Chapter two
Bryan
The office is quiet. Too quiet.
I should be working, going through reports, analyzing numbers, chasing down my new fraud investigation case, but I haven’t turned a page in over an hour. The ledger in front of me blurs as my mind drifts, replaying the morning like a broken record.
Emma.
I rub my chest, but the ache doesn’t fade. I should have been prepared to see her. After all, it was her grandmother's funeral.
I still can't stop thinking about when my eyes locked on hers, wide, startled, unreadable something cracked open that I wasn’t ready for.
Thirteen years. And yet, it still hit me like a wrecking ball.
A sigh drifts from the below. Buddy stretches out on his dog bed next to my desk, paws twitching in his sleep. Lucky mutt. He doesn’t have to deal with this mess.
My phone buzzes and I grab it, grateful for the distraction. Nate.
I put him on speaker. “Yeah?”
“How’d the funeral go?” Nate asks, his tone softer than usual.
“Fine.”
He exhales. “Wish I could’ve been there. You know how much I liked Gracie. She always made me those delicious apple turnovers.”
A ghost of a smile flickers across my lips. “She made extra just for you. Said you were too skinny for someone who could bench press a truck.”
Nate chuckles. “She wasn’t wrong.” A pause. “You doing okay?”
I lean back in my chair, rubbing the tension from my neck. “Yeah.”
“Uh-huh.” A beat. “Let me guess. You saw her.”
My jaw tightens. No point lying. “Yeah.”
Silence. Then, “Did you talk?”
I exhale through my nose, staring at the ceiling. “No.”
Another pause. “Huh.”
I scowl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Nate says, way too casually. “Just… interesting. Thought you were over it.”
I close my eyes, gripping the phone tighter. “I am.”
“Right.” His voice is thick with amusement. “And I’m some monk.”
Buddy lifts his head, ears flicking toward me. I reach down, scratching behind them, needing something to ground me.
“She looked good, didn’t she?” Nate asks after a moment.
The question is casual, but it lands like a punch. To be honest, she looked too good. Too beautiful.
I should have ignored it, ignored her but my traitorous brain is still stuck on the details. The way the wind lifted the hem of her dress. The sun catching the auburn strands of her hair. That same stubborn tilt of her chin that used to drive me insane.
She shouldn’t still have this hold on me. But she does. And I hate it.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say flatly.
Nate hums. “You sound convincing.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You need something, or just calling to be a pain in my butt?”
“Oh, I got a reason.” He snickers. “But messing with you is a solid bonus.”
I roll my eyes. “What do you want, Kingston?”
“The hotel add-on. I want your thoughts before I greenlight it.”
I glance at the Kingston Developments file on my desk Ocean Bay’s marina expansion. Fifty million in projected revenue. Normally, I’d already have the numbers crunched. Right now, I can barely focus.
“I’ll look at it later.”
“Uh-huh.” A beat. “Hey, Bryan?”
“What?”
“If you saw her again… would you talk to her?”
The question slams into me like a freight train. I should say no.
But the truth is, I don’t know. I should feel anger, for what she did but currently I'm only numb.
"It doesn't matter we aren't going to be seeing each other again,"
Before he can say anything else, my intercom buzzes with another call.
"Hold on Nate,"
"Jake?"
"Sir, you have a call from Mr. Henshaw, should I connect you,"
There is only one Henshaw I know and it's Paul. An old reputable lawyer in Ocean Bay. He is like a father figure to almost everyone in town just like Gracie was a mother figure to me. If he is calling then it must be something important,"
"I have to go, Henshaw’s on the call with me,"
"Old man Henshaw?"
"Yes, and I'll talk to you later,"
I hang up and answer the intercom. “Hi Paul.”
“Hello Bryan, how are you doing?”
"I'm doing good and you?"
“I'm fine I’d like to have a word with you. Can you come by my office tomorrow morning at ten?”
My brow furrows. Henshaw usually calls me from time to time when he needs my assistance one way or the other, but I’ve never had any reason to deal with him directly or have him invite me to his office.
“What’s this about?”
“It's a lot. But I assure you, you’ll find out tomorrow.”
“Are you sure something isn't wrong?” I press.
“No, no,” he says quickly. “Just some business we need to go over. Let’s talk in person.”
"Okay, I'll be at your office,"
"Thank you, have a nice day,"
He hangs up. I stare at the phone, unease curling in my gut. What on earth does he want to talk to me about? Maybe he needs a favor.
I exhale, rolling my shoulders. No point overthinking it. I’ll go, listen to whatever he needs, and get back to work.
But as I pocket my phone, Emma’s face flashes in my mind again. Her shock. Her wide eyes. The way she looked like she wanted to say something, but the words never came.
I tell myself to let it go. If only it was that easy to rid her from my mind.
***
The drive to Nate and Liz’s place is quiet, save for the low rumble of the engine and the occasional rustle of Buddy shifting in the passenger seat. The sky’s inky now, the last remnants of daylight bleeding into the horizon. The air is crisp, salt-tinged, quintessential Ocean Bay. I roll my shoulders, trying to shake off the tension I’ve been carrying all day.
Dinner with Nate and Liz usually grounds me, reminds me that there’s still something steady and real outside of my work. All thanks to Liz always having my head if I missed it.
Tonight, though? My mind won’t let go of Emma; of the way she looked at me like I was a ghost from a life she’d left behind. Maybe I am. At least she made it clear I was dead to her the minute she left without a word those years ago.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. I won't dwell on that pitiful night. You're done with that phase, it doesn't matter.
Buddy lets out a low huff, like he can sense my mood. His tail thumps once, then he nudges my arm with his nose. I sigh.
