The Complete Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances Series, books 1-5 by Michelle Mankin

Author:Michelle Mankin [Mankin, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Rock Stars, Surf & Second Chances Series
Publisher: Michelle Mankin
Published: 2020-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

• • •

Ashland

“Ash! Wait the fuck up!”

“No, Linc. Go away. Leave me alone.”

“No way,” he said, catching me at the pier. He didn’t listen any better than I had when Fanny had told me to go away. “You told her, huh?” Alongside me now, he gave me a careful look. “It didn’t go over well.” He could tell by just looking at me, but I shook my head to confirm. “Then fuck her. I like her but if she doesn’t get it then she’s not who I thought she could be for you, and she’s not worth it.”

Eloquently stated. Almost lyrical. Another time I might’ve gotten paper and a pen, and we could’ve worked it out in a song. I might’ve even smiled except I was crushed by Fanny’s reaction.

“You wanna get drunk?” he asked.

I was tempted to. Alcohol had become a crutch in the past. Something to numb the rejection of not being who Linc wanted, and to escape from all the other crap. But I knew the numbness would wear off eventually and the pain would still be there. Only I would have a hangover to go with it.

“No.” I shook my head.” I’m just gonna sit on the pier for a while. Get my head together. Can you…”

“Yeah,” he cut in. “I’ll go check on her and report back.”

“Thanks, Linc.” That had been exactly what I had wanted him to do. “Love you even though you’re a pain in my ass.”

“I love you, too, dude.” His reply drifted back to me on the breeze. I turned to tip my face into it.

Filling my ears with the reliable roar of the ocean, I reminded myself that the tides rise and fall, the waves crest and trough and the ocean recedes but always returns to the shore. The permanence of it helped me to put things in perspective. I had a place to belong, to rise, to sometimes fall. I really had some serious skills when it came to the falling. But I always had the penthouse to retreat to, lonely though it might be.

“Ash.”

Dammit. I smoothed the contemplation from my face and turned.

“Fanny. What the hell? You’re not supposed to be out here. I told you…”

“You told me a lot of things,” she cut in. “It took me a moment to absorb the last one. I’m sorry about that. But if you would have stuck around I might have suggested the walk. I like it out here. Oceanside is a good place to put things in perspective, don’t you think?”

I nodded. Another discovery of something she and I had in common.

“I wanna thank you for sharing with me tonight. For being honest. That’s a good foundation for friends to build on. And I’m hoping you can answer some questions for me.”

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t you show up at the coffeehouse? Was it because of your diagnosis or were you just not interested in me as anything more than a friend?”

“The former, of course.”

“Ok.” She gave that a couple of bouncing nods.

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