In His Sails by Tabitha Levin Page A

were a little old for parental supervision, and I definitely was. There was no way she was going to force me to go with them - I’d just have to find my own fun.
    I grabbed an apple, crunching it as I bit down, and slipped my shoes on. I pictured Instagraming myself on the beach and sending it back to Lucy. Alone. I sighed. Yeah, she’d be really jealous over that one.
    Grabbing my towel, I left the cabin and headed toward the water.
    It was a beautiful day, the sun hot, but not scorching, a light wind so you wouldn’t sweat before you made it to the water’s edge.
    Self conscious at being solo, I scanned the small lagoon of beach that was next to our park watching the waves lapping at children's toes. I couldn’t handle the large beach on the other side yet.
    Everyone around me was splashing in the shallows, cuddling on the sand. All in groups or couples. Or at least that’s how it seemed to me. When you are in a bad mood, it always seems if everyone around you is having a wonderful time without you. I feel bad about that now, because I sound so ungrateful. And I guess I was then.
    Large boulder sized rocks lined the foreshore of the tiny beach inlet, above which was a long boardwalk that ended on a pier. Happy couples would p aint their names on the rocks. Suzie loves Freddie. Caitlin & Pete Forever. I wondered how many of those couples were still together now as I contemplated the best vantage point. To the right of the lagoon the water opened up to a semi circular harbour, where boats lined a tiny marina.
    I walked over to an empty boulder and sat down, thinking about the best angle for a selfie that would make me look like I was having a good time.
    “You’re not Caitlin, are you?” asked a voice in front of me.
    I looked up. A guy, early to mid twenties stood in front of me. Broad shouldered, athletic looking body, smooth skin. He was good looking enough, although there was no instant thunderbolt to the heart as they say in the movies. With his baggy t-shirt and brightly patterned shorts, he could have been any beach dude. Even so, the way he was looking at me, with those deep blue eyes and intense stare, did cause me to breathe in sharply for a moment.
    “Excuse me?” I asked.
    He pointed to the rock I was sitting on. The one that indicated that Caitlin and Pete would be together forever. I looked down and then shook my head. “‘Fraid not.”
    “Thank Christ,” he said. “Because the last time I tried to talk to a girl on these rocks, I had to spend a day scrubbing out the name of the guy so I could add my own. Haven’t got the energy for any more scrubbing today.” He grinned like he’d made the funniest joke in the world. “So if you’re not Caitlin, what is your name?”
    “Mia. Mia Bennett.”
    “David Carlton. Pleased to meet you Miss Bennett.”
    I grimaced. Every time someone called me Miss Bennett, it sounded like they were talking to a school teacher or worse, my mother.
    He sat down next to me, staring out at the ocean, pretending it was completely natural for a random stranger to come and sit next to you. Like we met up like this every day.
    “I’m not in the mood to be picked up, you know,” I said. Because I really wasn’t.
    “Good to know. Although I had no intention on hitting on you. Just wanted to make sure that you weren’t pining for your long lost love named Pete. That’s all.”
    I wrinkled my brow as he pointed to the rock I was sitting on again.
    “Caitlin would be pleased about that. We wouldn’t want to break up those two love-birds, now would we?”
    “Who says they’re still together?” I said. “Relationships don’t last these days. It’s too easy to cheat.”
    It was his turn to raise an eyebrow at me. “So we get to the real reason you are sitting here, and not paddling in the water or rubbing suntan lotion over that amazing body and baking like a sea trout. Boyfriend trouble?” he asked.
    I shook my head. “More like parent trouble.”
    He nodded.