Serena glanced up at Lucas as they stood near the beach of Carmel. The tears had mostly dried, leaving only a dull ache in her chest. She felt a sense of calm in his presence, like the eye of a storm, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had appeared here so suddenly, as if the universe had planned this reunion at the exact moment she needed it.
She leaned against her suitcase, wiping away the last traces of her tears. “Why are you here, Lucas? In Carmel, I mean.”
Lucas scratched the back of his neck, his familiar easy-going grin appearing for just a moment. “I heard you were in town, so I thought I’d drop by,” he said casually. “Carmel’s my hometown, after all. I was visiting my parents too.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
Serena narrowed her eyes, sensing there was so
