Chapter 40
Sebastian
THE THREE WEEKS’ WORTH of dust on my SUV was the first thing that struck me about how long I’d actually been gone. In Coral Bay, time passed at a different pace for me.
Mid-October air here smelled humid and faintly metallic. The city hum was louder, sharper, less forgiving. Traffic hummed along, predictable. I didn’t stop at the apartment first and drove straight to work.
Even at this late evening hour, the office was full.
People greeted me like I hadn’t left. After all, I had met most of them in regular Zoom meetings, the recent one only yesterday.
Yet for me, the smiles in person, the claps on the back, the smell of the office and the coffee in the kitchenette, the view from the window—were another reminder that the Sea Glass cabin was almost two thousand miles away.
Work lingo and the usual office motions sprang on me, but my mind was still half on the inn, the workers, the ocean, her.
When I finally opened my front door and flicked on the lights, the apartment smelled stale, but my plants had survived despite themselves, thanks to Nathan. The only mail waiting on the kitchen counter was junk; the rest had reached my inbox.
I opened the windows and moved through rooms that had missed me as little as I had missed them. Technically, it was home, but my chest tightened in a way that reminded me again: I was still somewhere else. The ocean, the breeze, the quiet honeysuckled stillness of Coral Bay lingered under my skin.
A shower and unpacking later, I pinged Nathan. “They’re alive. Thanks, Man!”
“Ohhh, look who’s breathing Texas air again. Welcome home.”
A twist in my gut at that last word. It didn’t feel like home. Maybe in a few days. Even in normal times—non-Ruby-crushing-me times—when people asked where I was from, I always said California. But my current home was Texas, and it still felt ... borrowed.
“You have to meet Hillary. Tomorrow, dinner at mine? Did I tell you she cooks?”
“You hit the jackpot. Can we do it the day after? I have to work late tomorrow.”
“Day after it is. Bring the sunshine.”
I thumbed it up.
Sleep came easier than I’d expected. I was so beat I passed out the minute I hit the bed. I was too tired to change the sheets and too accustomed to dust after weeks in an under-construction inn.
Work was hectic the next day and the day after. I had flashes of clarity when I wanted to get on a plane, or at least text Ruby, but most of the time, I submerged myself in busy, forgetful bliss.
“THAT’S FOR YOU, AND that’s for Hillary,” I said, handing Nathan a bottle of wine and some fancy artisanal charcuterie pack I’d picked up on the way. His place in Montrose was a walkable distance from mine, in a bustling city center neighborhood full of shops.
Nathan held the door open for me. “You shouldn’t have, but you totally should have.” He chuckled. “Thanks.”
I stepped inside and immediately caught the hum of a few voices. I cocked my head and raised my eyebrows.
“Yeah, surprise,” he said, looking guilty. “Hillary invited two of her friends. She was nervous meeting you, so she brought reinforcement. Her entourage.”
“And in reinforcement, you mean ...?”
“That they’re single, looking, and already one glass in.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “Sorry, man. I’m doing this for love.”
“I thought I’d get one evening before I’m being set up. What if I’m shite?”
“Oh, she knows you’re not. Come on. She’s dying to meet my friend from NASA who’s also a builder.”
“I’m not a builder. What the fuck did you tell her?” I mumbled, trailing behind him, my enthusiasm in freefall.
Less than a month since I’d last seen him, and his apartment already looked like a woman lived there. Nathan sure didn’t waste any time.
“Hey, babe, this is Sebastian. You can call him Seb, like I do, though he’s not a fan of that,” Nathan said, chuckling and setting my gifts on the counter. He wrapped his arms around the waist of the petite brunette tossing what looked like a fancy, gigantic salad.
The two other women and Hillary all sized me up as I approached to shake her hand. “Nice finally meeting you,” I said. “Heard a lot about you.”
“And you. Nathan told me a lot about you,” Hillary said in a local accent. “I met your plants before I met you.” She laughed, shooting Nathan a cheeky look.
Oh, great. They’d probably fucked in my apartment. “Thanks for helping him water them,” I muttered.
Hillary waved a hand. “And these are my friends, Alison and Ruby.”
My heart hiccupped in my chest as my eyes met the blonde and ebony-haired women. “Nice to meet you,” I mumbled, shaking hands, feeling like some new product on a shelf.
“Let’s get you wine,” the not-Ruby one said, already pouring.
“Babe, Seb got this for you,” Nathan said, pointing at the gifts on the counter while giving me a look that said, sorry I didn’t warn you, clearly referring to the Ruby thing.
Dinner was lively. A little too chatty for me, but the food made up for it. Nathan was clearly in love in a way I hadn’t seen in years. And every time someone said Ruby, a jolt shot straight down my spine. Hillary’s Ruby wasn’t my Ruby—but that didn’t matter.
I sat trapped between Hillary's entourage with Nathan and her across the table, constantly kissing, holding hands, rubbing noses. I felt like throwing my napkin at him. The blonde, thankfully, was Alison, because if she were the Ruby one, I’d—well, I didn’t even want to imagine it.
She and the black-haired Ruby leaned in, taking turns asking me questions while Nathan and Hillary were busy being sticky.
“So, you build rockets or ...?” Ruby asked.
“No. I mostly calculate stuff.” I watched her face fall, exactly the effect I wanted.
“And you’re from California? I was born there, but moved here when I was one,” Alison said.
“Great.” I smiled automatically and threw Nathan a look.
“You know Alison’s from California?” he said, clearly missing the awkward conversation because he was busy whispering something to Hillary.
“Yes, we established that,” I replied, sharper than necessary.
Just then, Hillary popped up at our side of the table, phone in selfie mode. “Nath, get over here, babe!” She leaned over me and her friends, angling the camera. Nathan joined, and she snapped a picture. I gave a stilted smile. I was there, but my heart and brain were elsewhere.
“Dessert time!” Hillary called.
I pushed my chair back. “Why don’t you three stay here, and Nathan and I can bring it?”
In the kitchen, Nathan grinned. “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to ambush you like that, but they’re really great women. What do you think about Hillary?”
“That she’s perfect for you. Really. You need someone like that. But Nath, I haven’t told you yet what happened with Ruby—my Ruby.”
She wasn’t mine. She’d made sure of that. But my chest wouldn’t listen. Everything outside me was normal. I behaved normal. But inside, she was all I felt.