Merrill walked back to his home with his fishing gear in hand, strolling slowly while taking in the crisp air. As he walked he thought of his daughter Sylvia. She had kept her promise with visiting more regularly and even called him twice a week just to chit chat. He actually looked forward to her calls now and it started to feel like old times before his wife died. Back when the kids came around once a week and their grandchildren filled their house with laughter. Back when Sylvia used to call everyday to speak with her mother and Louise would rock in her chair chattering away with a smile on her face. Then he thought of his son, Aaron.

The tiny smile Merrill had on his face subsided. He couldn't understand how Aaron had become so callus since Louise's death. However, his becoming distant began years before that. Six to be exact, since that was when the last picture was taken of Merrill and all of his grandchildren. The only regret was that he should have insisted on Louise being in the photo, instead of her taking it. For reasons unknown, Aaron managed to close himself off and keep his family away which caused Merrill to miss out a lot on his granddaughters growing up.

As he got close to his driveway he saw Sylvia's SUV parked there and he quickly picked up his pace. He wasn't expecting her, yet there she was, with her golden brown hair shining in the sunlight and a stern look on her face as she sat in the car on her phone. It appeared she had arrived on her own and part of Merrill felt disappointed that the kids had not come. Nevertheless, he tapped on the glass of the drivers side which startled Sylvia. He heard her quickly saying goodbye to whoever she was talking to and then opened the car door.

"Hey pop," she said as she slid out, her short and petite frame was way too small for the large vehicle.

"You come alone this time?" Merrill asked.

"Oh, no, I told the kids where your hide-a-key is. They're inside. Max really needed to use the bathroom... I hope that's ok?"

"Of course it's ok, Sylvia. My grandkids don't need to ask for permission to go into my house." This was now the third time Sylvia had arrived without her husband and it made him a little concerned. "Hey Sylv, you and the hubby doing ok?"

"Yeah of course," Sylvia said, putting on a smile and shrugging, but Merrill had a feeling she wasn't being honest.

"Honey, if something's wrong you can tell me. I can even help you."

Sylvia stared at Merrill as if trying to decide whether or not to talk about it, but then the piercing sound of a shriek came from the house. Together, she and Merrill bolted up the pathway to find the kids in a dogpile in the foyer.

"What are you boys doing to your sister!?" she shouted at her sons.

A teary eyed Emma was released from being pinned by her brothers and then ran up to Sylvia, throwing her arms around her in a desperate cry.

"Max didn't wash his hands after using the bathroom and Joseph was helping him rub his dirty hands on me!" Emma said, wiping her eyes.

"Boys! How many times have I told you NOT to pick on your baby sister!" Sylvia shouted with her hands in the air as if pleading to God. "And Max, GO WASH YOUR HANDS, NOW!" Sylvia barked. She shook her head and turned to Merrill. "They're becoming more and more out of control. I don't know what to do sometimes."

"They're just being boys," Merrill replied to both Sylvia and Emma. "My brothers use to do horrible things to my sisters, but don't worry, I won't give your brothers any ideas," Merrill said winking at Emma who was sniffling back tears and holding his hand.

For the rest of the day Merrill entertained his family and couldn't help but think to himself how much Sylvia and Lucinda would get along. Especially now that Sylvia was coming around more often, which then made Merrill think again about her visiting without her husband. He just knew something was going on, but what raised his eyebrows even more was when Sylvia offered to spend the night. She claimed that the kids wanted to make him breakfast in the morning and watch the sunrise. The kids of course were excited and suggested building a fort out of their grandmothers old quilts. Merrill didn't want to be a killjoy, despite his suspicions and agreed to the sleepover. Plus, it would give him a chance to talk to Sylvia again about her husband.

After dinner, the kids were assigned their room for the night and were given blankets and pillows so they could immediately get to work on building the fort. Meanwhile, Sylvia remained downstairs baking a cake for the kids and Merrill stood by to keep her company. As he leaned against the counter sipping hot apple cider, he figured it would be a good time to talk about the elephant in the room.

"Sylv, are you sure the hubby is ok with you guys spending the night here and leaving him all alone for the weekend?"

"George doesn't care." Sylvia shrugged as she stirred the cake batter.

"What's he up to anyway? Does he not feel like visiting with an old grump like me?"

Sylvia sighed as she poured the cake batter into the cake pan. "We just haven't been getting along lately."

"Why not?"

"After we had that big blow out over selling the house and the land, I suggested to George that we buy the property. I've always loved it here and I would hate to see it go to someone else. George and I both make more than enough money, we could even sell our condo and move here to Redwood Village. We can handle the commute to work. The kids could be around you more and I wouldn't have to worry about you all the time."

