At the beach, she stopped to slip off her sandals, wondering if she’d recognize anyone from high school or whether they’d recognize her, but she spotted no one familiar. She trudged through the sand and when she reached the pier, she made her way up the steps just as the sun was beginning its slow descent. Through the slats beneath her feet, she watched as sand gave way to shallow water, then finally to waves cascading toward the shore. In either direction, surfers were still catching swells. Admiring their graceful movements, she passed people fishing; men and women, young and old, all of them lost in their own worlds. She remembered that when she had been a teenager, a boy she’d liked had once talked her into giving it a try. It was a blazing-hot day and casting was more difficult than she thought it would be. They eventually left the pier empty-handed, and she later realized that she liked the boy a lot more than she’d ever like fishing.
The crowds grew sparser the farther out she got, and by the time she reached the end of the pier she noticed only a lone fisherman, his back toward her. He was dressed in faded jeans and a baseball cap, but from her cursory glance she could tell that he was put together just right. Shrugging off the thought, she turned her gaze to the horizon, catching sight of the moon rising from the sea. In the distance, a catamaran glided over the surface, and she idly wondered whether Serena might be persuaded to join her on a sailing trip one weekend.
“Are you following me?” The voice came from the corner of the pier.
When she turned, it took a few seconds for her to register that it was Colin. The fisherman in the baseball cap, she suddenly realized. She felt heat rise in her cheeks. Had Serena set this up, too? No, coming out here had been her idea. Hadn’t it? Serena hadn’t talked about Colin or the pier… which meant this had to be a coincidence, like the night he’d pulled over and changed her tire. What were the odds of meeting him here? Too low to be plausible, and yet… he was here and she was here, and she could tell he was waiting for an answer.
“No,” she stammered. “I’m not following you. I just came out here to enjoy the view.”
He seemed to weigh her answer. “And?”
“And what?”
“The view. How is it?”
Flustered, she had to process his question before she could answer. “It’s beautiful,” she finally said.
“Better than from the restaurant?”
“Different. More peaceful.”
“I think so, too. That’s why I’m here.”
“But you’re fishing…?”
“Not really,” he said. “Like you, I’m mainly here to appreciate the scenery.” He smiled before leaning over the railing. “I didn’t mean to bother you,” he assured her. “Enjoy the sunset, Maria.”
Somehow, hearing him say her name out here felt more intimate than it had in the bar, and she absently watched as he began reeling in his line. He cast again, the line unspooling into the distance, and she wondered whether she should stay or go. He seemed content to give her space, just as he’d done the night they’d first met. Which reminded her…
“Hey, Colin?”
He turned his head. “Yes?”
“I should have thanked you for changing my tire the other night. You really saved me.”
“You’re welcome. I was glad to help.” He smiled. “And I’m glad you came to the restaurant tonight, too.”
“That was Serena’s idea.”
“I could tell. You didn’t seem all that happy to see me.”
“It wasn’t that. I was just… surprised.”
“Me too.”