Page 47 of Set to Love

Thanks, but I’ve got it covered.

Max

Offer’s open if you change your mind.

Katie

I’ll remember that.

A beat later, I send another message.

Katie

Sorry about last night too. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.

Max

Zoe explained everything. Don’t feel bad about it. But I was hoping maybe we could have a do-over.

Max

Tomorrow night maybe?

Katie

That works, but it’ll be another late night.

Max

Let’s just rule out the weekend. How about Tuesday? We’re dark again.

Katie

Tuesday works.

Max

Brilliant. See you then.

As I set my phone down, I let myself wonder what my next adventure with Max might entail.

With a little more motivation than I had five minutes ago, I reach for the tape gun and get back to work.

Thirteen

The plan was ambitious. Spend the morning at Cocoa Beach, the afternoon wandering through the Kennedy Space Center, and grab a late dinner somewhere in between. A perfect do-over date.

But as I watch Max’s eyes track a group of teenagers crossing the street with surfboards tucked under their arms, I know our schedule is officially toast. We’ll be trading the rockets for the ocean.

“You’re bringing me good luck already,” I say, grinning as I slide the 4Runner into a miraculously empty spot directly across from the weathered Cocoa Beach Pier. “The last time I was here, I had to circle for twenty minutes to find anything and it was like a mile away from here.”

Max laughs.

“It’s true,” I say, cutting the engine. The 4Runner’s steady rumble is replaced by the rhythmic crash of the Atlantic’s surf and the distant high-pitched cries of gulls. The second the AC shuts off, the humidity smacks us in the face.

I turn in my seat, propping an elbow on the center console to face Max. “So, you’re the boss today. What’s our next move? We could head up the pier and grab a coffee, wander through the old downtown shops, or just find a patch of sand and disappear for a while.”

Max stares out at the turquoise-blue horizon. “My vote is for the sand.”