Regardless, Eden’s face sank when they called him in. I reached out to grab his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before he turned away from me. “We did the right thing, bro. Remember that. Just tell it to them like it was.”
Chapter 4
Sofia
The distinctive curve and soaring sweep of the bridge to the island welcomed me home. Point Loma rose in the distance, and I had a birds-eye view of Coronado. Golden beaches, sparkling blue water, and breathtaking views of the city spanned my field of vision, and I let out a happy sigh.
In just a few hours’ time, the sun would set and the bay would be lit with the reflection of the city, providing a stunning view of the skyline after dark. I’d considered leaving LA a little later so I’d only get here by then, but there were a few things I wanted to get done. Besides, on a cloudless day like today, making the trip in the daytime was pretty spectacular as well.
I loved being away at college, but there was always something special about coming home. Before moving to Los Angeles, this was the only place I’d ever lived.
There would always be a sense of homecoming when I drove across this bridge. It was so tall to allow for even the largest naval ships to pass beneath it that it scared the heck out of visitors sometimes. But for me? The height felt like it was allowing me to check on arrival that everything about the island was still perfect.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I turned off the bridge. A rush of excitement ran down my spine. There really is just no place like home.
I was still smiling by the time I pulled into my dad’s driveway. The scene waiting for me was just so him, that I grinned from ear to ear as I parked.
Dad was out in the front yard working on his boat. She was a single-hull catamaran by the name of Olive and had taken up more of his downtime over the years than even I had. I’d never been jealous of her, though.
Whenever Dad wasn’t working, he was usually out here with her. It was just a part of who he was. With her gleaming white polished wood and navy-blue neatly rolled sails, it was easy to see why he loved her so much.
A beer was perched on a flat rock in the yard. It would be warm by now, but Dad would have forgotten all about it within minutes of setting it down.
He wiped sweat from his brow with his forearm, only turning his head away from Olive when he heard my door slamming. When he saw me, he broke out in one of his rare wide smiles.
“Kiddo! You made it.” He opened his sturdy arms, and I walked right into them. Dad wasn’t very big on hugs, but damn, he was good at them. “It’s good to see you, baby girl. How was the drive?”
I flattened myself against his damp chest, not even caring that I was getting his man-sweat all over my shirt. “It was fine, Daddy. No problems to report.”
He gave me an awkward shake before letting me go. “That’s good. You should have let me know you were nearly here. I’d have made some lemonade or something.”
I chuckled, waving my finger in a circle in front of his weather-beaten face. “You? If you tried to make lemonade, you’d conveniently forget the sugar. No one wants sugarless lemonade.”
Dad grunted, slapping a gigantic hand over his stomach. For an older guy, he kept his figure in tip-top shape. Then again, he was a SEAL Instructor. He needed to be able to keep up with some of the fittest guys in the world as his job. Oh, and whip them into shape as some of the fittest guys in the world.
“I only have to drink sugarless everything for the rest of this month. As of next month, my lifelong diet is over.” Strangely, he didn’t sound super excited about it.
I gave him a long onceover, softening when I noticed the way his jaw twitched. “You’re going to be fine, Daddy. You know that, right?”
“Of course, I do.” He scoffed, running a hand through hair that was now more salt than pepper. “Enough about me. How are your grades?”
My eyes wanted to roll, but I didn’t let them. Dad had never cared about my social life. Grades were always the first thing he asked about. “You’ll be happy to know that my 4.0 remains intact.”
“I am happy about that.” He grinned at me. “It’s a relief to know you haven’t become some kind of irresponsible party girl over there.”
“I haven’t.” I didn’t have to become one, so it wasn’t a lie. The truth was, I’d always been a bit of a party girl. Not in the fall-over-drunk, drug-myself-up kind of way, but I was a sociable person.
Some even called me the life of the party. Okay, not some. Just Haley. My lifelong best-friend and local deli owner.
On the other hand, there had been little time for partying back in LA. Going to parties required meeting people and making friends, which I hadn’t done too much of.
On occasion, I still hit the party scene with Melody. It wasn’t as often as I would have liked, though. Unfortunately, even with school being easy for me, I had a deal with my dad.
When he’d agreed to let me go off to UCLA and pay for my tuition and accommodation, I’d promised not to let my grades slip, not to get into any trouble, and that, if I did, I’d move right back home.
If I refused to move back home, I’d have to pay for my own tuition, accommodation, and everything else. Medical degrees didn’t
