Audrey tapped Lucinda on the leg and nodded her head toward the kitchen in a silent invitation to follow her. The both of them stood up from their seats and Audrey linked her arm through Lucinda's as they walked into the house together. A strange roll of relief passed through her as soon as they were away from the tension that Rachel release into the air. Raif's aunt headed for the counter and continued chopping the veggies she abandoned earlier. She pulled an extra knife from the drawer and welcomed Lucinda to join her. An appreciated distraction.

"So how are you doing so far Lucinda?" she asked as she placed a towel over her shoulder and began chopping peppers. "How is all of this for you? Are you ok with it, cause if I know Rachel, she purposely arranged this visit to sabotage your first time meeting Raif's parents."

"It's ok. I don't mind." Lucinda shrugged.

Audrey stopped and looked up as Merrill walked into the kitchen. They locked eyes briefly before she addressed him. "Needing a break from hurricane Rachel? I know she loves to talk about herself and it can get really boring."

"Me?" He pointed to himself. "Oh no, I'm just heading for the lou."

"Ok." Lucinda smiled. "I'm just chopping veggies."

"Keep that knife handy." Audrey nudged her. "If Rachel decides to turn this day sideways, then it'll become useful."

Merrill chuckled and covered his ears. "I'm just going to step away and pretend I didn't hear that..."

Audrey's gaze followed him as he walked away. When the coast seemed clear, she picked up the conversation again. "You're too sweet, Lucinda. Don't let Rachel make this about her. This was supppse to be your day. Raif will never utter a foul word about Rachel, but I've never trusted her. Have you met her mother?"

"Unfortunately." Lucinda smiled weakly.

"She's a nut! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with her." Audrey then grabbed a purple onion from the fridge and went back to chopping. "I can tell Raif adores you, and I've honestly never seen him so happy. My nephew deserves a good woman, so please, don't let Rachel push you to the side, honey. Let her know you're here to stay."

Just as the words began to sink in, Raif appeared in the kitchen, causing a grin to instantly bloom across Lucinda's face.

"There you are!" he said as he embraced Lucinda's back and rested his chin on her shoulder. "How are my two favorite gals doing?"

"Oh we're fine." Lucinda smiled at Audrey slyly. "We're just chit chatting."

"Well let me whisk you away before you start smelling like onions." Raif laughed. "I want to show you that addition I was talking about."

As Lucinda walked off with Raif, hand in hand, they passed Merrill while he was exiting the bathroom. "Raif's going to show me his favorite part of the house. We'll be back," she told him.

"My aunt is in the kitchen if you want to chat with her. She won't bite." Raif winked, which caused Merrill to turn just a bit rosey.

At the end of the hallway sat a window with a bench seat, letting in just enough light to paint shadows across the wood floor. To the right there was a door which lead to a spare bedroom, but to the left was a walk-in linen closet. Raif opened the door to the walk-in closet, stepped inside and placed his hand on the back wall. As he slid his hand sideways, the wall began moving over. Lucinda watched with wide eyes as the sliding wall revealed a spiraling staircase that went down. Taking her hand again, Raif made his way down the steps and into the hidden room.

As they descended, Lucinda could see a red wall with large black and white photos of musicians. On the adjacent wall were electric and acoustic guitars, a violin, a banjo, a mandolin and what looked like framed memorabilia. In the middle of the room it looked as if a jam session was about to take place, with antique amps that had tweed faces, microphones with stands, and a set of drums. As if that weren't enough to make her eyes pop, the main wall was made entirely of floor to celing windows with an amazing view of the ocean.

"So what do you think?"

"It's amazing!" Lucinda replied.

"My grandfather built this room. He loved collecting anything and everything music related. This was his version of a Man Cave. Rally and I used to come down here and attempt to play with the instruments. Truthfully, I was never good, but Rally, he played guitar and he was... he was..." Raif shook his head. "He was gifted. It came so natural to him."

