1. Dan Palmer

I stared out toward the shore, a cold beer in hand. The sun had started to set over the horizon. Navy blue faded into oranges with a smidge of a deep pink.

And the sight was fucking great. This is what I needed. The thought surprised me. Is this what happens when you get old? Am I old now? You start to appreciate the small things?

Once upon a time, I wouldn't have given a shit about the view.

I sure as hell wouldn't have splurged on a two-story condo at the beach I was renting from my best friend, Abel. Not that he made me pay him. I'd booked it and then told him I'd done it because knowing my investment-savvy buddy, he would have told me I could stay there for free.

No, a younger, dumber version of myself would have rented a shitty motel room to save money because either way, all I was interested in when I was on RR was getting a buzz, hitting some waves, and hooking up with random women.

But that felt like a lifetime ago. I was forty now. I wasn't old. I knew that. But damn, I felt fucking ancient.

I leaned over the metal balcony railing and brought the beer bottle to my lips. Taking a healthy chug, I felt the way my lips tugged upward. My fellow ex-Navy SEAL and best friend Abel Pena had been right. This was exactly what I'd needed to get my head on straight.

I'd left the Navy after serving for twenty-one years. It had been time. I wasn't the kind of man who wanted to be stuck behind a desk, or worse, teaching a bunch of green-behind-the-ears recruits. I knew myself well enough to know I didn't have that in me. But knowing that didn't help the fact that change was fucking hard.

I was going out on my own a civilian once more, but I had no idea what the hell my next step was supposed to be. Thankfully, throughout the years, Abel had talked me into investing money here and there instead of blowing it on a ton of stupid shit. Instead of buying fast cars or blowing it on drinks for women at clubs, we'd invested. Thanks to Abel's Midas touch, I was good for a long while. Maybe not as well as he was, but I wasn't worried about the formidable size of the nest egg he'd helped me build.

But I wasn't the type of man to just sit around and do nothing.

When he had first suggested I get away to get my thoughts together, I'd rolled my eyes. But the more I thought about it, the more the idea had grown on me.

And that's how I found myself at Poppy Beach. Abel lived just on the outskirts, and hanging with my best friend on his off time hadn't sounded too bad. Especially when he left three years earlier and I kind of missed him. My eyes moved toward the pier and the boardwalk. This small California beach town seemed to be exactly what I'd needed.

My eyes moved back to the waves. The colorful sky now dark, my eyes widened. Being back in Southern California, I'd expected the heavy smog to block out most of the stars, but the night skies were surprisingly clear. Stars shined brightly.

Just then, a star rushed across the now almost black sky.

"A shooting star," I whispered.

I was forty.

I knew better than closing my eyes and making wishes. I knew the way to achieving goals only came from hard work. Yet despite knowing better, my brown eyes closed, and I made a wish. What the hell do I have to lose?

"Give me a sign," I whispered. "I just need a sign of where I belong."

I opened my eyes, the star long gone. I glanced down and noticed how empty the beach was now. Where it had been somewhat busy since I had arrived a couple hours ago, only a couple of people were still hanging around.

I shook my head.

What did I expect?A neon sign toward a building to give me an idea of what kind of gig I should look into? A brochure of where I belonged? Where I should travel to next? I was just about to walk back inside to grab the steak I'd planned on grilling when I saw her.

My brows bunched as my head tilted. I was almost afraid to blink, unable to take my eyes off her. I couldn't see much of her. Not when her back was turned to me, her front set toward the water.

She hadn't been there a moment ago, right? Where did she come from? She was the kind of woman a man spotted from a hundred yards away. And I hadn't even seen her face. She was sitting, wearing a long willowy sundress. Her shoulders were tanned, almost bronzed from the summer sun, and even under the moonlight, I somehow knew her skin would be buttery soft. Her long light brown maybe dirty-blond hair danced against her back in the salty breeze.

But she wasn't staring at the water like everyone else would be. And maybe that's what caught my attention. She simply sat on the sand, her head tipped down. It was evident she had something in her hands.

Something slowly came to life inside of me. Something that felt a lot like possessiveness and a need to protect. Mine, a whisper soft voice in my head rang, but I shook my head. Didn't she know it was dangerous to be out alone in the dark?

No. That's not what I am here for.I forced myself to turn and walk into the kitchen. I was going to make dinner. But instead of opening the fridge door and getting everything I'd need for my meal, I turned around and headed downstairs to the first floor. I slipped on the flip-flops I'd left there earlier and walked out.

But when I reached the sand, she was gone.

Who is she?I wondered. I laughed at myself. Signs and wishing on stars were playing with my head. Yet, I walked down to where I'd seen her and stopped, surprised to find a rock on the beach. But it was unlike any other rock on the sand. This one was painted a bright pink, and in yellow with a black outline it said BELIEVE. I laughed and shook my head. I'd seen these rocks where I'd parked. People painted them and dropped them in different spots for others to find.

"Believe," I muttered under my breath before heading toward the water. What the hell was there to believe in now that my career was over?

I stood at the edge of the water line. The cold waves washed up and away from my feet as I stared out. I loved the beach and water. I'd always loved it. Craved it. It was part of why I had been so good as a SEAL. I inhaled deeply, and the salty air filled my lungs, then I exhaled slowly. I'd wake up early and go surfing. I turned and headed back to the condo.

But not without stopping to pick up the ridiculously bright pink rock and slipping it into the front pocket of my cargo shorts.

Believe.

Maybe I needed to do a little more of that.

A little faith that I'd figure it out. That I would find where I belonged.