Whispering Shores

Jaime discovers the small, seaside town of Whispering Shores. Amidst the perfect people and view of the ocean, Jaime meets Summer. She's rude, offensive and absolutely beautiful.

Whispering Shores

by Austin Cates



Whispering Shores is a small town on the coast about an hour north of San Diego. It's one of those dinky little towns that has 1 gas station, 1 restaurant/bar/random activity, 1 hotel, and a bed and breakfast. They're sprinkled all up and down the California coastline and they're usually passed by with no more than a passing thought.

I stopped in Whispering Shores for gas last year and ended up staying for a week. The people were polite, the food was great and the view from the bed and breakfast was incredible. The way the waves crashed against the rocky cliffside below the b&b was breathtaking. The sound of seagulls filled the air and the wind blew through the trees with a faint hum that sounded as if a lone angel were playing the harp.

The restaurant/bar had a small tennis court attached to the back and a 9 hole mini golf range beside it that had a quaint lighthouse and sand theme. The whole town gave off a vibe that felt like a hug straight from Grandma's arms. My vacation plans in San Diego were immediately scrapped and I chose to stay at the bed and breakfast.

An older couple by the names of Chuck and Judy ran the b&b. They were some of the nicest people I've ever met; I felt almost like family as I had a chat at lunch with them and a couple other guests. They came from Bakersfield, a few hours north. When they found the house, they knew instantly that this is where they would spend the rest of their lives.

After lunch, I made my way to the restaurant/bar where I met Ian, a 27 year old veteran that stumbled upon Whispering Shores in a similar way I had. He was getting gas, decided to have a drink and found out they needed a bartender so he took the job and stayed. Ian ran me through the town roster.

Apart from himself there was Chuck and Judy at the bed and breakfast; Sebastian, the restaurant/bar owner; Robin and Blaire maintained the tennis court and mini golf course for Sebastian and Regan; Cole, Brendan, Nikki, Ripley and Chloe worked in the restaraunt; Mike and Jenny owned the gas station while Mike performed double duty as the town mechanic also; and finally there was Rachelle and Eric that ran the small motel with Barbara, Dick, Tim and Helena working for them. They were a tight nit town and always took care of each other.
The houses were atop the hill, on a culdesack at the far north west of the town. There was a total of 11 houses on the culdesack where everyone but Chuck and Judy stayed. I roamed around the small neighborhood and was greeted kindly by a couple residents as they tended to their yards or just lounged on the porch. Life in Whispering Shores was simple and serene, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Thoughts of mini golf crossed my mind, but with no one to play with I decided against it and chose to walk the path to a cliffside vantage point and just watched the waves dance upon the rocks. The air that filled my lungs was cold and refreshing, just like the gentle breeze on my face. Before I knew it I was smiling. Not the forced smile I wore for my normal city life, but a rare, genuine smile of happiness. I was at peace.

Chuck's dinner at the b&b was outstanding, true 5 star quality to be honest. Myself and the guests talked about life, and everything in it as Chuck and Judy joined in with tales of Whispering Shores throughout the years. Apparently there was an actor, who they wouldn't name but said it was an atrocity that he'd never won an Oscar, had found the town by accident and stayed for several months. He paid to refurbish the hotel, restaurant and b&b, then went so far as to pay for the mini golf course. "Your kindness and generosity must be contagious." He joked when they questioned his own generosity.

That night, I slept deeply with a full stomach and a clear mind.

* * * * *
Day 2

The afternoon brought another 5 star meal and quality conversation. Then, I sat in a chair on the back porch and started reading a book on my tablet. "You're almost defeating the purpose of this place." A woman said to me as she leaned against the railing, staring at the ocean. "How's that?" I inquired. "The tablet. It's cool to read a book, even on a tablet, but that's no way to read a book here. No, here, in a place as perfect as this, you need the feel of pages between your fingers and the smell of those pages to drift slowly up into your nose when you open the book." The woman never looked away from the ocean as she spoke to me but I could tell she meant what she said, and I agreed actually, I just didn't have a book with me. "Places like this demand a sense of solace that electronics can't provide. Plus, you can use that stuff any day, back home." The woman continued, then finally looked at me.

