THE DAYS THAT STARTED TO FEEL LIKE HOME
Chapter 1
The morning after the Harbor Games victory, Ethan woke before his alarm.
For several seconds, he didn’t know why.
He stared at the ceiling.
The room was still dark.
Rain tapped lightly against the window.
Somewhere outside, a truck passed along the road toward the harbor.
Ethan rolled onto his side and checked the clock.
5:42 a.m.
He closed his eyes again.
Five minutes.
Maybe ten.
Then he heard the faint sound of a gull outside.
He opened his eyes.
There was no reason to get up.
No emergency.
No storm.
No competition.
No damaged pier waiting to be repaired.
Just another morning.
Ethan lay there for another minute.
Then he got up anyway.
The routine had become familiar.
Shower.
Jeans.
Dark shirt.
Jacket.
Boots.
Coffee.
Keys.
He locked the door behind him and stepped into the cold morning.
Greyhaven was still half asleep.
The streets were wet.
Puddles reflected the yellow glow of street lamps.
The ocean was hidden behind a low layer of fog.
Ethan walked toward the harbor.
He liked the town at this hour.
There was something different about it before everyone woke up.
The buildings looked quieter.
The harbor sounded louder.
Ropes creaked against wooden posts.
Water moved beneath the docks.
A distant engine started.
The bakery was the only place with its lights fully on.
Ethan slowed as he passed.
The smell of fresh bread escaped through the open back door.
A voice called out.
“Ethan.”
He turned.
An older man stood inside the doorway holding a paper bag.
“You want one?”
Ethan pointed at himself.
“Me?”
The man nodded.
“Who else?”
Ethan walked over.
“What is it?”
“Rolls.”
“How much?”
The man looked offended.
“Take them.”
Ethan smiled.
“Thanks.”
He continued toward the harbor with the warm paper bag in his hand.
It was a small thing.
Almost meaningless.
But Ethan noticed it.
People in Greyhaven had started giving him things without asking for anything in return.
Food.
Coffee.
Tools.
Advice.
Invitations.
Sometimes even problems.
He wasn’t sure which one he liked most.
