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“I’m glad she’s back home even though her parents have moved up north to be near their other kids.”

“I heard about that.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a picture of her, but I remember thinking that little Dalisay has become quite a beautiful woman.”

“I’ll say,” I said with a smile.

“When did you see her?” Dad asked.

“She got blotto drunk on the roof yesterday. I found her when I went looking for Spicoli and got her back to Corrie’s before I went home to bed.”

“Is that why you didn’t get much sleep?”

“I kept having dreams that woke me up.” I didn’t dare tell him what those dreams were about. I would never want to admit them out loud, and besides, their content wasn’t exactly something I was comfortable talking about with my father.

“Dreams, huh?” Dad looked pensive for a minute before he grinned and said, “She’s a gorgeous woman now, our little Dalisay. Wouldn’t you say?”

I swallowed hard before I nodded, trying to will away the flush I could feel creeping up my neck

“Funny how she’s been head over heels for you since she was about five. I wonder if that ever went away.”

“What?”

“While you were in the service, she ate up information about you as if she wouldn’t survive without it.

She kept an album that had every postcard and picture you sent her, and she handled the trinkets you sent with such care that you would have thought they were made of the most delicate porcelain.

She might have been even more heartbroken than your mom and your sister when you were arrested and sent to prison. It nearly broke her.”

“I had no idea.”

“Well, now you do,” Dad said simply, but when he smiled at me, there was a gleam in his eye that hadn’t been there before.

“But what are the odds that she still has a crush on me, and even if she does, would she ever act on it? Corrie would probably kill me anyway.”

“My guess is that your sister wants her friend to be happy, and she firmly believes that you’re one of the best men she’s ever known. Seems to me that she may be all for it.”

“You think so?”

“You’ve got some time before she gets back. If I were you, I’d make the most of it. Just remember that it’s a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, especially if things work out the way I think they will.”

“So, you think I should ask Dalisay out?”

“I think you should do much more than that, son, but that would be a good start.”

◆◆◆

DALI

It took some effort to sit up and put my feet on the floor, but I managed even though it felt like my head could explode any minute now.

I was completely disoriented when I woke up in bed because the last thing I remembered was watching a surfer paddle out on his board to soak up the last of the sunset.

My drunken sleep was filled with dreams of the sun, surf, and, oddly enough, my lifetime crush - Corrie’s older brother.

It made sense that I would dream about the man. He looked like the ultimate California surfer with his sun-streaked hair, gorgeous smile, and fit body.

At least, he was fit the last time I saw him, but that was years ago.

He had probably gone soft around the middle and lost his tan because he spent too much time behind his computer.

I knew from my conversations with Corrie that he was single.

Although Corrie couldn’t stand his choices when it came to dating thus far.

Even though Corrie adored her older brother, we didn’t discuss him often. It was usually just in passing when she complained about something he said or the woman he was dating. She buttoned those conversations up quickly, though, because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

I, Dalisay Albright, had been head over heels for Anthony since before I even understood what a crush was. As my best friend, Corrie knew that and had shared my dream that Anthony and I would get married someday so we could be real sisters.

But then Anthony had gone to prison, and my young dreams were shattered.

By the time he moved to Texas to serve the remainder of his sentence, I was almost done with college and had a plan for my life that took me far away from home.

So, knowing that there wouldn’t be a happy ending that included my girlhood crush, Corrie and I avoided talking about him for the most part.

That didn’t mean I’d ever stopped thinking about him, though, and that was one of the reasons I didn’t want to hear about his life now. The last thing I needed was to reignite my old flame by learning details of what he was like or what he was doing.

When I laughed at myself, I couldn’t stifle the moan that came next.

I was almost positive my head was about to detonate.

My stomach was churning, and I knew that if I didn’t find a way to calm it down, I’d end up on my knees in the bathroom, and that was the last thing I wanted.

If I threw up right now, there was no way I’d come out of it alive.

Why had I thought it was a good idea to drink so much? And how in the hell had I managed to make it back downstairs without killing myself?

Yes, I was down in the dumps, but I knew that killing nearly two bottles of wine alone was too much - especially since it wasn’t the first time this had happened.

My life was off the rails, and I had no idea which direction to go.

My career in the Navy was no longer on the horizon thanks to some guy who hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before and forgot to follow safety protocols.

While it was no fault of my own that my life had changed so drastically, it was my burden to bear.

And chugging cheap wine until I blacked out was not the best way to bear it.

