The sun was setting on Mission Beach, and Lucy snagged a wispy blue strand from the cotton-candy baton Grace carried and smiled as the sugar crystals dissolved on her tongue. The Fourth of July celebration was in full swing on the boardwalk and there was a lot to see and do. Live music played from a central bandstand, and nestled in among throngs of food booths selling both the sweet and savory were jewelry vendors, carnival games, airbrush tattoo stations, and of course, street performers galore. It’s possible she broke a mime or two’s heart in the course of their stroll.
Lucy dropped an arm around Grace’s shoulder. “You gonna ride the Giant Dipper?” she asked, pointing up at the roller coaster that snaked up, down, and around.
Grace considered this. “I’m more of a stand and wave sort of kid.”
“Since when?” Sarah called from where she and Emory strolled behind them. “What happened to my fearless wild child?”
“Still here, but I’m growing up, Mom. I’m slowing down and taking in life’s little moments more.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow and turned back to her friends in question.
“She’s been watching a lot of Inside the Actors Studio lately,” Emory informed her. “Lots of getting in touch with her inner self.”
“You want to be an actor?” Lucy asked Grace.
“I’m thinking a director. The big idea person,” Grace said with a grandiose gesture.
Lucy smiled. “I like it. We should do movie nights.”
“When can we start?” Grace asked with big hopeful eyes that looked so close to Sarah’s it was scary.
“Next week?”
Grace turned to Sarah, who nodded her approval, before swiveling back to Lucy. “You’re on.”
Grace was notorious for her various phases, which Lucy found kind of fun. They were only a couple of months out from her chemistry phase, where she’d spent hours on end conducting experiments with the chemistry set she’d received from Emory for Christmas. Sarah had been convinced she’d burn the house down. Lucy smiled at the memory. Having been around to watch their family grow, change, and mature, she found herself envious, and wondering what it must be like.
She sighed as her thoughts, as if programmed to do so, drifted to Kristin, the person who she thought might just be that happily ever after for her. She’d been upset by what she’d read in the story, hurt by Kristin’s accusation, but the biggest blow had been the loss of what she thought they’d had. And while she’d missed Kristin desperately for the past few days, at the same time, she honestly didn’t know how to proceed after the whole ordeal. Maybe she’d miss her less, as time went on. It helped to lie to herself apparently.
As evening fell in full effect all around them, the crowds seemed to settle in a bit, everyone securing their spots for the fireworks that would occur in just a short amount of time. Excitement hung in the air, almost as if the energy were charged with group-wide anticipation. She smiled at the families who clustered together with picnic baskets on blankets. As her group approached a bench next to the ever-popular funnel-cake booth, Lucy stopped at what, or rather whom, she saw stand as they approached. She shot a questioning look to Emory, who ignored her and moved to Kristin. Lucy took her in. Kristin wore denim shorts and a red tank top that showed off her tan. Her hair was down and caught a subtle curl from being so close to the water. If the sight of Kristin hadn’t slashed through her so effortlessly, Lucy would have thought she looked amazing.
“Hey, Kristin,” Emory said. “So funny running into you here on this very random bench.”
Lucy slid Sarah a what-the-hell look, but Sarah simply smiled.
“Happy Fourth,” Kristin said to the group with a hesitant smile. Her eyes met Lucy’s and it was clear she was nervous.
“Happy Fourth!” Grace said back. “Do you want to watch the fireworks with us? They’re soon.”
“Thank you, but I don’t want to intrude,” Kristin said politely. “But I was hoping I might speak to Lucy.”
“What a great idea,” Emory said, in a perfect example of why Grace would never direct her in any of her future projects.
“Is that okay with you?” Kristin quietly asked her.
Lucy crossed her arms in front of her as she considered the request, finally blowing out a breath. “Sure. I guess we can talk for a few minutes.” She looked back at her friends, who looked victorious at what they’d accomplished. “I’ll kill you later,” she said to them.
“You guys take your time,” Sarah said, ignoring the comment. “Text if you want to meet up.” And with that, the three of them headed off down the boardwalk and disappeared into the crowd.
