It Comes In Waves by Erika Marks

week.”
    â€œYou’re the one who said not to rush him,” Shep pointed out.
    â€œI know. But you were right. We don’t want him to miss this chance with Chuck. I know other kids are waiting in the wings and Luke’ll need that money when he starts classes in the fall. I’d hate to see him lose out, that’s all.”
    â€œI’ll talk to him,” Shep assured her.
    He swung the laundry over his shoulder and pulled Jill in for a quick kiss, leaving her alone on the porch with the comfort of his promise, and a nagging dread she couldn’t quiet, or name.
    â€¢Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â â€¢
    P
elicans.
    Standing at the balcony railing, Claire watched the five big-billed birds sail across the sky. She’d forgotten how wonderful they were, the curious grace in their otherwise clumsy mass. Watching them fly had always filled her with peace and calm, maybe because their expressions and the ease with which they drifted in the air made them appear enviably carefree.
    Lizzie should be seeing this.
    Claire squinted through the sliding door to see her daughter still in bed, the dark crown of her head the only visible part of her, the rest of her mummified in a tangle of blankets and sheets. She’d hoped Lizzie would wake in time to join her for her meeting with Adam Williams, but it was now ten to nine.
    Stepping back into the room, Claire picked up her phone off the dresser and frowned to see the voice mail icon. Had the call come when she was in the shower?
    She sat down on her bed and listened to the message.
    â€œHi, Claire. Adam Williams here. Hey, I’m sorry to have to do this to you at the last minute, but something’s come up and I’m going to have to bail on coffee this morning. The good news is one of the show’s sponsors, Gus Gallagher, has offered to go in my place. Gus owns the surf shop in Folly, Fins. He was a big deal in Santa Cruz, surfed competitively out there for years, so he knows his stuff. I told him you’d be at Salt’s at ten. I’ve sent him the filming schedule so he can go through it with you. If you have any questions, give me a call. Otherwise, see you on set tomorrow.
Ciao!
”
    Ciao?
Claire deleted the message, not sure if she was more annoyed to be dining with Adam Williams’s stand-in, or that the show she was joining was funded by that god-awful surf shop. Even worse, she’d have to endure a breakfast meeting with the poser who owned the place. Her appetite waned. Maybe it was best that Lizzie
didn’t
come.
    Claire scribbled a few sentences on the hotel notepad, certain even as she did that her daughter was only pretending to be asleep. So much for her hope that a good night’s rest would improve Lizzie’s outlook. Still, it was just the first day. She’d bring back something warm and gooey with chocolate and try to sweeten her mood that way.
    â€¢Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â â€¢
    T he crowd at Salt’s Café was daunting. Claire squeezed through the bulk of customers that waited at the counter and scanned the tables beyond, hoping her host would have the good sense—not to mention courtesy—to wave her down so she didn’t have to stand there looking like a total fool. Why hadn’t Adam Williams described his replacement in his voice mail? She cut her gaze from one end of the room to the other, feeling lost. How would she ever find—what was his name again? Gary? Glen? Then, on a second sweep, her gaze landed on a familiar face two tables away: the man from the bar the night before. He sat alone with a coffee, scanning a newspaper. Before she could look away, he glanced up and saw her. Caught, Claire smiled weakly, not sure what else to do. He stood and waved her over.
    He was even more attractive than she’d remembered him, Claire thought as she approached his table, or maybe it was just seeing him standing, the length of his body, the confident stance.
    And