Short, firey red hair hung just below her right ear but was cut short on the left side; she wore a yellow shirt with a haggard rabbit smoking a cigarette on it, over loose jeans and yellow Converse sneakers. I wanted to say something back to her, but all I could do was smile like an idiot. The woman turned completely, and leaned back against the railing, then raised an eyebrow slightly. "His name's Fritz." She said. "Who?" I asked her, then she pointed to the rabbit on her shirt. "Fritz?" I asked and she nodded. "Fritz Cunningham, he smokes so I don't have to." The woman explained.

"So what brought Fritz and yourself here?" I asked her and she shrugged her shoulders. "My car." She looked to her side, off into the distance. When she looked back at me, I noticed a small scar above the corner of her mouth. It was a half circle, reminiscent of a frowning face from an emoticon. The light caught her eyes and for a moment they burned as bright as the sun. "I'm Jaime, by the way." I offered, hoping she would divulge her name. However, she simply nodded. "That's kinda gay. You gay?" She stated offensively, then asked with genuine curiosity. "Uh, no." I answered with no real clue what to say after. "Hmm." She mumbled, then scratched her ear.

"Are you always this shy, or only when someone finds out that you're gay?" She asked, offensive yet again. "I'm not shy, and definitely not gay." I replied, slightly annoyed. "Calm down, big boy, it's perfectly fine if you're gay. Society won't lash you for it anymore." The woman muttered under her breath and rubbed at a faint stain on her shirt, just under Fritz's left foot. "I'm not gay." I retorted, with a hint of anger in my voice, then the woman looked up with just her eyes. "Right, ok, jeez."

"Are you always this rude to strangers, or are you just rude to everyone?" I asked, trying to match her. "I'm not rude, in fact I think I'm pretty nice, to be honest." She told me, and I could tell she truly believed that. "Right. Well this was fun, but I think I'm gonna go now." I said, shaking my head and standing up. "Later." She nodded and I walked away, mesmerized by the conversation that just transpired. I walked up the street to the bar and took a stool in front of Ian. I ordered a beer, paid the man and went back to the book on my tablet.

A few minutes later, I heard someone sit beside me, so I turned to see the woman on a stool. "Hey, Not-Gay-Jaime." She smiled, and I sighed. "Hey, Not-Rude-Lady." I forced a smile back and we stared at each other for a moment. She ordered a beer and looked at my tablet. "Lemme guess, I shouldn't read it here, either?" I asked sarcastically. "You're a weird dude." She stated and took a drink of her beer. "The irony." I sighed, then looked back at my tablet. "She dies at the end." The woman told me, and I looked at her with a curious face. "What?" The woman then threw a quick glance to my tablet. "She dies at the end." My mouth opened and I just stared at the woman, dumbfounded. "Seriously?" I asked, mad at her spoiler. "Yeah, she kills herself. Made me cry, actually." The woman continued. "That's not what I meant. I meant, 'seriously, you had to spoil it?' " The woman shrugged her shoulders again and I stared at my tablet, before turning it off.

"How did you even know what I was reading?" I inquired. "I saw the chapter number and recognized the font. Read it a couple months ago. Do you like mini golf?" She explained, then asked out of nowhere. "It's ok, yeah." I mumbled out of instinct. "Wanna get your a*s kicked?" The woman asked before finishing her beer. "What?" I asked, perplexed. The woman sighed and stood up. "C'mon, dude." She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door.

She let my hand go as we exited the bar door and we walked to the mini golf counter with an awkward, silent haste. "2?" Blaire asked the woman. "Yup, yup." She replied, then paid and we were handed a putter apiece, along with a pink and blue ball. "This must be awkward for you. If you choose the pink ball, you're fueling the fire that makes me think you're a bit light in your loafers, and if you choose the blue ball then I'll laugh because they probably resemble the ones in your pants because you obviously don't get laid on a regular basis." The woman truly had a knack for being offensively humorous. After a moment of hesitation, I took the blue ball and she kept her word by laughing. "Oh man, this is too easy." She quipped under her breath.