“Don’t blame them,” Kristin said once they were alone. “This is on me. I wanted to see you and just didn’t think you’d agree any other way.”
“And why did you want to see me?” Lucy asked. It was a stupid question, she was well aware, but it was all she had.
“I miss you, first of all.” Kristin attempted a smile that died on her face, making it clear that none of this had been easy for her either. And good, why should it have been? “But mainly, I needed to explain. Can we, maybe, take a walk? Find somewhere a little quieter?”
Lucy nodded and led them through the throngs to the beach, where they’d gone for a run together, once upon a time when things had seemed so promising. They sat on a wooden block that marked the ending of the man-made walkway and looked out at the night as it hovered over the water. It was July, but still sort of chilly in the evenings, and Lucy could tell Kristin felt it. It was her instinct to pull her in and warm her up, an instinct that seemed less than helpful in this particular moment.
They sat there in silence for a few long moments.
“I screwed up,” Kristin said finally out to the water. “And not just a little bit.” Lucy watched Kristin, in profile to her now, as she continued. Her face was partially lit by the moonlight, and the lights of the boardwalk twinkled just behind her. “I came to San Diego for a job I thought was everything. This was my chance to prove myself as a journalist. You have to understand that I left my home, my friends, my family, and my entire life to advance my career in news, and that means doing things the right way. In the midst of writing that story, I knew I had to tell it the way I would have if there had been no you and me. But I should have prepared you more. Communicated. Walked you through each step, so you weren’t blindsided. I guess a part of me was scared of what you’d say.”
Lucy nodded. “Understandably.”
“And then when everything blew up in my face, I said something stupid.” Kristin took her hand. “Sometimes you wonder as you move through life if you’ll meet that someone who will change everything. Affect the way you see the world, and make you excited just to wake up and see their face.” She turned to Lucy then. “And that’s become you.”
Lucy’s lips parted at the declaration, but she didn’t say anything, do anything. She needed to hear the rest.
Kristin turned to face her. “I never should have questioned what we have, and the second I said the words, I knew they were untrue. I know exactly how I feel about you, and God, I won’t lose sight of that again.”
Lucy was confused, so very confused, but she saw the opening to ask what she desperately needed to know. With her heart hammering away in her chest, she spoke the words. “And how do you feel about me? Please be honest.”
There were tears in Kristin’s eyes as she attempted to answer. She opened her mouth to speak, and then took a moment, looking down until she found her composure. When those eyes, glistening with tears, met Lucy’s, she knew the answer. “I love you,” Kristin said. And with the words, she seemed to find strength. “And what I’ve learned is that love can really screw you up. But once you find it, you can’t live without it. I can’t live without you, Lucy.” Silence hung in the air between them, but with those words Lucy’s heart shuddered and swelled. The breaks and cracks came back together.
“Kristin.” The words Lucy said next came straight from her hear,=t, and in all honesty the leap was an easy one. “I love you too.”
Kristin smiled and touched Lucy’s cheek. And they were kissing. That contact steadied what had moments ago seemed so unstable. In that moment, with Kristin’s lips on hers, Lucy felt something good, and solid, and wonderful click into place. They didn’t have it all figured out and this past week was a glaring example that there would be rough patches ahead and they would have to learn how to navigate them as they went, but sitting here with Kristin now, there was no way she could turn her back on what could be the best thing that ever happened to her. “Love.” Lucy repeated, more to herself than to Kristin. “Who would have thought when that pushy reporter walked into my office that there’d be this?”
A firework burst overhead and magnificent colors showered down in a display that had Lucy’s breath caught in her throat. As they watched, Kristin slipped her arms around Lucy’s waist, and they sank into one another, snuggled up and enjoying the glorious painting of the sky. Lucy closed her eyes at how good it felt to be in Kristin’s arms, to feel the warmth of her skin again. And when the finale hit, and the colorful bursts overlapped in an ever-building succession, Kristin’s lips found hers and they shared a kiss that served as an unspoken promise.
“Take me home,” Lucy murmured against Kristin’s lips. “I’ve missed you.”
“You have the best ideas.”