I placed my hands on the railing and let the ocean water spray on my face. I spotted the island from a distance. The wonderful world of Castanet was just beyond the horizon. A place with no vehicular transportation, no Wi-Fi, and no cell phones. But maybe Jin was right. Perhaps a vacation from modern society was therapeutic. I needed the break. The day prior was disastrous. Dozens of customers poured into the bar every five minutes, three servers called out sick, and a fire broke out in the kitchen. My boss threatened to cut everyone's hours until he realized that everyone would have quit anyway. So he barked orders all afternoon and slipped out the back door a few times to take swigs of whiskey. After a baby vomited on my shoes, an old man leered at my butt, and I caused another co-worker to slip and sprain his ankle after I dropped a platter of baby-back ribs on the floor, I wrote my resignation letter. That's right. I quit. I know what you're thinking: Ocean, you can't quit after a bad day. Well, I did. It was a dead end job, anyway. I had enough savings for two months. I could just as easily find something else. Lily was upset, of course, but I was relieved that she wouldn't be able to convince me to hook up with every male who walked through the door. And I had much more on my mind.

Jin and I had exchanged letters for over six months. Like clockwork, I received a letter from him every Thursday since the day we met. He was the most enigmatic man I had ever known. In fact, he introduced me to the word "enigmatic" because I had no idea what that meant. He wrote like Shakespeare's descendant, using flowery and romantic prose that I could never dream to replicate though I tried. Instead, I overused the word "like" and drew too many smiley faces and hearts. He said he found it endearing. Jin was self-assured and intelligent yet sensitive and compassionate. He talked about how much he cared about the villagers at Castanet and especially his grandmother Irene. He mentioned Toby and Gill a few times, but it didn't seem like he was close to either one. He was concerned about the state of the island and mentioned that things were not thriving as they once did. He wanted to build a local clinic so the islanders wouldn't have to travel to the city for healthcare. I found myself getting a bit jealous. He had all of this ambition, and I had no idea what to do with my life.

Still, he genuinely liked me and whatever chemistry we had in person only intensified as time went on. The guys I used to talk to would pretend to be interested, but the conversations would quickly turn south, if you know what I mean. Not Jin. Not once did he bring that up. It felt good not to be seen as a piece of raw meat or worry about looking at a lewd picture. I was confident things were going well and that he was going to ask me to be his long-distance girlfriend. Six months was a long time to consider if you wanted to be exclusive with someone. But maybe he was the old-fashioned type. You know, someone who really wanted to determine if his potential partner was compatible. He even invited me to visit him in Castanet, which I considered to be a very good sign. He said he would pay my way. When Lily found out about that, she started to plan my honeymoon, which included a beach house in Costa Rica and drinking cocktails out of coconuts. But that was three weeks ago.

For each Thursday that passed, I asked my mom if I received anything in the mail, and she always said no. At first it was no big deal. No one could maintain a streak like that forever, you know? But then two weeks passed. I felt a little disappointed and concerned. I fought off thoughts that maybe he just wasn't interested anymore, although I couldn't think of any indication of disinterest in his letters. When three weeks went by, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I bought a one-way ticket to Castanet Island. Even I admit that it was a rash and slightly naive decision. I should have just written a follow-up letter, or better yet, move on. But I chalked it up to concern. What if he was sick or in trouble? He would want me to be there, right? Plus, he personally extended an invitation to me. Maybe he wanted to see if I was actually serious about our relationship.

Love makes you pure stupid, which is why I usually avoided men like the plague.

So that's how I ended up on a boat to Castanet, captained by a man named Pascal, who stood next to me with a warm smile.

"What's your name, dear?" Pascal said.

"Oceanna. But you can call me Ocean."

"That's a beautiful name. And what brings you here? We don't usually have many visitors."

He brought a cigar to his lips, inhaled sharply, and released a puff of smoke into the air. I considered. Should I say I'm visiting my friend Jin or my boyfriend Jin? What if he didn't want to put a label on it yet? But if not, what was the point of our relationship? I tried not to overthink it.

"Oh, I'm visiting my friend, Jin," I said.

"Ah! Of course!" He smiled. "For his wedding."

My hand slid across the railing, and I banged my elbow.

Wedding?

"Crap, crap, shoot!" I cradled my arm as I waited for the pain to subside.

He didn't say wedding, did he?

Pascal rushed to my side. "Are you okay?"

He definitely said wedding.

My stomach sank, time slowed, and the realization of what Pascal said crashed down on me like a waterfall held back by a fragile dam.

Jin is getting married.

I bit my lip and nodded. "Yeah. Ow, that really hurt."

"Be careful. The ride can be a bit bumpy at times."

