she said I should be honest with you. Maybe I’ll be willing to meet the woman you left our family for in a couple of years. Maybe in ten years. Maybe never. Didn’t you ever think that in leaving your family, there might be consequences? Like—we might not be happy about it?”
“But don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Is that just a guy thing? That your happiness is more important than anyone else’s happiness? Because you being happy seems to have caused a whole bunch of people to be unhappy. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Of course!” he said. “What I want is for us all to be happy! If you would just make an effort—”
Again she shrugged. “And if you had made an effort...”
“But I wasn’t happy! I’ve been unhappy for years!”
“Really? What was that Christmas Eve toast you made? I am the luckiest man alive with the three most wonderful, beautiful women... Oh gee, did you mean four? Listen, Daddy, we’re onto you. You’re telling yourself a story that makes it seem like you had nothing to do with this mess, but the truth is, you created it. Any time you want to be my dad, let me know. But I’m not interested in your girlfriend.”
“I shouldn’t have to choose between you!”
“Sounds like you already did.” Tears sparkled in Olivia’s eyes. “When you’re telling your story about how unhappy you’ve been, though no one knew it, you should remember you left us. You’re making a new life. You’re making all new rules and changing what family means. We’re just trying to cope. And understand.”
She walked away from the beach bar and charged up the hill from the beach, her bag slung over one shoulder and her smoothie in her hand, tears running down her cheeks. She loved her daddy so much; there had been so many beautiful memories. He had been a constant in her life, always there, always on duty. And her mom, so beautiful and strong, picking up where Daddy left off. She had grown up thinking she had the most awesome parents in the world. She had her fun and playful dad; her dedicated and completely committed mom.
And then one day, with no warning at all, he was done. He had his eye on a better life. A new life. With a new woman, leaving their mother so broken and thin, dark circles under her eyes. Olivia just wanted her family back.
“Oh-oh,” a voice said. “You could use someone to walk you home.”
Olivia looked up, way up, into the warm brown eyes of a young man. She’d seen him around, on the beach playing volleyball with friends, hanging out near the beach bar. “I...we... I don’t know you.”
“Yet. But we’ve seen each other. At least I’ve seen you. And I think you saw me see you. I’m Jared. Jared Morrison. And you’re...?”
“Olivia. Livvie for short. Livvie Somersby. I actually live in San Jose but my mom and aunt are here, so I’m spending a lot of the summer in Half Moon Bay.”
“San Jose isn’t that far. On a good day I can get there in twenty minutes.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “Is that a day when your car can go a hundred miles an hour?”
“See, I made you happy already. Why don’t you come down to the beach after dinner, like around seven, and play some volleyball?”
“I should see what my sister is doing. I should see if my mom and aunt need any help with anything.”
“You can bring your sister. Is she the one I usually see you with? Brown hair?”
Olivia nodded. “She’s a senior.”
“Most everyone around here works a lot so we’re not on the beach that much in the daytime, but there are a lot of us at night. Come down. I’ll introduce you to a few of my friends. If you’re gonna hang around Half Moon Bay, you might as well know people. Right?”
“That would be nice.”
“We’ve got at least another month of late sunsets.”