I would like to say I got revenge by slaughtering her at mini golf, but she again kept her word and kicked my a*s. The offensive comments ensued the entire time, ranging from my "blue balls" to her asking if my mother ever considered leaving me at a fire station in the middle of the night. I was past annoyed by the 18th hole, yet I couldn't leave. It was as if I was on her train of insulting conversation and the controls were smashed to hell, leaving us with no choice but to go forward. "I hope you don't suck that bad in bed." The woman laughed as we handed the clubs back to Blaire. "You know, I think I'm gonna head back to my room, thanks for the game." The words had barely left my lips when she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't be so damn boring, let's go have dinner and a drink. Besides, nothing is free, you owe me for that annihilation on the greens." She explained, and her train powered ahead at full steam.

Nikki served us at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. "Steak, burn it like it's damned." The woman told Nikki. "Steak, medium rare." I followed. "Freak." I heard from behind the woman's closed teeth. "What?"
"Nothing, so tell me something about yourself Not-Gay-Jaime." The woman said. "I'm a computer tech at an energy company up north." My reply bored her, as the look on her face slowly slipped into an emotionless stare. "I bet you watch a lot of porn." She stated flatly. "Negative." I responded. "Negative? Damn, you even talk like a computer. You totally watch porn, don't lie to me. I have one rule: never lie to me. I can't promise the same in return, but if you lie to me then I'll walk away and you'll never see me again." When she finished, I had the sudden urge to spill my deepest of secrets to her. Which was annoyingly upsetting, because 15 minutes before I was looking for a way to leave and she had just given me a surefire way out.

I noticed her eyes never left mine when she spoke, she meant what she said and I felt it. "Deal." I said and she smiled widely. "Good, now tell me something interesting." Right before I could speak, she held up her finger. "Something I would find interesting." Suddenly I forgot the entire English language and just sat in a silent haze of confusion. "I like throwing eggs at cars on the freeway." The words were not given permission to leave my mouth, yet they did anyway. Fortunately she laughed and nodded. "Well alright, I chose well afterall."

Those eyes burned holes through my skull and seared into my brain. I wanted to look away and rest my mind, but I couldn't look away no matter how hard I tried. "I just realized I don't know your name." I said and she smiled with the corner of her mouth. She took a beat, then spoke with a gentle ease. "You can call me Summer." How fitting.

"What do you mean 'you chose well'?" I asked, but she deflected my question with one of her own. "So what's with the eggs?" I thought about asking her again, but I knew she would only ignore it. "It started as a little prank with my buddies in high school, and when they got bored I kept going. The rush has always been the same and I love it." I explained, causing Summer to chuckle. "You must have a pretty boring life then."

"Can I ask you something?" I inquired, receiving a nod of approval. "Does it not register that most of what you say is either slightly offensive or flat out rude?" Summer looked down at her silverware and sighed before looking back up into my eyes. "Look, I hate people. Not in the vein of 'oh I hate myself so much, now I'm gonna lash out at others to mask my inner pain!' No, I legitimately despise people. So I say whatever I feel like and it usually keeps them at a safe distance. It comes off as rude or offensive, but it stops me from committing some horrendous crime and going to jail." As I sat in a slight stupor from her explanation, Summer leaned back against the booth and just blinked. "How can you hate people that much?" I implored.

"Have you ever really thought about people? As a whole, people have such amazing potential, it's astonishing really, but we squander it and become these broken little pieces of a giant, perfect machine. I tried for a long time to fit into that machine but, no matter the effort I put in, it was useless. So I said 'f**k it' and gave up. Now I'm a hell of a lot more happy and nothing really bothers me." Summer's continued explanation sunk into my mind. Something in her brutal honesty resonated on a deep, almost primal level. It was as if she had invited me into her own little world, but I hadn't the faintest idea why.

"This is the part where you call me a crazy b***h and leave." Summer said, adopting that emotionless tone again. "No, this is the part where the food comes." I countered, to her surprise. Then Nikki appeared beside her with our dinner. "One steak, well done. And another, medium rare. Can I get you guys anything else?" Nikki asked and Summer smiled. "2 mugs of Sam Adams, and keep em comin."

Three hours later, we stumbled out of the restaurant and towards the b&b. I held my arm around her waist, but she moved it and hopped on my back instead. "Giddy up, c'mon!" She slurred and I began to jog forward. Well, forward turned into an extreme left, which turned into the ground. "You're a horrible horse." Summer groaned, then we shared a laugh. "What must my parents think of me? They had such high hopes of me winning the Kentucky Derby." I joked, trying to sit up. "Ow, ow, ow." Summer grunted, holding her knee. "You alright?" I asked and she shook her head. "I fell on my knee."