I reach Nate’s house in minutes, grab the wrapped package from the seat beside me, and step out. Buddy trots ahead, tail wagging as soon as he spots Rufus by the door. Rufus just about loses his mind, circling Buddy as I make my way up the steps. The sight makes me smile. The front door swings open before I even knock.
“Uncle Bryan!”
Max barrels into me like a tiny linebacker, his arms locking around my waist. I grin, catching him easily before tossing him up in the air just enough to make him squeal.
“Getting heavy, kid,” I tease, setting him back down. “What are they feeding you?”
Max laughs, practically bouncing on his feet. “Everything! Mom says I eat like Dad.”
It pleases me to hear him call Liz mom . This is all I ever wanted for my sister, happiness. I shake my head as I thought of how furious I had been when I heard she was with Nate. It had felt like betrayal having your best friend dating your sister behind your back.
However, looking back now I have no regrets giving them my blessings. My sister radiates every single day with Nate. It's like she has always been meant to be by his side. To top it all, Nate also looks better over the past few years. He is clearly happy.
"You do," I say as he giggles and raises his head to look at me making me chuckle.
I squat to his height handing him the package watching as his smile widens. “Here. Uncle Bryan saw this and thought you’d like this.”
"Thank you, Uncle Bryan!" I catch him as he throws his tiny hands around my neck and hugs me.
"You're welcome," I chuckle as he pulls back. His attention now on the box. His eyes go wide as he rips the paper away, revealing the model rocket kit inside.
“A rocket?!” His excitement is instant, bright. “Can we build it now?”
I ruffle his hair. “Tomorrow, champ. I'm sure your mom and dad are waiting for us.”
Nate groans from the doorway, his eyes on Max's gift. “You’re spoiling him again.”
"Daddy, Uncle Bryan got me a rocket!" he squeals grinning from ear to ear.
"I can see that. It seems Uncle Bryan and Uncle Liam , are determined to buy you all the toys in the world in the literal sense,"
"That's the goal and when his brother or sister arrives we’ll have another baby to spoil."
Nate chuckles and shakes his head. His arm around my shoulders as he leads me in.
I smirk, stepping inside. “Best uncle’s privilege.”
The moment I step in Liz is there. A smile spreading across her face, glowing at twenty-four weeks pregnant, hand resting on her bump. “You’re hopeless.”
“I’m great with kids,” I counter, sliding into my usual chair at the dining table.
Nate snorts. “Yeah, because you get to leave when they start screaming.”
I shrug. “Smart man knows his limits.”
Dinner unfolds the way it always does, comforting, easy, familiar. Nate carves the roasted chicken while Liz passes the rolls. Max chatters nonstop about school, filling us in on his latest playground adventures. Rufus weaves around the table, hoping for scraps, and Buddy flops at my feet, his head resting against my boot.
This is the good stuff, the kind of evening that reminds me of what stability looks like. Then Nate smirks. I know that look.
“You could dote on more if you’d settle down like me.”
I stop mid-chew, setting my fork down. “Not for me.”
Liz glances at Nate, then back at me, her expression unreadable. “You always say that” she muses. “Never say never.”
I scoff, but the words cut deeper than they should. My mind flashes, Emma at seventeen, her eyes bright, her hands gripping mine as she whispered about forever.
Then she was gone. I shake my head. “I know better. True love’s a myth, she proved it.”
Silence lingers for a beat too long before Nate, mercifully, shifts the mood. He taps his phone, putting Liam on speaker.
“Best uncle’s still up for grabs, Lawson,” Liam chimes in.
I scoff. “Dream on, West. My rocket kit trumps your overpriced tech gadgets.”
“Pfft,” Liam drawls. “You don’t know what I got him yet.”
Max, mouth full, yells, “Tell me, Uncle Liam!”
Liam chuckles. “Nice try, buddy. It’s a surprise.”
Laughter ripples around the table, but mine fades fast. Liz shifts gears. “How was Gracie’s funeral? We left flowers at her grave.”
I nod, throat tight. “That was nice of you.”
Nate, softer now, adds, “She was good to us all.”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “She was.”
Liz hesitates, then carefully asks, “Did you see Emma?”
I shrug, keeping my tone nonchalant. “Yeah, briefly.”
The anger flares anyway. Emma’s presence brings it back fresh, the sharp edge of betrayal slicing through me like it happened yesterday.
Liz’s eyes narrow. But thankfully she doesn't push it.
After dinner, Nate and I step onto the porch, the night air cool against my skin. The stars glint over the bay, the waves a quiet murmur in the distance.
“You okay?” Nate asks.
I nod. “Fine.”
He studies me for a beat. “Heard Emma’s moving back in town now.”
I freeze.
The words knock something loose inside me, but I shove it down. I mask it. “Her business, not mine.”
Nate hums, unconvinced. But my gut twists.
Emma staying in Ocean Bay means I can’t pretend she doesn’t exist. Can’t convince myself she’s just a ghost from the past.
Nate, sensing the shift in my mood, lets it drop. He leans against the railing. “Got a real estate tip, small city, Boise maybe. High potential. Told Liam and he’s in. Your call?”
I nod, barely processing. “I trust you. Most of my portfolio’s your picks anyway.”
We talk about the funding, just a couple million, but my mind is elsewhere. Driving home, my grip on the wheel is tight, Nate’s words echoing in my head.
She’s staying.
Buddy sighs from the passenger seat, stretching out, oblivious to the storm in my head. My phone buzzes. A text from Henshaw.
"Don’t be late tomorrow."
I mutter, “What the heck’s going on?” dread and curiosity warring inside me.