"How come you've never mentioned him before? Not that I'm bothered by it, well... actually I am." Lucinda paced while trying to form her words carefully and then stopped to look at Raif. "We've been trying to be honest about our pasts and build trust, so why not tell me about him? What else are you hiding?"

Letting out a deep breath, Raif stepped toward Lucinda and took her hand. She stiffened at first, staring at him sternly for an answer, but then gave in as he guided her to a coffee colored suade couch, so she could sit. She sunk into the deep pillows and he rested his bottom on the armrest. A moment of silence past as he took a sip of his beer and then finally looked down at her.

"I have wanted to tell you, it's just that my family never talks about him and I've just gotten used to it. Plus it hurts to talk about him." Raif shrugged and then pointed his beer bottle toward the staircase. "You saw how quickly my mom became upset. He was her baby. In the beginning, we avoided talking about him for her sake, and then eventually we never talked about it all."

"Why? What happened?"

"Rally didn't just drown... he did it on purpose." Raif took another sip of his beer. "We're not sure why, but he always had a somber way about him. As a kid he was so in tune with people's emotions and had empathy like no one else I've ever known. I mean, one time when he was just a toddler we were watching Bambi and he started to cry when the mother was killed. But it wasn't the kind of cry you'd expect from a toddler, it was like he understood that Bambi wasn't going to have a mother anymore. He mourned that animals death. I certainly don't recall having that kind of deep emotion watching that movie." Raif shook his head. "Anyway, Rally was kind of a loner. I was probably his only friend now that I think about it.... "

Raif tood up and walked over to the wall of windows. His back expanded as he took in a deep breath and Lucinda could see his reflection in the glass. He looked as if he wanted to cry.

"The year he died, he had started to really isolate himself and mom tried putting him in counseling and our family doctor put him on meds... but it seemed to only close him off more. I remember him saying once, while we were down here, that they made him feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. So then the doctor put him on other meds, but Rally said they made him feel strange. Foggy. Looking back on it now, we can see the signs. We can see how Rally was getting worse and worse. Even the music he created on my grandfather's guitars were becoming more morose."

Raif cleared his throat and Lucinda could see him wipe the corner of his eye through the reflection.

"We went out surfing one morning. The waves were rough. There was a good one coming up so I let Rally take it and he charged it so beautifully, but then he lost his balance. After he fell off I couldn't see him so I tried to swim after him. His leash floated to the top of the water so I knew it had torn off of him. I dove from my board after him, but it was hard to see under the water with all of the waves crashing. It was churning, making everything appear white, until finally it cleared and that's when I saw him perfectly still under the water."

Raif paused, taking a long pull from his beer and then rested the bottle against his forehead as he stared at the ground. His voice was more fragile as he continued.

"I swam as deep as I could to get to him and when I grabbed him to pull him up to the surface he fought against me. At first I thought he was panicking because he was scared and I was starting to lose my breath so I knew Rally had to be almost out as well. I gathered whatever strength I had, and pulled Rally as hard as I could to the surface... but he kept fighting me. Then it was as if time stopped and Rally was looking me square in the eyes as he opened his mouth wide and inhaled the water. I managed to pull him to shore, but by then he was unconscious. I performed CPR until the EMT's arrived and they did their best to pump his lungs and revive him but he died during the drive to the hospital."

Lucinda there sat shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm so sorry Raif... it wasn't your fault and I get the feeling you blame yourself. Dont. You did everything you could to save him, he just ran out of air."

"He did it on purpose, Lucinda."

"Raif, no." She got up from the couch and went to him and ran both hands up his back. "Raif, please look at me." He turned slowly and set his gaze on her. His eyes were shimmering with tears and she swiped her fingers under them to collect the moisture. "Rally drowned. Sometimes we wish there were better answers, but sometimes there just aren't."

"I found his journal," he said as he wrapped his hands around her wrists. "At first it just looked like songs he had written, but towards the end there was a poem. It said,

'Letting go of my sorrow, I inhaled and let go of tomorrow.

