It was unusual for someone to be seen reading the newspaper, but Roy Ketran quite enjoyed the activity. The occasional strange look from passersby did nothing to ruin the relaxing warmth of the late evening sun. Roy had never gotten used to the salty ocean breeze, the occasional sour whiff of rotting fish tickled his nostrils.

Frequent checks of his watch did not make the time go by any faster. Todd's last message had been over a half hour ago. Roy returned his phone to his pocket with a long sigh.

A flurry of shuffling feet caught his attention, lowering his newspaper to look for the source of the disturbance. The looming, wide frame of a well-dressed man rounded the corner of the coffee shop Roy was seated in front of. Upon spotting his friend, he ceased his frantic search, panting with exhaustion.

"Finally found you! We've been looking all over for you, man." His deep, smooth voice was like dark chocolate, matching his skin tone and refined sense of style. His beard and hair were well trimmed, and his large, square-framed glasses emphasized his chiseled features.

"What happened to you? Since when do you go out in public looking like a commoner?" Roy's eyes picked out casual sneakers instead of Todd's usual freshly-shined leather shoes, a lack of a vest over a collared shirt, and no hat to top it off.

Todd shot Roy a flat look. "Despite what you seem to think, I'm not some holier-than-thou rich prick; I'm on vacation."

Roy flashed him a mischievous smile, standing up from the bench. "It's hard to tell, you usually dress like one." Roy himself was dressed in a blue button-down shirt, a wide-brim sun hat, and strapped hiking sandals. He looked every bit the tourist as did the beach-goers.

Todd open his mouth to respond, but lowered his head with a chuckle. "Long time no see. Clearly, you haven't changed a bit." The pair exchanged a handshake and a pat on the back.

"Where's the others? You told me to be here an hour ago." Roy checked his phone to confirm that he had read the message right. He narrowed his eyes when he realized he had selected the wrong coffee shop in his navigation app.

"I told you, it was the Higgin's by the docks, not the beach." Todd said, gesturing out towards the array of people lounging on towels under umbrellas. "It was a mile run over to here. 'Em wanted to come along, but someone had to keep an eye on our luggage. Ian and his new lady friend went out for ice cream."

"I'm not the only one who hasn't changed, it seems." Roy put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let's catch up on the walk over there, just like old times."

***

Todd and Roy walked along the sidewalk curving around the top of the beach. There were various park benches, and shaded spots for visitors to have picnic. Many were doing exactly that, some making use of public grills. The delicious aroma of grilled meat filled the air, overpowering even the strong scent of the ocean breeze.

Roy was holding out his phone to show Todd a picture of a dilapidated building. A sign that has been removed long ago left behind an outline of the word 'BANK' above the front door.

"—It's unlike any you've ever seen! It's spacious, discrete, and best of all, the floor is hardly cracked at all!" Roy's enthusiasm was practically spilling out from him, his excitement was contagious.

Todd raised an eyebrow at the image on display, unsure of what his friend was planning this time. "What do you want with an old, worn out building?"

"I want to turn it into one of those small mom-and-pop type stores, with living space up above. The building's cheap, and the town shows promise for growth over the next few decades." Roy seemed completely confident in his outlandish idea.

"What would you even sell there? You hate working retail! Last time we had you over for dinner, you told us that you had just quit your job at the hardware store, vowing never to work retail again."

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Roy shifted, his resolve waning. "Maybe you and Emily could help out, hasn't she always wanted to sell her crafts?"

Todd immediately shot that idea down. "Not a chance. I'm far too busy at the university, and Emily's busy with the kids. You're on your own with that one, man."

Roy shoulders slumped, defeat in his voice. "Yeah, you're probably right. As usual…"

***

The duo arrived at an identical coffee shop, a row of sailboats bobbed in the waves, their rope ties securing them to the pier. There was a woman dressed in a floral sundress, and a wide brim hat sitting on a bench in front of the shop.

She tossed pieces of bread to the resident seagulls that had stopped by in search of free snacks.

When she spotted the approaching men, she stood up and greeted them with an excited wave.

"Hey there, Roy! Long time no see!" She hugged Roy like an aunt hugging a nephew.

"Hello, Mrs. Hathaway." Roy said with a slight bow. The sly smile on his face at odds with his polite demeanor.

