Love Bait

6| Not a quitter

The minute my shift ends, I grab my bike and cycle to the beach. Just two miles down the road is the best stretch of beach this island has to offer. Gone is the noise and the tourists and the leftover trash—all that remains is pristine white sand and sparkling blue ocean.

It was my mom who showed me this part of the beach. She'd take me here as a kid and tell me it was 'our little secret.' "The tourists never bother to walk this far," she said, "so they'll never find it unless someone tells them. It can be just for us, Evvy." I guess now, it's just for Lina and me.

I lie against the sand and watch the waves roll in. It's beautiful at this time, the ocean a light, turquoise hue. Mom always said I learned to swim before I learned to walk, like I was made for the island. It's why the thought of moving to the mainland for college seems so terrifying. And what will happen to Dad when I'm gone? Lexi won't stick around for long–she'll be planning her next adventure–and Dad will be left all alone.

It's not long before Lina arrives, and I'm so happy to see her. She slumps next to me in the sand, staring at the sky. "God, I am so glad that shift is over."

I smile. Lina doesn't view working at the cafe like I do. To her, it's just a part-time job, a way to make money before she goes off to college. Things would probably be a lot simpler if I thought the same way.

She closes her eyes, and I turn to face her. In the last few years, I've hardly changed appearance-wise, but Lina has blossomed. She must be 5'10 by now, with pin-straight black hair, big, dark eyes, and clear, brown skin. Growing up, she looked awkward, like a newborn fawn trying to find its footing. Now she might as well be a model.

"Only a few more months left," I say, "and then we'll be off to college."

"I know," she says, sighing dreamily. "I can't wait." Lina isn't going to college on the mainland, she's going to college in New York, which might as well be a different continent.

"Yeah," I say, "me too," but it's a lie.

Lina must notice the tone in my voice because she smiles. "We'll still talk all the time, Evvy, and I'll come back for holidays and stuff."

"I know," I say because I believe her, "I just hate that everything is changing so fast. It feels like I can't keep up."

"I get what you mean, but change can be a good thing, you know? There's a whole world out there that we've never even seen because we've never left the island. Don't you want to find out what we're missing?"

It's different for her, I guess, because she's going to New York: the city that never sleeps. But I've been to the mainland before to visit Lexi at college: I'm not missing much.

Without a word, her hand slips into mine. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too," I say back.

For a while, we just sit like this, staring at the clouds as they move across the sky. The air is warm but not unbearably hot, the sand warm against my legs: I take a mental snapshot in the hopes I'll remember this moment.

"Come on," Lina says, getting to her feet. "Let's go for a swim."

I don't need asking twice. I rise to my feet, racing her to the water. The water is warm, and I duck my head beneath the surface, able to see to the bottom. When I finally reappear, Lina is treading water before me, the biggest smile on her face.

"So," she says, flicking me with water. "Are we going to talk about what's happening with the cafe?"

I close my eyes. Lina knows how much the cafe means to me, and the only reason I haven't talked about it is that I still can't quite believe it. "What's the point?" I ask. "There's nothing I can do. Jordan showed me the deed. The cafe is his, he gets to decide what he wants to do with it, and he obviously wants to sell it."

Lina gives me a look of disapproval. "So, that's it? The most stubborn, determined girl I have ever met will let some city boy come along and take away something so important? I mean, it's not even just about you. If he sells that cafe to the wrong person, this whole island will suffer."

I sigh and swirl my hand in the water. "You think I don't know that? That cafe is all I have left of her, Li-Li. It was the one thing that kept me going after she died."

I close my eyes again. Even after all this time, the thought of her death feels like having a bucket of cold water thrown over me. My body freezes, my heart stops, and for a second, my lungs just inhale and exhale without taking anything in.

Mom died just after one a.m on a Saturday. The Friday before, she took Lexi and me to get some late-night ice cream at the Big Fish Cafe. Technically, the cafe was closed, but since Mom was the one who locked up each night, she had the keys to let us in.

We drove there and parked outside, sneaking inside. Mom had us sit at her favorite booth by the window, and she let herself into the kitchen to serve us up some of her famous sundaes. Then we spent the next few hours talking and laughing about anything and everything–it was the best day of my life. Until the accident.

On the way home, we climbed into the car and argued about who got to choose the music. Mom wanted Motown. I wanted Pop. Lexi wanted Classical. In the end, we came to a compromise: one song each.

It was coming up to midnight, and the narrow roads were empty. The oncoming car was a group of tourists heading back to their rented house after a night out. Later I learned they were from Europe, where they drive on the other side of the road. The driver must have momentarily forgotten, and their car plowed straight into us. 

"I know," Lina says softly, pulling me into a hug. "I know how important it is to you. That's why I feel like we can't just sit back. We owe it to your mom and this island to save it."

I pull back to look at her, realizing she's right. Kali's killing Jordan with kindness isn't going to change anything. If we want to save the cafe, we'll have to find another way.

"Okay," I say, and Lina grins back. "Just you and me?"

"As always," she says, and what feels like hope settles in my chest.

Lina lies flat on her back to float, and I spend a second just looking around. Sunlight streams down and makes the waves shimmer. I tilt my head back and bask in the warmth. The idea of giving all of this up is terrifying.

A/N

Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed!

Who's ready for the next chapter (and some drama)?? ❤️