"I'm sorry." I muttered like a scolded child. "Get over yourself, I'll be alright. Let's just get back to the safety of feather pillows." Summer sighed, stood up and helped me to my feet. "Your elbows are bleeding." I pointed out as we entered the light on the porch. "Hmm." She didn't seem perturbed by it as she watched the blood roll down her tricep. "C'mon, there's a first aid kit in my room." I suggested and we made our way to the room.

Summer sat on the bed while I found the kit and began cleaning her cuts. "Y'know, there's a kit in my room too. There's one in every room, actually." She said with a smile and raised eyebrow. "I know." I smiled back. Summer pushed my hands down and pulled me in for a kiss. She knocked the kit off the bed and the night was lost in the shuffle of sheets.

* * * * *
Day 3

My eyes opened slowly, and I turned them away from the blinding sunlight. Opening them again, I saw Fritz Cunningham hung across the bedside desk. The night came back to me and I scanned the room for Summer. She was standing by the window in nothing but striped yellow and black panties. She watched the waves crash against the cliffs and it almost looked like she was going to cry. I sat up on the bed and thought about going over to her but she turned and the look faded quickly. "Hey." She said, then walked to me. "Hey." I replied, wiping my eyes. Summer pulled her pants on, then her shirt and sat on edge of the bed. "So, that was pretty fun." She chuckled and fixed the hair behind her right ear. "Yeah." I muttered, then a yawn escaped my mouth slowly.

"I'm gonna go change, then we can go get lunch." Summer chirped and hopped off the bed. She was out door before I could even reply. So I brushed my teeth, threw on some clothes and walked to the dining area. Judy was reading the paper when I said hello. "Chuck's down on the beach, but he'll be back in time for dinner." Her smile was pleasant. "He takes his metal detector down every day after breakfast, hoping to find buried treasure or something."Judy laughed and I could just picture him walking in a Hawaiian shirt, white shorts, a straw hat and sunscreen on his nose. Life really is the perfect kind of simple here. "You ready?" Summer asked, startling me a bit. I had no idea she was beside me. "Yeah, let's do it."

We ordered our food to go and walked up a path to a deck overlooking the ocean. "How many viewing areas does this place have?" I asked rhetorically, then Summer said "6." I wondered how she knew, but shook away the thought and took a bite of my club sandwich. "Have you ever seen a cellist play?" Summer asked me. "I've seen a YouTube video of Yo Yo Ma." I replied. "I meant live, YouTube doesn't do it justice." She continued. "Then, no. Why?" I requested. "I was just thinking about how lost I can get watching the waves. It reminds me of how a cellist gets lost in their music. They almost cease to exist when they're playing, they become the solo that emanates from their cello, it's beautiful." Summer finished and watched a couple seagulls float by.

"I'll have to check it out, then." I said, but she didn't hear me. Summer was gone, for the moment, only her shell sat beside me. I wanted so much to dive headfirst into her abyss, I wanted to know what drove her to become the crass, detached woman I'd met. I'd been given the proverbial golden ticket to enter her secret chocolate factory, but I had also been blindfolded upon entry.

We sat in silence for awhile, just eating our lunch and watching the waves. Eventually, Summer reached over and held my hand. I looked down at our hands, then at her. A million questions were racing in my mind, but I knew they would go unanswered so my mouth stayed closed. "Thank you." Summer said, then looked at me. "For what?" I asked. "Not being like the rest." Then she let my hand go and we stood up to walk back into town.

Chuck had come back to the b&b by the time we got in. "Find anything?" Summer asked him, and he shook his head with a kind smile. "Not yet, but someday." Summer sat down on the couch in the tv room and pulled me down beside her. "Tell me something interesting." She requested, then laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. "Did you know Thomas Edison taught his wife Morse code so they could have secret conversations, by tapping in each other's hands, when her family was around?" I asked and shook her head ever so slightly. "You're such a nerd." She whispered, then slowly fell asleep. I leaned my head against her's and fell asleep too.

