Something That Could Last

By Liz Durano

Coming to Hermosa Beach was meant to be my escape, a breather after the storm of my divorce. I was here to relish the Memorial Day festivities, not traipse down memory lane.

 

But then I saw him — the boy I once babysat.

 

Except, he wasn't a boy anymore.

 

And those looks he gave me? They hinted at the promise that this just might not end up being a boring vacation.

 

Sure, there's an age gap between us, but with chemistry this electric, does it even matter?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Velvet Madrid
• Release date: Oct 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223154891

Book preview

Chapter One

ARDEN

Are you having fun yet? my friend Harlow James asks, her voice brimming with excitement.

As I gaze at the beach in front of me, the volleyball courts already claimed by people playing in two-person teams, and the surf crashing against the shore, I have to admit I am having fun. Too bad I can’t articulate it as enthusiastically as I want to without looking foolish.

Can’t you tell? I’ve been pinching myself since Erik gave me the keys to the place before they left town. Erik Maystrom is Harlow’s friend, a fellow doctor who lives right on the Strand, a 20-mile bike path from Will Rogers State Beach in the north to Redondo Beach in the south. It’s been twenty years since I’ve been back, but here I am.

I’m so glad to hear that, Harlow says. She and I used to be neighbors when we lived in New York before she moved to Taos, New Mexico, after her divorce. Your only assignment for the week is to have fun, okay? Erik assured me you’ve got everything you need, and the neighbors know you’re staying there.

I set my coffee on the patio table and sit down. Speaking of neighbors, I swear the house next door has to be where I babysat this kid for one summer before I went away for college. It looks nothing like I remember but the address matches.

She giggles. Wouldn’t it be a trip if it’s still them?

I shrug. They’ve probably long moved on. From what I saw driving here last night, a lot has changed in twenty years, I say, pausing. Hey, you didn’t tell me Erik and Sam have a separate studio apartment on one side of the house with its view of the beach.

That’s where Sam used to paint, but she got tired of people looking at what she was working on, so they turned it into a studio apartment for guests, Harlow says. You’re going to have a lot of fun, Arden.

Oh, I know I will. Even though I’m staying in the studio apartment, I have full use of the house, including its amazing kitchen, private theater, and a patio overlooking the Strand. Right now, people are walking, jogging, rollerblading, or riding their bikes, a scene replicated in a vast hyperrealistic painting in the living room.

Who knows? You could even get in a few volleyball games, Harlow says as I roll my eyes.

And hopefully not make a fool of myself.

She scoffs. Don’t shortchange yourself, Arden. You could beat every single one of them if you wanted to. Beach volleyball isn’t any different from indoor, and you know it.

I chuckle. Try chasing a ball on the sand one of these days. But don’t worry. I’ll try to get a few games here and there.

The twins want to know when you’re coming back.

I’ll see them on my way home, I say, smiling as memories of my stay at the Pearl, the name they’ve given their home, return to me. The sunrise and sunsets, the millions of stars in the night sky. The clean air. And then there are the twins. Being around children makes one realize that maybe you were too hasty to tell yourself you didn’t want any.

You have a lovely family and a beautiful home, Harlow. She and her husband, Dax Drexel, a world-famous furniture maker, live with their twins in a sustainable home outside of Taos, New Mexico. With a foundation that includes old tires rammed with dirt and lower halves of