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I rubbed my lips together. “Sorry to hear.”

“What about you?”

“Same.”

“Anything happen with Scotty?”

“I tried.” Shrugging, I dug the toe of my black boot into the sand. “It didn’t go anywhere. We’re better off as friends.”

He studied me, taking in my answer. “Does he agree?”

“He does now. We’re really close and still share an apartment together. I’m saving up to get my own place, and he’s been in a long-term relationship for a year. He’s happy. He even bought a ring.”

“That’s great.” Reed scratched the back of his neck as we inched up the line. “I’m happy for him.”

It was great.

So many things were great.

But Reed and I were both single, staring starry-eyed at each other, and standing together on an ocean-rimmed beach, yet we lived a thousand miles away, the mountain between us even vaster.

That wasn’t great. It was painful.

As we approached the window, I crossed my arms and glanced at the menu. My breath caught when I noticed the signage. “Perogies?”

A knowing grin teased his lips. “Homemade. The best kind.”

Airiness danced between us again as we collected our orders and strolled across the crowded shore, melted butter and onion seizing my senses. I shoved a forkful in my mouth, moaning. “Ohmigod,” I mumbled through the giant bite. “Heaven.”

Reed chewed through his own bite, his eyes twinkling as they settled on my giddy face. “I concur.”

Music filtered around us as we ate our food, both our strides and conversation losing their tension. He told me survivor stories about his clients, the lush condo he leased in May that overlooked the downtown scenery, and Ladybug’s harrowing love story with the neighbor dog.

“A chihuahua?” My eyes bulged. “An unforeseen plot twist.”

“He bit her on the cheek and then had instant regret. Whitney found the two of them curled up next to the shed that afternoon, the chihuahua licking her wound until dusk.” He chuckled. “They’ve been inseparable ever since.”

I was partly amused, but mostly touched. So touched that another prickle of tears teased my eyeballs. Sniffling, I forced a laugh as we discarded our empty food trays into the nearby trash can. “Now that I would have loved to have taken a picture of.”

We made it to the edge of the water, where dry sand turned to sludge. My boots sunk into the muck as a gust of wind whipped through, blowing my freshly washed hair into chaotic ribbons across my face. I was so fixated on the way the sun made love to the water, I hadn’t noticed Reed digging through his wallet.

A photograph emerged in front of my face. I blinked down, pushing a section of hair to the side, my eyes landing on a picture of Ladybug and her new friend, Nico.

Oh, my heart.

Memories soared as high as my emotions. I plucked the photo from his hand and studied the image, dragging my fingertips over the outline of my fuzzy best friend. Nico was nestled against her belly, one of her huge golden paws secured around the tiny creature. Their eyes were closed. Utter contentment.

Nodding through a wave of heartache, I fisted the picture and handed it back.

“Keep it,” he said. “I took it for you.”

My gaze lifted, wide and awestruck. “You did?”

“Yeah.” Hands in his pockets, he rolled back on his heels. “I take a lot of pictures now. I have a shoebox full of them. I plan to mail them all to you one day.”

“What?” I blinked away tears, a watery smile blooming. “Reed…”

“It keeps you close. Like you’re right there with me, pressing the button.”