“I’m not hitting on you,” he protested.

“No?”

“Believe me, you’d know if I was hitting on you. You wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from succumbing to my charms.”

For the first time since he’d arrived, he heard her laugh. He took that as a good sign and went on.

“Actually, I came here because I felt bad about the cage, and I didn’t want you to be out here alone. Like I said earlier, it’s a public beach and you never know who might come walking up.”

“Like you?”

“It’s not me you should be worried about. There are bad people everywhere. Even here.”

“And let me guess. You’d protect me, right?”

“If it came down to that, I’d protect you in a heartbeat.”

She didn’t respond, but he had the feeling he’d surprised her. The tide was coming in, and together they watched the waves flare silver whenever they rolled and washed toward the shore. Through the windows, the curtains fluttered, as though someone were watching them.

“All right,” she finally said, breaking the silence. “Your turn. What’s your story?”

“I’m a volleyball player slash grease monkey slash aquarium volunteer.”

He heard her laugh again, liking its unfettered energy. It felt contagious.

“Are you okay if I stay with you for a while?”

“It’s a public beach.”

He motioned toward the house. “Do you need to tell your dad I’m out here?”

“I’m sure he already knows you’re here,” she said. “Last night, he must have checked on me every other minute.”

“He sounds like a good dad.”

She seemed to consider something before shaking her head. “So you love volleyball, huh?”

“It keeps me in shape.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question.”

“I enjoy it. I don’t know if I love it, though.”

“But you do like crashing into people, right?”

“That depends on who I crash into. But a few days ago, I guess I’d have to say it turned out pretty well.”

“You think drenching me is a good thing?”

“If I hadn’t soaked you, I might not be here now.”

“And I could be enjoying a quiet, peaceful night at the beach instead.”

“I don’t know.” He smiled. “Quiet, peaceful nights are overrated.”

“I guess I’m not going to find out tonight, huh?”

He laughed. “Where do you go to school?”

“I don’t,” she said. “I graduated a couple of weeks ago. You?”

“I just graduated from Laney High School. It’s where Michael Jordan went.”

“I’ll bet everyone in your high school says that.”

“No,” he corrected. “Not everyone. Just the ones who graduated.”

She rolled her eyes. “All right. So what’s next for you? Are you going to keep working for your dad?”

“Just through the summer.” He scooped up some sand and let it slip through his fingers.

“And then?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”

“No?”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you with that information.”

“How about a hint?” she prodded.

“How about you go first? What’s next for you?”

She thought about it. “I’m strongly considering a career in guarding turtle nests. I seem to have a knack for it. I mean, you should have seen the way that raccoon took off. It was like it thought I was the Terminator.”

“You sound like Scott,” he said. Seeing her blank expression, he explained. “He’s my volleyball partner, and the guy is the king of movie references. It’s like he can’t complete a sentence without one of them. Of course, he usually works some sexual innuendo in as well.”

“That sounds like a special talent.”

“Oh, it is. I could get him to give you a personal demonstration.”

“No, thank you. I don’t need any sexual innuendos.”

“You might like it.”

“I think not.”

He held her gaze as they bantered, noting that she was prettier than he remembered. Funny and smart, too, which was even better.

Near the nest, saw grass bent in the breeze and the steady sound of the waves surrounded them, making him feel as if they were in a cocoon. Up and down the beach, lights glowed in the oceanfront houses.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“I’m not sure I could stop you.”

He pushed his feet back and forth in the sand. “What’s with you and Blaze?”

In the silence, she stiffened slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I was just wondering why you were hanging out with her the other night.”

“Oh,” she said. Though he had no idea why, she seemed relieved. “Actually, we met when she spilled my soda on me. Right after I finished cleaning up what you did.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. As far as I can tell, dumping soda on people is the equivalent of ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you’ in this part of the world. Frankly, I think standard greetings work better, but what do I know?” She drew a long breath. “Anyway, she seemed cool and I didn’t know anyone else, so we just… ended up hanging out for a while.”

“Did she stay here with you last night?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“What? Didn’t she want to save the turtles? Or at least keep you company?”

“I didn’t tell her about this.”

He could tell she didn’t want to say more, so he let it drop. Instead, he motioned to the beach.

“Do you want to go for a walk?”

“Do you mean a romantic walk, or just a walk?”

“I’m going to say… just a walk.”

“Good choice.” She clapped her hands together. “But just so you know, I don’t want to go too far, being that the aquarium volunteers weren’t concerned about the raccoon and the eggs are still exposed.”

“They were definitely concerned. I have it on good authority that an aquarium volunteer is helping to guard the nest right now.”

“Yes,” she said. “But the real question is why?”

They walked the beach in the direction of the pier, passing a dozen oceanfront mansions, each with massive decks and staircases that led down to the beach. A few houses down, one of the neighbors was hosting a small gathering; all the lights on the third floor were on, and three or four couples leaned against the railing, watching the moonlit waves.

They didn’t talk much, but for some reason, the silence didn’t feel uncomfortable. Ronnie kept just enough distance so they wouldn’t accidentally brush against each other, sometimes studying the sand and at other times staring ahead. There were moments when he thought he saw a fleeting smile cross her features, as though she remembered a humorous story she hadn’t yet shared with him. Every now and then, she stopped and bent over to retrieve seashells that were half-buried in the sand, and he noted her concentration as she examined them in the moonlight before tossing most of them aside. The others she slipped into her pocket.

There was so much he didn’t know about her-in many ways she remained a cipher to him. In that, she was the complete opposite of Ashley. Ashley was nothing if not safe and predictable; he knew thoroughly what he was getting, even if it wasn’t what he really wanted. But Ronnie was different, no doubt about it, and when she offered him an unguarded and unexpected smile, he had the sense she was intuiting his thoughts. The realization warmed him, and when they finally turned around and made their way back toward their spot near the turtle nest, there was an instant when he imagined himself walking beside her on the beach each and every night into a distant future.

When they reached the house, Ronnie went inside to talk to her dad while Will unpacked his truck. He set up his bedroll and supplies on the side of the turtle nest, wishing Ronnie could have stayed near the nest with him. But she’d already told him there wasn’t a chance that her dad would agree. At the very least, though, he was glad she’d be able to sleep in her own bed tonight.

Getting comfortable, he lay down, thinking that today had been a start, if nothing else. Anything might happen from here. But when she turned, smiling as she waved a final good night from the porch, he felt something leap inside at the notion that she just might imagine it was the beginning of something, too.