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Rick grabbed a lawn chair and put it next to Josh As they gazed out at the water, Rick took a flask out of his denim jacket pocket Josh tried not to stare as his childhood buddy anchored the flask in the crook of his left elbow and screwed off the cap with his right hand

Not all of Rick had made it back

Wordlessly they tipped up their respective bottles and drank

“Hell of a thing,” Rick finally said There was no need for him to explain Josh knew that such a state wounded and losing his hand, Erin nothere now, forever changed yet so up to this moment

“Ain’t that the truth,” Josh answered

“You seen Tom yet?”

Josh scowled “No, thank God”

“Hating hi Erin back”

Josh had told his Rick didn’t know Things that could only be seen by someone on the inside of a relationship

He didn’t answer Instead they sat watching the sun play over the waves of the bay Josh are of Rick drinking steadily froed inside hi back home, with his disability?

There was a change in the air of the party Josh couldn’t put his finger on it but it felt like things got quieter, like so their breath Slowly he turned and saw his cousin for the first time in several years Since before he’dand braith his hair a little too long and his face in need of a shave As boys they’d gotten into their fair share of trouble There hadn’t been this sense of competition They’d always had each other’s backs But that changed the day Josh had seen Erin laughing up at so the moon and stars Tom had looked like he hadn’t a care in the world while Josh was burdened with trying to deal with the grief of losing his dad, being the new head of the fa in the service

For once he’d wanted soood ol’ Tom

But it had ceased to be about Tootten to know Erin He’d lost the chip on his shoulder and fallen head over heels in love with her For a long time he’d considered what happened more his fault than Toirl Not even when Erin had insisted it was Josh she wanted to be with He’d always borne a little bit of guilt—right up until he had proposed and Erin had accepted And when Tom had stood up in the Rusty Fern and declared to the town of Jewell Cove that Erin wasman, it was the last straw

Because he’d known, deep down, that despite what Erin said, there was so between her and Tom that Josh couldn’t compete with If Toot what he wanted and the thought of losing Erin had made Josh afraid—a weakness he hated

Tonight Tonize was beside hih with Jess She was pretty in an understated sort of way; not Toain Josh felt like an outsider in his own family