I was so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course he stopped writing. He had another woman on the side. No, scratch that. I was the woman on the side. He was just like the rest. And I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. Me, Oceanna, who prided herself on knowing how to weed out the players and who swore she would never be heartbroken like other women who fell in love too easily. I should have known. How could I expect him to be faithful when I hadn't seen him in six months? And why did I expect him to be faithful at all? We weren't even together.

He did more than break my heart. He made me look stupid. And I wasn't going to let that slide.

I regained my composure. I even plastered on a smile. "Yes. Um, what was his fiancee's name again? I totally forgot."

The plan was already in the works. I needed to get all the information I could. Revenge was looking sweeter and sweeter.

"Anissa. She's a beautiful young woman. So kind and hard working. The engagement wasn't a surprise. She visited him every day at the clinic."

Name, Anisaa. Check. Beautiful and kind. Check. But what was this clinic business? Did he finally get one up and going?

"Jin finally got the clinic going?" I said.

Pascal adjusted his sailor's hat and knitted his eyebrows. "Going? It's been there for as long as I can remember. He recently finished his studies in medicine. He's a doctor now."

I could have laughed out loud from the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Everything he said was a lie. But I wasn't surprised after the wedding announcement. For all I knew, his name was Julio and he was born in the Philippines. I wanted to hear more lies. I wanted to lap them up.

"Then it's been awhile since we spoke," I said. "I'm happy for him. All his dreams are coming true."

I knew I had descended into insanity. I felt calm amidst the bubbling rage inside of me. How dare he. How dare he sell me a pipe dream.

Pascal pointed ahead. Two figures stood at the end of a pier, waving erratically. He took another quick drag of his cigar before returning to the cockpit. "Land ho! We're almost there, Miss Oceanna!"

Miss Oceanna. That's what he used to call me.

I dropped the strained smile from my face now that I was alone. I fixed my eyes on the ocean, the water shimmering like a thousand tiny jewels under the sunlight. Seagulls screeched overhead with their wings outstretched, coasting on the breeze. Lucky little things. They would never know what it felt like to be betrayed.

My mom taught me to never cry over a man. After dad left, she never shed a tear. Not one. And neither was I.

I blinked the wetness from my eyes and stood up straight. Hello, Castanet. Welcome to your worst nightmare.

I followed Pascal to the cockpit. He slowed the boat to come to a stop in front of the pier, leaving white foam in its wake. I squinted at the landscape stretched out before us. A colorful district of buildings lined the concrete streets like blocks. Cherry blossoms spun in the air with the cool breeze. Above the town was a huge mountain whose peak was shrouded by fluffy white clouds. The sand along the beach was golden and untouched. Jin's description of the island didn't do it justice. The place was breathtaking.

A familiar voice called out from below. "Ocean!"

I looked down. It was Toby! I gasped and returned his enthusiastic wave. A little boy with a blue baseball cap stood next to him. "Hi, Ocean!"

Kids. They don't have to know you to like you.

Pascal and I carried my luggage down the steps. I had to use both hands to carry my suitcase and even then the veins in my wrists were about to pop out. So I packed two weeks worth of clothes. Big deal.

Toby ran up to take it from me before I tipped sideways into the ocean. "Oof!" He said. "What's in here? Bricks?"

"Hello to you too, Toby."

He smirked and leaned in to give me a hug with his free arm. The little boy threw his arms around my waist. "I'm Paolo!"

I slung my arm around him and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Nice to meet you, Paolo."

"Paolo!" A husky voice boomed from nearby. I turned toward the sound and saw a man poking his head out of a shop. His eyes were hidden under a straw sunhat. "I told you to finish your chores before you came outside."

Paolo pouted. "Ugh, okay." He smiled up at me. "See you later, Ocean!"

I ruffled his hair before he joined the man inside the shop. Pascal set my other two suitcases next to me with a thud. "Whew! You must plan to stay for awhile."

"Yes, I'm very excited," I said. Toby side-eyed me. I ignored him.

"We're happy to have you here. You should check in with Town Hall. You'll meet our mayor, and he can give you a tour. But I'm sure Jin already told you what to do."

I nodded. "Oh, yeah. I think I got it from here. Thank you so much."

Pascal tipped his hat and returned to his boat. He had to make another trip to a place called Toucan Island. Toby waited until he was out of hearing range and then turned to me. "Ocean, what are you doing here?"

I smiled innocently. "What do you mean? I'm here for Jin's wedding."

His face fell. "How did you know about that? He told you?"

"Nope. I just found out. A few minutes ago."

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "This is a mess…"

"You're telling me," I said. I grabbed my suitcase and hobbled down the pier. He carried the other two with ease. "Explain."

The summer sun blazed in the center of the sky. The air felt drier the further we walked away from the water. "Geez, Ocean. When we all met that night, he and Anissa had just broken up."

I rolled my eyes. "So I was the rebound? Thanks for the warning."