* * * * *

Day 4

After a shower and fresh clothes, I made my way to Summer's room. A couple knocks later, she opened the door and I was taken back by her eyes. Instead of the intense, green eyes that I'd gotten used to, I was staring into one green eye and one half blue/half brown one. "Whoa." I uttered without thinking. "Oh s**t." Summer said quickly and ran to the bathroom. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." She muttered to herself in an angry tone. "Are you ok?" I asked her as I walked up to the bathroom. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's sectoral heterochromia. I didn't want you to see that." Summer explained in an embarrassing voice.

"It's ok, I shouldn't have reacted like I did." I told her and she shook her head. "At least you're honest. I know it's hideous." Summer placed her contact in her eye and blinked a bit until it settled. "It's not hideous." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder, which she jerked away quickly. "What did I say about lying to me?" Summer's tone shifted instantly to anger and I took a step away. "I'm not lying. It's not hideous, it's just a little odd at first." I stood my ground and Summers eyes narrowed. She was looking into me, testing the waters of my truth.

"Can we just go do something fun, please?" She finally asked and I nodded. "Whenever you're ready." I replied. "Let's go." Summer sighed and brushed past me. I had seen a crack in the rough shell she wore and it honestly scared me a bit.

"How horrible are you at tennis?" Summer asked me when we stepped out of the b&b. "On a scale of 1-10, 1 being Wimbledon and 10 being mini golf from the other day." She continued before I could speak. "I can honestly say that I've never played a day in my life." I admitted, receiving a sigh as a reply. "Right, no tennis then. I'm not in the mood to destroy you at mini golf again, either. Let's take a walk down to the beach."

A winding path down the cliffs led us to the beach, and Summer immediately flung her shirt and pants into a heap on the warm sand. She ran to the edge of the water before turning her head to me and held up her hands, asking me why I wasn't beside her without using words. "Right." I muttered, then flung my clothes by her's and caught up to her. "C'mon, Jaime, you gotta think faster. Use your brain, man." Summer jabbed me in the head with two fingers.

"Alright." I said, then grabbed her by the waist and dove into the cold water. The current pushed us back, then pulled us forward under the water. When we surfaced, Summer laughed. "Dick move, but I like it." She slicked her asymmetrical hair back and splashed the sea into my face. A shake of the head got rid of the salty water then I splashed her back. We continued splashing each other like children in a pool for a bit, then we swam out a ways and tried to float down the waves.

I looked at Summer after a failed attempt at wave riding and noticed the contact that hid her blue/brown eye was gone. I thought about not telling her, but I couldn't risk her anger and possible departure. "Your uh, your contact is gone." I told her, nodding my forehead to her eye. Summer put her hand over her eye and swam for the shore with one arm, scolding herself the whole way. I followed at a fair distance, thoughts of what to say racing through my mind.

When Summer started grabbing her clothes, I gently touched her shoulder. "Hey-" I started, but she jerked around and glared at me with the eye still covered. "What?!" Her tone stung, but I just stared back and slowly raised my hand to her's. I could see the fear building up in her as I tried to pull her hand away from her eye. "Don't..." her voice shook, then after a moment, I continued. Her hand came down, and I looked directly into her eye. "Don't hide it." I advised, holding her hand still, which she gripped with a strength that only fear could muster.

Summer relaxed as we stood there, the silence was deafening and our hearts threatened to break free from our chests. Then she threw herself onto me and we fell to the ground in a heap of trust and acceptance. We became an abstract bundle of hope, casting aside insecurity, if even for only a few fleeting minutes. Our lips placed little promises upon each other's flesh, and in that moment we had every intention of keeping them until our dying breath.

Afterwards, the sand had been thoroughly ruffled and our clothes were scattered around us. "That was...different." I sighed through exasperated breaths. Summer was just quiet, looking away at the waves. Though I could feel the warmth of her skin beneath my fingers, she was miles away. "You alright?" I asked, rubbing her back and kissing her bare shoulder. She still said nothing, but when she turned her head to look at me I saw everything she couldn't find the words to say.

Her face was full of emotions that never surfaced. The joy in her smile rivaled the sun with it's glow; her nose twitched slightly with sincerity; and her eyes flickered like bonfire flames on a cold, winter night. As she stared at me, I felt those flames sink into my flesh and burn away all doubts and trepidation. With that single stare, she cleansed my mind and warmed my soul. I knew then that I could never look into the eyes of another the same way.

