---
Salt & Summer
Tides of June – Book One
---
Chapter One: The Town Called Morrow Bay
They said the ocean healed broken things. That the sea had a way of washing away all the dust and shadows of life, leaving you new and clean—if only you let it. June Callahan wasn't sure if she believed that anymore, but as she stepped off the bus into the golden dusk of Morrow Bay, with its white fences, sleepy boardwalks, and the smell of salt and lemonade in the air, she hoped—quietly, desperately—that the rumors were true.
She hadn't planned to come here. But life had a way of shoving people off course and whispering, start over. Her old life—the one she'd built with fragile, trembling hands over years in the big city—was now a closed door. No job, no apartment, no fiancé. Just her, a secondhand suitcase, and a tiny scrap of paper with a handwritten address and the words: "If you're ever in trouble, come find me. - Aunt May."
But Aunt May had passed away two years ago. What June hadn't known was that May had left her something—a small, aging cottage tucked behind sand dunes and seagrass, overlooking the sea.
June was twenty-seven and heartbroken. She didn't cry anymore, not because she wasn't sad, but because she'd used up all her tears.
As she dragged her suitcase down Seashell Drive, she didn't notice the boy watching her from across the road, holding a surfboard like it was part of his soul.
---
Chapter Two: The Boy with the Sea in His Eyes
He'd seen her before.
Or someone like her.
New faces in Morrow Bay always stood out—especially when they walked with that kind of sadness, the kind that clung to them like morning fog. Ryder Finn had lived in the beach town his entire life, and he could spot heartbreak the way a sailor could smell rain.
She looked lost. Not just directionally—but in that soul-deep way. Still, she walked with a strange kind of grace, her boots kicking up little puffs of sand from the cracked sidewalk as if she were floating. She had a slight limp, like an old wound she didn't want to admit still hurt. Ryder didn't usually pay attention to strangers, but there was something about her.
Maybe it was the way she stopped in front of the old Callahan Cottage, set back from the street and partially buried in sea grass. Most people didn't even notice it—except the locals, who knew it had been empty for years. But there she was, slipping a rusted key from her coat pocket, her hands trembling.
He saw the way she exhaled before turning the lock. Like she was afraid of what would greet her inside.
And then the door creaked open, swallowing her whole.
Ryder turned away, squinting toward the sun-slicked horizon. He told himself he didn't care.
But later, as he rode the last wave of the day, her face still haunted him—dark eyes like tidepools and shoulders too heavy for someone so young.
Ryder hadn't spoken to June Callahan yet.
But he would.
And when he did, both of their lives would start to shift like sand beneath the tide.
---
Chapter Three: Dust and Lemon Tea
The inside of the cottage smelled like dust and dried lavender. June pushed the door shut behind her and took a long, slow breath. The place was... small, quiet, untouched. A sagging floral couch sat against one wall. A faded rug, worn to the threads. Framed photos of people she barely remembered—her mother and Aunt May, laughing in oversized sunglasses, a much younger version of herself holding a seashell like it was treasure.
She didn't cry. Not anymore.
Instead, she walked through the rooms one by one. Bedroom. Tiny kitchen. A bathroom that hadn't been cleaned in years. But nothing was broken. Just... waiting. Waiting for someone to come back.
She set her suitcase down and opened the fridge, half expecting to find ghosts. Instead, she found a half-used jar of honey and a teabag collection older than her. She boiled water anyway.
June stood at the back screen door, sipping lemon tea as the sun melted into the ocean. The sky turned soft peach and coral. Somewhere down the shore, someone was playing a guitar. Children's laughter floated up like bubbles. And for a moment—just a breath—she felt okay.
Lonely. But okay.
She didn't notice the knock at the door.
Not until it came again, louder.
When she opened it, a woman in her fifties stood there, holding a plate of cookies and a disarming smile.
"Hi, sweetheart. You must be May's niece."
June blinked. "Uh... yeah. I'm June."
"Lettie Grey. I live three doors down. May and I used to make moon tea and spy on seagulls together." She laughed softly and shoved the plate toward June. "Welcome back to Morrow Bay. You look like you could use chocolate."
June hesitated. Then smiled—shaky, but real. "I really could."
---
Chapter Four: Sea Glass
June woke early the next morning, the sound of gulls shrieking like seaside alarm clocks. The air was crisp, the kind that slipped through windowpanes and kissed your ankles. She wrapped herself in a knit shawl that smelled like cedar and stepped outside with a mug of reheated lemon tea.
The ocean glittered in the distance, waves brushing the shore like soft breaths. Morrow Bay was smaller than she remembered. Or maybe her memory had been full of gaps even then. She hadn't visited since she was fourteen, and back then she'd been too busy pretending not to care about anything.
Now, she cared too much.
She was halfway down the beach path when she saw him.