Especially when I felt like the walking dead the next day.

I lurched off the bed and sprinted to the bathroom when my stomach rolled over and almost didn’t make it in time.

Some mindless television and napping with a side of over-the-counter pain relievers managed to get me through the morning. While recovering from my hangover, I came to the realization that I needed to change things up, or I’d probably just end up in the same situation tomorrow.

I had to get out into the world, at least for a while.

The best place to clear my mind and center myself had always been the beach, so I packed one of the beach bags I found in the laundry room.

Armed with bottled water, sunscreen, two towels, a floppy hat that had been hanging on the hook next to the bag, and a paperback I’d carried across the country, I was ready for a day in the sand.

Ready for a fresh start and some sunshine, I threw open the door to walk outside and tripped over the dog sprawled out there.

My sunglasses went flying, as did everything I’d just packed so neatly into my bag, and I ended up on my ass with my legs sprawled over the big lug, who didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed.

I took a second to catch my breath and assess my injuries and was surprised to find that the only thing injured was my pride.

“Schmoopie! What are you doing out here?” I asked as I leaned forward to run my hands over the large dog’s fur. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”

Of course, he didn’t answer. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even lift his head to look at me. He raised one ear and then let it fall again before he sighed, and I leaned back on my hands to stare at him.

“Have you been outside this whole time?” I looked down the way and saw the smaller dog poking her head out of the doggie door. I looked back at the big dog before I asked, “Can you even fit through that thing?”

The smaller dog sprinted toward me with a ball in her mouth, eagerly expecting me to play since I was already down on her level.

“I wish I could take you to the beach with me, sweetheart,” I said as I rubbed her. “I bet you’d have a blast out there.”

The dog must have understood me because her entire body started vibrating with excitement just before she sprinted toward the stairs.

“Oh, no!” I whispered to myself as I hurried to get up. I didn’t know her name, so I just yelled, “Come back!”

I looked down at the lazy dog and laughed. “Do you get excited about anything?”

“The only thing he ever gets excited about is b-a-c-o-n.”

I spun around and was surprised to see Anthony walking up the stairs. Without thinking, I ran toward him just like I had when I was younger.

“Hey, Dali,” Anthony said as he wrapped his arms around me. “Are you feeling okay today?”

“I’m fine,” I assured him as I stepped back so I could see his face. “Why do you ask?”

“No hangover?”

“Oh, God! I thought it was another dream!”

“You dream about me?”

“Um, no. I mean, you’re Anthony . . .”

“Call me Navy.”

“Why?”

“Only my family calls me Anthony.”

“But . . .”

“You’re not my family, Dalisay.”

“I know, but I’m Corrie’s friend and . . . Why are we talking about this?” I asked.

“Are you going to the beach?” Anthony - I mean, Navy - asked as he looked at the bag on the ground.

“That’s where I was headed, but I got sidetracked by my neighbor’s dogs.”

“Are they bothering you?”

I ignored his question and asked, “What are you doing here? Did Corrie ask you to check on her plants or something?”

“Yeah, but I’ll let you do that instead since you’re staying here.”

“Right.” But that didn’t explain why he was back unless it was just to check to make sure I survived.

I was shocked when he nudged the big dog with his boot and said, “Get up and go home, lazy ass.”

“Be nice to Schmoopie. He’s a big sweetie.”

Anthony rolled his eyes and said, “He’s a piece of furniture that overeats and farts too much.” He nudged the dog again before he said, “Go home, Spicoli.”

“Spicoli?”

The big dog lifted his head and huffed before he lumbered to his feet and stood in front of Anthony patiently. Anthony leaned over and scratched back and forth down the dog’s sides before the dog walked across the breezeway and disappeared through the doggie door.

“Yeah, his name is Spicoli, and the spastic one is Boogie.”

Just then, Boogie dashed up the stairs and skidded to a halt before she dropped her ball at Anthony’s feet. He looked at me and asked, “Did you happen to say the b-word?”

“Bitch?”

“Shhh!” Anthony hissed as the dog started spinning in circles. “That sounds way too much like b-e-a-c-h, and she’ll expect me to take her out.”

“I may have mentioned that I was going . . . there and couldn’t take her with me.”

The dog started yipping as she bounced around, and Anthony smiled before he said, “Give me a minute to get changed because it looks like we’re going to the beach with you.”

I thought that sounded like a wonderful idea.