Back at the b&b, we went to my room with a bottle of wine we picked up at the restaurant. "This isn't half bad." Summer stated after tasting the wine. I grabbed her cup and tasted it. "It's pretty good, but you know what's better?" I asked, rubbing her back, then she chuckled. "I think I can guess." I swept her off her feet and she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Calm down, we have all night for that." Summer laughed, so I set her on the bed and laid beside her.

She filled up her cup with more wine and we finished it quickly. Before we knew it the bottle was gone, along with our sobriety. Soon we were dancing to no music and laughing at untold jokes. Summer fell on the bed and I grabbed my phone to take her picture, but she knocked it out of my hand. "No, Jaime." She protested. "Why not?" I giggled, but her lack of laughter made me stop.

"Because then this becomes something else." She told . "What're you talking about? This is already something else." I stated, slightly perturbed. Summer sighed and pulled the sheet over her bare chest. "I know, and I'm sorry it's come this far." Her words sent anger surging through me. "You're sorry? You don't get to be sorry, Summer." My voice began to raise. "You don't get to force yourself into my life like this, make me feel something, then rip it away." I said nearly yelling then.

Summer looked down at the bed, then back at me. "Why do you want the picture, Jaime? So you can look at it every once in awhile and remember your romp with a girl you didn't even know?" Summer's voice raised as well. "Do you really think I'm like that? How can someone as beautiful as you be so insecure?" I yelled, and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Because I know how this works, I've done it way too many times. We had fun for a few days, and it was awesome, but after tomorrow we're never gonna see each other again. We're not gonna ride off into the sunset with our hands together. Goddamnit, Jaime, can't you just let me have this?" Summer's voice was shaking as she yelled at me. "Do you even hear yourself? You have no idea what you want! You're stuck under that f*****g facade you put up to keep from getting hurt!" I challenged her. Then Summer's head fell onto the pillow and she cried.

Immediately, all my anger subsided. I sat next to her and held her close. "I'm sorry." I said softly and Summer shook her head. "For what, being right? I'm a mess, I know that. I never should've followed you to the bar. I should've gotten in my car and drove away like I wanted to." I pulled her up and looked into her eyes. "Stop doing that. You can't go through life hating yourself." I said. "It's not fair!" She screamed, causing me to try and hold her close again. "What's not fair?" I asked her and she pushed away from me. "This, you, us! It's not fair that I only get a week with you! Tomorrow, everything falls apart with one word." Summer sobbed.

"Then stop doing this, don't end it like this." I suggested, nearly sobbing myself, and she rolled her eyes. "Why, so we can just end it tomorrow?" Then I nodded. "If it means we still get tonight, then yes." Summer blinked through her tears, as she thought about what I said. Then she leaned forward and kissed me with a passion I'd only read about. "Make it count." She whispered in my ear. So I did.

* * * * *

Day 5

The smell of bacon and coffee woke us up with blurry eyes. "S**t..." Summer said, looking at the clock. The red numbers showed 10:56. "What time do you have to go?" I asked, dreading the answer. "No later than 12:00." Her words faded near the end. "Then we have an hour." I said quickly, standing up. Summer shot up too, then we threw on our clothes and met Chuck and Judy for brunch.

"Everything ok with you two?" Judy asked us as we sat down. Chuck nudged her with his elbow and she looked down. "Sorry, we heard you last night and I was worried." Chuck then nudged her again. "Well we did, and I was." Judy said to him. "Just leave em be, baby." Chuck told her, and Judy nodded. "Fine, but you're doin dishes now." Judy stated, then smiled to us and walked out "Ok." Chuck nodded from behind his paper. "Thanks Chuck." I said with a grateful smile. Again he nodded, then got up and followed Judy. "I'm gonna miss them." Summer sighed, holding my hand under the table. "Yeah, me too."

Brunch was good, as expected, then we went to our own rooms to pack. We did so with a furious pace, for we had precious minutes to spare. I had thought briefly about asking Summer to come with me, but I knew I had no right to do that. After we finished packing, we met on the deck for one last view of those majestic waves. I wrapped my arms around Summer from behind and we stood in silence for a few minutes. "So she really dies at the end of that book?" I asked her, remembering her spoiler from a few days before. "Yup." Summer confirmed. "Well s**t, I was hoping she'd get to go to that college she wanted." I muttered and Summer chuckled. "What a nerd."