"Honey," Merrill began to say. "I don't need looking after, honestly, I'm doing fine out here."

Sylvia stared off through the kitchen window, lost in thought and not hearing a word her father said. She shook her head.

"So George and I got into a big fight. Things have become so tense that I feel like I'm walking on egg shells around him. He's also been sleeping on the couch." Sylvia placed the cake into the oven and then closed the door with her foot, the same way had all growing up. "I've been pushing the idea lately and the kids think it would be great to move here too. The schools are better here, we would be away from the city crime.... George thinks I'm being selfish to want to sell the condo and move closer to you. What he doesn't realize is that I want to slow our lives down. Everything is so fast paced living in the city. We barely have time for each other with him getting home late from work, me with the vet clinic and the kids with their after school activities... we're like zombies at the dinner table! It's affecting our relationship with each other and the kids."

Merrill embraced Sylvia tightly and her head nestled over his heart. "It would be nice having you guys closer, but I don't want it to break up your marriage."

Sylvia looked up at him and her eyes began to glisten. "Dad, I look at Aaron and he's become so miserable. I don't want to get to that point, Pop."

"I know, sweetheart, but uprooting your lives for the sake of taking care of me, isn't the answer."

"But, Dad..."

"Hey, I'm old but I'm still healthy. Both my father and my mother lived into their late nineties, so I've got good genes... you don't have to worry so much about me, honey." Merrill kissed Sylvia's forehead and looked her in the eyes. "Call George. Tell him you miss him and you love him. Try to work things out. Don't give up."

The next day, Merrill woke up to the sounds of his grandchildren giggling and the clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen. He kicked the blankets off and got freshened up before heading down the stairs. As he brushed his teeth and washed his face, he decided he'd hang out in his pajamas a bit longer and followed the scent of coffee all the way to the kitchen. To his surprise, Sylvia and the kids were still in their pajamas too, fixing breakfast, and for the rest of the morning they spent the time lounging around.

While the kids played boardgames in the living room, Merrill and Sylvia sat in the kitchen drinking coffee. There were moments of silence as they both became lost in their own thoughts, Merrill with his concerns about Sylvia and her most likely thinking of her husband. Then she surprised him as she turned to him with a smile.

"So tell me about this woman you go see?"

"I told you already, I'm old enough to be her father. She's a friend, that's it. Besides, she's met a nice young man out in Breeze Bay and he's the one I went surfing with."

"Ok, then tell me about your friend."

"Well..." He scratched the back of his head. "When I met her she was kind of a lost soul, so I took her under my wing and helped her. Nothing like a little farm work and getting dirt on your hands to reset the balance of life. Anyway, she lived all by herself over on Cold Creek Trail and her folks died back when she was in college, so we became friends. She really is a sweet girl and its just been nice having someone appreciate my company."

"Oh..." Sylvia nodded.

"Don't get upset, sweetheart." Merrill reached out and stroked her cheek. "You're my daughter. You'll always be my favorite girl."

"I know..." she said sadly and wiped a tear that suddenly ran down her cheek. "I guess I'm a little jealous, but it's my own fault for not coming around as much since mom died. Which is part of why I want to move and be closer to you. You're my dad and we used to be peas in a pod. Remember?"

"Of course." He stroked her cheek again.

"I just want us to get back to being close again, like we were before."

"I want that too, sweetheart."

"Good. So then no more going off to Breeze Bay without telling me, ok?"

"Ok." Merrill nodded and squeezed his daughter's hand.

🌊🌊🌊

Lucinda jogged across the beach and searched for Raif's surfboard out in the water. It had neon designs on it which always helped her spot him quickly. She slowed her jog down to a walk and then stopped. With two hands cupped over her eyes, she shielded them from the bright sun that was coming up but still there was no sight of him out in the water. Picking up her pace again, Lucinda jogged over to Raif's backyard and slid the glass door open to enter his home. Frank barked crazily at first, but then stopped as soon as he recognized Lucinda and returned to sleeping on his giant pillow. She wandered through Raif's home saying his name out loud, but there was no answer from him. This concerned her until she heard the shower running, so she walked over to the bathroom and tapped on the door.

"Raif, it's Lucinda." She knocked again, but no answer. "Raif? I'm coming in..." She opened the door and barged into the bathroom which startled him as he stood stark naked, washing his hair. "Sorry. Did you not hear me knocking on the door?"

"No... Uh, give me a couple of minutes and I'll be right out."

"I just finished my jog. I could use a rinse." Lucinda smiled devilishly as she reached out to run her hands over his back.

"Just give me a minute!" he said sternly. Surprised by his reaction, Lucinda flinched back.

