Ethan Walker felt the sand shift beneath his feet even before he stood up, because he recognized that voice instantly as firm, calm, and impossible to ignore. He looked up and saw Rachel Donovan, his boss, the woman everyone at the Phoenix advertising firm talked about as if she were a walking verdict in high heels.
She had arrived six months earlier to reorganize everything, which in that office meant someone would definitely lose their job. Ethan, with overdue projects, unpaid bills, and a seven year old daughter he struggled to support alone, knew he was one mistake away from losing everything.
Yet on that beach in Clearwater Bay, Rachel did not look like the same person from the office. She wore a simple white shirt, denim shorts, and sandals, with loose hair touched by sunlight that revealed freckles no one had ever seen during meetings.
Avery, his daughter, sat on a towel staring sadly at the peanut butter sandwich he had made in a rush that morning. She crossed her arms and said, “I do not want that, Emma says that kind of food is for babies.”