I think about Kate, who got married and is still living with her mom. Trying not to check her phone every thirty seconds.
Sadie pats the table. "Pinball calls." And she's gone again.
Nat and I exchange glances. We've talked amongst ourselves regarding how concerned we are about Damien, but we've never shared our concerns with Tate, Max, or our parents. And definitely not Kate.
No, Nat and I figure we can monitor the situation with him without making a big deal. We're like the front line of his personal mental health team. Damien's seen a lot as a firefighter, and we both wonder if he has PTSD.
If we need to, we'll get him help when he returns home. But maybe Kate's the thing that will turn his mood around. I can only hope. Although I think even I'm smart enough to realize that the love of a good woman won't fix my brother's darkness, an unfortunate byproduct of seeing too much destroyed by flames.
"Hey, where's Leilani tonight? She should be here," Nat says.
I shrug. "She said she was busy with the business. Mermosa's grand opening is in about a month."
"Shouldn't you be helping her, as her official mentor?"
"I asked her earlier if she needed my help and she said no. Weird, I haven't seen her since Sunday, at Ma and Dad's dinner."
Nat's perfectly groomed left eyebrow quirks up. "Is there trouble in mermaid paradise?"
I shake my head emphatically, but something inside my gut is still uneasy. "Nah. We're just doing our own thing. We're not joined at the hip like Max and Lauren or Tate and Isabella."
"No? You two spend a lot of time together."
"Yeah..." my voice trails off. We were spending a lot of time together. Almost every night. But I haven't seen her for seventy-two hours. My schedule for the next few days flies through my mind. I have a couple of night fishing charters coming up. And a couple of long days after that. Which means I might not get to see her for a while. That doesn't sit well with me.
"You know, come to think of it, I might just pay her a visit tonight. I miss her." I take out my wallet and check my cash level, then slide off my seat. “I’m outta here.”
"I've got the tab," Nat says.
"Cool. I'm going in to say goodbye to Sadie." I squeeze my sister's shoulder and slip inside.
Sadie's alone at the pinball machine, wiggling her entire body as she works the flippers. There had been a brief moment in time earlier this year when I'd thought I might hook up with her. She's cute, but now that Leilani's come into my life, I realize that I have zero chemistry with Sadie. Besides, Sadie's got the hots for the town's mayor. That's what Nat says. She's a cool chick, though, and I'm glad she's such a good friend to Nat and Kate.
"Hey, girl, I'm outta here," I say.
"Sweet. Catch you later. Can't take my eyes off this game. See ya." The machine lights up and makes little bloops and beeps. Sadie jumps into the air and whoops. For some reason, my sister and her friends are all into this particular machine: Roller Disco. It's from the 1990s, and I think it's a little ridiculous, but whatever.
I climb in my truck and fire it up. My need to see Leilani is raging now. On the way, I spot a baby blue, 1965 Ford F150 truck parked in the lot of Jack's Grocery.
Perfect.
The truck's run by Manny, the guy who owns the Pink Orchid flower shop. Sometimes he also sells flowers out of the back of a restored, vintage vehicle. Nat and Ma are always raving about the flowers that come from his truck, so I figure I might as well grab a bouquet for Leilani.
I pull up alongside and roll my window down.
"Hey, dude," I call out.
He walks over and shakes my hand.
"Do I pick out the flowers? How does this work?" I laugh as I climb out of the truck.
"Nah, I've got you. How are your parents? Heard from Damien?"
In the span of five minutes, we get the rundown of each other's families, and he gathers a bouquet that looks like itshould be in a magazine or an Instagram spread. I hand him a fifty.
"Keep the change," I say, my heart swelling at how much Leilani's going to dig this bouquet. It's a riot of pink and purple, her favorite colors. "My girl's going to go crazy over these."
I gently set the flowers on the passenger seat and drive away.