"O-ok," she stuttered and backed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

It wasn't like Raif to bark at her or turn down a shower together, so Lucinda knew something was going on. She helped herself to making coffee in the kitchen and then prepared two omelettes with toast. She covered Raif's dish so his breakfast wouldn't get cold and then sat down on the barstool. As she rested her dish and coffee on the counter, she spotted an envelope. Her eyes widened as she read the print on the front, Paternal Sciences & Labs Inc. The results must have come back and Lucinda was eager to know if Rachel was lying, but she didn't want to snoop through Raif's mail. She wasn't even officially his girlfriend to make snooping excusable, so she resisted the temptation.

Finally, he stepped out into the hallway with a towel around his neck and was using it to dry his hair while he walked. He thanked Lucinda for making breakfast, poured himself coffee and then sat down next to her. As he ate quietly, Lucinda slightly turned to him and waited for him to acknowledge the paternity results, but he continued to eat. He seemed lost in thought, so she finished the last piece of her omelette, then got up to wash the dish and poured herself more coffee. When the silence became unbearable, she decided she had to say something, anything.

"I had a good jog this morning. The sun looked gorgeous as it came up." She glanced at Raif expectantly, but he just nodded and mumbled that it must have been nice. "Raif," Lucinda said, hoping he would snap out of his funk. "Raif?" she repeated.

"What Lucinda?" he said sharply.

Taken aback once again by his tone, Lucinda stared down at her feet, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and shame. She let a few quiet beats pass between them before looking up at him again. "Do you need to be alone...? Do you want me to leave?"

Without looking up from his plate he said, "It's probably a good idea."

"Ok." She wanted so badly for Raif to just open up to her. "I'm going to leave so I can get ready for work. I'll see you at the cafe."

Lucinda left without looking back at Raif and felt a deep pain in her stomach. She knew he didn't mean to snap at her, but it still made her feel awful. She knew his mind was probably buzzing with thoughts that he needed to process alone. Yet it still stung. Leading up to Lucinda discovering her ex fiancé was married, he often snapped at her or made her feel stupid and small. He often blamed her for her own suspicions and would turn the tables to make her feel guilty for even thinking he was cheating on her.

She could recall him even accusing her of cheating. He stated that usually it was the Cheater who became so paranoid that they assumed their partner was just as sneaky. He had Lucinda so convinced that she was the one putting a strain on their relationship and not him. Which was why Lucinda's world fell apart when she discovered he was married. Not only had he broken her heart, but he had played mind games to the point where she even wondered if she was going nuts? Games that still affected her years later.

By the time she made it to the Barrel Wave, there were people hanging around outside who began bombarding her with questions. They wanted to know why the cafe was opening so late? Where was Raif? How long was it going to take to get everything set up? What was the soup for the day? They fired off their questions so quickly that she could already feel the tension building in her shoulders.

It wasn't like Raif to arrive late and Lucinda had never opened the Barrel Wave without Raif's supervision. Yet, she tried her best to do everything on her own while customers shuffled in and sat around waiting. She was nervous and didn't want to upset anyone, least of all Raif, by setting things up incorrectly. Most of the regulars were understanding, while some were very grouchy and trying to figure out who was to blame for the cafe opening late.

"He's probably sick and left her in charge," one woman said.

"Yeah and the good it did him! She was late. How irresponsible," the woman's husband replied.

Lucinda knew that particular couple and tried to ignore them. They were always grouchy with her and only Raif managed to make them smile. To her relief, Chuck, who had been walking his wife to work, noticed the chaos. He walked in and offered to ring up drinks and food while Lucinda prepared them. She moved quickly back and forth, and even broke out in a little sweat. Together they went about this routine until the afternoon when the crowd slowed down.

Yet, there was still no sign of Raif even as the lunch crowd began dying off.

"What's with the boss-man today? He sick?" Chuck asked while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I'm not sure." Lucinda shrugged. "I saw him this morning. He seemed out of it, but he didn't say anything about not coming in..."

"Well, he owes us both for filling in. It's not like him to just not show up," Chuck said with hands on his hips. "He hasn't been acting right the last few days. Is he alright?"

Just as Lucinda was about to make an excuse for him, Raif walked into the cafe. He greeted a few locals that were reading news papers while sipping coffee and then made his way behind the counter. He greeted Chuck who stood with his hands still on his hips waiting for an explanation. However, Raif continued on towards the back office, so Lucinda and Chuck followed right behind him. She was about to ask him if he was ok, but Chuck spoke up first and he wasn't happy.

"That's all I get is a measly 'hello'. I've been helping Lucinda with the crowd for about three hours now and you're not even going to say thank you or explain why you left her here on her own?" Chuck scoffed. "Look I don't know what's going on with you, but at least show some gratitude considering I gotta work in the bar tonight!"