Surfboard under one arm, hoodie tied around his waist, wet hair curling at the ends. He was talking to someone, laughing, but then he looked up—and saw her.
Their eyes met.
It wasn't dramatic. Not like in movies.
But there was something electric in it. Just a flicker.
"Morning," he said, lifting a hand.
June froze. Then gave a short nod. "Hi."
He took a few steps toward her. "You're May's niece?"
"Yeah. June."
He smiled. "Ryder. I surf. And work at the boardwalk café. You want a job, they're always looking."
She raised a brow. "I just got here."
"Then you're already late," he said, deadpan.
June let out a laugh before she could stop herself. It caught her by surprise. Him, too.
"You're funny," she said.
"Sometimes."
They stood quietly, the kind of silence that wasn't awkward—just new.
Then he pointed to the shore. "You like sea glass?"
"I haven't thought about it in years."
"There's good pieces here. You want to walk?"
And she did.
---
Chapter Five: Coffee and Saltwater
By the end of the week, June had learned a few things:
1. The café Ryder worked at was called The Drift, and it smelled like caramel and sunshine.
2. Lettie Grey made a mean blueberry scone and knew everyone's business.
3. And Ryder? He wasn't just a surfer. He was a painter. A quiet soul with paint under his nails and sunlight in his laugh.
She didn't mean to like him.
She wasn't ready. Not after Micah. Not after everything.
But Ryder never asked for anything. He just showed up—when she needed someone to walk with, when her sink exploded, when the power went out and he brought candles and grilled cheese.
They didn't talk about their pasts. Not yet.
Instead, they talked about the ocean, and art, and what it meant to start over.
June started helping at The Drift part-time. Mopping floors. Serving lattes. And slowly, the ache in her chest stopped bleeding.
It didn't go away. But it softened.
Like sea glass.
---
Chapter Six: The Broken Board
It had rained for three days straight. June stayed in, listening to the wind rattle the shutters. She read old books, cleaned out closets, and finally opened the letters May had left in a cookie tin under the bed.
There were dozens—written over the years, none ever sent.
Each one started with, "Dear June," and ended with, "Come home when you're ready."
She cried for the first time in weeks.
When the sun finally came out, she found Ryder sitting on the boardwalk with a cracked surfboard beside him.
"What happened?" she asked, sitting next to him.
"Wave caught me off guard. Happens."
She looked at the gash down the center. "Can you fix it?"
"Yeah. But not today."
She watched him for a while. Then, quietly, "I found letters. From May. I think she always knew I'd come back."
Ryder didn't speak, but she felt his shoulder brush against hers.
"I used to think I had to be tough," June said. "But maybe being broken isn't weak. Maybe it's just... honest."
"You're not broken," he said, finally.
She met his eyes.
And for the first time since arriving, she believed it.
---
Chapter Seven: Fireflies
That night, Ryder knocked on her door with a mason jar of fireflies.
"Why?" she asked, laughing.
"You looked sad."
"I'm not."
He tilted his head. "Not even a little?"
"Maybe a little."
They sat on the porch, watching the bugs blink like tiny stars.
"I was engaged once," June whispered. "Micah. He cheated on me. Left me with nothing. I thought I'd never trust anyone again."
Ryder didn't say sorry. He just handed her the jar.
"I used to think I'd never love anyone," he said. "After my dad died, I didn't know how to stay close to people."
She looked at him. "What changed?"
"You moved in three houses down."
Their hands touched.
Neither pulled away.
---
Chapter Eight: First Light
It happened slowly.
They shared routines—morning coffee, evening walks, boardwalk dances when the live band played.
Lettie said they were "beach-sweethearts in denial."
June just smiled.
She still had days where the sadness returned. Days where the shadows curled tight. But now there was light, too. Light in Ryder's smile. In the way he showed her how to mend things. In the way she caught herself laughing mid-broom sweep at the café.
It wasn't love yet.
But it was something beautiful.
And maybe, just maybe, she was ready for beautiful things again.
---
Chapter Nine: Salt and Summer
On the last day of June, Ryder asked her to come to the water's edge.
He was barefoot, holding a small box.
Her heart skipped.
But inside the box wasn't a ring.
It was a shell.
Smooth, pale pink, with a crack down the side.
"You said being broken doesn't mean you're weak," he said. "This is from my dad's collection. I kept it because it reminded me of him. Now it reminds me of you. Strong in the softest way."
June didn't speak.
She kissed him instead.
And the sea roared around them, echoing like applause.
After then June return home where her parents leaved going back to discover that her parents had another child which her parents starts to treat her badly
June wake up in the morning clean the house prepare everything for may and her little sister to go to school she was no longer going to school costume change June will stay at home do house chores bent her little sister wash her parents clothes and still they never appreciate.