Waves crashing over me, as I drift into what will never be.'

"He did it on purpose." A tear rolled down Raif's cheekbone. "He was only fifteen and I was about to graduate high school. That's why I decided to stay behind and attend college here. My mom had a really bad breakdown and ended up having to go into the hospital for psychiatric care. While she was there, she tried swallowing a bunch of pills that she managed to collect from the nurses. My dad was a wreck, so between Rally dying and my mom being sick, he started drinking heavily just to cope. Thankfully sheriff Sanchez was lenient on him and would bring him home whenever he was too drunk to drive back from the Riptide. I was just barely hanging on by a thread and once my mom was out of the hospital, my aunt stayed for as long as she could, but eventually she had to go back home."

"I'm so sorry..." Lucinda leaned up, taking his face in her hands and kissed him repeatedly. "I'm so sorry."

As they leaned their foreheads together, he said, "It was a very difficult couple of years, for all of us, and once things started to get better, we just stopped talking about Rally. It seemed better for everyone that way. So do you understand now, why I've been hesitant to talk about him?"

"Yes, I do." Lucinda nodded her head. "Raif... can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When I told you the truth of how I ended up here, were you scared that I was trying to hurt myself?"

He pulled away just enough to search her eyes and inhale a deep breath. "When I met you, I'm not sure what it was about you, but even though you smiled at me, I could see there was something behind it, something sad, like you were wearing a mask. It's a look I've seen before on my mom and on my brother..." Raif answered.

"Raif." Lucinda swallowed down her nerves and looked him in the eyes again. "Are you scared I still might hurt myself?"

"No," Raif replied earnestly. "But I am scared that with all of this stuff going on that it will be too much for you and you'll run away from me. The same way you ran away from your life in Redwood Village."

Lucinda leaned up on her tip-toes and drapped her arms across the back of Raif's neck. She placed a soft kiss on his lips and held her forehead against his for a moment again.

"I promise you. You will not lose me. I've never felt more encouraged or more excited for the future in my entire adult life," she said as she stared deeply at him. "I love you, Raif, I love you so much, so please don't keep quiet about your brother anymore. You can talk about him with me, whenever you want. I honestly don't know how you've managed to be so calm and so positive after suffering such a loss. And then to not even talk about it? Don't hold it in anymore. Ok?"

"I won't," Raif replied as his lips turned up into a smile. "Lucinda..." he murmured. "Did you just say you love me?"

"Yes?"

"Well that's not real convincing. Say it like you mean it!" He grinned from ear to ear.

"I love you, Raif."

Embracing her tightly, Raif clamped his mouth onto hers, claiming her lips with intensity. He then lifted her off the ground, prompting Lucinda to wrap her legs around him. Taking a few steps, he walked them to the couch where they collapsed and worked quickly to shove his pants down and her dress up. All the while Lucinda's heart fluttered like wings on a hummingbird, free and happy. Because for the first time in her life, this was what real love felt like.

🌊🌊🌊

In the kitchen, Audrey kept Merrill busy by making him her assistant. She watched over him while he prepared bruschetta and sauteed the tomatoes and onions in a garlic sauce. Gavin wondered into the kitchen and stood around holding his empty glass. Noticing this, Audrey asked if he wanted more lemonade.

"Yes please," Gavin replied in his quiet tone.

"So Gavin, have any hobbies?" Merrill asked as he helped himself to pouring more lemonade into Gavin's glass.

"I skateboard." He shrugged.

"My grandsons like skateboarding! In fact they're around your age. Maybe one day you can meet them?" Merrill offered, but saw that Gavin stayed quiet. "You know, skateboarding is a lot like surfing. Whenever I visit here I like to go out on the water with Raif. Would you like to join us some time?"

Gavin then looked up and gave Merrill a funny stare. "You surf?"

"Sure do! I may be old, but I can still take on a wave or two. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure your dad is going out on the water tomorrow morning. We can join him, if you want?"