As Chuck turned to walk away, Raif called after him, so he paused. "Chuck, I'm sorry. I'm just... I just... Don't you ever just have those days where it feels like your life has taken a dump?"

"Of course!" Chuck said angrily over his shoulder. "But I don't act like a jerk or ignore the people who care!"

With that, the man stormed off and Lucinda looked to Raif while shaking her head in disappointment and then rushed after Chuck. He was halfway down the street when she spotted him and called after him

"Chuck! Chuck wait!" she shouted, and he came to a stop as she jogged up to him. "I'm sorry for how he's acting."

"For what? It's not you who needs to apologize. I know something's up with him but that doesn't give him the right to leave you stranded. You've done a lot for him and he should be grateful."

"He is," Lucinda replied.

"Yeah, well he sure has a crappy way of showing it!"

"He's just going through something right now. Give him some time, he'll apologize, I know he will."

"You're too good for him," Chuck sighed. "He doesn't deserve you."

"Come on, Chuck, don't talk like that. He's your friend."

"Yeah... I just don't care for him at the moment. Anyway, I'll see ya, sweetheart."

"Bye." She waved at him sadly.

Lucinda knew Chuck had a quick temper, based on stories locals had told her, but she'd never been around to see him actually get angry. He was always very pleasant with her and even Isabel rarely saw his hot side. Only his buddies and strangers got the pleasure of witnessing his wrath. Feeling out of sorts, Lucinda returned to the Barrel Wave where Raif was tending to customers. He was cheerful and smiling, but that was just his way after years of being in customer service. As she returned and walked behind the counter, Raif told her she could leave early. It was Sunday, so he explained that he would handle the rest of the shift and close up.

Lucinda protested, "But... earlier this week you said I could work today to earn some extra money."

"Its ok, just go home. I'll give you whatever cash you need later." Then as if dismissing her, he turned back to the customer he was speaking to and continued chatting.

Feeling frustrated and a little disrespected, she interrupted them. "I want to work, Raif. You can't just hand me money, I want to earn it."

He shot a quick glance to her and then went back to talking with his customer, so she tried again, but this time not as politely.

"Raif!" she barked, slightly stomping her foot. "We need to talk!"

Catching the hint, the customer looked between Raif and Lucinda, then thanked him for the coffee and walked away. Raif knew he was behaving poorly, but he was angry with the world at the moment. The results had come back positive and Rachel confessed the news to her parents just the night before, so Eaddie had called him early that morning with threats. She demanded that Raif pay child support, even though Rachel insisted she didn't need the help. But her mother didn't care that, despite the Barrel Wave being successful, it wasn't consistent.

Rachel on the other hand, did understand and didn't want to burden him. Especially not after thirteen years of her lies, but again, Eaddie didn't care that Raif often had to dip into his savings or take out loans to stay afloat during off season. After all, she already had her lawyer involved so that her grandson could have a fair shot at receiving financial assistance from Raif.

So as he followed Lucinda into the back kitchen, he knew he needed to explain his behavior, but he was just too exhausted to even think about it.

"I saw the envelope on the kitchen counter," Lucinda began saying, not wasting any time.

"Lucinda, I--"

"No!" She snapped, cutting him off. "You don't have to tell me about it right now if you don't want to, but please don't shut me out. I've felt so horrible all day long by the way you've been acting towards me and I don't deserve it!" Hearing her own words, she was surprised with herself. It had been years since she had taken a stand about her feelings. It felt good. "Whatever we are to each other, just remember I'm going through this with you too and I can't help you if you shut me out or avoid me!"

As Raif looked Lucinda over, he had never felt more like a dirt-bag in his entire adult life. She was right. Shutting her out was only causing him to isolate himself and be alone with his thoughts. Which was also making him mistreat the people he cared for, like snapping at Chuck and worst of all, hurting Lucinda by being cruel.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he embraced her and buried his face in her neck. "I'm so sorry. I've been acting like a jerk and you're right, you don't deserve it. I've just been so angry all morning and I should never, ever, take out my frustrations on you. It's not fair that I do that and you deserve better from me, so I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she said, slightly muffled as her head nestled into his chest.

"I love you, Lucinda," Raif cupped her face to look her in the eyes. "I don't ever want to make you feel horrible ever again."

Lucinda's eyes widened and a wave of flutters zipped through her stomach. It was the first time Raif had told her he loved her. She felt it all along but now it was confirmed. The only trouble was that she couldn't find the words to tell him in return that she felt the same. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind as he dropped his mouth to hers and took in a deep kiss.

With apologies out of the way, Lucinda stuck around the cafe until closing time.