June preferred her nurse please June sit and cry for her to return back to her niece's place but there was no way her daily routine continue wake up clean the house prepare her junior went to school so that was the day June went out of the house and make a new friend which she share her problem with her and the new friends being April decided to help by telling June to leave the house in come stay with her so June talks about it and concluded as the final way of her happiness so the next day she prepared slowly and take her things so she could leave the house but her first trial she was almost cut by her parent when joined out the second day she told a prayer about what happened our home that day before April give her another advice he should try coming out in the night things to 3 weeks later June packed her things in left to April's house June staying at April's house brought her peace in satisfaction that she never thought of returning to her parents house June begin to make new friends new life so everything was new happy about her new life June began to go to school everything was Brown new June appreciated April saying without you I don't know what would happen to me today I really appreciate April said to Jane what are friends for and later on June a boyfriend that she give attention in everything so she left happy life and everything was going well so as they passed on June and April has been invited for a birthday party so the left in hard they played and appreciate each other for a Day like this and you're always thought of going out together time goes on June boyfriend had a plan on introducing her to his parents which was done successfully and her parents agree in this parents also agree for the both parents agreed and they got married and if you're Ronaldo staying in her apartment alone
In the mystical realm of Aethoria, where the sun dipped into the horizon and painted theues of crimson and gold, the village of Brindlemark lay nestled within a valley. It was a village of ancient lore, where tales of forgotten magic and mythical creatures whispered through the wind. The villagers lived simple lives, tending to their crops and livestock, but they knew that beyond the rolling hills and dense forests, a world of wonder and danger awaited.
Eira, a young apprentice to the village's revered elder, Thorne, felt an insatiable hunger to explore the unknown. With her raven-black hair tied in a ponytail and her emerald eyes gleaming with curiosity, she spent most of her days studying the ancient tomes in Thorne's library. The elder, sensing Eira's restlessness, began to teach her the intricacies of magic, from the delicate art of spellcraft to the potent force of elemental manipulation.
One fateful evening, as the village gathered around the fire pit, Thorne revealed a long-forgotten secret. "Friends, the time has come to retrieve the fabled Crystal of Eldrador," he declared, his eyes twinkling with a mix of excitement and trepidation. "Hidden deep within the heart of the Dragon's Spine mountains, this crystal holds the key to our village's prosperity and protection."
The villagers exchanged awestruck glances, and Eira's heart skipped a beat. This was the adventure she had been waiting for! Thorne continued, "The crystal's power can heal our withering crops, grant us resistance to the dark forces that lurk in the shadows, and imbue our magic with unprecedented strength."
With the village's blessing, Eira, accompanied by her trusted companion, a skilled archer named Arin, set out on the perilous journey. As they ventured into the unknown, the landscape shifted from lush forests to treacherous mountain paths. The air grew thinner, and the winds howled like restless spirits.
On the third day, they encountered a group of travelers who warned them of the dangers that lay ahead. "Turn back now, adventurers," one of the travelers cautioned. "The dragons that guard the crystal are fierce and unforgiving. You will not return."
Undeterred, Eira and Arin pressed on, relying on their wits, skills, and budding magic to overcome the obstacles. As they climbed higher, the atmosphere grew thick with an otherworldly energy. Eira sensed the presence of ancient magic, echoing through the mountains like a whispered melody.
Upon reaching the entrance to the crystal's resting place, a colossal dragon emerged from the shadows. Its scales glistened like polished obsidian, and its eyes burned with an inner fire. Eira and Arin stood firm, ready to face the challenge.
The battle was intense, with the dragon unleashing torrents of flame and Eira conjuring shields of swirling silver light. Arin fired arrow after arrow, each one striking true but barely piercing the dragon's hide. Just when it seemed the tide would turn against them, Eira remembered Thorne's words: "The key to taming the dragon lies not in force, but in harmony."
With newfound determination, Eira began to weave a different spell. She attuned her magic to the dragon's, creating a symphony of resonance that calmed the beast. The dragon's flames diminished, and its gaze softened. Eira approached the dragon, now docile, and touched its scaled forehead.
In a burst of light, the dragon transformed into a guardian, tasked with protecting the Crystal of Eldrador. "You have proven your worth," the guardian declared. "Take the crystal, but remember, its power comes with great responsibility."
Eira and Arin retrieved the crystal, its facets glinting with an ethereal glow. As they descended the mountain, the crystal's energy infused the air, revitalizing the landscape. The crops began to flourish, and the villagers, sensing the change, rejoiced.
Upon their return, Thorne welcomed Eira and Arin as heroes. The elder took the crystal, and with Eira's assistance, unlocked its secrets. The village prospered, and Eira's magic grew stronger. She continued to explore the mysteries of Aethoria, ever ready for the next adventure that awaited her.
---
The End