"You mean Raif. He's not my dad. My dad is the one who raised me," he said, staring at his glass of lemonade.

Audrey paused from cooking and looked over her shoulder at him. "Sounds like he meant a lot to you, and you miss him, don't you hun?"

"Well yeah, he's my dad," Gavin replied.

"So you guys still see each other?" Audrey probed.

Gavin looked over at the patio where his mother chatted with Celeste and Dimitri, and then turned back to looking at his lemonade again. "No. I haven't seen him in about two years. The last time I saw him, he and my mom got into a big fight about her lying to him. After that I never really saw him again."

"I'm so sorry, honey," Audrey said as she reached across the counter to rub his arm.

"Do you think Raif will marry his girlfriend?" Gavin asked.

"I hope so," Merrill chimed in. "I think they're good for each other."

"I hope he does..." Gavin replied and looked up. Both Audrey and Merrill were staring back at him, surprised at how much he was willing to express for being a quiet kid. "My mom's had several boyfriends since my dad broke up with her, but none of them have worked out."

"Well sometimes it takes a while to find the right person," Merrill stated. "And sometimes people are just better off being single."

"Do you want your mom to get married one day?" Audrey asked, still probing.

Gavin looked at his mom sitting on the patio again, then looked back to Audrey and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so, just as long as it's not--"

"Hey, what's everyone doing?" Raif asked, accidentally interrupting as he and Lucinda walked back into the kitchen. Gavin stopped talking.

"Oh just getting better aquantted." Audrey smiled.

"Doing ok?" Raif asked Gavin.

Gavin nodded his head yes and then Merrill told Raif about inviting Gavin out surfing with them. Raif cracked a smile.

"I loved that idea! But I need to make sure it's ok with your mom first."

As if her ears were burning, Rachel appeared at the double doors of the patio.

"There you are honey. What are you doing? You said you would be right back." She crossed the threshold over toward Gavin and began stroking his hair. Not liking it, Gavin moved his head away, but remained quiet. "Honey..." Rachel responded with an embarrassed smile.

"It's not his fault. We were keeping him entertained with silly stories," Merrill spoke.

"Is that right?" Rachel wrapped her arms around her son, but the look on his face said he was uncomfortable.

In fact, the entire energy of the kitchen felt uncomfortable. The whole day was a mixture of emotions swimming in different directions. At the center of it all was a poor kid, trying to come to grips with his new reality. Lucinda couldn't help but feel melancholy for him as she stood next to Raif and observed Gavin's body language. If only she could drape herself over him like a shield and let him know that one day, life would get better.

"Dinner is ready!" Dimitri announced as he walked in with a container full of the grilled meat. Celeste followed him with another container that had the lobster tails. "Shall we eat inside or on the patio and watch the sunset? There's a slight breeze, but I think we should be ok."

"The patio for sure," Raif replied. "I don't want Lucinda, Merrill or Gavin to miss it."

"What about me?" Rachel asked playfully.

"What about you?" Audrey said under her breath which caused Merrill to shoot her a quick look of surprise.

"Nothing new for you. You've seen the sunset from my parent's patio tons of times, Rache," Raif answered while escorting Lucinda past her.

Raif then realized his words sounded a bit cold so he turned around, squeezed Rachel's shoulder and flashed a smile. Rachel smiled back and followed close behind them. She tried to hold Gavin's hand but he pulled away and pushed through the double doors. Noticing the exchange between mother and son, Merrill stayed behind to help Audrey plate the veggies and bruschetta... and to pick her brain.

"What do you suppose is going on there?" Merrill nodded his head in the direction of the patio.

"Could just be a phase, but I'm willing to bet it has a lot to do with that unfinished conversation we were having earlier."

"I was thinking the same." Merrill rubbed his chin. "Maybe he's got some resentment toward his mom?"

