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“Sure, it gives me a chance to finally see these boats you’ve been obsessing over the past month, assuming you can walk me through everything.”

He seems to wrestle with it for a moment, then caves. “I can absolutely walk you through what to do. I can even text one of the guys I work with—he’s trustworthy. I’ll let him know what’s up.”

I extend my hand to initiate the handshake we’ve done since we were six, and for the first time in months, I know everything is going to be okay. The secrets will be over, and I’ll no longer have to choose between my two favorite people in the world.

As soon as we’re done talking, I sneak away to call Isa.

“Hey, how do you feel this morning?” I ask, hoping she’s not too sore. I can still hardly believe what we shared last night. It was the most incredible night of my life, and I’m still flying high.

“Um, I’m good.” Something’s off in her voice.

“You sure?”

“Yeah … it’s nothing.” It doesn’t sound like nothing.

Is she having regrets? Did I hurt her more than I thought? It’s hard to know over the phone.

I need to see her.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m going to work for DiAngelo today, and then I’ll tell him tonight. The marina’s not too far from your place—will you meet me there? I’d really like to see you.”

“I think I can do that. Where and when?”

“In thirty minutes, meet me on Clancy Street outside the marina entrance.”

“Okay. See you in a few,” she says in a hurried whisper before hanging up. Someone must have been nearby, and she didn’t want them to hear. I hope that’s all it is.

I hurry to get ready and leave early, hoping to get as much time as possible with Isa before I need to clock in. She’s not there when I arrive, so I find a shady place to wait.

And I wait.

Minutes tick by until a half hour has passed, and I’ll be late for work if I don’t go in. I’m surprised she hasn’t called if she wasn’t going to make it. She has a cell phone.

I call.

No answer.

A sticky sense of dread leaks from my pores. Something isn’t right, but I have no clue what it is, and I certainly can’t go find out now that I’ve committed to working for DiAngelo. I’m supposed to be getting in his good graces, not getting him fired.

I’m about to give in and walk to the marina gates when a van pulls up beside me. My attention is only half aware of the guy in a ball cap who rounds the van, which is why he catches me off guard when he swings something shiny at my head, and the world goes dark.

CHAPTER 8

ISA

One final night in my family home.

I’ll start my day tomorrow as a Costa and end it as an Antonelli, but regardless of my last name, I’ll always be Isa. That’s what I tell myself as the anxiety sets in. I want to close my eyes and escape into sleep, but the sooner I do that, the closer I’ll be to the wedding when I wake.

Instead, I sit in my bedroom and let my gaze drift over the living memories all around me. The wall around my vanity that used to have photos of my friends and me plastered in a massive collage. My closet door that hides tick marks on the inside of the frame from when my mother used to track my growth. I would puff out my chest to try to be as tall as possible so that I might catch up with my older brother, unaware or unwilling to believe in the physical impossibility.

These four walls have borne witness to every high and low of my life in one way or another. And not just my life. Echoes of my mother and brother still exist under this roof. As memories of them fade, leaving this physical connection to them is harder than I expected.

I can still visit, but it won’t be the same.

And that’s okay. You will be okay.

I inhale slow and steady through my nose, then blow my fears past parted lips.