"You know, I hate it when people call me that, it makes me sound like an old lady."

"Well, you are—" Roy stopped digging his own grave at the sight of icy daggers stabbing into him from Emily's death glare.

"—looking lovely today, Emily." His tension made the words nearly come out as a squeak.

"That's what I thought. Also, don't bow, I'm not a queen." She smiled at Roy like he was a guilty dog that had tracked mud into the house.

"You are my queen, though." Todd interjected with a cheesy grin.

Emily rolled her eyes, a wry smile breaking through. "Love you too, honey. Now, how did you end up on the other side of the marina? I swear Todd had told you-"

Todd cut her off to answer for himself. "I wasn't specific enough on which Higgin's, honest mistake." Roy eyed his friend, but he wouldn't meet his gaze. He shook his head in disapproval, but said nothing.

"Regardless, we're here now. My father said the boat should be fully fueled, and ready to go." Todd searched the empty ground near the bench. "Where's the luggage?"

Emily crossed her arms with a disapproving look. "It's all loaded up. You two took your time getting over here; it's already almost dusk." The streetlamps lit up around them as if on cue. "See…" She pointed at the lamp above them. "I feel like I'm talking to children…" She let out a tired sigh.

"Who are they staying with, by the way? Did you finally hire a nanny or butler?" Roy asked, earning an elbow jab from Todd. "Ow…"

"They're staying with my parents. 'Em's are out of town. They had to fly to see a specialist for her mom's cancer." Todd looked weary as he spoke, his eyes distant.

The whimsy that had been in Roy's voice was absent, replaced by a soft, solemn tone. "I'm sorry to hear that. I wish her the best with the procedure." Roy gave her a consoling hug.

"Thank you, we're confident it'll go smoothly. Though, it's always a gamble in the later stages."

A couple each holding an ice cream cone, rounded the corner of the coffee shop, their other hands interlocked. Roy recognized his long time rival, Ian, but not the beautiful woman he was with. He eyed Ian, probing for the best angle to antagonize him.

"How kind of you to finally join us. I see you've brought a lovely plus-one as well…" Roy trailed off, realizing his angle. "Ready to get out to sea? We haven't got all night. Well, maybe you do. Though, on second thought—"

Roy stopped himself when Emily shot him a death glare, nodding at a family passing by.

Ian's face flushed with anger, but his partner whispered something in his ear, too low for the rest of the group to hear.

Ian scowled at Roy, but paused to calm himself. "Fine, but if it wasn't for you, we would've left an hour ago. Jackass."

Roy rolled his eyes, then turned to smile at the unfamiliar woman. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Roy."

He stepped past Emily to invite a handshake. Emily moved to stand by her husband, whispering something in his ear.

"No way, that's bullsh—" Todd earned an elbow jab from his wife. "Ow… Was that really necessary? The kids aren't around to hear us."

Emily glared at him, unrelenting. "You should know better, we're in public."

Roy looked back with a raised eyebrow. His attention was pulled back when he felt a soft, cold hand meet his.

"I'm Beth, it's a pleasure to meet you." Her sultry voice was smooth and rich like milk tea. Roy had little interest in the beverage before that point, but he had a newfound desire to expand his horizons.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Roy's eyes sparkled, putting his best foot forward.

Emily pulled Todd away towards the boat. She whispered to him as they walked. "Don't you remember what happened when they were in high school? There's no way he would let that go without making a show of it."

Todd's shoulders tensed, remembering a conversation between him and Roy right after Roy's graduation party. "You don't think—"

She nodded before he could finish his sentence. "Yes, unfortunately, I do." She let out a long, tired sigh. "You know him better than I do, but you saw how he was back there. I worry about this trip."

With a comforting hand on her shoulder, Todd pulled Emily into a side hug as they walked. "It'll be okay, I promise. I'll have a talk with Roy once we settle in."

Ian stood aside, bewildered, a cone in each hand. Beth returned for her dessert, motioning for him to follow. He handed the cone back, scowling at Roy as Beth turned to follow the others. Roy shot back a malevolent grin, shrugging off Ian's attempt to stab him to death with his eyes.

Todd interrupted the standoff from the deck of the boat. "Hurry up, we've got a long ways to go!"