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doing well—which was most of the time here lately. A bigger surf shop moved in two blocks from us, and most of the tourists had started going there. Dad and I were working on upping our marketing game. “Yeah. I’d love to,” I replied.

“I’ll meet you at the shop. Have a good day,” Dad replied before slipping away.

The surf shop was on the smaller side. The outside was painted a yellow that used to be bright but was now faded by the sun. Years ago, we commissioned a local artist to paint a mural of the ocean on the side where we rented out surfboards. There were waves with perfect peaks and happy dolphins jumping into the sunset. The inside was cozy with soft blue walls. Along with surfboards, we sold wax, bathing suits and touristy souvenirs. It smelled like Mr. Zogs pineapple wax and sunblock but felt like home.

I absolutely loved it here. At a young age, Dad included me on the business side of things. He taught me about inventory, helped me research the best gear. He let me make flyers and even design the logo. I practically knew everyone on the island, thanks to our little slice of heaven. When I wasn’t in the ocean, at school, or with Violet, I was here.

I was about two hours into my shift, taking inventory and dying of boredom. Nobody really came into the shop this early in the morning. Most avid surfers were already on the water at sunrise and moseyed here for the late afternoon. Tourists trickled in sporadically, but since it was Saturday morning, most of them were sleeping off hangovers from the night before. I was a little surprised when I heard the bells on the door chime, signaling that someone had come into the shop. I looked up from the pile of little sea turtle keychains I was counting to see Chase standing by the door. He was looking around the shop, and when his eyes met mine, I could feel myself blush. Images of last night flooded my vision. There went my plans to avoid him.

“Have you seen Violet?” he asked, skipping any pleasantries. “She’s supposed to be working now, right?”

“I haven’t seen her,” I replied. “I told her last night that I would cover her shift this morning.” I could see the concern in his eyes.

“So she’s not here? Have you talked to her? Do you know where she is?” he fired at me rapidly. Chase had black circles under his eyes, like he didn’t sleep at all last night. I watched him fidget.

“No, she’s not here, and I haven’t talked to her since last night. What’s going on? I thought she was with you.”

“Can you just check your phone again?” Chase asked while running a hand through his light brown hair.

Chase and Violet had that weird twin juju. They could always tell when the other was hurt, sad or sick, so seeing him worried freaked me out. One time, when we were kids, Violet got this weird urge to ride her bike by the pier. Sure enough, Chase had crashed his bike and broken his leg. I never doubted their connection after that.

I immediately opened my phone to see if I had any calls or texts from Violet, but there was nothing. There weren’t any updates on social media from her either. It wasn’t like Vi to go off the grid. She was the type that shared every meal on Instagram and thought you were mad at her if over three hours had gone by without a text.

“Nothing,” I murmured. “Do you think something happened?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? Probably not. It wouldn’t be the first time she slept off a hangover or disappeared for a couple of days. She usually at least texts me, though. I tried calling Kai, but he didn’t answer. She could be with him, but I just have a weird feeling. Usually she checks in,” Chase answered.

“You didn’t see her last night? After the party got shut down?” I asked.

Chase anxiously pinched the skin at his throat before tossing me a tight smile. “Celeste and I disappeared for a bit.”

“Ah,” I replied. I didn’t need any further details.

“I was hoping she’d be here, but I should have known better. I think sometimes she enjoys telling people she has a job more than she likes actually working.”

I laughed. “Amen to that. But she does bring in the surfers,” I teased. “She has quite the fan club here.”

Chase smirked. “I