"Hell, I don't blame him! That woman is a piece of work." Audrey shook her head. "Well, we better head out there and hope this dinner doesn't make a left turn at Albuquerque."

"Right." Merrill nodded.

The rest of the night didn't become any less strange as Rachel brought up memories from when she and Raif were in high school. However, she did have to bite her tongue after bringing up a surfing competition both Raif and Rally were in, back when Raif was fifteen and Rally was twelve. Rally was upset that he had to compete in the kids challenge instead of being alongside Raif with the teens. Rachel chuckled at how cute Rally's little tantrum was, but then she quickly moved on to talk about how well Raif did. Everyone's eyes flashed over to Celeste, but she did her best to keep on a smile and sip white wine.

Just as the sun began to dip into the ocean, Raif got up and asked Lucinda and Gavin to go over to a spot that he claimed was perfect for catching the last bit of sunset.

"To get to it, we need to climb over the railing of the patio and step down onto a large flat slab of rock," he explained.

Rachel stood up and protectively protested. "Ohhh no, Gavin might slip or hurt himself!"

Gavin rolled his eyes at her and Raif assured her that it would be safe. "After all, Rachel, don't forget how we used to climb over there on several occasions as kids to watch the last bit of sunset."

"I don't think we ever paid much attention to the sunset..." she arched a brow at him with a slightly flirtatious smile on her face.

"Oh for heavens sake!" Audrey exclaimed as she slammed her napkin down onto her plate. "Nobody cares, Rachel."

"I'm sure some people at this table do." Rachel motioned toward Lucinda.

Raif clenched his jaw and then composed himself as he placed an arm around Gavin, while taking Lucinda's hand. "If you'll excuse us, we're climbing over before it's too late to catch the sunset."

He gave Rachel a long stare of warning, as if he dared her to try and ruin the moment even further. Then he climbed over the railing and delicately helped Lucinda as she hiked up her dress while making sure not to flash her underwear. Then, Gavin climbed over with impressive agility as if he were a gymnast.

"Ok, now I need you two to really trust me. We're going to sit on the edge of the cliff and let our feet dangle."

Lucinda slapped her hand to her mouth, muffling a squeak and shook her head with eyes wide. From behind her hands she spoke, "I can't do that!"

"Come on its the best way to watch. It makes you feel like you're floating above the ocean," Raif encouraged.

Lucinda's heart thumped so hard she swore she could see her chest moving. "I'm scared of heights!"

"Come on Lucinda," Gavin urged. Which made both Raif and Lucinda stare at him in surprise. "It's not so scary if we do it together."

"O-ok," Lucinda studdered, feeling guilty that she could be robbing Gavin of a unique experience if she chickened out. "Will you hold my hand?" she asked him.

"We'll all hold hands." Raif smiled at her as he twined his fingers in hers.

Gavin did the same, only he placed his hand in Lucinda's. Together they inched their way and as they got closer to the edge, Lucinda laughed hysterically as she saw that there was an iron railing bordering the cliff.

"This is something my dad installed when we were kids so we could come out here and not clumsily fall off."

"You could've told me!" She playfully slapped his arm.

"Well what fun would that be?" He grinned.

Lucinda scooted her dress up to her knees so she could sit down, then she removed her sandals and placed them behind her. She slipped her legs through the spindles on the railing and let her feet dangle as the cool ocean breeze grazed her toes. Raif did the same but Gavin left his sneakers on. It was a beautiful way to watch the sunset. From the cliff they could see the sky form into a vivid pink which made the clouds look like cotton candy as they slowly drifted by the moon making its debut, brighter and brighter.

"This is possibly the best sunset I've seen in all my life," Lucinda sighed.

She leaned her head onto Raif's shoulder, almost forgetting how extraordinary the day had been. It was as if sitting there with Raif's son was a ritual they had been doing for years. It felt so natural, but of course the circumstances were not normal and especially not with Rachel in the picture again.

And like the waves crashing against the rocks below, Rachel's presence wouldn't be gentle.