Summer Love at the Beach (Summer Instalove)

and turned. Checking the time on my phone, there was a text.

Mitch: I didn’t find it yet, but I will. Don’t give up on the necklace, or on me, sweetie.

Mitch: I adore you. xoxo

I couldn’t respond, since I had no idea what to say. Everything was numb and blurry, and

the tears came and went like the waves outside.

CHAPTER TWELVE

* Mitch *

I was obviously not an expert in gorgeous young women. However, I was relatively

knowledgeable about getting things taken care of in a crisis.

Over the years, I’d watched as many people combed the beach with metal detectors. As

far as I knew, they never found anything more interesting than a lost earring or a handful of change. But it seemed like a fun hobby. If nothing else, it got some quiet, introverted young men outside for some fresh air.

A quick Internet search led me to an online group where people in the area shared their

found treasures.

Contacting three of them who said they were often on this beach, I said I would pay each of

them a hundred dollars to come out and search this area, with an extra reward should they

find the necklace.

All three of them arrived first thing in the morning, and I blocked out their search area with lawn chairs to keep joggers away. Although I saw Brendan and Julie looking at me

strangely, I was relieved that they did not come over to speak with me.

It was hard to process how horrifically I might have hurt Becca. Logically, I knew that it

wasn’t really my fault, since there was no way I could have known that Tiffany would make

a scene like that. But still...

I had intended to tell Becca about my previous relationship, but it seemed too soon. Nobody

wants to point out their shortcomings on the second or third date. Maybe I didn’t want her

to know how stupid and naïve I had been.

Pacing the outer perimeter of the search zone, I had to admire how seriously these guys

were working. One of them mentioned that they often helped out people in the area when

something went missing, and even assisted once in a police investigation, since the local

precinct was so small that it didn’t have any metal detectors.

They must have done this sort of thing before, as they quickly divided the area into thirds,

working in a similar sweep pattern from north to south, then east to west in each of their