But we packed a lot into a small space, and the lack of cars congesting the streets made it seem bigger than it was.
The one-car per household limit had a lot to do with it. That and the ordinances against building more homes than we could occupy year-round. Short-term rental platforms were dead on arrival in Onyx Cove. But if you wanted to visit overnight, there were two boutique bed and breakfast spots on opposite ends of the island. That was it.
If there was one word I had to use to describe my hometown, it was calm.
Calm streets.
Calm life.
Calm waters.
There were no strangers on an island as tiny and compact as the OC, and I hadn’t appreciated that until I moved away for college a decade ago.
Waiting until the shuttle idled, I went to the front and grabbed my duffle bag before walking down the steps.
Since I’d already bought my ferry ticket online, I bypassed the ticket window and headed onboard with ten minutes to spare.
A few minutes later, I abandoned the inside of the boat and went to stand on deck under the afternoon sun.
Being back on the water already made my breathing easier and my heart calmer.
Sweat slicked my skin in no time, and the scent of my sunscreen saturated the air around me. I didn’t even care. The smell was comforting at this point, and it meant I washome.
Half an hourafter getting on the ferry, I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and hiked my duffel bag over my shoulder before following the slow trickle of people getting off.
It didn’t hit me until my feet were on solid ground that I’d forgotten to check in with Rico about that ride.
Icouldwalk.
But the added weight of my bags would make it a whole ordeal.
Out of all the homes in our family, Rico’s was only a twenty-minute walk from the harbor.
So, after a call to my ex-stepbrother went unanswered, I blew out a resigned breath and set out for his house.
Maybe he wasn’t home, and I could kick off my trip at his place.
I loved my grandmother to death, but her beach bungalow left a lot to be desired. Mainly because she acted like she was allergic to air conditioning. And it should be a sin to have plastic-wrapped furniture when you lived at the beach.
Whatever.
If Rico wasn’t home, I’d just crash at his place until my mom got back in town in two days. I still had his key code saved somewhere in my phone?—
“I know my eyes are playing tricks on me,” a boisterous voice boomed. Loud enough for me to hear it through my headphones and snap my head in that direction. “Harlow Westbrook, is that you?”
A fond smile touched my lips as I came to a stop under a palm tree. “Hey, Mr. Tiny.”
Titan Alexander was far from tiny. With his broad frame, huge, calloused hands and rumbling voice, he was a mountain in human form. But my six-year-old tongue had tripped over his name so much that he got a new nickname out of it.
And now everybody in town was too attached to the nickname for him to change it.
“Girl, it’s been an eternity since I seen you.”
My shades slipped down my nose as his Cadillac rolled to a stop. He’d had the same car since I was a baby, and I was confident there was still less than fifty-thousand miles on it.
“Get in, let me get your bags.”
He popped his trunk open and was already out of the car, plucking the strap off my shoulder before I could object.
