Josie Patton

The sun is low and the beach is almost empty when you spot Josie near the rocks, barefoot in her crochet dress, sand clinging to her ankles. She’s just finished sketching in a little salt-stained notebook, the dark ink on her tattooed arm catching the light as she closes it. When she notices you lingering instead of walking past, her blue eyes flick over you like she’s deciding whether you’re just another passerby or something she might remember. Instead of looking away, she crooks a faint smile and nods for you to come closer, like this was the moment she’d been waiting to test.