I turned my attention to the curious faces watching me while Toby and I walked to the town hall. A blonde woman with green eyes and cowboy boots smiled at me. Another woman with blue hair looked down when our eyes met. "It wasn't my place to say anything," Toby continued. "You both had a lot of chemistry. I didn't think things would get so serious between you guys."

"What do you mean?"

"He talked about you a lot. Said he wrote to you every week for months. But then…"

He stopped in his tracks and darted a glance at me. "He and Anissa started talking again. It sucks that he didn't tell you."

I shrugged. "All men are the same. What's new?" My heart sank further into the pit of my stomach. He used me. Why would he do something like this?

"Not all." He wrinkled his nose like he was offended. I didn't bother to reassure him.

When we reached town hall, Toby blocked the door before I could go in.

"Hey, move it," I said. I stepped to the right, and he blocked me again.

"What are you going to do? You're still going to stay?"

"Absolutely. I paid for this trip. I'm going to enjoy it." I bumped his shoulder as I pushed past him. He followed me in.

The cool air conditioning felt jarring against my sweaty skin. The main entrance was empty, and a jolly looking older man stood at the front desk. An over exaggerated grin spread across his face as if he were waiting for this moment his entire life. "Ah! A new face! Hello! My name is Mayor Hamilton! It's a pleasure to meet you! What's your name?"

I blinked. "Um, yes. I'm Oceanna."

He came from behind the desk and shook my hand with fervor. The man was about my height with a round belly and rosy cheeks. "What a lovely name! Very unique! What brings you to Castanet Island?"

I opened my mouth to respond before my eyes fell on a poster on the wall. It featured a beautiful cottage, a red barn, and a field of vibrant fruits and vegetables. In bright blue letters, the caption read:

FARMER NEEDED. FREE ROOM AND BOARD PROVIDED. PLEASE CONTACT MAYOR HAMILTON IF INTERESTED.

At that very moment, fate came knocking at the door. And I welcomed him in with open arms.

"I'm here for the farmer position," I said.

"What!?" I heard Toby hiss.

The mayor took a step back and gave me the up-down. He scratched his chin. "Are you positive? You're quite small…"

He was right. I was 5"2' and 105 lbs.

"Yes."

"Do you have any experience?"

I hesitated. "No, but I'm a hard worker. Ask Toby!"

I grabbed Toby's wrist and yanked him forward. "I was Toby's waitress a few months ago when he visited my hometown."

When he didn't respond, I nudged his ribs with my elbow. "Oh! Yeah! Ocean was an excellent server. She was very attentive and polite. And she worked very hard!"

He frowned at me and massaged his rib cage. Mayor Hamilton's eyes lit up. "That's good to hear. So you plan to make Castanet your home?"

There I was, making more rash, poorly thought out decisions. How was I going to explain to my mom that I wasn't coming home?

Oh, hey mom. I'm not coming home. I decided to become a farmer on a remote island. Good luck paying off my student debt. Love ya!

I nodded. "Yes. I love it here already."

Toby gawked at me, but Mayor Hamilton clapped his hands in delight. "Wonderful! This is absolutely delightful!" He returned to his desk and rummaged through his drawer. "I have been looking for another farmer for months! The Goddess has answered my prayers!"

I raised an eyebrow. Not God, but...the Goddess?

"Gill!" The mayor said. "Come out here and meet our newest farmer."

Oh, no. Not him. It couldn't be.

Gill emerged from a back room with a stack of papers in tow. He stared at me. I stared at him. Toby looked back and forth between us. Mayor Hamilton continued to smile.

Then, "You're joking. Right?"

"No!" The mayor said. "Oceanna, this is my son, Gill. Gill, Oceanna."

He sat the stack of papers on the desk and folded his arms. "We've met."

I gaped. "He's your son?"

"My pride and joy!" Mayor Hamilton grabbed Gill's cheek and stretched it out.

"Father, please!" Gill slapped his hand away.

The older man laughed. "My son isn't as rude as he seems. But we both welcome you to Castanet. You're family now."

He came from behind the desk again and handed me a bronze key. I sighed. What had I gotten myself into?

"This is the key to your new home! If you give me one moment, I will show you the farmland." He disappeared into the backroom where Gill had emerged from.

Gill narrowed his blue eyes at me. "What on earth are you doing here? You do know Dr. Jin is engaged, yes?"

My nostrils flared at the reminder. I hoped he didn't notice. "Yes. That's why I'm here."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Of course."

Toby swatted my shoulder. His eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them. "Do you realize what you just did?"

"What?"

"I'm telling you. You shouldn't have agreed to this!"

Gill smirked. And I realized that I had just made another huge mistake.

Oh, Ocean. Poor, naive Ocean. How many of us have been in similar situations? Thank you for reading and please review!