We walked to the parking lot with our bags and stood by Summer's car. "You really drive that?" I asked, looking at her yellow Prius. "Shut up." She said, then hugged me. I knew what came next, what word Summer had mentioned the night before, and it was terrifying. The word was lodged in my throat, suffocating me with each passing second. I couldn't bring myself to say it, and some part of my mind figured if I didn't say it then maybe we could stay in this moment forever. As soon as the word left my lips that would be it...it would be real...it would be the end.

"One of us has to say it." Summer whispered in my ear, hugging me tighter as her words finished. "I know." I replied, then a long silence followed. "Please don't make me say it." As her plea hung on my neck like a perfume, I made the sacrifice for her. "Goodbye..." The word melted out hearts, causing us to hold each other tighter than ever. "Goddamnit." Summer muttered through a sob.

What was left of Summer's shell of insecurity fell to the floor in a million shattered pieces. "I'm sorry..." I said softly, then she pulled back and I looked into her tri-colored eyes. "Don't you dare..." She said as the salty taste of sorrow streamed down her beautiful face. Then she pressed her lips to mine one last time, savoring the moment for as long as possible before parting.

Our hands slid from each other's side, down the other's arms and slowly through each other's fingers. "Goodbye, Jaime." Summer said just loud enough for me to hear, then turned and got in her car. She started to look at me through the window but turned away before she could. Her sobs were becoming uncontrollable, and it hurt so much more to see her hurt like that. With a flick of the wrist, the engine hummed almost silently and she fled down the street, no doubt trying to outrun her beating heart. I watched her as long as I could, but then she turned the corner and was gone.

* * * * *

It's been exactly a year, to the day, since I first stumbled upon Whispering Shores. I've kept up with Chuck, Judy and Ian through Facebook and I let them know that I was coming down for another week. I've reserved the same room for the same days as last year, an attempt to cling to the memory I suppose.

Not a day has gone by that I don't think of Summer, and a small part of me hopes she'll be there again but I know she won't, she's not wired that way. Still, that small part of me won't let it go. I have this fantasy that I'll walk onto the porch and she'll be there with Fritz Cunningham, reading a book. When I step onto the deck, she'll look up and we'll share a smile. However life is not a romance novel, so I need to let that fade from my mind.

Chuck and Judy greet me with that contagious Whispering Shores charm and I can't help but feel at home. "It's good to see you, Jaime." Judy smiles and Chuck claps my back. "It's good to see you too." I reply, then hug them both. "Your room is all set up, just waitin for you." Chuck explains and I nod. "Thanks. Anything new around here?" I ask, but Chuck shakes his head. "Nah, same as when you left." It feels good to hear that, but it doesn't surprise me, you can't change perfect. "Dinner should be ready within the hour if you're hungry, you want me to save a seat at the table for you?" Judy asks. "Definitely. Lemme go put my stuff away and I'll come back."

The room looks exactly the same too. Not one little thing is out of place. "Wow..." I sigh with relief. All the memories flood my mind and I have to sit down to take it all in. I see Summer on the bed, wearing nothing but the sheet; I feel her sliding her fingers through my hair; I even see Fritz Cunningham draped across the bedside chair. A chuckle lofts from my lips and drifts through the seaside air.

I throw my bag onto the bed and head back towards the dining area but the door to the back porch pulls my attention to it. My fantasy plays in my mind again as I find myself pulling the door open. My lungs pause when I step onto the deck and look at the chair. Empty. My lungs sigh again, disappointment thick in the air like a fog. I knew she wouldn't be there, but it hurts all the same. "Looking for something?" Judy asks from behind me and I close the door. "Not anymore." I tell her, then we walk to the dining room and sit down.

Chuck is still the amazing chef I remember, and his dinner pushes my stomach to it's limit. "I cannot describe how much I missed this." I tell Chuck and Judy with a grateful smile. "Thank you, honey." Judy smiles and Chuck nods. The bell attached to the front door dings so we all turn our heads to see who it is.

Then a haggard rabbit, smoking a cigarette takes my breath away...