eye in the rearview mirror. And the sound dies in my throat.
“Why did you stop singing?” Lila asks, whipping her head around as if Max is ready to attack.
“I, uh, just really need some water. I think I see your car, Max.” I drive past it a few yards and then make a U-turn, parking behind the nicer vehicle.
“Thank you again, ladies. I hope you have a safe trip wherever you’re going,” Max says, scooting out of the vehicle.
I pop the trunk and wait for him to get the gas can out. Once he shuts it, I put the car in drive, but he’s knocking on Lila’s window.
“I want to give you this,” he says, setting the gas can on the ground next to him. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a one-hundred-dollar bill. Lila reaches out to take it from him, but I lean over and pull her arm back.
“There’s no need. We’re just happy you got back to your car. I hope it’s just the gas that’s giving you problems,” I say. I give Lila a quick frown, hoping she’ll leave it alone.
“Avery, this is what you do,” Lila says, squirming to grab the bill from Max. “You’re the town’s rideshare.”
I swat her hand away one more time and start to roll up the window.
Max looks like he’s not sure whether to laugh or frown. “Are you sure? You just saved me so much time having to walk back from the gas station.”
I give him a smile. “It’s no problem. Pass it along to someone in need. If you need anything else, you can find us at Honey and Harbor in Penrose Beach.”
“Is that a restaurant?” Max asks.
“A coffee shop,” I say, feeling a surge of pride.
Look at me marketing my business.
He taps the door with his hand. “I’ll have to stop by. Thank you again, ladies.” Taking a step back, he empties the can into the tank.
Once the car starts, I give him a wave before heading out, picking up speed so we can get home. It was nice to help, but now that it’s over, my brain is already trying to consolidate what I can realistically do before I collapse into bed.
Whether we see Max again doesn’t really matter. I’ve got a business to run and a niece to take care of. Penrose Beach is beginning to feel like the fresh start I always wanted, and I couldn’t be happier.
At least for now.